(Minghui.org)
Greetings, revered Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I became a Falun Dafa practitioner in 1996. Although I have slacked off from time to time, with Master's guidance and protection I have picked myself up. Regardless of the tribulations, I firmly believe in Master and the Fa. I've never thought twice about Master's instructions and do what He asks of us. I have measured myself against the Fa, and thus have experienced many miracles. Master said,
“You know, when a person reaches the Arhat level he’s not fazed by anything he comes across. He’s not the least bit concerned about any human things and he’s always upbeat. It doesn’t matter how much he loses out, he’s upbeat and doesn’t mind. When you can really do that, then you’ve achieved the initial Arhat Fruition.” (Zhuan Falun)
I have always liked reading books about cultivation practices since I was a child. When qigong practices became popular in China in the 1990s, I learned more than a dozen such practices, believing that I was going to become a Buddha or a god. I stopped practicing when I realized I was not going to become a divine being. I did not attend Master's lectures in Beijing because I thought Falun Dafa was like other qigong practices.
However, Master was already looking after me and pulled me out of the illusion. One night, I dreamed of large bright Falun symbols in white, blue, and gold, leaving the Falun World. Two months later, I attended a ten-day class and watched Master's lectures on video. I began to cultivate Falun Dafa.
Every day I cultivated myself based on the Fa principles, and my xinxing level rose very quickly. I stayed at a hotel on a business trip. The hotel clerk credited me 400 yuan. Had I not been practicing Dafa, I would have taken advantage of the mistake. I told the clerk, “I practice Falun Dafa and cannot take advantage of anyone. Please charge me the correct amount.” She said, “I'm doing this so that you can benefit from it. I have to charge you 100 yuan to write you a new bill.” I gave her 100 yuan and asked her to write a new bill with the proper amount. This was a test for my xinxing.
I had a strong attachment to emotions and feelings. I was always worried about my parents, siblings, and even neighbors. One night, I dreamed that I was escaping from a tsunami. As the water was gaining on me, I thought I should fly away, but I saw my six-year-old granddaughter standing on the street and my three-year-old grandson sitting in the garden. I flew over to pick them up. All of a sudden the water disappeared. I realized that I still had a lot of human emotions, and they prevented me from becoming a divine being.
I moved to another city after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) initiated the persecution of Falun Dafa in 1999. At the time, I held a sentimental attachment to the coordinator. I asked him, “What should I do? Should I go to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Dafa?” He said, “You should stay home. Going to Beijing would be undermining Dafa.” I went home, but I thought his logic was incorrect, “Shouldn't practitioners do something when Dafa encounters difficulties?”
I thought about the issue for many days and then came across one of Master's articles. Master said,
“When some people resort to the media to criticize qigong, some students waver in determination and give up their practice; it’s as if those who take advantage of the media are wiser than Buddha Fa, and that some practitioners cultivate for others. There are also people who become scared in the face of pressure and give up their cultivation. Can these kinds of people achieve Righteous Attainment? At the crucial moment, won’t they even betray a Buddha? Isn’t fear an attachment? Cultivation practice is like great waves sifting the sand: What remains is gold.” (“For Whom do You Practice Cultivation?” from Essentials For Further Advancements)
I said to Master with tears in my eyes, “Your disciple will definitely go home with Master. And if there is only one practitioner left, that will be me.”A few days later, a practitioner living upstairs asked, “What should we do?” I replied, “We should treat the Fa as Teacher and not listen to bad advice.” We decided to step forward to validate the Fa. In 2000, she was followed by the police,illegally arrested, and sentenced to a three-year term of forced labor for posting truth clarification materials. After her release, she was still diligent in her cultivation and continued to assist Master in the Fa-rectification and saving sentient beings.
At the end of 2000, I returned to my hometown to bury my spouse. I gave truth clarification tapes to the practitioners there. A month later, on my way home, I saw a lot of undercover officers and policemen in uniform at the train station, trying to arrest practitioners traveling to appeal for Falun Dafa. However, I didn't see anyone when I walked into the station. I realized that Master had let me walk through another dimension.
When I left home, I had half a bag of truth clarification tapes with me. I distributed them on the bus and train rides, and only had one left at the end of the trip.
The provincial capital is a large city. I hired a cab to get around since I didn't know the area well. I arrived at the factory where the practitioner friend worked. We shared with each other and strengthened our confidence in protecting Dafa.
A practitioner called me, not knowing his home phone was being tapped. Three days later, the police took me to the detention center. I didn't admit to anything and was detained for 16 days. They continued to monitor me every day after my release.
After that, practitioners who stepped forward connected with each other and became one body. Young practitioners made copies of truth clarification materials, and we distributed and posted them in large quantities. A policeman told us, “You have done a lot. Your fliers and posters are everywhere.”
A practitioner was arrested at the end of 2001. Because he leaked some information, the authorities were able to persecute us on a large scale. As a result, 18 practitioners were arrested. Four were sentenced, and eight were taken to a forced labor camp. I was sentenced to 18 months of forced labor.
My pregnant daughter came home for her baby to be born while I was in detention. Since I was not around, my neighbors helped her during her six-month maternity leave. The day after my release, my daughter's maternity leave ended. To avoid harassment from the police, my daughter and I moved to another city three days later. I continued to validate the Fa. I met other local practitioners who were able to provide me with truth clarification materials. I became a particle of the Fa in that city.
When the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party was published, many practitioners thought it was a political publication and were afraid of distributing it. I delivered them to local government offices, public security offices, the courts, and other government agencies inaccessible to local residents.
In 2008, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was preparing to host the Olympic Games. The entire city was heavily guarded. While many local practitioners were monitored by the police, I delivered the flyers as usual. One time, I entered the left side of a building. I walked through the courtyard and went to the fourth floor and placed brochures in front of each unit up to the seventh floor. After I finished making my deliveries, I walked through the courtyard again. This time, I saw policemen inside the rooms on three levels of the building. As I walked out of the building, I made a right turn and saw a sign on the gate: “City Criminal Investigation Team.” There were guards inside the booth by the entrance, but none of them saw me.
In recent years, I've sent forth righteous thoughts every day to eliminate the attachment to fear and to prevent bad people from seeing me. One time, I walked around a building and found the entrance. I walked inside and saw the security guard looking at the surveillance monitors, but he didn't see me. I took the elevator to the 28 th floor. There were two units on every level, and each unit had a door. I hung a copy of the Nine Commentaries on every doorknob. After several floors, I inadvertently looked up and saw two surveillance cameras above the door, pointing at each door. My heart was moved, but I thought, “You cannot see me.” I found out later that the building was the dormitory for the national security agency.
Although I'm the one running around distributing materials, Master is actually doing everything. Master said,
“With such an enormous Fa here, the Fa will be with you when your thoughts are righteous, and this is the greatest assurance. But on the other hand, when your righteous thoughts are inadequate and not in line with the Fa, you will be cut off from the Fa’s power, and it will seem like you are alone and getting no help. Even if the things you are doing are Dafa things, you still have to conform to the Fa or else the Fa’s power will not be there.” (“Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan”)
For more than ten years, I clarified the truth in the mornings, took care of personal matters in the afternoon, and read three chapters of Zhuan Falun daily, no matter how busy I was. Sometimes I read until midnight and then I send forth righteous thoughts.
During the three years after my release from the forced labor camp, the local 610 Office kept asking me to register for permanent residency in my hometown. I was afraid and avoided that office whenever I visited my hometown. They asked me again this year, and I thought perhaps I should go back and register. Master said, “Who should actually be afraid of whom?” (“Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005”) I thought it was time to clarify the truth to them.
I went to the local police station the day after my arrival. The police told me to write a guarantee statement promising to renounce Falun Dafa, report to them once a month, and to write a “thought report” every week. I replied with a smile, “I don't own a gun, I didn't steal from or kill anyone, and I didn't set anything on fire. You were the one who arrested me, so why should I write anything? And I don't care if you won't let me register.”
I went to the branch office to register. The guard called the office and let me into the building. The office director waited for me downstairs, but I didn't recognize him and went upstairs. The director called his secretary to meet me. I told them about my arrest, how the local police extorted money from practitioners, the truth about the staged Tiananmen Square self-immolation, and about the Nine Commentaries.
Both the director and the secretary listened. Finally, the director asked me, “What is the purpose of your visit today?” I replied, “It's been three years and I have not received my residence permit. It's fine if you don't want to issue the permit, but I will sue the officials when Falun Dafa is exonerated.” He said, “I understand. I will let you know tomorrow.”
The next day, the branch office personnel told me to talk to the police chief to obtain my permit. The chief came out of a meeting as soon as he found out I was there. It only took 10 minutes to register. Then, the officer who had given me a hard time showed up. He offered to take care of my needs. The chief replied, “Why don't you take care of the second generation resident identification card for her, so that she does not have to come back.”
Before leaving, that officer said, “You cannot leave yet. You need to write the guarantee statement first. I wrote, “I guarantee that I will abide by the law, do things according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and be a selfless person who puts others first.” He finally accepted my statement and said, “I will keep it.” This officer eventually understood the facts and quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Sometimes he asks practitioners for more truth clarification materials.
I wanted to rectify the environment around me while staying in my hometown. This was also to stop the authorities from harassing my daughter.
On the third day, the Community Committee director asked me to pay her a visit. She said, “I have not met you since I became the director. Everyone says that you are very nice, but you were arrested because of your tenacious temperament.” I replied, “Why don't you stop beating around the bush and just say what's on your mind? You want to see me because I practice Falun Dafa.” She asked immediately, “So are you still practicing?” I replied, “Of course I am! Otherwise, my two years in the forced labor camp would have been served in vain.” She asked, “So what do you think of local practitioners handing out materials?”
I knew she was referring to the Nine Commentaries , so I said, “I truly admire them. I've read the Nine Commentaries, and everything mentioned in it is true. I've certainly experienced them.” She then said, “What they are doing is against the Party. You should not befriend them.” I replied, “We were in the same forced labor camp for two years, and I will definitely join their gatherings, which to you might seem like an illegal gathering. In fact, what is broadcast on the television is false. According to my experience, what happened at the detention center and the forced labor camp were way worse than how the Kuomingtang (KMT) is portrayed on television.”
I continued to talk about how practitioners are tortured and persecuted in the detention centers and forced labor camps and how the CCP lies about and slanders Falun Dafa.
As I continued to clarify the truth, people in other offices came to listen, too, and two of them started to weep. When the director noticed others in the room, she said, “You should just practice at home. Falun Dafa cannot overthrow the CCP.” I said to her, “Falun Dafa practitioners are not interested in overthrowing the CCP. No one, neither you nor I, is capable of defeating the CCP. But when heaven wants to destroy it, no one can stop that.”
I wanted to see the Community Committee director before leaving. She was at the entrance, and she asked, “Can I help you?” I smiled and replied, “I'm leaving soon and I came to say good by. We seem to have a predestined relationship. From now on, please talk to me if you have any questions, and don't bother my daughter. Harassing my family won't do any good, since they have no control over me.”
Practitioners told me later that the officers at the Community Committee stopped monitoring my daughter.
As I become enlightened to the Fa, I clearly feel the power of the Fa when I do the three things. In the process of eliminating my attachments, I have also gained deep understandings of the Falun Dafa principles. Every day, I feel that I'm immersed in Dafa and in Master's immense grace.
I had a dream when Master's lecture “Opening the Gate of the World” was published. I saw a heavenly gate open and lights radiating all around. Many heavenly kings and Fa-guarding gods stepped on the colorful clouds and descended to Earth. I was allowed to see my home that was already built. It was a temple-like structure. It had a primitive look with gray walls, gray tiles, and a white gate. There are no temples like that in China nowadays. There were two spectacular-looking stone lions, one either side of the gate. It was very solemn, and I could smell the new construction material.
When practitioners lost hope, I would share my dream with them, encourage them to continue on the path and not be washed away by the great waves, reach consummation, and return home with Master.
I had another dream a few years ago. I saw a gear wheel as large as the universe. Master was standing next to it, wearing a long white robe. He had the image of a Buddha and was about 16 years old. He looked solemn and sacred. I was with two young men in their 20s. Master gave us three rags to clean the gear wheel. The three of us cleaned the wheel very quickly and made it shiny and bright.
Master transmitted His thoughts to us: “Pull out the axle and clean it, too.” The two young men held the wheel, and I pulled out the axle and cleaned it. I put it back into the wheel, and it emitted a bright white light. Master said, “All right, let's go!” I woke up and it was twelve midnight. I realized Master had probably changed and rectified the mechanism of the old forces.
Master's lecture was published a few days after my dream. My understanding is that Master had finished rectifying other dimensions. But when He reached the three realms, He found out we have not reached the standard, sentient beings are still waiting to be saved, and many practitioners have not stepped forward.
Seventeen years of cultivation has seemed like a split second. Time is limited. We need to let go of all attachments and save more sentient beings to repay Master and not cause him Him worry!