How Different Practitioners Handled Harassment During the Zero-Out Campaign

(Minghui.org) When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the Knocking on Doors campaign in 2017, it targeted Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) practitioners and swept through urban areas and the countryside. Even some who stopped practicing were harassed. According to articles on Minghui.org, many practitioners sent righteous thoughts to negate the persecution. They refused to sign any documents and told the officials that their tactics were illegal.

Between late 2020 and early 2021, the CCP started another campaign to target practitioners called “Zero-Out.” Although the number of practitioners affected seemed smaller this time, the pressure increased; some practitioners yielded and signed documents promising not to practice Falun Gong.

Officials involved in the Zero-Out campaign are from police departments, neighborhood administration offices, local government comprehensive management offices, the Political and Legal Affairs Committee (PLA), employers, and village officers. They targeted female practitioners in their 70s or 80s, whose children or grandchildren were at the peak of, or about to start their careers. Officials threatened to end the future of these practitioners’ children and grandchildren and forced family members to participate in the persecution.

Based on some cases in my area and reported on Minghui, many of these incidents were related to practitioners’ attachment to material interests and sentimentality toward family members. Here are some examples.

Forced to Yield

Ying is in her 70s and a retired worker who lives by herself. One day in March 2021, her son, who worked in the city, called her. “Someone called me and said that if you do not stop practicing Falun Gong, both my wife and I will be fired from our jobs, and our children will not be allowed to attend school.” The son wept and said, “Mom, please sign the document; otherwise, we will not survive.”

Several days later, Ying was called to the neighborhood administration office. In front of local officials, a police officer said, “If you do not sign this document today, we will go to the city and find your son and daughter-in-law. They will lose their jobs, and your grandsons will be expelled from school.” Thinking her son and daughter-in-law would have no income, plus the grandsons would not receive an education, Ying felt the sky was about to fall. The neighborhood administrator persuaded her by saying things would be all right even if she signed paperwork renouncing her belief. Because of her material interests and sentimentality, Ying felt she had no choice but to sign the document.

Lan, about 70, lives in the countryside. When officials repeatedly harassed her in July 2020, she was determined and did not waver. In early 2021, officials used another approach and called her son and his wife to the village office. An officer told the son that if his mother continued practicing Falun Gong, his children would be deprived of an education. This heavy blow made the couple furious, and they once again asked Lan to stop practicing. Upon hearing her say no, her angry son swore at her, kicked her, and yelled, “Why don’t you die? Go jump off a bridge!” Lan’s husband begged her, “If you refuse to sign the paperwork, our son and daughter-in-law will be harassed every day; our grandchildren will have no future; our entire family will be ruined. Please do it for me.” In the end, Lan felt she had no choice but to yield to their requests.

Fen, 76, also lives in the countryside. Despite her age, she grows vegetables and raises pigs while looking after her school-aged grandson, whose parents went to the city for temporary jobs. Right after the 2021 Chinese New Year, officials from the township and village came to her, demanding that she sign documents to give up her belief. When Fen refused, the officials said they would come every day until she signed. Fen’s adult children lived in various cities. The officials recorded these threatening conversations, called her children on her phone, and played the messages. Officials also called them, to harass them, and to force them to side with the officials. Under so much pressure from her children and grandchild, Fen finally gave in.

Fang, who is about 80, is a retired employee of a state-owned enterprise. After her grandchild was admitted to graduate school in early 2021, officials took him and his parents to Fang’s place, demanding that she sign paperwork to renounce Falun Gong; they said otherwise her grandchild would not be allowed to attend graduate school. Pressured by their threats, Fang signed the documents.

Attachments and Human Notions

Under the totalitarian rule of the CCP, society is often chaotic, and people can hardly find peace. As a result, many Chinese citizens, including practitioners, long for a stable life; they also hope their children will receive a good education and find ideal jobs. Officials take advantage of these wishes and intimidate practitioners by threatening to interfere with their children’s lives.

After Ling filed a criminal complaint against former CCP leader Jiang Zemin for persecuting Falun Gong, eight officials went to her home and acted aggressively. While fiercely asking for every family member’s information, including the name of Ling’s one-year-old grandson, one officer yelled, “We will hunt you down for three generations.” The baby’s mother panicked and tried to choke Ling with her hands. Fortunately, someone stopped her.

Trapped in attachments and human notions, we sometimes forget we are practitioners and make the wrong decision. The old forces intend to destroy some practitioners by taking advantage of their loopholes.

As far as I know, most practitioners who signed these documents realized they were wrong and felt very regretful. They felt helpless since there seemed to be no other options. Let’s look at some further examples.

Be Clear-Minded

A story was published on Minghui in November 2021 titled “China Fahui | Remaining Determined When Facing ‘Water Divide’ in the “Zero-Out” Campaign.” The author was a 73-year-old retired middle school accountant who started practicing Falun Gong in April 1999. On February 13, 2021, the day after the Chinese New Year, seven people came to her home. They said they were from the local police station and the local community offices. In addition to harassing her, officials also pressured her two daughters. Since her eldest daughter was a government officer, she was forced to take the lead whenever officials came to harass her mother. In addition, officials threatened to ruin the practitioner’s grandchildren if she refused to yield to their demands.

The pressure was enormous. “Please sign the documents. We have no choice,” her older daughter said. “You are being selfish,” added the younger daughter. The practitioner’s husband could not take it and said, “If the future of our grandchildren is affected by you [the practitioner], you will regret it for the rest of your life.” To avoid the continued harassment, the husband left home after lunch every day and did not return until dinner time.

When she thought about what was happening, this practitioner realized that these occurrences were tests of her determination in cultivation. With Dafa in mind, she was no longer attached to sentimentality toward her family members. She explained to them the importance of moral values and said, “If I give in because of pressure from you and sign these documents, it’s no good for you or me. Acting against our conscience will cost us our future and commit a sin that harms us and our family forever.”

As her mind became clear, the practitioner knew what to do. When the officials came to harass her in May 2021, she explained that everyone has his or her fate. One official agreed and said, “It’s not easy to change one’s beliefs.” In this way, the three-month harassment of that practitioner in the Zero-Out campaign ended.

True Kindness

Some people may think practitioners should be kind and considerate of their family members. But that does not mean we should relinquish our faith.

Master Li, the founder of Falun Gong said,

“Since that person, who is an independent being, doesn’t cultivate, whatever is in store for him will be in store for him. You can’t stand in for him or take on his things. If the person doesn’t try to harm the Fa, he will, though he doesn’t cultivate, reap good fortune should you Consummate, with some people possibly even going to your paradise to be sentient beings there. It’s also possible they will one day enjoy good fortune in the human world. We will have to see where his predestined connection will take him. As a result of your having cultivated successfully here in this setting, your family and relatives—as well as your forebears—will benefit. Conversely, the forebears of those who persecute Dafa disciples and interfere with Fa-rectification will be charged with a sin and be sent to hell.” (“Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World, Volume X)

We practice benevolence, and the higher meaning of being benevolent to our children is to cultivate ourselves well and not allow them to interfere with us, so that they’ll have blessings and good future once we consummate. If we allow them to interfere and make us sign documents to renounce our beliefs, we will destroy them and ourselves.

Ling lives in a remote area. Her grandson wanted to join the military. The officials pressured her to give up her belief before they’d let her grandson join. Upon hearing that, her grandson said to her, “Grandma, I won’t join the army since I do not want to give you a hard time.” After the young man made a good choice, he was rewarded and found an excellent job.

Chen lives with her son, who teaches at a middle school. One day, township officials went to the school and threatened to fire her son if she refused to sign the documents. He rushed home and demanded Chen sign. She resolutely said no and explained why. Because Chen was determined in her faith, officials stopped harassing her and her son, who kept his job.

Huang benefited tremendously from Falun Gong, and her son witnessed everything. When officials at her son’s workplace demanded that he persuade his mother to stop practicing, he said, “Falun Gong gave her good health. She is able to help so much with household chores. I cannot force her to sign that document.” After some time, an official from the local government threatened to fire Huang if he refused to cooperate. The son said, “You’ve tried and tried to change her mind for the past 10 to 20 years and failed. Now I have to make it happen right away?” In the end, the officials gave up.

When facing tests or various difficult incidents, we should remain calm and rational. This is part of our cultivation, and it is also a test that checks our understanding of cultivation practice and our mission. By remaining clear-minded, and we will know what we should do.

These are some of my understandings. Please point out anything inconsistent with Falun Gong’s teachings.