My Personal Enlightenment on “the Appearance Stems From the Mind”

(Minghui.org) I am a Falun Dafa practitioner over 70 years old. In 2018, a group of us were reported to the police while we were studying the Fa teachings together. The officers illegally arrested us and interrogated us separately. I aligned with Master Li's Fa to strengthen my righteous thoughts and reminded myself that I would never cooperate with any of their demands or instructions. Dafa disciples are here to save sentient beings, not to be arrested by them.

I learned a serious lesson in 2006 when I was detained in a brainwashing center. I cooperated with their demands out of fear and signed the so-called guarantee statement. There were 10 clauses in the statement, and I was only required to agree to five of them. I picked five items I thought were irrelevant and signed it.

I quickly fell into a poor state. My sending forth righteous thoughts was different from before—I would get confused and annoyed. I realized I should have never signed the statement and that many malevolent entities or bad factors might have entered my dimensional field. I knew I was wrong.

The next time I was interrogated, I clarified the truth to the police and did not answer any of their questions. I also sent forth righteous thoughts nonstop. An officer from my local police station took me away that night. He introduced himself, saying that he was from Shandong Province and had graduated from the school of political science and law.

I thought he was taking me home, but he forced me to go to the police department against my will. I then realized the seriousness of the matter and had some concern that I might be imprisoned. I knew my husband would worry if I did not return as I had been detained many times before.

I made up my mind I would not make any mistakes this time, whatever happened. I should stop the police from doing bad deeds and save them. I knew they would continue interrogating me, so I started sending forth righteous thoughts and clarifying the truth to the officer in the vehicle.

He told me his surname was Wang. I said, “Falun Dafa is the great Buddha Fa. It teaches us to be selfless and consider others first. Cultivating Falun Dafa not only makes one healthy, it also purifies one’s mind and improves morality. The practice has already spread to more than 100 countries. In fact, Falun Dafa is legal in China.”

When we arrived at the police department, officer Wang took me to an interrogation room with a few other officers. He took out his cellphone and showed me some propaganda statements that slandered Falun Dafa. I told him they were fabricated by Jiang Zemin’s regime to slander Dafa and had no legal basis.

He started to yell at me, “You take the [Chinese] Communist Party’s (CCP's) money, yet you are against the Party?” Then he kept talking about how good the CCP was. Since he refused to listen to me, I started to send forth righteous thoughts to keep him from committing a crime against Dafa. He talked for about half an hour and then stopped. I told him it was my turn to speak and he should not interrupt. He agreed.

I started by telling them why I cultivate Falun Dafa: “I used to have many ailments. The most serious one was cerebral vasospasm, which led to dementia. I was a teacher then, but I could not continue to teach. I did not get better after five years of treatment. After I started to practice Dafa, however, my illnesses were all cured. In addition, I learned to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, which enabled me to be tolerant of others and have a peaceful mind.

“My health fully recovered, and I went back to teaching. I shared the burdens of the school leaders and taught the classes that no one else wanted, yet I never got a bonus. However, I just took everything lightly. If that had happened before I cultivated Dafa, I would definitely have fought with the principal.

“Dafa’s Master Li teaches us to be selfless. We want to share such a great practice with others, so they also can become healthy and be good people. Why do we encourage people to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations? Heaven will eliminate the CCP for its crimes, and we want to tell people to stay away from it to keep safe. Chinese citizens have freedom of belief, and practicing Falun Dafa is legal in China. You should be clear-headed and treat Falun Dafa wisely. Supporting its practitioners will bring you and your family happiness and good fortune.”

I spoke for half an hour without interruption, and I even forgot that my family would worry about me. In the end, officer Wang filled out the form and answered all the questions himself, indicating that I refused to answer them or sign my name. He also asked officer Xiao to get some bread and something for me to drink. I thanked him and only accepted the drink. In the end, Wang asked officer Xiao to take me home. On the way, I clarified the truth to officer Xiao again, and he agreed to withdraw from the CCP.

When I reflected on the changes in my thinking after I was arrested, I understood better that a different mentality brings about a different outcome. When I first got to the station, I was afraid of being imprisoned and worried about my husband. The police were cruel.

I later made up my mind to let go of my fear. I just wanted to clarify the truth to the police to save them and prevent them from committing more crimes against Dafa. I wanted to follow Master’s teachings and not make the same mistake again. As a result, the environment changed. They listened attentively and had the opportunity to be saved.

This truly reflects “... the appearance stems from the mind.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. X)

I also understood I must let go of human notions; they only give the evil an excuse to persecute me. All I need is a heart purely dedicated to saving sentient beings. As long as my mind meets the standard of the Fa, I can pass the test, and the evil factors will no longer be able to interfere with me. Every arrangement will then be up to Master.

A person is saved or destroyed the instant they change their mind. As long as I let go of my attachments and have righteous thoughts, I will no longer fear death and I will be aligned with the Fa.