(Clearwisdom.net) I am a senior practitioner who learned to practice Falun Gong in 1997. At that time, we practiced and studied the Fa in groups. Sometimes we went to parks and various neighborhoods to demonstrate the exercises and promote Falun Gong. As a result, many predestined people came to learn Falun Gong. I always feel very happy when recalling those days.
However, after July 20, 1999 when the persecution of Falun Gong started, a lot of these fellow practitioners virtually disappeared. Some were arrested for going to Beijing to validate the Fa, some enlightened along an evil path, some were simply not diligent any more and still others gave up completely. I felt very bad when thinking about this. Teacher said that every practitioner is family to him, therefore we cannot leave behind any Dafa practitioners. I thought that we must try our best to find and help these former fellow practitioners return, so that we can cultivate together diligently.
One day our refrigerator was out of order. Originally, I was supposed to send it to a designated maintenance shop for repair. My husband suggested to let the owner of the repair shop across the street have a look first. He said the owner used to be a practitioner. My husband called him in and I recognized him. However, he did not recognize me. He said he was demobilized from xxx army unit. I said I knew that and told him that we used to practice the exercises and study the Fa together before 1999. He used to be an assistant and his wife was responsible for bringing a cassette player to the practice site. At that time he still wore an army uniform. He said he was arrested after July 20, 1999 when the persecution of Falun Gong started and had been fired by the army. He suffered from severe torture during his detention and his legs were broken as a result of the inhuman beatings. He hated the vicious prison guards and wanted revenge.
When I saw his resentment, and his attachments of retaliation and competitiveness, I told him, "Your state is not right. Have you read Teacher's recent articles?" He replied he had not and said that he did not even have time to read Clearwisdom Weekly. I told him that was not good. If we did not have the Fa to guide us, how could we cultivate? If we do not read Clearwisdom, we cannot keep up with the process of Fa-rectification. I asked about his cultivation and he said he was not diligent. He told me that he seldom practiced the exercises since he was very busy. As for the three things Teacher asked us to do, he basically did not do them. He said that sometimes he even smokes and drinks. My husband said, "Aren't you like a regular person then? Haven't you suffered so many hardships and tribulations all for obtaining the Fa? Once you have obtained the Fa, you must cherish it. Since there is not much time left, you must be diligent!" He was silent. I could see that he was very regretful and felt quite ashamed.
I told him it was not accidental that we had met after a lapse of ten years and it was arranged by Teacher. That evening we talked until nearly midnight. We talked a lot and enlightened a lot to the Fa principles. He was very excited and in high spirits. He said, "If anyone dares to oppose Dafa and our Teacher, I will never agree!" I told him it was not enough to have that one thought. The important thing was to genuinely cultivate and only by genuinely cultivating could we have mighty virtue. Only then are we able to save sentient beings and disintegrate the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He said, "Big sister, I guarantee you that I will not smoke or drink ever again and I will clarify the truth to my customers and ask them to quit the CCP and its subordinate organizations, whenever the opportunity arises. I will also send forth righteous thoughts, do the exercises in the morning and study the Fa in the evening." I nodded in agreement.
Ever since then this practitioner has really changed and I feel happy for him. I feel grateful to Teacher for arranging for me to meet this former practitioner and to share the Fa principles with him, so that we can be diligent and upgrade together.
One day I came across a middle-aged woman who looked familiar. I thought to myself, wasn't she so-and-so who studied the Fa and practiced the exercises with us before 1999? I had learned that she became one of the collaborators during her detention in the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp. I went and said hello to her and she asked me where I knew her from. I told her that we used to study the Fa and practice the exercises together. She said, "I stopped practicing ever since I came back from the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp. The elderly ladies from the neighborhood committee keep on watching me. I cannot do anything. I have joined a [certain type of] religion." I said, "What a pity! Dafa is such a magnificent kingdom! Please come back and waste no time! Teacher is waiting for you." She said, "I don't have a choice. During the four years of detention I did a lot of bad things." I told her, "Teacher will not hold your past faults against you. After a fall you must get up instead of staying down. As long as you come back, Teacher will take care of you." I noticed that her heart was touched. I haven't seen her again since that; however, I learned from other practitioners that she began to read Teacher's recent articles. It seems that she came back to Dafa. Teacher brought these former practitioners to us in hopes that we can wake them up and bring them along with us.
There are several former practitioners who live close by. When I have time I will visit them and encourage them to be diligent, do the three things well and keep up with the Fa-rectification process. I will also ask them to take the Fa as their Teacher, firmly believe in Teacher and the Fa and walk the last leg of their journey well so as to reach the requirements set by Teacher.
Thank you Teacher!
