(Clearwisdom.net) During the past several years of walking through tribulations, there has been joy and sorrow, hesitation and determination. In the process of getting rid of the old forces' shackles and assimilating to the universal characteristics of "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance," while learning to distinguish between human thinking and godly thoughts, I experienced the tempering and uplifting power of the characteristics of the universe. The tempering part is the process of looking inward and purifying oneself. Here I'll share the wonderfulness and sacredness manifested after Dafa helped me ascend when I assimilated to the characteristics of the universe.
Wind and Rain Coming; a Reminder of an Ancient Vow
After "April 25", 1999, starting the day after I returned from Zhongnanhai, a policeman came to my home for two hours every day, under the guise of checking for registered permanent residence and wanting to learn Falun Gong. I thought he might have a predestined relationship, so according to Teacher's requirement, I answered his questions. After I explained almost everything to him, I remembered Teacher's article, "Expounding on the Fa," so I told him about the facts of increased crime rate in the area and that the duty of the police is to arrest criminals, not good people. He agreed and said, "You are truly good people," and then cheerfully left.
I realized that humans are actually powerless and that Teacher is in control of everything. But when facing the facts of the persecution -- continuous monitoring and surveillance of assistants of Falun Gong practice sites, causing interference at every practice site, and the harsh atmosphere formed due to misunderstanding of the April 25 Appeal on the part of those who were deeply poisoned by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) culture, I worried that people's misunderstanding of Dafa would bring huge losses upon themselves. I worried that the cosmos would be empty without Dafa. Because of this concern, I felt that I had the responsibility to tell people what Dafa is. Therefore, every time we held a big activity to introduce Dafa, I handed out practitioners' experience-sharing articles to people. Although some practitioners were opposed to using this opportunity to clarify the truth, thinking that this was fighting with people, I firmly insisted. At the same time, I tried my best to communicate with practitioners and assistants who had different opinions, so we could strive forward together.
On July 20, the police station called the assistants together and announced that practicing Falun Gong was no longer allowed; the government would issue an official notice of a ban the next day. At noon, we learned that the leaders of every Falun Gong assistance center had been secretly arrested in the early morning of July 20. I understood that this was persecution of Dafa and I must boldly uphold the truth. I understood from Teacher's Fa that a Buddha can sacrifice one's life for the truth.
On July 21, attempting to prevent the unlawful persecution, several fellow practitioners and I arrived at Zhongnanhai at 3:00 a.m.. The area was full of police officers. In less than 10 minutes, several practitioners were arrested. I thought: "Nothing can block me. I must go to the Appeals Office to stop the issue of the persecution bulletin." I had lived in Beijing for less than a year and was not familiar the city's layout. However, with firm faith in Dafa, and with the direction of Teacher, I overcame various difficulties and police questioning, and finally arrived at the Appeals Office in Huangchenggen around 10:00 a.m.
A multitude of Dafa practitioners came to Beijing on that day. Every school, stadium and hotel was full of detained practitioners. There were over 1,000 people in front of the Appeals Office. A long line of buses was already waiting there. Public security officers, armed police and soldiers began to arrest people at noon. Practitioners of one mind together resisted the persecution until 2:00 p.m., when the policemen forcibly and violently put us on the bus and sent us to Fengtai Stadium. Once there, we were divided into small groups according to our hometowns, and surrounded by armed police, who began to individually grab young, and what appeared to be capable, Dafa practitioners. Many practitioners had already experienced the Beijing TV Station incident and the April 25 Appeal, and knew this was persecution of Dafa, so when a practitioner was seized, other practitioners would approach the policeman and reason with him. A police officer took a practitioner into a police car, but other practitioners surrounded the car, so the officer had to release the practitioner.
After the police released the practitioners, some practitioners applauded, and I shared with the police that we are practicing Falun Dafa to improve ourselves, not carrying on a political movement. We practitioners quickly realized that "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" is perfectly harmonized and we couldn't let them arrest us, and we knew that we had to remain calm. When the police were taking practitioners from other cities out of the stadium in buses, our practitioners from the Haidian District stood together and blocked their way. We stopped three buses in this way, and the practitioners in the buses were all let out. Then the police stopped for a while to discuss countermeasures. They used armed police, building construction personnel, and other police and soldiers to surround us. We clarified the truth, and broke through the barricade of officers. I remember a husky fellow went all out to block me, and I told him of Dafa's beauty and told him that he should not arrest good people. He was sweating profusely, but he could not block me. How could humans block a divine being?
Because of practitioners' determination in firmly protecting Dafa, the power of Dafa was displayed. The bus delivering Dafa practitioners was going out of the stadium through a side gate. However, before the bus could drive out of the gate, the gate fell and blocked the bus. They pointed at me, and said, "Arrest her." Two husky fellows lifted me up, their faces covered with sweat, and I joked with them: " Look at me. Is it necessary for you two to do this?" They looked at me and smiled.
While I was being dragged to the car I said to Teacher in my heart: "Teacher! What can I do? I definitely can't let them take away Dafa practitioners!" A thought suddenly emerged in my mind: "A broken down car." The police seized practitioners and forced them onto a bus, and tried to leave from the grassy field in the center of the stadium. But the bus was really broken down. Later, a big group of young policemen came to push the bus. When they pushed on the front gate, Dafa's miracle was displayed again -- the bus broke down again and blocked the front gate. I thought this was wonderful: Nobody would be taken away. I quickly got off the bus and clarified the facts of Falun Gong to the police and soldiers and asked them to not do bad deeds. At around 10:00 p.m., the police took us to a school and then let us all go home, without seizing one practitioner.
Righteous Thoughts of Resisting Persecution Come from Dafa
I shared with fellow practitioners in other cities during this period of resisting persecution, telling them that I thought we should resist the persecution. However, many said: "A heart unmoved subdues ten thousand hearts attempting to move." My understanding was that although our hearts are not moved, we should take action to protect Dafa. Because at that time the awareness of Fa-rectification period cultivation was not very strong, many practitioners said that I had an attachment of competing, but I found my thoughts were very righteous towards the whole matter, and they all came from Dafa. For the whole day, my mind had only the "Fa" and the music, "Pudu." However, because too many people opposed me and I had the attachment of fear of doing wrong and bringing loss to Dafa, the pressure in my mind was huge for a long time. Then I read, "Teaching the Fa at the Great Lakes Fa Conference in North America," and obtained Teacher's affirmation. Tears of gratitude flowed down my cheeks.
Although the pressure was very big, I ceaselessly studied the Fa. With righteous thoughts from the Fa and the motivation created by honoring my historical vow, I was duty-bound and would not turn back. The determination to save sentient beings and to resist the evil could not be stopped at all. Whether I was in a food market, supermarket or taxi, as long as there was opportunity, I clarified the truth to people face-to-face. In that evil environment, some people were scared as soon as they heard that I was a Falun Gong practitioner, but I always peacefully explained the truth, and used my actions as examples to let them understand: Falun Gong practitioners are good people. Sometimes I took my kids to the park and read Zhuan Falun and went to the side of the street to practice the exercises. My purpose was to let people learn about Dafa. I thought that because the negative propaganda was everywhere, and on the one hand people were poisoned, on the the other hand, many of them would pay much more attention to Falun Gong than before. I thought that it was a good opportunity to introduce Dafa When I read the Fa and practiced the exercises outside, I let people see what Falun Gong really is; at the same time, the energy I emitted would rectify all abnormal conditions of everything on earth; furthermore, as a practitioner, I should not shy away from conflict. Conflict and ordeals are opportunities to build up one's will, so therefore, I persisted in practicing the exercises outdoors.
It was quite strange. Normally my third eye could hardly see things, but I could see clearly during that period of time. Moreover, I could enter tranquility as soon as I started practicing. Once it was around 6:00 a.m. at the end of September 1999, and I was practicing the second set of exercises near the roadside. I immediately entered tranquility, and felt like my body was enormous and that there was no space between my body and the cosmos. A car stopped behind me, and someone got out and stood in front of me. Initially, I wanted to tell him about Dafa but I could not move, as if I was not on the ground. After quite a while, that person drove away. In 2004, it suddenly occurred to me that it could have been a police car. I realized that I had been protected because I wholeheartedly wanted to tell people the truth, with no other thoughts, and thus assimilated to the cosmic characteristic.
Correctly Understand the Relationship between the Human and Godly Sides
I had been pondering the question since I was arrested in 1999 for the first time: "How can I help the sentient beings to see through the CCP's lies? How can I explain the truth well and save sentient beings?" The police and government workers, with direct pressure from the top, are forced to participate in the persecution. At the same time, they are also being offered salvation. So, I pondered how to protect them and not be persecuted by them, and follow the Fa-rectification process.
The 610 Office chief in our area sent all Dafa practitioners who stepped forward to clarify the truth to forced labor camp. I had just been out of the detention center for two months, yet he wanted to send me to a brainwashing center. I firmly refused, but he arrested me and forced me to do slave labor. A few days later, he suddenly died from a cerebral hemorrhage. After I heard this news, I was quite sad: Actually the officials are also victims; they are controlled by the CCP evil spirits to persecute us.
How could I harmonize what Teacher wants and save all sentient beings? After several years of repeated tribulations, I discovered the following: Besides stabilizing my righteous thoughts, I also need to correctly place the relationship between the mindsets of humans and gods. Gods and Buddha are incarnations of kind and beautiful beings. Therefore, while facing people who persecute us, we must be kind, because that person is not truly coming to persecute us, he is being controlled by evil. On a human level, we try our best not to demonstrate behavior that would anger him and not provide him with chances to persecute us. At the same time we must have strong righteous thoughts to deny all their persecutory words and deeds.
In February last year, because my awareness of safety was not strong and I did not pay attention to Teacher's hints in my dreams many times, I was arrested and lost two computers and one printer. After I was taken to a forced labor camp, I said to myself that I could not stay there and delay the salvation of sentient beings. I tried to talk to the brigade chief (head of the police) many times, but she always avoided me. I thought about refusing water and food to awaken their consciences. So, when faced with threats or abuse, my human side always smiled while my divine side sent out strong righteous thoughts to deny it. When officers came close to me, I first sent out one thought: "Oh, you come to seek salvation," and then I sent out strong righteous thoughts to eradicate the evil that controlled them, so they could be free of the control of the evil lives and elements that interfered with Dafa in other dimensions.
When I eliminated the evil that controlled the police, they became comfortable and were happy to listen to me. After I had been on a hunger strike for two months and ten days, I developed intestinal problems. I was taken to the hospital, and they all enjoyed accompanying me and said they felt relaxed around me. When the doctor gave me an injection, I always faced the doctor with a smile, and at the same time sent out strong righteous thoughts to eradicate the evil elements behind the officials, to save them. I also had the thought that the injections would have no effect on me. I did not adopt human ways to resist, for fear they would harm themselves when they irrationally tortured me. I thought: "There is no constraint between this qi and that qi"; this is not persecution of humans against humans.
However, I did not forget about clarifying the truth. On the day I left the hospital, the doctors and nurses paid no attention to a big group of police officers nearby and cheerfully congratulated me for successfully getting out of prison by staging a hunger strike. Actually, the police there were also happy for me.
In the forced labor camp and hospital, I kept studying the Fa, practicing the exercises, sending forth righteous thoughts and clarifying the truth. Every time before I practiced the exercises, I first cleared away all evil elements surrounding the area, and at the same time sent out a strong thought: "Practicing Dafa is the greatest thing in the cosmos, it is perfectly justified, no life is qualified or has the ability to interfere, because that will harm themselves." If guards came over, I would stop and tell them with a thought: "Do not persecute me, because that will harm yourself. Actually, any tribulation brought onto the practitioners by the persecution is temporary, but your suffering as perpetrators will be forever." At the same time, I checked myself for which thought of mine was not pure enough and brought about interference, and then I cleaned it out, and cleaned out the evil elements that controlled the police. I did not use my human side to fight with the police, knowing that the officials are not worth fighting. Fighting would bring out his rebellious side against Dafa; accordingly, it would destroy him and his corresponding entire system. That is disobedient to Teacher's wish of saving all sentient beings. I think as Dafa practitioners, we can only save people and try our best to protect sentient beings, because they are most pitiful.
This hunger strike is also a process of cultivation and a process of making myself more pure. We must pay attention to every thought of ours, as once we have a human notion, there will be interference, temptations and threats. In contrast, as long as our thoughts are pure, with righteous thoughts in our hearts and with firm belief in Teacher, regardless of how vicious the environment is, we are omnipotent.
Only by Cultivating Ourselves Well, Can We Save Sentient Beings Well
At one point I was unable to let go of the sentiment of helping others save face. The forced labor camp told the police who supervised me in the hospital to have me write an application for getting out for medical treatment. The police did not tell me, in fact, that they had to release me whether I wrote it or not. The symptom of intestinal blockage always existed, but none of the checkups showed that I was ill. I also knew they had notified my husband to come pick me up. However, the police said to me at 5:00 p.m., "If you do not write the application, we can't report to our superiors. We have worked laboriously to accompany you here in the hospital--you should give us give us a break and help us save face!" It was very clear to me that it was wrong to write it, but because of my sentimentality and not wanting to make them lose face, I still picked up the pen. The police manipulated me with all kinds of words. At that moment, I really felt I would disappoint them if I did not write it, however, I was very reluctant.
I wrote two words, and suddenly had a thought: "I help you save face, but who stands up for my Teacher! Forced labor camps force those "transformed" practitioners to curse Teacher. Slander is everywhere on the TV and radio. I help you save face, yet I have been falsely detained and tortured many times." I then refused to write it. I laid down the pen, and said to Teacher: "Teacher, your disciple won't write it for sure."
After this thought emerged, Hongli, the head of the police who were trained to persecute Falun Gong, and who had reprimanded me the day before because my hunger strike breached the labor camp rules, suddenly came in with a big smile, calling my name: "Actually you are the best. Go home and enjoy life! Your husband is also very good." My husband said to me, "Strange, they are usually so fierce. How come they stand on ceremony this time? I was not so polite. I told them that if anything happened to you, I would not let them off the hook."
This time my husband was also quite moved. He supported me, but he did not fully believe in Dafa. Before he came to pick me up, he had already booked a hospital in Beijing. Unexpectedly, after I left the forced labor camp, I had a meal and drank a glass of water, and I was fine. He told everyone he met, "It is indeed supernatural. I consulted many medical experts and they all said that if she had not eaten or drank for two and a half months, this is absolutely not good, and it is inconceivable that all she would need is a bowl of food and a glass of water." Only when we cultivate ourselves well are we able to save sentient beings; otherwise things may turn out the opposite of what we intend.
All phenomena we come across in cultivation are illusions, and these illusions aim at our hearts. Only when we abandon attachments will we not be led astray by illusion. If we use human notions to measure the phenomena we encounter, we will be forever lost in this maze.
