(Minghui.org) Planning for my retirement proved to be an excellent opportunity to clarify the truth about Falun Dafa and the persecution, as I was able to talk with many people at all levels as my retirement date approached.
Incarcerated
Because I practiced Falun Dafa, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) listed me as a wanted person in 2003, so I was forced to leave my home to avoid further harassment and arrest. However, I was illegally arrested in 2016 and sentenced to an 18-month prison term. My faith was steadfast and strong, and I refused to be “transformed.”
The guards ordered inmates to beat me. They covered up the camera, pushed me into a corner, and started kicking and punching me. I was unsure what to do, but Master Li’s (the founder of Falun Dafa) words appeared in my mind: “Dafa disciples are the sole hope for people’s salvation” (“The Only Hope,” Hong Yin III)
I struggled to talk while they were beating me, but I managed to tell them about Falun Dafa and the persecution. I maintained a compassionate smile.
One of them said, “How can you keep smiling after we beat you?”
They no longer beat or mistreated me after that.
I was transferred to Shenyang Women’s Prison nine months later. Regardless of where we practitioners are, we should seize every moment to awaken people's conscience and fulfill our vows.
A guard was sent to talk to me for seven days. It was like intense brainwashing, but I didn't listen and just kept reciting Master's poems from Hong Yin. This guard was very tough on the first day, but by the end of the seventh day, she simply smiled at me and said, “You don’t listen to me and just keep saying your words. Alright, I won’t try to ‘transform’ you, and I guess I won’t get my bonus either.”
Dealing with Pressures Outside of Prison
From my time away from home and being incarcerated, I wasn't able to go home between 2003 and late 2017. During that time, my parents passed away, my husband had an affair and divorced me, and my daughter died in a car accident.
My employer also refused to pay my salary, and I had no choice but to sell my house. I lost my identification card and household registration book. The pressure was still huge after I was released from prison in December 2017, and I didn't know what to do.
Master said,
“It’s hard to endure, but you can endure it. It’s hard to do, but you can do it.” (“Teaching the Fa and Answering Questions in Yanji,” Zhuan Falun Fajie)
I stayed at a relative’s place and was able to study the Fa and do the exercises. I managed to calm down and start thinking rationally.
I first went to the residential committee and the local police department to apply for an identification card and a household registration booklet. However, the committee refused to issue the documents and treated me unfairly.
When I got home, I looked inward and found some attachments, such as wanting to save face, impatience, competitiveness, and resentment. I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate these attachments and to disintegrate the bad elements controlling these people in other dimensions.
I paid attention to my appearance, dressed neatly, and went back to the residential committee. I spoke calmly and watched my words and behavior. I tried my best to change people’s preconceived notions about Dafa practitioners.
After speaking to them for some time, they no longer looked down on me and stopped giving me a hard time. I received my identification card and household registration booklet 15 days later.
Applying for Retirement
Once I received the documents, I went to my work's supervisor and requested the retirement documents that I would need for my pension application. He said, “I can’t find your file. You were fired when you were sent to prison, so we took your name off the personnel list.”
I remained calm and told him, “Falun Dafa teaches people to be good and to live by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It is practiced by people in many countries around the world. The CCP’s persecution of practitioners is unconstitutional and illegal, and the international community is watching. Those who have committed crimes against Dafa will eventually be punished. I hope you won’t do things that you’ll regret.”
While talking to him, I was thinking, “I’m trying to awaken your conscience. My Master is compassionate and wants me to talk to you. I hope you will choose a bright future for yourself.”
Sometimes, I just wanted to give up and not apply for my pension. I felt that I couldn't help the people I talked to.
But Master often gave me cues. Master has already paved the way for us, and all we have to do is to walk the path well. Having faith in Master and Dafa is the key to awakening people's conscience.
I went to the management of the company to talk to them about getting my pension. Some of them told me to give them money if I wanted their help, and others told me to kneel down and beg. Of course, I knew practitioners shouldn't do such things; we need to think, speak, and act in accordance with Dafa's principles.
I contacted the heads of many government departments. I was calm and compassionate toward them and used the wisdom given by Dafa to change their misconceptions about the practice. No matter how they treated me, I tried to forbear and not be moved by their harsh words. I was patient and did not complain or fight back. I put myself in their shoes. Sometimes I said with a smile, “I guess I’m out of luck today. I’ll come back tomorrow, and maybe you can help me then.”
I cleaned up the bad elements behind them so that the power of goodness could take hold. They don’t know why they are in this world, and I should help to awaken them, I thought.
I visited different departments and agencies over a 20-month period and tried to talk to the people in charge. There were times when I visited a certain place several times in a day until I could finally see someone.
I have learned to be forgiving and considerate of others. My heart has changed for the better, and so have the people around me. They have become kinder and more sympathetic.
The officials in charge eventually approved my retirement pension. They chose a bright future for themselves, which made me happy for them.
