(Clearwisdom.net) I am a new practitioner who started practicing Falun Dafa in May 2004. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Teacher for looking after me every moment, and the Minghui/Clearwisdom website for allowing practitioners to exchange cultivation experiences.

I have benefited much from reading fellow practitioners' articles. I have thought of submitting articles to share my cultivation experiences, but each time, the notion of "not knowing how to write or cannot write well" would block me from writing. When I read about practitioners who went on hunger strikes to protest the persecution and who were physically tortured as a result, I felt very bad. I feel that I should write down my own experience in countering the persecution, in the hopes that it would be of some help to those practitioners who are in a similar situation as mine.

In 2005, I had some loopholes, such as not being able to harmonize my family environment well and not paying enough attention to sending forth righteous thoughts. As a result, the evil took advantage of my shortcomings.

Someone reported me to my managers at work saying that I practiced Falun Gong and was advising others to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). My supervisors talked to me and asked me to give up the practice and told me that I couldn't work if I didn't. I told them, "I follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be a good person. There is nothing wrong with that, so I insist on working." They took out some official document to show me. After I read it, I told them, "All of this is based on lies. The Tiananmen self-immolation incident was used to frame Falun Gong." I also told them why people should withdraw from the CCP. At the same time, I continued to send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil elements behind them. Seeing that my supervisors were afraid of being implicated, my human notions were aroused and I said, "I am not afraid even if the 610 Office shows up. I will still clarify the truth to them and I won't let you be implicated." I realized later that I should have cleared away my own bad thoughts, negated them and refused to cooperate with the evil. As it was, I got what I asked for.

The managers at my work first notified my family and told them that they would send me to the 610 Office. My husband rushed over. Without saying a word, he threw a water bottle at my head. I did not feel any pain. My husband was afraid and threatened to divorce me and take away the apartment, money and our child. I kindly told him, "Falun Dafa has changed me and saved our family. (I used to have a very bad temper and frequently asked for a divorce before I started practicing Falun Dafa.) If you are afraid of being implicated, do as you wish. I won't blame you." My husband cried, but he could not understand me. They thought that I had brought trouble to my workplace and my family. I told them, "The CCP has killed so many innocent people in the persecution of Falun Gong. These people have families and children. How can I not speak for them? I cannot only care about my own family and pay no attention to other people's lives. I must stand up and tell people the facts."

The 610 Office sent me to a brainwashing center. At that time I thought, "If I leave like this, how many people will have a misconception toward Dafa, causing them not to be saved." I felt that I had let Teacher and all those sentient beings around me down. I must come back in an open and dignified manner. I decided that after I clarified the truth at the brainwashing center and did what I should do there, I would come back. I did not waver a bit in my belief in Teacher and Dafa. I continued to send forth righteous thoughts along the way. When others said anything that was disrespectful of Teacher, I told them in a very serious manner, "You should respect my Teacher!" They would then stop talking.

When I arrived at the brainwashing center, they told me to call someone "Teacher." I thought to myself, "There is only one teacher for Dafa practitioners. How can you be worthy of being my teacher?" So I refused. I started to do the Falun Gong exercises as soon as I got to my room even though it was not allowed. After that, I sat down to send forth righteous thoughts. That angered them. Two people came over to stop me, but my heart was not moved. I had only one solid thought, "Nobody can stop me." I asked Teacher to strengthen my righteous thoughts and remembered the words from Zhuan Falun,

Once this righteous thought emerged, they stopped interfering with me. They only sat there and watched. I believed Teacher's words even more:

Thinking about Teacher's words and with righteous thoughts, my environment became more and more relaxed. I became more clear-headed. Whenever I had time, I would recite however much I could remember from Hong Yin and other teachings. I also did the exercises every day.

All the regulations at the brainwashing center had no effect on me. I did not acknowledge them and did not accept them. And no one asked me to follow them. Teacher said:

It truly was like that. One time when I helped others to clean the floor, someone saw me and ordered me to clean the floors on the upper levels. I immediately realized, "I was wrong; I cannot work here. This is not a place for me." So I told him, "You forcibly detain me here. I follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be a good person, and it is not wrong. I won't listen to you and I won't give up my cultivation. You cannot change one's heart by force." Another person then said, "No one is forcing you."

I ate three meals a day. I felt that only when I could nourish this physical body, could I do the three things well. Teacher said in Chapter Eight of Zhuan Falun regarding Bigu [fasting],

So I did not go on a hunger strike. They saw me eat everything. One time, they told me that they cooked a fresh fish and it was very nutritious. I said, "Thank you, I can eat anything." When they saw me eating meat, they said, "Some people do not eat meat." I told them, "My Teacher did not say we should not eat meat. One can eat anything as long as there is no attachment to it."

I sent forth righteous thoughts every hour in addition to the set times when all practitioners around the world send forth righteous thoughts. People who worked at the brainwashing center who knew the truth about Dafa did not bother me. There were a few who were poisoned by the CCP culture. One said to me, "When our country does not allow you to practice, it is against the law to practice." I said, "You are wrong. What is our country?" He said, "China" I replied, "You can only say Mainland China does not allow it. Both Hong Kong and Macao allow it. Taiwan supposedly belongs to China, but they allow it. In addition, the constitution allows citizens the freedom of speech, religion, and gathering. How can you say it is illegal? Jiang has been sued in many countries [for crimes against humanity]." He did not know what to say after that.

While at the brainwashing center, I always maintained a compassionate heart and had a smile on my face. I treated everyone as a sentient being to be saved and tried to eliminate the evil factors behind them. I often answered their questions using Teacher's Fa and cleared the poisonous factors of the CCP culture from their minds. Those who understood the truth stopped trying to "transform" me.

I also told them, "If you want to read Dafa books, read the ones in practitioners' hands because ever since the persecution started, the evil people have changed some of the Dafa books." Later, I heard that some people threw away the books that were changed.

Once they saw that their effort to "transform" me failed, they arranged to have my family visit me and hoped that I would be moved by them. I refused to be moved. I thought to myself, "I will only take the path that Teacher has arranged for me." Several people from the 610 Office came and slandered Teacher. They told me Teacher had done this or that in America. I sent out strong righteous thoughts to dissolve the evil factors behind them. I told them, "I wish for my Teacher to live in the best house and drive the best car. I am willing to give all my belongings to my Teacher. Regrettably, my Teacher does not want anything in return except for the student's kind heart." They asked, "What about your family?" "I cultivate Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance so I cannot speak lies against my own conscience. In order to not implicate my family, I can get a divorce," I answered. When they saw that nothing worked, they left. That night, three or four people took turns monitoring me and interfered with my sending forth righteous thoughts. I knew the evil beings in other dimensions were afraid of me sending forth righteous thoughts, but I continued sending forth righteous thoughts and asked Teacher to strengthen me. In a short while, the people who were monitoring me all made excuses and left.

That night, I told Teacher in my heart, "Teacher, I have clarified the truth here. This is not a place for a Dafa practitioner. I want to get out and do what I should be doing." The next day as I was doing the exercises, I was told that I was being unconditionally released.

Many thanks to Teacher and fellow practitioners. During my illegal detention, my fellow practitioners strengthened me with righteous thoughts and exposed the persecution against me using various methods. They exposed the evil and tried to rescue me. It was a well coordinated group effort. My understanding is that our safety lies in studying the Fa more and well, and following Teacher's requirements.

The above is my limited understanding. Please point out anything that may be inappropriate.