(Clearwisdom.net) Tian Qi never thought she would travel far across the oceans and leave her sweet and cozy home. Yet one day, she was seen off by her parents, even though they did not want to part with their daughter. However, they had realized that this was perhaps the only solution for their young daughter who faced huge barriers entering the work force in China as a Falun Gong practitioner.
By the end of 2000, people from all walks of life were required to state they had no connection with Falun Gong when applying for a job in China. Some work units even demanded applicants swear not to practice Falun Gong. Tian Qi refused to do this. As a result she was fired even though her boss admired her talent and behavior. Her boss dared not keep her due to pressure from above.
Tian Qi's parents had read Zhuan Falun, the main text of Falun Gong, before the persecution began in 1999. They both know the book teaches one how to be a good person. They believed their daughter to be a delicate girl who relied on them very much to become a strong and confident person. So that she might have a better future, her father helped her with the formalities of going abroad.
Tian Qi arrived in a strange land with a yearning for her homeland and with the thoughtful advice from her loved ones.
The room was furnished with everything needed. The windows were slightly open, the spring breeze was gentle, and she could also smell the fragrance of the tender grass. Tian Qi sat in front of her desk and recalled the summer that changed her life.
A Book of Over Three Hundred Pages Opened a Lock of Twenty Years
As some people master more knowledge, they may encounter more problems. Young Tian Qi had learned three thousand Chinese characters before she went to school. Her mind was full of all kinds of questions on life and the universe. Books both Chinese and foreign, ancient and modern, as well as modern scientific and religious books all failed to satisfy her thirst for knowledge. Often some of her questions might be answered but she would then have even more questions. All this changed in the summer of 1997, when she picked up a copy of Zhuan Falun and read it through. All her questions were reasonably explained in this book of over three hundred pages. After closing the book, everything seemed much clearer.
Do in Accordance with the Book
Tian Qi did not do very well in her studies at high school, and her achievements were only average. However, she liked to read books in a quiet corner. After being enrolled in university, Tian Qi began to set requirements for herself in accordance with Zhuan Falun. With that, her studies improved.
She felt a bit uneasy when mentioning that she did not work hard in her studies in the past. "When I began to practice Falun Gong I had just enrolled in university. There were a lot of attractive things to do in Dalian City. At the time I was fond of play; therefore, I did not spend that much time on my studies. I was a very average type of student. Teacher asks to be good at whatever we do, and for me, that meant being a good student. At that time, before the exams, the assistant from our practice site would phone us and asked us to study well and do a good job in our exams. The assistant would also advise us not to be fond of play. He would urge us to pay attention on this aspect. He was also a professor at our university. I hoped I could do well with his kind advice. We felt that we must study well. As a result my academic score improved."
"Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" Changed One Individual, But Affected All Around Her
Tian Qi and the classmates in her dormitory were all only-children; so, they were all spoiled. There were eight girls in the dormitory, but none of them wanted to do the cleaning. Since the water supply at the university was often cut off, the university authorities provided buckets to the students to contain backup water when the water supply was cut off. However, since no one filled the buckets, they were always empty.
One day when Tian Qi read Zhuan Falun she came across the section on being a good person. To be a good person you need to think about others first and look inward yourself when encountering problems. She thought she should put this into practice; so, she started to tidy up the room and clean the floor. At the beginning the girls who shared the same dormitory thought she was just showing off, so no one wanted to help her. Even while Tian Qi was cleaning the floor some girls still spit melon seeds onto the floor. Tain Qi paid no attention to it but continued to clean the room. She cleaned everyone's desk and filled the water buckets. She was not tall so it was a bit hard for her to fill the buckets with water. As others noticed her difficulties, they began to help. Gradually her classmates understood Tian Qi really wanted to keep the dormitory clean and meant to do this for the good of everyone. Therefore, more and more girls on their own initiative came to help. When the university authorities checked the hygiene, their dormitory was always the most clean. Whenever the water supply was cut off, they always had clean water in their buckets.
A Secret Among the Seven Girls
Falun Gong spread by word of mouth. Someone practiced Falun Gong and found it was good, so he/she introduced it to his/her relatives and friends. Many people learned about Falun Gong from the words and deeds of practitioners, and were disgusted with the persecution.
Seven girls who shared the same dormitory with Tian Qi had one common secret: In the weeks before the graduation exam in June 2000, the university authorities did not allow her to live on the campus. Since the university was on the outskirts of the city and the exam was set at 8 am, one would never make it on time if one did not live on campus. Thus the other seven girls of the dormitory said, "You stay here and we'll protect you. You can stay here until you successfully pass the exams. We'll certainly keep the secret for you." Normally girls like to talk and gossip, but no one knew that she stayed at the dormitory for the next two months. They greatly helped her at the critical time. They said, "No matter what the government says we all think Falun Gong is good. We witnessed the changes in you after you began to practice Falun Gong, and you led us in changing our dormitory as well. With your help we have had better relations among ourselves. That's why we think Falun Gong is good." Tian Qi talked about her experience, "When I was arrested at the end of April for appealing for Falun Gong, they voluntarily helped me to prepare all the materials for the exam. With their help I passed all the exams successfully."
Differentiate Between What Is Real And False With the Help of the Fa Principles
On July 22, 1999, during her summer vacation, Tian Qi was watching television at home. She did not know anything about the practitioners who had gone to the Beijing Appeals Office on April 25 to appeal for Falun Gong. She only learned of that later on. Teacher Li Hongzhi published a new article asking the practitioners to set their minds at rest and resume practicing the exercises like before. Therefore the incident had not upset her. Tian Qi said, "I think the government misunderstood us, so we went to explain it. I learned that Zhu Rongji came out to meet the practitioners. I thought the practitioners had explained it clearly; so, they all dispersed, and it had not created any bad effect. Indeed, I thought it was pretty good to have the issue resolved; therefore, I had no psychological preparation for what was about to happen."
"I still remember around 3 p.m. on July 22, I was watching television. We had cable and were able to receive 27 channels. Suddenly all the channels began a critical broadcast on Falun Gong. They said a lot of bad things about Falun Gong and began personal attacks against our Teacher. I didn't believe the propaganda. I realized I had come to learn Falun Gong because of its principles, which had touched me. When I put these principles into practice, I found that the surrounding environment as well as my mindset all improved from inside out. Therefore I believed I had come to learn Falun Gong because its principles convinced me. If the government said Falun Gong was not good, then it must tell me how it was not good. For example, if it said such and such sentences in Zhuan Falun were not good and were disproved from a scientific angle, then it should lay out the whole thing logically. If this had been done, then I might hesitate before making my decisions. However, the government only used personal attacks against our Teacher and made up stories describing people suffering from mental illnesses as practitioners."
Tian Qi would not spare a glance for such abusive and ignorant statements. She asked, "Is it wrong to teach people to be good? Is the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance wrong? Doesn't the government want to say that 'deceit, evil, strife' is good? I believe the Chinese Communist Party failed to offer any reason for the personal attacks on our Teacher. I could see that there were problems in their approach. After careful consideration, I discounted what the TV said since the government had no hard proof. The things shown on TV could easily be fabricated, therefore I would not believe any of it. "
Face Life With a Smile
Tian Qi missed her family very much. When she first arrived in a big city in Europe she was surrounded by a strange environment and a totally different language. She was sad whenever she thought of her parents. "At the beginning I missed my family, my parents, and really wanted to go back to China. However, my family would not let me do so. The police in China often harassed my parents. It was apparent that I could not return to China. However, I encountered difficulties living in a foreign country, not knowing the language. I carried a copy of Zhuan Falun with me, so I drew courage and confidence from reading the book whenever I was in low spirits. The book is like spring water in the desert. It helps me to become stronger. After a period of time my family members all said that I had changed. I became stronger and more confident. This was because I was studying the Fa and I found that the Fa principles helped me to untie the knots in my heart. As a result I did not feel grieved any more. Instead I was able to face all the difficulties and resentments with an optimistic attitude. As a whole I think this book was beneficial not only to myself but also to the government and the country. If everyone learns Falun Gong, becomes positive and makes his/her way forward while doing his/her job conscientiously, I am sure the world will change for the better. Maybe there would be no more wars." Tian Qi said very firmly.
Tian Qi obtained a key to numerous riddles in life in that summer more than ten years ago. That's why she now always feels happy.
