(Clearwisdom.net) When I read the notice about the Internet Experience Sharing Conference for Practitioners in China, I realized that this is another opportunity Master gave us to share our experiences and to improve ourselves. The opportunity will not come again if missed, and I knew that I must treasure such an opportunity.
1. Attaining the Fa
On July 22, 1998, I walked into a practice site. As soon as I started to learn the exercises, I felt very good and decided to learn Falun Dafa right away. Someone lent me a copy of Zhuan Falun. When I read through the section entitled "I Treat All Practitioners as My Disciples," Lecture Three, I was moved to cry out, "Master, you regard me as your disciple. I am your disciple!" An indescribable feeling filled my heart and my tears flowed.
Falun Dafa is so great, but I wish that I had learned about it sooner. I must exert myself to catch up. I felt a sense of urgency as soon as I obtained the Fa. At that time, I couldn't buy the book anywhere, so I hand-copied one. After the day that I first walked into the practice site, I took every opportunity to study the Fa and practice the exercises. Even bad weather could not stop me from doing the exercises, and during holiday breaks, I would do more reading. Several times I was able to read through Zhuan Falun in one day. Later on, I kept watching Master's lecture tapes. Whenever Master was on the screen, I couldn't help but cry.
Before I obtained the Fa, I was depressed and grieving over the loss of my father and my husband. Once I obtained the Fa, my mind became open and broad. At that time, I often recited the poems from Hong Yin on the way to work or while doing housework. Whenever I thought of Master, I would cry out. I used to be quiet and introverted but I became happy and open after obtaining the Fa. I just felt very happy and liked to tell others how good Dafa was.
2. Doing the exercises in public places
When the persecution started on July 20, 1999, I was very sad. My tears kept flowing when I practiced the exercises at night. I said out loud, "Master, no matter what they say, I only believe in you."
I have been taken away and illegally detained six times, and I have been persecuted by the personnel in eight government branches including my work unit, the local police station, the street administration office, the district police department, the municipal detention center, Heizuizi Forced Labor Camp, and the brainwashing center. However, with Master's protection and with the support of my family members and fellow practitioners, I have gone through these tests with righteous thoughts. No matter how rampant the evil acts, my belief in Master and Dafa has never been shaken. I was in danger many times, but in the end, I passed through it all, knowing that my life was not really threatened.
After the persecution started, group practice and group study were impossible. After sharing with fellow practitioners, we believed that practicing the exercises openly was also validating Dafa, the same as validating Dafa at Tiananmen Square. Later news came out that whoever participated in group exercises in public would lose their job and would be discharged from the CCP. The police had already been informed and were prepared. In my work unit, people said to me, "If you go to practice the exercises openly, it will cause trouble." I had a high position in ordinary society and had been honored at my place of employment for years. Since cultivating Dafa, these external, material things had come to mean nothing to me. Whether or not to go outside and do the exercises was a severe test. I thought it through with a calm mind, "My life is created for Dafa. I came here for Dafa. How can I fear any negative impact on my personal interests? Master has suffered so much for sentient beings. I would like to give all that I have for Dafa. Going out in public to do the exercises in this current adverse circumstance is the best way to spread and safeguard the Fa." I was determined and knew that there was no turning back.
On January 16, 2000, more than 200 practitioners did the exercises on the embankment of the Songhua River. That day, there were many beautiful icicles decorating the trees along the bank of the river, which was an unusual sight. Suddenly, the police arrived and arrested us. More than 200 practitioners were detained in the city detention center. At that time, my thoughts were was quite simple. I was not afraid to lose anything; I would give up anything for Dafa. I recited Master's new article,
"A magnificent cultivator, on the other hand, is able to let go of his Self and even all of his ordinary human thoughts amidst crucial trials." ("Position" from Essentials for Further Advancement II )
I was really inspired by Master's teaching.
In the detention center, the food was steamed cornbread with Chinese cabbage soup. The soup was very dirty, with pieces of dirt, ladybugs, and flies floating in it. I thought of "Let joy be found in hardship." ("Tempering the Will" from Hong Yin) For a practitioner, such hardship means nothing. At that time, I didn't realize it was the evil persecution and I just thought that we should endure the hardship. The next day, I was unconditionally released and told to go home. I was the only practitioner to be released. However, at that time, I had not enlightened. I didn't want to leave because I wanted to continue sharing with fellow practitioners, but the police forced me to go. I asked why they had released just me. He said, "You increased your gong. You should thank me." At home, I studied the Fa and realized it was Master's compassion. Maybe I was in a righteous mindset, so I was released to clarify the truth. Since I was a teacher and good at speaking, I immediately went to visit the government officials in the Municipal People's Congress to explain the truth of the situation to them. Later I was also very successful in advising them to quit the CCP. I was supposed to be detained for 10 days, but with Master's compassionate help and the mighty power of the Fa, I was only detained for one night.
3. Validating the Fa in Beijing
I have tried four times to go to Beijing to validate the Fa. I encountered interference on these trips. Once I was intercepted at the railway station and detained in a local police station. That evening, I clarified the truth to the policeman on duty. He listened to me while he smoked. I also told him how harmful smoking is. He understood and stopped smoking. His knowing side was listening and his consciousness was raised. The next morning, he released me.
4. Writing letters to clarify the truth
When I first wrote letters to clarify the truth, I actually identified myself, including my name, my work unit, and my telephone number. Although there were no responses, I was safe. However, when I wrote to a local policeman, this brought trouble. I suffered severe persecution. I paid for this and learned a profound lesson from it.
I was not discouraged, however. Having learned from this lesson, I continued to write letters to clarify the truth and save people. Using my own experiences--how my physical and mental health had improved after I became a practitioner--I explained that Falun Dafa is good. I wrote countless letters and mailed truth-clarifying materials to people in charge and many organizations, such as TV stations, the police department and its branches, street administration offices, and so on. After the Nine Commentaries on The Communist Party was published, I sent out copies of it also. I continue clarifying the truth this way.
5. Clarifying the truth in the brainwashing center to save predestined people
During the CCP's 6th National Congress Conference, the leaders in my work unit collaborated with local police to take me to a brainwashing center. I was "illegally detained" for two months. My husband had passed away years before. My mother had been living with me and was now over 80 years old. My child had just graduated from school but hadn't found a job yet. I was not making any income. At this tough time, the financial situation at home was getting desperate. I was in low spirits. Looking inward, I realized that the evil was able to take advantage of my loophole because of my ordinary human mentality.
After sharing with fellow practitioners and reciting the Fa, I adjusted my mental state. Since I had ended up here, I would try to clarify the truth and save these sentient beings. We don't want to miss anyone in clarifying the truth. When a guard learned that I was a teacher, he brought me to his office and listened to me. After I finished, he said, "It seems that I should start to learn Falun Gong then." Some guards put on a vicious act in front of the practitioners. But when clarifying the truth to this one privately, he showed interest and even said with smile, "It seems you've come to 'transform' me."
During that time, the leader in my work unit came to the brainwashing center and asked me, "How's your study going?" I saw through her purpose and answered, "My studies are going very well. My exercise movements were not quite accurate before. Now, however, I'm doing them quite accurately." She was enraged, "What kind of class is being held here?" She turned around and left. I ran after her and told her, "Please remember that Falun Dafa is good."
Whenever anyone came to the brainwashing center, we all took the initiative to tell them the facts about Falun Gong. In the end, they affirmed that practitioners were indeed good people. Privately, they also said they would like to learn Falun Dafa later.
When the brainwashing session ended, the head of the Politics and Law Committee from my work unit told me, "I will take you back on one condition: do not propagate Falun Gong." I refused to sign the statement and patiently explained to her, "I've benefited from Falun Gong. I became healthy both physically and mentally, which saves a lot on medical bills. Anyone with a conscience will say it is a good practice. You've never had a chance to practice it so you don't know it yet. Jiang Zemin's persecution of Falun Gong is a big mistake." She said, "If you don't sign the statement, I will not let you out of this place." But in my mind I thought, "It's not up to you. I don't acknowledge this persecution." I told her, "Please remember, Falun Dafa is good." Within 10 minutes, I was allowed to go home.
Once, I was reported because of a letter to a policeman. The police raided my home. I was arrested and detained in the municipal detention center for a week. I started a hunger strike to protest the persecution, and I firmly remembered Master's teaching,
"No matter what the situation, do not cooperate with the evil's demands, orders, or what it instigates. If everyone does this the environment won't be this way." ("Dafa Disciples' Righteous Thoughts are Powerful" from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
Except for sleeping at night, I did not cooperate with their orders.
The head of the inmates arranged to have four inmates monitor me everyday and changed to different people each day. I was not allowed to talk to the others. However, those who were in charge of monitoring me all learned the truth from me. Most of them said that they would like to practice Falun Gong when they got out. These inmates were charged with serious crimes. They said that if they had known Falun Gong earlier, they wouldn't have made mistakes. One young inmate came from the Kongzhuling District in Changchun City. She had never heard of Dafa. I told her, "Kongzhuling was Master's hometown. You have a big predestined relationship with Dafa. You should try to learn it." She said that she must do this when she got out.
During the week that I was detained there, I refused to cooperate with anything they wanted and held a hunger strike. To make me cooperate, they sent me hot water, milk, and noodle soup. I simply refused all of it. I never responded to their daily roll call.
Because I refused to cooperate, the environment quickly changed. People surrounded me to listen to me. The head of the inmates changed most. She stopped beating other inmates and changed her attitude towards others. She especially looked after me. When I was released, she said to me in front of all the other inmates, "You came here to save me."
I took that opportunity to clarify the truth more deeply. At last I said, "We will meet again if we are predestined. You treat Dafa practitioners well and so I thank you. Please remember, Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good. If you do this, you will be blessed in the future."
6. Hurrying to catch up on the path to Godhood
I have been on the cultivation path for ten years. It has been a precious ten years. We are so lucky to be chosen by Master to board the Fa ship sailing to the glorious shore on the other side. It is very important to do well in this last stage. In ordinary society, the final sprint during a 100 meter race or the last five minutes of competition in a basketball game are very important. This last stage for our practitioners is very critical and the requirements for us are very high. We must cultivate ourselves well so that we will have more ability to convince others and to save even more sentient beings.
When the Nine Commentaries was published, I read it through four times and understood what the CCP fundamentally was. I wrote a statement to quit the CCP and handed it to the head of the Party committee at my work unit. I advised him to quit the CCP as well. He refused at the beginning, but later on, after receiving many truth-clarification materials, he did.
Now that I've retired, I concentrate on doing the three things. I concentrate on advising people to quit the CCP, but my efforts can't compare to those fellow practitioners who've done so very well. I have so far advised nearly 1500 people to quit the CCP and its associated organizations.
I've talked to all my relatives and friends. Some people I know are quite stubborn and have been advised again and again for a year to quit the CCP. It's easier to advise strangers, especially farmers. For years, we have been clarifying the truth in the countryside and enduring hardships on those arduous journeys. Sometimes I went with fellow practitioners but most of the time I went alone. Once I spent two days visiting seven villages to advise people to quit the CCP and its associated organizations. They all used their real names. Clarifying the truth face to face has a greater impact.
Once I attended a wedding and helped 48 people to quit the CCP and its associated organizations. The day before yesterday, I went to send forth righteous thoughts near a prison. On the way back, I saw a old man smoking on the side of the road. I walked up to him and started to chat with him. He had retired from the prison years ago, and he was an old Party member. He had also believed in Christianity for a long time. After I told him the facts about Dafa, he was moved. He immediately agreed to quit the CCP. Because he was smoking, I also told him how harmful smoking was. He had tried to quit smoking but was unable to. He put out the cigarette and said that he would quit smoking from now on. I told him, my own mother was able to quit smoking after learning the facts about Dafa.
I have been quite successful in clarifying the truth to teenagers. I tell them that I was a teacher and was quite well known in the province for educating and preparing many excellent students. I explain that what I am telling them is really for the sake of securing their good futures. Some students learned the truth and not only asked to quit the CCP and its associated organizations, but have also helped their parents to quit through the Internet.
There are many stories about saving sentient beings. I can really feel my cultivation level improving. As I am writing this article, I can feel my body heating up, which is Master strengthening me. I still have many attachments left and many things to be improved. For example, I don't pay attention to trifles, sometimes I am not considerate when I speak, and I don't feel sorry when I hurt others. Although I am anxious when I see fellow practitioners with attachments, I'm not willing to point them out. I haven't recited Zhuan Falun very frequently. I wrote this down to share with you and to expose my own attachments.
My own level is limited. Please point out anything improper.
