Mr. Chen Zhaoming, who is more than 80 years old, voluntarily invited me to his home one day and told me a part of his experience, hoping that I would sort it out to help those Falun Gong addicts. The following is his narration.
I am an assistant researcher at a provincial scientific research institute of agriculture, living at Jinshuizha, Jiangxia District of Wuhan. After my retirement in 1990, I planned to write an autobiography about my 40 years' research work on oranges. However, it seemed that I was too old and too weak to do so, which made me very upset.
In the end of November 1997, I heard that Falun Gong had a magical effect on bodily health, so I started to look for the books to read. According to Zhuan Falun (Turning the Falun) written by Li Hongzhi, his practice trained both human nature and human life; Falun Gong teaches you to reach up to heaven and down to earth; it could help you to open the "heavenly eye" for the practitioner for remote sight; it knew the past as well as the future; and it could etherialize people as well as rejuvenating them. The more I read it, the more joyous I became. "The Master" said that it was "the chance of a lifetime" to know something so excellent, and I was actually taken in, admiring Falun Gong from the bottom of my heart and feeling that I was so lucky to have this chance. So I quietly made up my mind to become a true practitioner and learn the Dafa(Falun Gong) well. At the beginning, I did feel better than before either out of psychological suggestion or other factors, which in turn added to my "faith" in Falun Gong. I studied Falun Gong for more than a year on the whole, reading books, participating in collective practicing, and practicing from dawn to night by myself. However, my physical condition did not show much improvement anyway, which inevitably made me somewhat doubtful about the effect on the bodily health of practicing Falun Gong.
My true doubt about Falun Gong started from my illness. I never had any serious illness in my life. Except for a minor surgery on vesical calculus, I had never been caught with an illness that laid me down in bed. However, since December 1997, in more than one year's time of practicing Falun Gong at home, the "dharma body" of the "Master" did not protect my health at all. Since late March in 1999, attacked by influenza virus, I had a fever of about 39 degrees every day, having no appetite and sleeping restlessly, moaning all the time. My wife stayed by my bedside, worrying and fearing that I would leave her forever. Although she practiced Falun Gong too, since she had always been having some doubts against it, she quietly said to me, "Let's take some medicine or injection, all right?" But I said, "I am sure the master is eliminating the karma for me. If I take medicine, wouldn't all my practice be in vain? No, I won't take any medicine." I also told her, "Because the master has told us time and again that when a practitioner gets ill, it is the elimination of karma carried out by the master. When the karma is eliminated, one would get into a higher level quickly and achieve completeness, becoming an accomplished practitioner with various powers. I am 78 years old. It is indeed very dangerous for such an old man to refuse medication when becoming ill. As a retired official, I enjoy very good medical care, and all my expenses on medication can be reimbursed. If I did not take medicine despite such good welfare, wouldn't it better move the "master" and be more favorable for my completeness?" "The master is a man with limitless power. He would eliminate my karma and illness after testing me." I consoled my wife.
I went on like this for 14 days. Till April 6, my temperature still refused to go down, and my condition got more and more serious. I had almost become a motionless "vegetable". "Fellow" practitioners kept on visiting me. Some were concerned with my condition, some were ploughing around, and some were keeping an eye on me. Some came to see if I followed the requirements of the "master" and rejected medication, and some wanted to know if the "master" would cure me with his magic power. Most of them asked my wife not to give me any medication.
Although I was almost dying, I was quite clear-minded. I wondered quietly I am dying, why would the "master" still not come to save me? And in any case, my wife has no retirement pay. If I died, who could she rely on? I can't die like this. Nevertheless, though I was no longer that sure about Falun Gong, if I started taking medication like this, it would be too face-losing before my fellow practitioners. So I had to hold on.
My daughter, failing to persuade me, told my condition to the head of my institute and my project team. In the evening of April 6, the head of the institute and the leader of the project team came to see me. Due to the serious situation, after discussing with my wife and daughter, they decided to send me to the nearest hospital by force. To be honest, although I still seemingly disagreed to see the doctor and refused to cooperate, I actually agreed to go to hospital in my heart. I was diagnosed of severe cold. The doctor in charge said that if I was there one day later, the result would be very serious. I was given transfusion and medicine immediately, after which I could soon sleep for a while. On the next day, I had more injection and medicine in the morning. At lunchtime, I could eat a little and even got up for some slight exercise. I took injections and medicines for 8 successive days. After April 15, this life-taking illness had completely gone.
I thought a lot lying in the sick bed. I am not a superstitious man. One reason for my going astray to practice Falun Gong was that I was so eager to be healthier so that I could write something; the other reason was that Falun Gong was really puzzling and confusing, easily taking people in. Life is the most precious thing of a man. Since the almighty "master" never thought of saving me when I was dying, and, in any case, he could not save me at all, I have sufficient reason to believe that Falun Gong is something illusive and deceptive. Indeed, I would be a coward if I hesitated any longer at this critical moment. After I recovered from the illness, accompanied by my daughter, I went to my institute to express my determination that I, Chen Zhaoming, together with my wife, from the date of my recovery, would break up the "spiritual shackle" that "Master Li" put on us and would never practice such nonsense. Fortunately, I voluntarily broke away from Falun Gong with my simple understanding before Falun Gong was cracked down by the state according to law.
In the end, Mr. Chen Zhaoming told me with sincerity and earnest, "My own experience demonstrated that at the time of life and death, the one that saves your life might be the Party, the colleagues and relatives, or the doctors. But the ones that are impossible to save your life must be Li Hongzhi and Falun Gong."
(Facts.org.cn, May 26, 2008)
