[Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day] Practicing Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Fills Our Hearts with Hope

(Minghui.org) My mother and I have practiced Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) for almost 30 years. In celebration of World Falun Dafa Day, we would like to take this opportunity to share our cultivation stories.

I Begin Practicing Falun Dafa

My mother told me about Falun Dafa when I was in junior high school. She took me to group Fa study and morning exercises, as well as large-scale activities to introduce Falun Dafa, and a Fa conference attended by 1,000 practitioners.

Our Fa-study group consisted of several dozen practitioners before it was divided into smaller groups. We took turns reading Zhuan Falun, and after we completed a lecture, we discussed our cultivation experiences.

One practitioner described how she passed a xinxing test: her husband slapped her for no reason, but instead of reacting with anger or fighting back, she reminded herself that she was a practitioner and restrained herself. She looked inward to see whether she had done anything inappropriate.

At the time, I was new to the practice and didn’t fully understand what cultivation meant. I was deeply moved by her story and was amazed that, after being slapped, she did not hold a grudge but instead reflected on her own behavior. She was clearly different from everyday people!

As I continued to study the Fa, listen to practitioners’ sharing and observe their kind words and actions, I gradually came to understand what this group of people were doing—they were conducting themselves according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to become better and better people.

At first, I didn’t truly understand what cultivation practice meant and how to cultivate. As a child, I couldn’t grasp the profound principles in the book. I just recognized the words “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.”

I remember during the first semester of my third year in junior high school, we had a new geometry teacher who was quite strict. One day, she demanded that the students remain silent and no one was allowed to talk. I was discussing a problem with a classmate when she saw me, and she punished me by making me stand in front of the class for the rest of the session.

It was a huge humiliation for me. As a well-behaved student who had never been disciplined like that, I felt deeply wronged and cried my heart out after the class. However, I did not hold a grudge against her.

I reminded myself that I learned the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and I should be kind. I knew it was wrong to hold resentment against anyone. That was my initial and simple understanding of the principles at the time.

Throughout that entire school year, I did not develop any negative thoughts or resentment toward the geometry teacher. She gradually realized I was a good student and began to treat me kindly. We had a harmonious teacher-student relationship.

My mother’s family had a deep connection with Buddhism. When my grandmother was little, one of the elders in her family was a Buddhist. Both my grandmother and my mother began to believe in Buddhism and they were vegetarians.

However, despite her faith in Buddhism, my mother’s health remained poor. She constantly relied on medication for her nephritis, Meniere’s syndrome, and most critically, a serious heart condition.

After my mother began to practice Falun Dafa, her health improved quickly. She stopped taking the heart medicine, and her nephritis was gone. She was joyful every day.

Her job required her to work rotating shifts. In the past, during her night shift, she often disappeared and slept. She even argued with her supervisor over personal gain.

But after she began practicing Dafa, my mother realized that she should conduct herself by following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and treat her job seriously. She became considerate toward her coworkers and focused on improving herself. Instead of slipping away to sleep during her night shift, she worked diligently.

On several occasions, when the supervisor came to check the night shifts, my mother was the only one on duty–the others were off sleeping somewhere.

Steadfast Despite Hardship and Danger

Just as my mother and I were happily practicing Falun Dafa, on July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party head Jiang Zemin, launched the persecution of Falun Gong. It felt as thought the sky was falling and blood was raining down on us, shaking us to our core.

Having never experienced a political movement before, my youthful simplicity and innocence kept me from feeling afraid. I just couldn’t understand why the government would forbid me from practicing Falun Gong. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is so wonderful, and the principles of self-conduct that Master taught us were so good, why would anyone give up it up?

As soon as the persecution began, the community leaders and the police frequently came to “visit” our home. They confiscated my mother’s ID and our Dafa books. One day, two neighborhood committee directors came again, demanding that my mother sign a “Guarantee Statement” to renounce Falun Gong. Since my mother wasn’t home, they told me to sign it on her behalf.

At the time, I was too young to realize the seriousness of giving up cultivation, and considered signing it just to get them to leave. But the moment I picked up the pen, I suddenly felt dizzy. I instantly realized I couldn’t sign it, and tore up the paper instead. Later, I ran into one of the directors, and he told me, “You did the right thing by tearing up that paper.”

Because my mother refused to give up her cultivation, the police frequently harassed her at home and at work. She was illegally detained multiple times and became “well-known” at the local police station. One year, around New Year’s Day, the police broke into our home while we were asleep and took my mother away for detention. This is how the CCP’s police persecute kind and innocent people.

My mother had a good reputation at work because she conducted herself according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. She explained the truth about Falun Gong to her management, who were sympathetic. Each time she was abducted and detained, her management demanded she be released.

However, over time, her management could no longer resist the pressure and had to force my mother to retire early. As a result, my mother lost her work-related benefits and had to live on a monthly income of just a few hundred yuan (100 yuan = USD$14).

At the time, my father passed away, and I was still in high school. My mother, her blind mother, and I moved into a rented apartment, and our living conditions were difficult. Eventually, due to a real estate development project, we were allocated a new apartment unit, and we moved in with great joy.

A few months before I graduated from high school, a mass arrest of Falun Dafa practitioners took place in my city. Several thousand practitioners were arrested, and many were brutally beaten to death or severely injured. The rampant brutality shocked the world.

On the night of the mass arrest, the police came for my mother. Since she wasn’t home, they took me to the police station instead and interrogated me, trying to find out who her contacts were and whether she did the exercises at home. I said I didn’t know, as I had been at school.

Then they pressured me to sign the “Guarantee Statement” to renounce Falun Gong, but I refused. It was already late at night, after several hours of interrogation without getting anything out of me, they eventually let me go.

I found my mother that night, and we began living in exile. I later learned that the police came again the following night to arrest me. They wanted to finish their assignment and report back. I was fortunate to have already left.

We no longer dared return home—instead we lived with friends and relatives. A kind relative took my grandmother in for a short time. To avoid police harassment at school, I transferred to a private high school and eventually graduated from there. It was the third school I transferred to during my last year of high school.

Due to the CCP’s brutal persecution, we were unable to return home for years. My mother, my grandmother, and I lived in poverty and constant displacement. I’ve lost count of how many times we had to move—so many, that the word “home” has no meaning. In my mind, it became nothing more than a place to sleep, and I felt like a wanderer.

Conducting Myself According to the Principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance

As I grew older, my understanding of cultivation was no longer as shallow as it was when I was a child. Over the years, I carefully read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and gained a clearer understanding of the CCP’s true nature.

Combined with my own experiences of persecution and Master’s teachings, I deeply reflected on and appreciateed why I continued to hold firm to my faith in the face of severe suppression. Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are universal values. There is nothing wrong with elevating one’s moral standard and living by these principles.

What we are enduring is similar to what the disciples of Shakyamuni or Jesus once experienced—the path of staying true to righteous faith in the face of persecution. Today, we follow Master in walking the most righteous path. Even though this path is difficult and full of hardship, we are determined to persevere to the end.

Over the years, in our daily life and work, we constantly remind ourselves that we are Falun Gong practitioners and we must follow Master’s teachings, striving to conduct ourselves according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

After graduating from college, I joined a company and worked there for six years. When I first started, I had little work experience and often asked my boss for advice when I encountered difficulties.

One day, while meeting with a customer, I ran into a tricky issue that I didn’t know how to handle. As usual, I asked my boss for help. To my surprise, she rebuked me in front of the customer and my coworkers. Even the customer felt bad for me and reassured her, “It’s okay. He can try it again.”

In the face of the sudden reprimand, I was momentarily at a loss, but I did not feel any resentment or grievance. Later, my boss explained that she intentionally lost her temper with me to create a way out, some room for negotiation, so the customer would feel we were taking the matter seriously. I told her I understood.

I remembered what Master said,

“With everything you should think of others—first think about others, and then think about yourself. I want you to cultivate to achieve the kind of Consummation that is of a righteous Fa, with righteous enlightenment, one in which others come before yourself.” (Teachings at the Conference in Australia)

I felt that it wasn’t easy for my boss to keep the company running, all the while balancing all kinds of relationships, so I should be understanding and sympathetic. As a practitioner, I should hold myself to the standards of the Fa and consider others. A momentary grievance is nothing.

I have taken this kind of blame more than once in this company, and I knew that as a practitioner, I should not be concerned with such things. In fact, I’ve gradually forgotten about them.

Later, I became the employee with the highest seniority and title in this company, but my boss gave me the same salary as my colleagues, who had lower titles and less experience. Still, I did not mind.

In the beginning, when my boss found out that I was a Dafa practitioner, she considered firing me. Her husband said, “What’s wrong with practicing Falun Gong? He hasn’t done anything wrong, why let go of such a good employee?!”

I worked diligently at that company for six years, standing by the boss through difficult times. It has been five years since I left there, yet she still sends word that if I were to return, she would offer me a generous salary, but I politely decline.

I worked at another company for six months. It wasn’t a long time, but I got along well with my boss and his wife. I’d passed the intermediate level exam and had a lot of work experience when I started. My boss recognized my skills, and clients gave positive feedback.

As a Falun Dafa practitioner, I kept Master’s teachings in mind and strove to be a good person wherever I was. When I encountered challenges, I put myself in my boss’s shoes or the client’s, rather than focusing on my personal loss or gain.

Sometimes, customers bargained for a lower price. Unlike some merchants who cut corners on quality to make money, I upheld the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Even if I made less money, I still followed the proper procedures and completed the work to a high standard.

To deliver good results, I sometimes had to put extra effort. I never cut corners or took shortcuts. Both my boss and clients recognized my work ethic and professionalism.

I encountered a difficult customer and was unable to resolve the issue after several attempts. The boss’s wife connected me with an employee from another store and suggested that I consult her. It went well.

She later spoke with me to make sure I was comfortable with the arrangement. I told her that I appreciated the opportunity to learn from someone else. She responded happily, “I like talking with you—no barriers.”

The COVID pandemic broke out during Chinese New Year, so we had fewer customers and a reduced revenue. The owner decided to let everyone start their holiday early. When we returned to work after the break, I received a full paycheck.

I knew that the business wasn’t doing well at the end of the year, and the boss did not make any profit. I also felt it wasn’t right to get paid for the extra vacation days, so I returned that part of my salary. The boss’ wife was pleased, as she didn’t expect me to do that. I could tell she appreciated my character. As a Dafa practitioner, I believe I should always be considerate of others.

The first month after I started, both of the boss’ deputies left. So after work, I would help the boss with some of their responsibilities, which he appreciated. Later, new staff were hired. Seeing they lacked experience, I did my best to train them, doing what I could to ease the boss’ workload.

About six months later, I resigned due to having to relocate. The boss said reluctantly, “We haven’t had you with us long enough.” As the boss’ wife sent me off, she said, “I hope you’ll come back.”

Dafa’s Gift

As our cultivation level improved, the environment around us also quietly began to shift in a positive direction. Around 2008, we moved into a relative’s home to help look after it. For the next ten years and more, under Master’s merciful protection, we lived a relatively stable life with minimal harassment. It wasn’t until 2017 that, with the help of friends and relatives, I was finally able to purchase a home.

It was during the peak of the housing market, and I didn’t have much money. However, since the owner urgently needed funds, I bought the house directly from him at nearly the original price, without having to pay a brokerage fee.

Although the house isn’t large, its layout, location, and price are all exactly what I wanted. The entire transfer process went exceptionally smoothly, as if it had been arranged just for me. We knew it was a gift from Master.

Because of the house purchase, I was in debt by more than 100,000 yuan (USD$13,870), and by 2019, I still hadn’t paid it off. Hoping to advance my career, I resigned to prepare for an important exam. However, due to the outbreak of the pandemic, I ended up being out of work for nearly a year and a half. It wasn’t until July 2021 that I was able to return to regular employment.

During the past few years of the pandemic, China’s economy has been sluggish, and many industries are declining. Countless people struggled to find jobs, let alone earn enough to pay off debts.

Yet, miraculously, in just four short years since I resumed working, I not only paid off all my remaining debts but also managed to accumulate a substantial amount of savings. Our life has steadily improved over the years.

We didn’t deliberately try to save money. Our daily expenses, social activities, and lifestyle remained normal, yet the balance in our bank account kept growing. Neither my mother nor I ever imagined we would be in such a stable financial situation.

Now, we enjoy good health and stable incomes. In the eyes of our relatives and friends, we have a kind and harmonious mother and son relationship, living peacefully and free from material worries.

At one time, the brutal persecution nearly left us with nothing. But under Master’s merciful protection and guidance, the principles of Dafa gradually dissolved our ignorance and confusion.

Step by step, through tribulations and adversity, we cultivated resilience, integrity, and a broad mind. By taking lightly the temptations of profit and desire, we came to understand what a cultivator’s state of mind and wisdom truly are and what genuine transcendence in life means. Looking back on our journey, we realize we lost nothing. On the contrary we gained something far greater.

In the beginning, Jiang Zemin arrogantly declared, “Eliminate Falun Gong in three months!” He even promoted the policy of “ruin their reputations, cut them off financially, and destroy them physically” to persecute practitioners.

However, after 26 years of relentless suppression, it is clear that Falun Dafa practitioners cannot be crushed. Evil can never overcome righteousness. This brutal persecution has been a complete failure. It is utterly unjust and must immediately end.

Conclusion:

I am infinitely grateful that Master helped us understand the purpose of life and how one should live. Falun Dafa’s principles transformed us from selfish to selfless, and this inner transformation allowed us to truly experience the beauty and joy of an elevated state of life.

I hope that more predestined people, like us, can receive the guidance and salvation of the Buddha Fa and find their way back to their true selves in this chaotic world.

(Selected submission in celebration of 2025 World Falun Dafa Day on Minghui.org)