(Clearwisdom.net)
Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, said in his Teaching the Fa at the Great Lakes Fa Conference in North America at the end of 2000,
"You weren't like this a year ago. After having gone through such a severe test, I can tell--although you might not sense much of it--that you're completely different persons from before."
Today marks four years since the persecution began. Jiang Zemin, who said in 1999 that China "...must eradicate Falun Gong within three months," once again faces defeat. In spite of fours years of tribulation, Falun Dafa practitioners all over the world, like the phoenix rising again from its ashes, reclaim their lives. Genuine cultivators all know that it is the compassion, endurance, and forgiveness of Master Li Hongzhi that enables Falun Gong practitioners to return to their true nature and to become reborn, instead of being consumed in the fires of the persecution. For reasons buried in time immemorial this raging fire has swept through the Three Realms, including human society, its intense flames consuming everything and leaving only ashes. Enduring enormous personal hardships, it is Master Li Hongzhi who prevents the raging flames from destroying Falun Dafa practitioners and all sentient beings. During these past four years of tribulation, Dafa practitioners have faced difficulties and tests caused by their fundamental inner attachments as well as by attacks from external evils. These difficulties and tests have been fatal for many practitioners. Gratefully, with Master's bearing incredible hardships and because of his mighty compassion, so many practitioners were able to rise from where they fell. They once again became determined and unyielding. They went through the four years of tribulation guided by the light of the Fa. They were reborn in the raging fire and became duty-bound not to turn back. In addition since July 20, 1999, millions of Dafa practitioners have stepped beyond individual cultivation practice and, with truth in their hearts, are proceeding calmly, even in the face of the raging fire. Through all the tribulations they have never yielded, manifesting their true nature in Fa-rectification.
A legend that will be passed on forever in China is that, in the human world, Falun Dafa practitioners cultivate themselves, validate Dafa, expose the evils, and offer salvation to sentient beings.
Falun Dafa practitioners all over the world will continue to follow Master closely in the process of Fa-rectification. They will become more peaceful, more rational, and more indomitable. They will resist and eliminate the evils with righteous thoughts and righteous behaviors. They will expose the evils' lies and put out the intense flames. They will bring truth and happiness to the people of the world. They will live up to Master's mighty virtue of recreating the firmament and life. They will live up to the sincere expectations of people in the human world and sentient beings in other dimensions.
"... even though Dafa disciples and I have experienced this period of history that was forced upon us by the old forces, it's also been advantageous for Dafa disciples; the many Dafa disciples' remarkable righteous thoughts and righteous actions are worthy of being treasured, and are, I have to say, truly exceptional. It was forced upon us by the old forces, but a lot of the Dafa disciples have, after all, conducted themselves really well amidst this persecution. While validating the Fa the Dafa disciples have established the mighty virtue of Enlightened Beings that are forged by Dafa, and they've established the unprecedented magnificence of Dafa disciples' validating the Fa during the Fa-rectification." (Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Midwest-U.S. Fa Conference)
