“Did You Really Have the Law in Mind [or Political Gain]?”--Ancient Lessons of Corrupt Leaders Facing Karmic Retribution

(Minghui.org) From ancient times to the present, there have always been government officials who have people’s best interest in mind, as well as those who abuse their power for personal gain. 

During the 22-year-long suppression of Falun Gong, for example, many officials mistreated innocent practitioners claiming the policy was from top management of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) hierarchy. Similar to stories described below, however, their actions against conscience and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance have nonetheless cast a gloomy future for themselves and their families. 

Vice Minister in the Qing Dynasty

Yuan Mei, a scholar in the Qing Dynasty, documented the experience of a shi lang (vice minister) in his book Xin Qixie (also known as Zi Buyu, or What the Master Would Not Discuss). 

During the 20th year (which was 1755) of Emperor Qianlong’s rule, the emperor sent this vice minister to inspect the Yellow River. On the New Year’s eve, the vice minister and his subordinates carried lanterns and inspected the site. He then drank with zhu bu (registrar) before returning to his hotel. He soon fell asleep and had a dream in which he saw his deceased mother, who was shocked to see her son in the netherworld. She led him to meet a renowned monk on the west side of the Yellow River, asking the monk to please help her son return to the human world. 

After arriving at the temple, the vice minister knelt down to greet the monk, who simply ignored him. 

“I came here to inspect the Yellow River following the Emperor’s order,” the vice minister said, “if I have committed crimes and deserve death, could you explain it to me so that I have no complaint?” 

“You have killed too many people and your days are numbered. What’s the point of discussing it?” replied the monk.

“I did kill lots of people,” the vice minister answered, “But I executed them according to the law. How could those be counted as my sins?”

“Did you really have the law in mind when handling those cases? You killed people simply to please corrupt higher officials for your own interest and promotion!” said the monk. 

Picking up a jade ruyi (sceptre), the monk pointed it at the vice minister’s heart. Feeling a gust of cold air piercing through his internal organs with a chill, the vice minister’ heartbeat increased. He was sweating heavily and too frightened to speak.

“I know I was wrong. I plan to change for the better. Is that ok?” he said after a while. 

“You are not someone who would repent and change. But today is not your ending yet. Let’s wait and get all these settled in hell when it’s time for you to die later,” the monk continued. He then told another monk to send the vice minister back. 

His deceased mother cried, “Son, you only have a few days left now. Why did you not follow the law when handling cases, but instead abused it to seek self-interest?!” 

Facing his mother, the vice minister felt extremely ashamed of himself. He sighed and woke up from the dream. Not long afterwards, he became sick, vomited blood, and died. 

The vice minister had done wrong and it was too late to repent. 

Consequences of Bad Deeds 

Journey to the West, a classic Chinese novel, has a poem:When one has a thought, both heaven and earth will know;If no reward for good and retribution for bad, the divine will not tolerate such unfairness.

Similar to the vice minister mentioned above, officials in the modern society are also punished by their wrongdoings. One example was described in a Minghui article titled “What I Witnessed in Hell—True Story of an Ex-Serviceman in 2011.” The author, a retired military solider, visited the netherworld by accident in August 2011. 

“...The next tortured were four men wearing four kinds of law enforcement clothing and hats with the CCP’s national emblem. They were tied to a torture instrument side by side, with a steel rod piercing through the lower backs of the four men. A torturer was standing on either side of them who kept pushing and pulling the steel rod. The four men were screaming in pain and the floor was covered with blood,” wrote the author. 

When he asked why these people were punished this way, guards in the netherworld replied, “Law enforcement officers should punish the evil and praise the good. But they did just the opposite. They were paid with taxpayers' money, and yet they abused the law and worked for the corrupt officials and the powerful. They did not distinguish between good and evil and went out of their way to harm good people. They broke the law in the name of law enforcement and owed heaps of blood debts. Countless good people were victimized at their hands. This is how they are punished when they come to Hell. Each time the steel rod is pulled or pushed, a blood debt is paid off.”

Because of this “cause and effect” relationship, some government officials in the ancient times did their best to help people. Zuo Hua Zhiguo by Wang Daoding in the Qing Dynasty talked about a high-ranking official’s father. The father used to work as a low-level official who had to follow orders to whip wrongdoers with a bludgeon but who also used a trick to lessen the resulting injuries. “Working here is a good opportunity to accumulate virtue,” he also told peers, “If not doing good deeds, we are like entering a mountain of treasure by leaving with empty hands.” 

Every night, he would soak the bludgeon in a urine bucket. This was because urine could help wounds heal. When beaten with such a soaked bludgeon, although one could be badly wounded with blood and bruises, it would not lead to pus or festering. Many people were helped in this way. 

Because of helping people, he and his family were blessed. Both of his sons later became high ranking officials. 

Sinking with the Totalitarian Regime

Since it came to power in 1949, the CCP has launched numerous political movements to target innocent people, resulting in tens of millions of unnatural deaths. It has also ruled the country with brutality, hatred, and lies, which run counter to Falun Gong’s core principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. As such, the regime launched a nationwide persecution against Falun Gong in July 1999. 

Many CCP officials have been actively following the persecution policy for personal gain and career advancement. Although they may use the excuse of following the Party line to justify their persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, they may want to consider the abovementioned monk’s words, “Did you really have the law in mind when handling those cases?”

Unlike the ancient official who always protected people by soaking his bludgeon in urine, many CCP officials went all out to target innocent Falun Gong practitioners. As a result, they are risking the future of themselves and their families. 

Yang Chunyue was the head of 610 Office in Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia. Under his directive, local police arrested hundreds of practitioners who followed Falun Gong teachings to be better citizens. In the end, Yang’s 28-year-old son died in a car accident in 2005, his wife had a mental disorder with a brain tumor, and Yang himself died of cancer in April 2014. Those who knew Yang’s involvement in the persecution of Falun Gong commented that he probably had faced consequences for his crimes.

This is one of many tragic stories that happened to officials. By blindly following the CCP’s persecution policy, these officials caused tremendous misery to practitioners and their families as well as themselves. 

Another example was Yang Dongsheng, a deputy presiding judge of Lushan County Court in Henan Province. Among the 9 practitioners sentenced for their belief, at least two were handled by Yang Dongsheng. When practitioners urged him not to risk his own future by sentencing practitioners, Yang simply dismissed it. “I don’t care about laws or freedom of belief,” he said, “I will follow the Party closely and have no mercy on Falun Gong!” On August 14, 2011, the vehicle he was riding in ran into a horrific accident, killing him and two other judges and injuring the remaining seven passengers. 

It is important to take action before it is too late. E Anfu was a judge in Shenbei New District of Shenyang City, Liaoning Province. After being diagnosed with cerebral hemorrhage in February 2011, he was hospitalized and died two months later at 45. According to insiders, in his final days, E kept asking his family members to find a Falun Gong practitioner to which he could repent. In 2001 alone, he had secretly sentenced five Falun Gong practitioners to 3-8 years. Among them was Ms. Wang Min, E’s former coworker. E regretted his wrongdoings when he saw the gate of hell, but it was too late. 

Making the Right Choice

People who act early to repent of their wrongdoings could still be saved. Liu is a teacher at a school in Jiayu County, Hubei Province. Because of the defamatory propaganda from the CCP, Liu made remarks against Falun Gong and its founder Mr. Li Hongzhi. When practitioners kindly explained what Falun Gong is, he did not listen and drove them away. 

One afternoon in 2003, Liu’s son was wounded at a playground and couldn’t stop bleeding. The local hospital found that the boy’s private part had been smashed. Because the injury was too severe to be treated at this local hospital, Liu had to catch a taxi and take his son to a bigger hospital in the provincial capital of Wuhan. 

On the way there, Liu suddenly remembered his cursing words against Falun Gong. At that time, he suddenly realized what practitioners told him about good and evil would be rewarded accordingly was true. He immediately apologized to Master Li in his heart, and his wife did the same. Even before they arrived at Wuhan, his son had stopped bleeding. Doctors at the Wuhan hospital said the injury was minor and his son only took one pill there. The next morning, his son was able to urinate as usual. 

“Falun Gong is truly extraordinary!” Liu often told people after the incident. 

We sincerely hope everyone and their family can have a happy and prosperous life. Please keep in mind that actions bear consequences. If deceived by the CCP’s propaganda and deviating from the traditional values and harming the innocent, everyone will face consequences.