(Clearwisdom.net) I obtained the Fa in 1996. I would like to share with my fellow practitioners some of my experiences and reflections over the past years of cultivation.
Getting Rid of the Mentality of Fear
I used to believe that I no longer had the mentality of fear, and I was able to clarify the truth about Falun Gong openly and aboveboard anywhere I went. However, when my cultivation environment changed, I found that I still had the mentality of fear, which was gradually exposed as I went into a new environment.
Once I went to buy some printing supplies and saw a van belonging to the Judiciary Bureau parked in front of the store. Without much thought, I entered the store and bought a box of printer paper. Since it was heavy and I could only take half of the paper with me at one time, I had to pick up the rest the next time. At that time, about five or six people entered the store and claimed they were there to buy a printer. However, with stern faces, they seemed to just be looking around without intending to actually buy anything. At that moment, my mentality of fear emerged. I wondered whether they were after me, so I was afraid of picking up the rest of the paper. I did not sleep well that night, either. Early the next morning, I got up and, in front of Teacher's portrait, asked Teacher to strengthen me and keep me safe when I went back to pick up the rest of the paper so I could save more sentient beings. I contemplated this the whole night. (Now when I reflect on this, I can see my human notions and mentality of fear.) Stores usually open at 8:30 a.m., but I was already there at 7:30 that morning. Miraculously, that store had already opened even though all the other stores were still closed. I asked the store clerk why this store opened so early, and he said he just felt like coming to work early that day, but this was the first time he had ever come to work that early. As I listened to him talk, I thanked Teacher for his protection over and over again.
A fellow practitioner from the same work unit as mine did really well in persuading people to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Her accomplishments enabled me, in turn, to see my shortcomings. At one time, I went back to my work unit to clarify the truth to the people who worked there. The previous director of the administrative office was talking to a group of people in the office. When he saw me enter the office, he mentioned the name of that practitioner who had called him more than 10 times to talk to him about what bad things the CCP had done and urge him to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Even when he was out of town on a business trip, he still received phone calls from that practitioner. I asked him if he had quit the CCP, but his answer was no. I said that the practitioner was doing what she did for his sake. "She was nice and called you again and again in order to save you." People in the office who understood my truth clarification had all quit the CCP, but this director still didn't want to quit. I then sent forth righteous thoughts to dispel all the evil factors that controlled him and hope that he could be saved. A moment later, he walked out of his office. I thought it would be better if I could talk to him in person, so I followed him out of the office and tried to talk to him. Before I even said a word, he said, "Go ahead and help me quit the party! I am not going to hell with it."
After a practitioner in charge of the technical part of producing truth-clarification materials was arrested, we were advised by other practitioners to relocate the machines to another site so as to protect the security of other material production sites. I said, "The machines can be moved to my home!" One dark night, we moved them to my home and started to produce the materials right away the next day, since other practitioners were waiting for the materials. While we were working, somebody suddenly knocked on the door, calling my name in a loud voice. I could tell from the voice that it was a fellow practitioner, but I could not open the door even to that practitioner, because we did not want to let anybody else know what we were doing, except for those practitioners who themselves were producing the materials. I thought to myself, "If I don't answer the door, he will leave." But to my surprise, another practitioner arrived, and they both knocked on the door together and called my name. They even said that they knew for sure I was home, because my car was there. All of a sudden, my mentality of fear surfaced. I became afraid that my neighbor who worked for the city prosecution department would learn we were producing materials in my home. The more I thought and worried, the more these two practitioners knocked and called, and the more reluctant I was to open the door. At that time, I could clearly feel my mentality of fear.
Clarifying the Truth
Last year, my workplace gave its employees an early retirement option, and I took advantage of it, along with many other employees. The employer only allowed two days for people to get all their paperwork done. Many people were inquiring about the early retirement issue, including the party secretary and personnel director of my work unit, directors from various departments and sections, company car drivers, and workers from the factories. I clarified the truth to them, and with Teacher's strengthening and the cooperation of fellow practitioners, 200 people quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Some of them asked me for a card with Falun Dafa information on it and truth-clarification DVDs. Among those who quit the CCP were some that came from outside for business, as well as those that came merely for fun. Some people who understood the truth appeared to be very happy as could be seen from their smiling faces.
It was because the ex-party secretary also said loudly in front of the crowd, "Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!" In the past, this person did not really believe in Falun Gong. There was an employee who came back from Beijing because of the early retirement opportunity. She had left her employer without notice and had been gone for over 10 years, so nobody knew exactly where she was until she came back. After I clarified the truth to her and she quit the CCP, she said, "Aren't these people coming here to quit the CCP, the Youth League, and the Young Pioneers?" I understand that Teacher used her words to encourage me. Thank you, Teacher.
Once my older brother and two friends (one is the director of a factory and the other, a manager of this factory) went to another city on business. I was traveling to that city, too, so they gave me a ride. In the car, I contemplated how to clarify the facts to them. From what they talked about, it seemed that they knew the situation of family well. Plus, they came to pick me up from my home, so they also knew where I lived. I was a bit uneasy after thinking about this, but immediately I realized that it was my mentality of fear that needed to be relinquished. I understood I needed to explain the facts about Falun Gong to them in order to save them, so I asked Teacher to give me strength and started to send forth righteous thoughts. The director of the factory asked me some questions. After I told him the truth about the Tiananmen Self-Immolation, he started to swear at the party. He pressed his palms in front of his chest, closed his eyes, and said, "I would like to quit the CCP and all the evil organizations associated with it. I would like to protect my life. Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!" The manager of the factory also quit the CCP. I gave them each a card with Falun Gong information on it. The director said, "I would like to have another one for my mother. After I go home, I will ask her to recite 'Falun Dafa is good' and 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!' "
After I said good bye to them, I boarded the train to my destination. In the seat next to mine was a middle-aged man. I learned from conversing with him that he was a military man from the Beijing armed police force. He said he had participated in the "June 4" Tiananmen Massacre in 1989 and witnessed the atrocious scenes of the CCP's killing the students on Tiananmen Square. I asked him whether he thought the party was cruel, and he said, "It is way too cruel!" Then I asked, "Why not leave it?" I picked an auspicious pseudonym for him and he quit the CCP. On my way home, four more people quit the CCP. Some of them accepted a DVD from me. With the protection of Teacher, I completed a smooth trip saving sentient beings. Thanks to our great Teacher!
In 1996, I ran into a junior high classmate on a train when I was on a business trip. Later I heard that he got involved with friends in a gang fight and ended up being sentenced to death (with parole opportunity). Later, his sentence was changed to life imprisonment rather than death. Some time later, his sentence was further reduced to a limited prison term, and eventually he was released early. I once went to visit him in prison, and I brought him the book Zhuan Falun and Teacher's lectures abroad. He used to yield to despair. He was prepared to escape when the opportunity arose, so that he could take revenge by killing the people who had harmed him, including the party secretary of a certain city, several policemen, and hired thugs. However, after he read Dafa's book once (before 1999), he completely changed. He said he would not attempt to escape anymore. He said Falun Dafa was so great, and Teacher was so great. In 2002, the prison where he was held admitted quite a number of Falun Dafa disciples. This classmate of mine took a good care of the Dafa practitioners around him. At one time, he spent over 2,000 yuan to buy quilts, blankets, and clothes for quite a few Dafa practitioners. He also passed Teacher's new articles on to the practitioners there. When he saw anybody beating practitioners, he would get up and stop it. The prisoners there were afraid of him. So were some of the police. He sometimes even helped practitioners in a different section than his.
In fact, more often than not, anything that we see or hear around us will enable us cultivators to understand a certain principle of Fa. It appears to me that, gradually, more and more sentient beings are following Teacher's Fa-rectification path. They have come up through layers upon layers of the universe, with unlimited bounds, to trace back their steps to their true homes.