(Clearwisdom.net) My husband and I began Falun Dafa cultivation in 1996. Later, we established a group practice site. After Jiang Zemin and his regime started persecuting Falun Gong practitioners on July 20, 1999, many people stopped practicing. At that time, I often played videos of Teacher's lectures at our home, and many people knew that we were Falun Gong practitioners. Many fellow practitioners were worried about us. After having heard about their concerns, I told them, "Don't worry. Teacher has said:
"...just by having your heart unaffected you will be able to handle all situations."
("Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)" in Essentials for Further Advancement II)
No matter how insane the persecution was, Teacher's words always echoed in my head. "Don't be afraid," I told my fellow practitioners. They replied that I was right and that if we just remembered Teacher's words, then we would have nothing to be afraid of.
When I first began cultivating, my mother also benefited. She often listened to Teacher's lectures, and her health greatly improved. After July 20, 1999, because of the state-controlled media propaganda, she became afraid and stopped cultivating. Because I had human notions and sentimentality, I was not calm and rational. When my mother said she was ill, I argued with her. I did not look within when I encountered hardships. Furthermore, my relationships with my family members became very tense. My mother passed away in 2003 due to an auto accident.
My mother's death was a blow to me. I felt partially responsible for her passing. She was intelligent and should have been able read Teacher's lectures by herself. But I did not guide her to study the Fa and had not been concerned about her as a practitioner. In my daily life, my actions had not been that of a Dafa practitioner. I developed a guilty conscience. The more I thought about her death, the sadder I felt. I could not get out of this trap. Then, through Fa study, my spirit lightened, and I began to understand that cultivation is a very serious matter. We need to assess ourselves with the standards of the Fa and be strict with ourselves. We must focus when studying the Fa and not just take it as a formality. Only when we study the Fa with quiet minds and melt into the Fa can we do the three things well.
One rainy night, my husband and I went out to distribute truth-clarifying materials. When we started to distribute the materials, the rain stopped. We were able to distribute everything smoothly. The following day, we heard that the authorities had raided and arrested many practitioners. However, we had not encountered any difficulties, and the rain had stopped, easing our way. I realized that our compassionate Teacher was protecting us, keeping us safe.
After the publication of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, I declared my withdrawal from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on a website. I more diligently clarified the truth and distributed numerous copies of the Nine Commentaries. I persuaded many people to withdraw from the party. Then, all of a sudden, I developed sickness karma and could not get up for more than a month. This meant that could not go out to clarify the truth. Every day I stayed home, sending forth righteous thoughts and studying the Fa. Sometimes I managed to do the exercises.
But I still could not stand or walk. Through reading the Nine Commentaries, I realized that evil Communist spirits were interfering with me. When we clarified the truth and persuaded people to withdraw from the evil party, we were eradicating the evil spirits. Thus, the spirits interfered with us. However, we have Teacher and the Fa, so we have nothing to be afraid of. Teacher has said:
"When disciples have sufficient righteous thoughts, master has the almighty power to turn the cosmos around." (Hong Yin II)
When I enlightened to this, I became well again.
On May 13, 2005, we went out and hung posters "Celebrating the 13th Anniversary of the Introduction of Falun Dafa to the Public" on the sides of roads. The follow day it rained heavily, and I worried. I thought, "Teacher, please protect the posters from the rain so that people can see them for a few more days." After the rain stopped, the posters were undamaged. I stood there, excited, and I could not help shedding tears. I said, "Thank you, Teacher. Thank you for your protection."