(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Gong in April 2007. Although I have not cultivated the Fa for very long, I have nonetheless encountered serious and harsh tribulations and xinxing tests. I have also witnessed Dafa's magnificence and Master's boundless compassion. Although I took detours and fell many times, I've made it through with Master's compassionate salvation. I understand that I must truly believe in Master and the Fa, and advance diligently, let go of the attachment to myself, stand right back up after falling, and do the three things well, to be worthy Master's compassionate salvation. I will fulfill my responsibilities and become a qualified Dafa practitioner.
1. Difficulties Overcome in Obtaining the Fa
When I was a child, I was curious about nature and the universe. I believed there must be a higher intelligence that dominated the universe. I was poisoned by atheism and communist party culture after I grew up. I became a police officer and participated in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in 2004, and committed terrible sins, which went against my human nature.
Master still did not give up on me. After I obtained the Fa, Master let me see the situation in other dimensions. Because I participated in the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, my Main Spirit was already in hell, and my body was completely covered in dark karma. Master picked me up, cleansed me, and let me find my true self. Master also let me see how the old forces arranged my role in this life. Before I came down to Earth, the old forces had pretended to be Master. I was fooled, and they arranged for me to be a police officer and persecute practitioners during the Fa-rectification period. I cried and knelt in front of them, not wanting this role. The old forces also cried and consoled me with good words. I reluctantly agreed.
Fortunately, as I persecuted practitioners, I saw their great virtue. I truly felt that they were kind, sincere, and tolerant people with high moral standards. They suffered a lot from the tribulations, but they still kept their belief and selflessly contributed to Falun Dafa. I thought it over and could hardly live with myself. I needed to learn more.
I took confiscated Dafa books home and downloaded all of Master's new articles from the Internet. I studied seriously for over two years, but I was restrained by modern science and poisoned by atheism. Even worse, I had accumulated a lot of karma, and my natural goodness was gone. In addition, the old forces tried to stop me from understanding the Fa. So I always studied from a critical point of view, trying to pick it apart. I relied on the limited, incomplete, and incorrect concepts of modern science to judge the Fa and determine right from wrong. My mind repeatedly went through a cycle of affirmation, then denial, and back again. I finally woke up and understood that this is the Fa from heaven and that Master really came down to save sentient beings.
I had a strong desire to study the Fa. I knelt down in front of Master's photo many times to confess and ask Master to take me as a disciple. My longing and pursuit for the truth and the Buddha Fa let me come without hesitation. I made up my mind to cultivate Dafa.
2. Master Pushed Me To Improve Rapidly
Perhaps because I started cultivation late and I had the heart to truly cultivate, I could feel Master strengthening me and pushing me to improve. The third day after I started cultivation, I had a dream. In the dream, Master was teaching the Fa, and Master said he would give us some divine power. I suddenly felt a strong electric current pass through my hands. It was like being shocked by high voltage electricity, and my hands were shaking. It was very painful. After Master stopped, he asked if we felt the energy. We all said yes. After I woke up, my hands were numb and painful.
After I had cultivated for about twenty days, Master opened my celestial eye and let me see the beauty and magnificence of other dimensions. I saw many things from my past lives and other peoples' past lives, and their predestined relationships. I saw many of my reincarnations, and that I had cultivated many times as a Buddhist and a Daoist. I suffered from many tribulations during the process of establishing the history of human civilization. I killed many people and was killed many times, too. I was a general, a minister, literati, guards, an emperor, a king, a prince, robbers, a prostitute, etc. The happiest thing is that I had a bond with Master four times. I also occasionally had the ability of knowing fate and telepathic abilities.
I felt my level improve very quickly. Sometime I even felt it increased too fast, because I still used human notions to think. Master's compassionate salvation let me become a practitioner, for which I am so fortunate.
3. Eliminating Attachments During Tribulations
While my level improved rapidly, I also went through many tribulations and tests. Initially these came from my family. My wife especially was adamantly opposed to my pracdtice. She argued with me almost every day and had a huge fight with me every few days. She usually cried, shouted, and hit me in the middle of the night. She later wanted to divorce me, and threatened to report me to the evil Chinese Communist Party (CCP). She sometimes even tore the Dafa book and slandered Master. No matter how I talked to her, nothing worked. It was physically and mentally devastating.
The old forces also persecuted me financially. I had previously invested over 200,000 yuan in a business that I was optimistic about. More than a year after I started cultivation, the shareholder gambled away his assets and his partnership funds. He had a lot of high interest debt, so he ran off. A lot of the money I had invested was borrowed, and the creditors came for their money. My wife lost her job and had no income. My child was still in school and was dependent on us. I was suddenly caught in a difficult situation, financially and mentally. I had to borrow more money to repay the first debt.
The situation lasted for a few years and was a very difficult time for us. I could hardly think straight. At the same time, I also went through the difficulties of establishing a local materials production site to produce and distribute truth-clarifying materials. This also required money. Before I started to cultivate, I was a police officer, and I ate, drank, and spent money whenever, and never felt poor or humiliated. Now, human notions caused me to feel a lack of dignity.
I remember one time I went out alone to give out truth-clarifying materials. Since I had some human notions, I fell down while riding my bicycle across a small road in the countryside. My newly-purchased pants were torn. I was so upset that I started to cry. I then started to blame the old forces, “Why do you want to test me like this? Did I not do well? Why do you have to do this? You can scratch my skin. But now I have difficulty earning a basic living. Do I have money to buy new pants? How can I save sentient beings and fulfill my responsibilities if you insist on doing things like this? Is this the behavior of gods? Eventually you will harm yourselves."
At that point, I suddenly understood a Fa principle on one level. The qigong masters who collected qi thought that the qi was gong. But the universe is full of qi. They did not cherish plants as lives and insisted on collecting the qi from plants. But the cold plant qi actually harmed them. This is because they were at low levels with limited wisdom. This is the same reason that the old forces are attached to their selfish goals, don't care about and sentient beings, and eventually destroy themselves.
I was persecuted by the evil CCP many times in 2010, and was transferred from the police department. At that time, a major CCP evil head came to my area. The local CCP departments tightened their control and searched layer by layer to find the so-called “unstable factors.” I was considered an important figure. They sent several people to monitor me. I did not yet have the clear goal of opposing the persecution, but I was a Falun Gong practitioner, and would not be unreasonably monitored. I found a place to get over the wall and escaped. They subsequently panicked and kept calling and sending messages. During the process, I suddenly remembered Master's Fa about true insanity and understood one level of a Fa principle,
“...but there was one who could easily scale a wall that’s over two yards high. When this older lady’s family saw that she’d gone insane and always ran outside, they locked her up indoors. But when her family went out she would just point her finger at the lock and it would open, and so she’d get out. 'Then let’s lock her up with steel chains.' After her family headed out, she would undo the chains with a mere shake. It was impossible to restrain her. And it was this way that she went through a lot of hardship.” (Zhuan Falun)
The evil CCP used special organizations and personnel to monitor practitioners. They often went to the practitioner's home and used a telephone monitoring and location system. They wanted to use tangible and intangible things to control us. But practitioners are just like the older woman with true insanity. We have historical responsibilities as well as divine powers. We absolutely cannot be controlled by the evil CCP.
There were many times like this, when I suddenly understood a Fa principle while validating the Fa. The process of doing the three things well is not only a process of eliminating human notions and improving xinxing, but also a process of breaking through and improving our understanding of the Fa principles.
As a police officer, it is really difficult to be a good person following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The police are simply tools of the evil CCP. As the CCP became more and more corrupt and deviant, the police department's objectives and tasks were nothing like an officer's proper responsibilities and direction. All police are measured and evaluated by how many criminal and administrative cases they solve; how many people they arrest, detain and send to forced labor; how much money is collected in fines; how many disputes they solve; and how well they control "unstable elements.” Police departments also have mandatory targets and tasks, which are directly linked to their bonuses. Their slogan is, "Break through by striking, speak using data," rather than achieving local stability and public approval.
As a practitioner, I can only use the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to measure things. Master said,
“...your work in society isn't cultivation, but your cultivation will be reflected in your work in society.” (“Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005”)
During my everyday work, I was usually fair in handling my responsibilities, resisting pressure from all directions. Whether it was the landless farmers' protests, human rights personnel appeals, or the conflicts between people and the government, I always tried my best to collect evidence to benefit the victims and use the facts and laws to protect them. I ended up not meeting many of the mandatory requirements at work. The leaders were not satisfied with me, and I sometimes also dragged down my colleagues. It was very difficult to truly follow the requirements for a practitioner while working for the police department. At work, I often had huge xinxing tests. I managed to get through all the family, financial, and work tribulations by truly believing in Master and the Fa, studying the Fa well, and treating things with strong righteous thoughts. Master said,
“But this, too, is just something that appears at a certain level—after some time this phenomenon isn’t allowed to exist. Or to put it another way, after those debts are whittled away they aren’t allowed to interfere with you again. And that’s because people who cultivate our Falun Dafa cultivate pretty fast, and they break through levels fast, too.” (Zhuan Falun)
But since I did not cultivate very diligently and did not always meet the Fa's requirements, I was in this situation for a few years. Looking back, I see the tests were really small and I cannot be compared with the practitioners who were brutally persecuted, but continued with righteous thoughts and actions. While I felt it was painful and difficult, it was actually just my path and it was all for me to improve.
4. Expose Evil with Righteous Thoughts
Although I have only cultivated for over five years, I still had many huge tribulations and tests of my xinxing, including tests the old forces forced on me. I was hit by cars five times, and two of them were very serious. After I was hit, I could only exhale a little but could not inhale. I felt that my internal organs had all changed places. I immediately thought, “I am a practitioner and I should be fine.” I also recited the Fa-rectification verses to deny the old forces' arrangements. After that I was totally fine. Actually, compassionate Master bore all of that for me, and let me repay the debt of life. I can never repay Master's compassionate arrangement and salvation.
After the fact that I was cultivating in Falun Gong was exposed, the local government considered this a big case. In order to force me to give up my cultivation, they arrested me and twice sent me to brainwashing sessions. They not only threatened me with termination, sentencing, and forced labor, but also tortured me physically and mentally. When they still did not succeed, they hired someone to brutally beat me.
In order to clarify the truth and save sentient beings, Master helped me enlighten in a dream that I must expose the evil. But when I was about to take the step, my human side struggled with my divine side. Dealing with the consequences of exposing the evil and opposing the persecution would invite a lot of pressure.
After I studied the Fa for some time and shared experiences with fellow practitioners, I made up my mind and did not look back. I openly told people about the persecution I had suffered at the brainwashing session, and the unjust treatment, how I started to cultivate, and why Falun Dafa is a higher science. I related the physical and mental changes and the miracles I experienced after I began cultivating, and why human beings will face huge disasters. I talked about the goal and meaning of everything Dafa practitioners do, how wrong and illegal the policy of persecuting Falun Gong is, and why it cannot be tested by law or history, and why Falun Gong practitioners' actions are all legal.
I also used compassion and righteous thoughts to awaken people's conscience so they would choose a beautiful future for themselves. I compiled all of this into a report, printed many copies, and sent them to all the offices in my workplace, the police department, the county government, the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, and the 610 Office. I also gave copies to the people I met.
My actions were acknowledged by many good-natured colleagues and leaders, and it caused a big stir. The results were very good. Many leaders, police officers, and former colleagues were impressed by my righteousness. After they understood the truth, they all showed sincere respect for Falun Gong practitioners. Some gave me the thumbs up when they saw me. Some even said that I was a really great man. This not only built a good foundation for other practitioners to expose the persecution and save sentient beings in the future, but also built a good foundation for me to frequently clarify the truth to the police department leaders, police station personnel, the Law and Security Committee, and 610 Office personnel.
I understood that as long as we truly follow Master's Fa while doing things, our path will be safe and wide. Master said,
“When disciples have ample righteous thoughts
Master has the power to turn back the tide” (“The Master-Disciple Bond,” from Hong Yin Vol. II)
Often it is human notions that prevent us from taking the critical step.
5. Walking on My Path of Cultivation and Saving Sentient Beings
Just six months after I started true cultivation, I used the standard of Dafa during the Fa-rectification period to be strict with myself, strive to do the three things well, and keep up with the Fa-rectification progress.
I first printed and handed out truth-clarifying materials, and later I started to clarify the truth face to face. I specifically targeted the personnel who worked in all the evil CCP departments, had certain knowledge and social status, were deeply poisoned by the evil CCP, or were hard for other practitioners to reach. I indeed persuaded many of those people to withdraw from the CCP. But I still felt that I was not truly fulfilling my role, and still did not entirely meet Dafa's requirement.
Later I also started to write truth-clarifying articles and letters to save sentient beings. I always used a pure and compassionate heart while writing the articles, to let the readers feel the strong force of righteousness. The effect was very good. I helped one practitioner compile a truth-clarifying article to expose his persecution. Since the persecution this practitioner experienced was very typical, and the article clearly explained the principles, it had a big impact locally. Many people cried while reading the articles and they could not stop talking about the evil nature and cruelty of the CCP.
I also wrote truth-clarifying articles for the Minghui website, including "How to Keep Safe During Disaster,” and “Police Officer: I Went from Persecuting Falun Dafa Practitioners to Practicing Dafa,” as well as some persuasion letters to the CCP judicial system, and articles about helping persecuted practitioners file lawsuits. These articles exposed the persecution and helped to save sentient beings. I understand that the process of writing an article is also a cultivation process of eliminating attachments, purifying ourselves, breaking through our human notions, and continuously improving ourselves. Every time I wrote a good article, it was because I had a good status and good direction, so Master and the gods strengthened me and gave me wisdom. When I read them, sometimes I surprised myself at how well they turned out. It truly is as Master wrote,
“The cultivation is up to you, gong is up to the master.” (Zhuan Falun)
The process of writing articles really helped me improve.
My deepest feeling now is the urgency and difficulty of saving sentient beings, especially government officials, teachers, and judicial system personnel. Only a small portion have truly understood the truth and been saved. They were poisoned the most by the CCP and really need saving. Sometimes when I see their ignorant and numb states, I feel deep compassion for them and worry about them. If we do not save these large groups of people, they will very likely be eliminated immediately during the first round of human elimination. Since I worked for the police department and government, it must be my responsibility to save them. In the future, I will be more rational and more effective, and let go of all human notions to save them. I understand that clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings are not only our responsibilities, but also the key factors for our cultivation improvement. Master said,
“Here’s one way to illustrate it. We gather all the different kinds of karma that exist on the rest of your life’s path and we eliminate some of it, say, a half. You still wouldn’t be able to make it through the remaining half, which is taller than a mountain. So how do we tackle this? When you attain the Dao later on, maybe a lot of people will benefit from it, and so a lot of people will bear a share for you. Of course, it’s no big deal for them.” (Zhuan Falun)
I understand that “a lot of people will bear a share for you” refers to the sentient beings we saved. Every sentient being is a universe, with countless beings within it. The more sentient beings we save, the more sentient beings will bear a share for us when the tribulations come. Certainly the tribulation will be smaller and the test will be easier to pass. Cultivation will be relatively smoother and we will advance more quickly. So everything we do is actually done for ourselves. There is no reason to not do it well.
Not long ago, seven fellow practitioners and I were reported to the police by people who did not know the truth, and we were arrested. A few practitioners were later either detained or sent to a forced labor camp. I broke away thanks to righteous thoughts under Master's strengthening and protection. I am now homeless and destitute. Although I was persecuted, bad things and good things are all good things. I now have a lot of time to study the Fa and do the three things well. I have calmed my mind and truly cultivated myself. I have also had the chance to finish the article “Police Officer: I Went from Persecuting Falun Dafa Practitioners to Practicing Dafa,” and published it with my real name, which had a very good effect in saving sentient beings in our local area.
I realized that as long as we let go of all human notions, walk out of the constraints of the old and selfish Fa principles, and truly think of the sentient beings, we can break through the old forces' arrangements. Master told us,
“How is he to make it past that trial? What must he do for the old forces to have less of a loophole to exploit? What must be done in order to make the sentient beings and many gods at different levels of the cosmos who operate under the old Fa principles and old notions find him acceptable? What will it take for those beings who are being impacted to feel okay about it and to allow you to get through [the trial]? It is really hard. But Master has said that, 'When disciples have ample righteous thoughts, Master has the power to turn the tide.' If your righteous thoughts are strong enough, who would dare to do something? So if you are in the right, Master can resolve anything.” (“20th Anniversary Fa Teaching”)
I also understand that cultivation is very serious and there are no shortcuts. We must cultivate diligently and steadily to meet the Fa standards.
When I first started to write this article, Master allowed me to enlighten and realize that I had many human notions, and I even flattered myself. After I looked inward, I found that I had strong attachments to fame (if I did not tell my story, no one would know), validating myself, and a strong sense of Party culture. After continuous cultivation, I became purer. Actually, I did not cultivate very steadily and still have many human notions, such as lust, competitiveness, jealousy, validating myself, pursing fame and profit, zealotry, showing-off, and emotion. I want to expose these attachments and eliminate them as soon as possible.
The progress of Fa-rectification is advancing very quickly. There is very little time left for people and practitioners. I must make up my mind to let go of all human notions and attachments, study the Fa well, and save more sentient beings with more wisdom and greater efficiency. Only then can I be worthy of the predestinated opportunity of cultivating Dafa and Master's compassionate salvation. Only then can I fulfill such a sacred responsibility and mission.
The above is just my personal understanding. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.