(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1998. Here I would like to share my experiences while cultivating.
Releasing the Attachment to Life and Death
After reading Master's lectures “We Are Not 'Getting Political,'” and "Turning the Wheel Towards the Human World" in 2005, I realized that we should promote the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. However, I just treated doing it as a job and did not look inward.
I was illegally arrested after two years. When one policeman pushed my head down very hard, Master helped me get away.
I was detained in a detention center. A relative visited me with his son. He told a fellow practitioner that I had been arrested and the news was posted on the Minghui website.
My son found a fellow practitioner before he visited me, and the practitioner copied a paragraph of the Fa for me. It was a paragraph from "Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference."
Master said:
"But you should always remember one thing: no matter who is interfering, it's all temporary, all illusions, not the main body, and it's all just like air flowing through. There are all kinds of material elements and beings everywhere in the dimensions, there are so many of them they're immeasurable. They are there with or without an image, and they are beings in microcosmic dimensions and in different dimensions. Before the Fa-rectification is done, the microcosmic Gods in the cosmos are all in their own dimensions, which exist at the same time and same place. Whether they stay here or don't stay here is just a concept. Those elements, form or no form, exist there naturally, and they have no influence on you at all. Nobody can manipulate Dafa disciples who have righteous thoughts and righteous actions." ("Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference")
Master's Fa helped me get through the hardships when I was in the detention center.
The police chief threatened that if I didn't give up my belief in Falun Gong, they would torture me. Police also threatened me using my job, family, and children.
While I sat in the cell, I examined myself for my shortcomings. I found my attachments to lust, fame, competition and self. I hadn't cultivated away these attachments. I also realized that I had always neglected cleansing my mind in the five minutes before sending forth righteous thoughts. I had not seriously cultivated myself.
Staying Calm While Facing Torture
The police officers started to torture me. They tied my arms to my back with very thin ropes and pulled the ropes high up. The ropes were also tied to my neck, chest, and wrists, so when they pulled them up, it hurt a lot.
One officer told me that an ordinary person could not endure it even for a second. I calmed down and sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil that controlled the police. An officer continued to pull up the ropes and pushed my shoulders down to deepen my pain.
I was not afraid and did not hate the people who were torturing me. A miracle then happened. I did not feel any pain.
However, it suddenly occurred to me: “Will the ropes be released?” This thought created a loophole. An officer then said, “We tied her too loose. Let's re-tie her again.” I realized that my thought had not been right and continued to send forth righteous thoughts.
My righteous thoughts were effective. I felt numb in my arms. I calmed down. The officer talked to me, but I felt that their voices were far away from me. I answered them from my heart, “I am sticking to my righteous belief!”
The police chief said, “It has already been 17 minutes. Loosen her.” My arms were black and bruised after the ropes were loosened.
I remembered “Expounding on the Fa” from Essentials for Further Advancement. I realized that I should be optimistic and confident.
Clarifying the Truth
There was only one old lady in my cell when I was detained. I clarified the truth about Falun Dafa and the persecution to her, and she quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. She also asked me to write “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” on a piece of paper. She took what I wrote with her when she was released.
It was very hot at that time. The guards always let people go out of the cell and take a walk in the yard. I didn't go because I'd rather stay in the cell and send forth righteous thoughts. After a few days, I realized that I needed to save people.
Master said:
“The subordinate souls (fu yuanshen) were not inside the Three Realms, though they were in the vicinity of the Three Realms. It's akin to my standing in the vicinity of that table, but not having gone into the table.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2007 New York Fa Conference”)
Master also said:
"Dafa disciples, you are golden light in the mortal world, the hope of the world's people, Fa-disciples who help Master, and future Fa-Kings. Keep diligent, Awakened Ones that walk the earth: Everything of today will be the glory of the future.” (“Congratulatory Message,” December 31, 2005)
I went out to take a walk with other people. I clarified the truth about Dafa and the persecution to them, and all of them quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. After they quit, the guards came out.
Later, more people were brought to the detention center. There were three women in my cell. I clarified the truth to them, and they quit the CCP. There were more than 20 men in other cells. I wanted to find chance to speak to them as well. Because I had the desire to save them, Master arranged a chance for me.
One day, when we were taking a walk, a young man approached me and greeted me. He asked if I practiced Falun Dafa. I said yes. He told me that there was a call from overseas Dafa practitioners. I was excited to hear that and asked if the guards had answered the phone. He said yes. I was greatly encouraged by the overseas practitioners' help and appreciated the young man's message.
I talked to him about the self-immolation hoax staged by the CCP to defame Falun Dafa. I then suggested that he quit the CCP. He agreed. The next day, two other young men came to me and asked me to help them quit the CCP as well.
One day, a guard forgot to lock the door of my cell. I walked out to the yard and saw a man in his 60s. I asked him to quit the CCP. He understood that the CCP was evil and agreed to quit immediately.
Meal time and break time in the yard became my opportunities to clarify the truth to people. One day, I talked about the self-immolation hoax in the corridor. More than 30 people quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations after learning the facts.
Denying the Old Forces' Arrangement
On the 15th day of detention, I felt that I should be released. The police said they would send me to a forced labor camp. I did not have righteous thoughts and listened to them.
On the way to the labor camp, I realized that they hadn't completed the procedure yet and needed to go to the municipal police station. Speaking to each other, they said that if they did not finish the procedure today, I would be released.
I clarified the truth to the policemen. One of them told me that they had received many calls from abroad asking for my release.
I suddenly felt very uncomfortable. When they did the physical examination at the labor camp, it was hard for me to breathe and my heart beat was abnormal. The doctor advised the police to send me to the hospital. Because it was a weekend, I would be held there for two days.
A practitioner visited me with his son and encouraged me to treat everything with righteous thoughts. My relatives and sister also came to visit me. My sister said that maybe I was supposed to have this tribulation. I was alarmed by her words. I told her firmly, “This was not arranged by my Master. I will not agree to this arrangement.”
I told myself to look inward and send forth righteous thoughts. A relative came back to the room soon thereafter and told me that the hospital said there was something wrong with my blood, so the forced labor camp refused to accept me. I was released.
Looking back over everything that happened, I did not deny the persecution from the beginning. Instead, I tried to deny the persecution only after I had agreed to the arrangement. If I had denied the persecution from the beginning, maybe things would have been different. However, Master still helped me get through this tribulation because I believed in Master and the Fa.
Treating Family Members with Righteous Thoughts
My son was only six years old when I started practicing Falun Dafa. He studied the Fa with me in the beginning. I was detained twice, so my son did not study the Fa while I was gone.
My life stabilized in 2003. My husband got a job out of our city. I was busy with my own cultivation and did not pay attention to my son. He did not listen to me and always went out to play video games.
At first, I thought Master had arranged to have my husband work away from home, because he did not support my practice. Then I realized that it was actually the old forces' arrangement because this separation was not normal or healthy for a family.
I decided to deny the old forces' arrangement. I asked my husband to quit his job and find one close to home. Almost everyone, including fellow practitioners, disagreed with my suggestion. I looked at my suggestion from the principles of the Fa and felt that it was correct, so I insisted on my idea.
My husband came back home. In just a couple of months, our son's behavior improved.
Fa-Study Group
A fellow practitioner planned to gather the children of practitioners to study the Fa at her home. My son reluctantly agreed to go.
However, the next day he said he would not go. Master gave me wisdom. I did not express my anger, nor did I force him to go. I thought that he still had some compassionate thoughts because he had not refused the fellow practitioner's invitation up front.
I said, “But you already promised the aunt that you would go to her home.” He said, “I only said it, but did not really mean it.” I said, “But the aunt must have taken your promise seriously. Since you promised her, why not just go and see how it is?” He said, “Then I'll only go once, and I won't go anymore.” I did not say anything. I understood that as long as he agreed to go, there was still some hope.
However, he changed his mind again after breakfast the next day. I told him, “You promised me yesterday. That aunt complimented you a couple of days ago. They still remember when you could double-cross your legs when you were very young.”
To my surprise, he asked me how I had replied. I said, “I told her that you did not study the Fa as much as when you were young. But you had righteous thoughts and always told others the truth about the persecution at school.”
He was very encouraged and gained confidence again. I told him it was important that he keep his promise, so he went to the practitioner's home.
He went there again the next day. On the third day, it was a bit hard for him to get up. On the forth day, he said that he wanted to take a break. I asked him to continue, but he would not listen to me. I wanted to give up.
After a while, I told him, “Your friends do not know that you won't go today. They are waiting for you. If you leave now, you won't be late.”
To my surprise, this worked. He left home right away. I realized it was because my son felt respected. When he remembered that other people were waiting for him, he did not want to disappoint them.
He didn't need me to push him anymore after that. He went to the group study on his own accord. The fellow practitioner organized the children's Fa-study very well. They also did a few exercises. The feedback was very good.
I realized that I improved in educating my son. I used a positive attitude toward him. I did not criticize or blame him. I encouraged my son's righteous and compassionate thoughts. My son then realized his own shortcomings and wanted to do better himself.
Going Back to School
Before the summer vacation, my son fought with his classroom teacher. The principal suspended him until the next school year.
We went to the school before the new term. The principal denied his promise to reinstate my son and refused to accept him back to school. We did not see any hope, and my son had a hostile attitude toward school.
I realized it was also persecution. When a person wants to correct his mistakes, he should be given a chance. The school did not give him the opportunity. It was wrong.
I went to the appeals office and told them that I hoped the school could give my son a chance to correct his mistakes. I asked Master for help because I could not afford to wait for an entire day there. After a while, a staff member came to help solve my problem. I felt Master's protection!
The school agreed to let my son come back the next day. My husband and my son witnessed the great power of Dafa. My son changed a lot and studied the Fa during his vacations.
Some universities have their own exams before the universal entrance exam. My son told me that some excellent students did not have to attend these exams, and other students paid money to pass the exams. He was not sure if we should also pay.
I understood his situation but told him firmly that we would not follow the unhealthy ways. We should follow a righteous path. I told him not to think about it too much. I suggested that he study the Fa more and look at things with a positive attitude. After an hour on the telephone, he told me he knew what to do.
My son's marks improved greatly, and he was admitted into a good university. My husband changed his attitude toward Dafa completely. He then benefited from his change of attitude physically and also got a good job.
Cultivating Myself
A local fellow practitioner was arrested in May 2011. I started to help rescue him. In June, two more practitioners were arrested. I was busy communicating with their families, writing articles to expose the evil persecution, and sending forth righteous thoughts near the detention center.
Two other practitioners did not do much because they had full-time jobs. One day, I suddenly became very angry. I complained that they had not done much.
I then realized that my thought was wrong, so I changed my attitude. I realized that they had a tighter schedule because they had to work full-time, and that I should do more since I have more time.
To my surprise, after I had changed my thinking, a practitioner took half a day off and communicated with a family member of the persecuted practitioner. In addition, she helped me design a flyer.
One day, I complained that one practitioner who was being persecuted did not have righteous thoughts. My son interrupted me right away. He said, “Don't think about practitioners' shortcomings at this time. Otherwise, we are helping the persecution.” He asked me to pass this message to other practitioners as well. I agreed.
During our cultivation practice, all of the tribulations we encounter result from our own attachments. When we rectify ourselves in line with the Fa, our tribulations pass.
