Former Scoundrel Turns Over a New Leaf

(Minghui.org) I used to be a complete scoundrel and a gangster. In 2006, I was handed a four-year sentence in prison for assault. By then my longstanding vices of smoking, drinking, and abusing ecstasy and other drugs had resulted in the development of kidney stones, hematuria, and insomnia. I suffered greatly from my illnesses and spent a fortune on treatment in the prison hospital. Yet my health did not improve.

1. Coming into Contact with Falun Gong Practitioners

I noticed that the imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners were all in excellent health, so I approached them and asked what their secret was. I learned that Falun Gong is a spiritual practice that guides practitioners to be good and moral people according to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. It can cure illnesses, improve health, prolong life, and ultimately help one reach enlightenment. When I learned that the practice includes five sets of exercises, I voiced my concern that the prison wardens would not let me practice it, as Falun Gong is banned in China. A practitioner reassured me, “Don’t worry. Sincerely recite ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’ The misfortune you encounter will be averted and disasters will be changed into blessings.”

Despite my initial doubts, I recited this phrase in my mind over and over. My pain miraculously eased, and I found myself sleeping better and feeling more energetic.

After my release from prison, I began practicing Falun Gong. Yet some questions still lingered. “Why was such a good practice banned? Why did the government imprison practitioners? Aren’t prisons for bad people like me?”

I tried contacting various lawyers to ask about this, but most of them refused to discuss the topic, with some saying it was politically sensitive. I eventually found a lawyer who told me the truth. I learned that Falun Gong has always been legal in China. The government has designated 14 categories of cults, but Falun Gong is not one of them. Items 99 and 100 of Order No. 50 of the General Administration of Press and Publication of China, which took effect on March 1, 2011, had effectively lifted the ban on Falun Gong publications. Article 35 of the Constitution provides for freedom of speech, and Article 36 provides for freedom of belief. Falun Gong had been falsely accused and deeply wronged.

2. Miraculously Protected by Dafa

Through studying Zhuan Falun, I learned that good is rewarded and evil meets retribution in accordance with the law of the universe. Good deeds bring blessings while bad deeds result in retribution. I stopped committing deeds that would harm others and sought honest work, no matter how hard or tiring it was, to support my family as a husband and father.

While working at a quarry, I accidentally broke the first joints of two of my fingers on a motor belt. The doctor told me that I needed metal implants and should be hospitalized. Refusing to burden the quarry owner with further losses, I decided to return home. My fingers healed within days after practicing the Falun Gong exercises.

One night, I noticed that several rocks had dropped off the moving conveyor belt at the quarry. I bent over to pick up the rocks without stopping the belt, and my sleeve got caught on the conveyor belt. My sleeve and arm got sucked up by the moving belt, and my upper arm almost entered the crushing end when a mysterious force miraculously pulled my arm free. Master saved me from losing an arm.

The hospital diagnosed my injury as having caused severe nerve and muscle rupture, to the point I was considered disabled and eligible to receive a minimum living allowance. Unwilling to burden the government, I did not apply for it, nor did I file a claim with my employer. Through practicing Falun Gong, my arm healed and its full range of function was restored.

I later bought a small crane and used it to transport sand, cement, and other construction materials to higher floors for clients. During my first attempt at operating the crane, my lack of experience resulted in a weight imbalance that caused the crane to flip over, re-breaking my already injured arm. The pain was excruciating, but I realized from past experience that seeking help at a hospital would be an expensive and ineffective endeavor. The treatment they had might not be effective and I was determined to heal my arm through practicing Falun Gong. My arm healed within a short period of time, leaving me feeling overwhelmed by the extraordinary power of Falun Dafa.

On two occasions, my feet were smashed by falling iron pieces. To avoid causing trouble for my employer, I kept quiet and continued working. My feet healed quickly through practicing Falun Gong.

My subordinates all acknowledge the goodness of Falun Dafa. A worker who had received a Falun Dafa amulet was operating a crane once, and the load had just lifted slightly when the arm of the crane broke and fell on his head. Terrified, we rushed him to hospital, only for the doctors to announce that he was fine. We knew he had been protected by Falun Dafa.

We once lifted more than 300 pounds of tiles to the sixth floor of a building. After completing the job, my workers untied the rope and dropped it down to me. While picking up the rope, I was horrified to see it had almost frayed apart. If the rope had broken while the tiles were suspended mid-air, the consequences would have been disastrous. This protection was received from believing in the goodness of Falun Dafa!

3. Dafa Taught Me to Be Considerate of Others

I had cheated while gambling and was nearly stabbed to death by a man hired by a fellow villager. I later went to this villager’s home with a knife but failed to get my revenge, as the man fled his home. After my release from prison in 2010, this fellow villager sent a middleman to pay me 10,000 yuan, hoping to settle the matter. When I told the middleman there was no need to pay me, the worried middleman thought I was still after the fellow villager’s life and tried to persuade me to accept the money. I called the fellow villager and told him, “Don’t worry, I won’t bother you anymore. I practice Falun Dafa now and live by the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. I want to be a good person who is considerate of others.” This villager was so taken aback that he became incoherent. In the past, I might not have even settled the matter for 100,000 or 80,000 yuan (USD$14,000 or $11,000).

After our release from prison, my two co-defendants approached me for help to get compensation from the man who had hired the three of us to beat up a man. We had beat up our target intending to scare him, but had unintentionally caused him to suffer serious injuries. The man who hired us lost everything in the lawsuit and I was additionally forced to pay a 40,000-yuan ($5,500) fine. My fellow accomplices wanted to find the man who hired us and demand money to settle the score. I went to the man who hired us and explained my motives for visiting. However, the man was so poor he could only give me 200 yuan ($27). I knew this would be cause for my fellow accomplices to seek revenge, so I added 10,000 yuan ($1,400) out of my own pocket and gave it to my two co-defendants. I told them there would be retribution for evil deeds, described the benefits I had gained from practicing Falun Gong, and urged them not to commit such crimes again. They agreed, took the money, and left. If not for Falun Gong, I would have hounded the man who had hired us for compensation instead of paying to settle the matter myself.

Before practicing Falun Dafa, I frequently ate at a restaurant and racked up a debt of more than 3,000 yuan ($400). After I became a Dafa practitioner, I took the initiative to pay back what I owed. The restaurant owner was dumbfounded. I told him, “I practice Falun Dafa. Practitioners must be considerate and kind to others. As the old saying goes, ‘There are spirits three feet above our heads, watching our every move.’ A person’s destiny is in their own hands. Those who perform good deeds will be blessed, while those who do evil will be punished.” The restaurant owner found my words deeply meaningful.

I once accepted a job to install radiators. The customer and I settled the bill for 42 radiators on site. I then went downstairs to unload my truck and discovered I only had 36 radiators. I quickly called the customer, explained the situation, and refunded the money.

For another job, I delivered sand to a customer and took my fee of 640 yuan without counting the amount carefully. After returning home, I counted the money and discovered the customer had given me an extra 50 yuan. When I called him, the customer thought he had underpaid me and asked me how much he owed. I replied, “You gave me an extra 50 yuan.” The customer exclaimed, “Oh, brother…” before letting out a long chuckle. He subsequently sought my services again.

A female contractor once asked me to help dispose of some construction waste. She told me to dispose of three meters worth of waste, but I only found two meters and charged her accordingly. This contractor began to trust me and hired me whenever she had suitable work.

Last September our city conducted exhaust inspections, and my car failed the test. Since I had just paid for a major overhaul of my car, I sought advice from the mechanic who had serviced my car. My first option was to pay a bribe, the second was to visit a distant inspection center with looser criteria and have it certified there, and the third option was to replace the three-way catalytic converter. After weighing my options, I determined the first two options were inappropriate for a cultivator and decided to replace the three-way catalytic converter. Despite the higher cost, my mind was at ease. During the inspection, the inspector said, “You’re possibly the first person to come back for another inspection.” Most people had visited the distant inspection center to obtain certification.

One day, I ran into a former underling. Seeing me wearing a watch that cost barely more than 20 yuan, he burst into tears and asked, “Brother, how did you end up like this?” In their eyes, I used to be a powerful person who pursued money and beautiful women, leading a socially prestigious and proud life. Little did we realize such glory was built at the expense of other people’s suffering.

After practicing Falun Dafa, I changed into a self-reliant, responsible person who no longer harms others or commits crimes. I have become the pillar of my family, contributing to society and my country. My profound transformation did not come at any cost to the government. Shouldn’t Falun Gong be recognized and commended for its positive contribution to society? Yet, this great practice continues to be banned by the government.

If everyone lived according to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, we would enjoy a harmonious, trustworthy, and tolerant society. How wonderful life would be!