(Minghui.org) Our village suffered a great loss in the 8-9 years after the persecution started. Practitioners in my village were subjected to severe persecution: 7 of us were illegally sentenced to prison or forced labor, about 20 were sent to a brainwashing center, 17 had homes ransacked, and 24 were illegally detained.
Often when one of us was arrested, the rest of us would hide our Dafa books, focusing on our safety. Due to our lack of support for each other, a few practitioners passed away. Many also did not come out to clarify the truth, and some even gave up practicing after being persecuted.
Establishing a Study Group
When I returned home, with the assistance from Teacher, after being on the run from the persecution for some time, I found that the situation in my village was very bad. Four practitioners’ homes had been ransacked within 10 days.
I was determined to set up a Fa study group in my area. I talked to a couple who agreed immediately. I then reached out to a few more practitioners and we started the group.
Soon thereafter, I organized an experience-sharing conference in the region. We had a great sharing on how to set up study groups and harmonize our one body. After the conference, many other study groups were set up.
Participating in Group Study and Catching Up with Fa-rectification
Toward the end of 2008, practitioners set up a few study groups in neighboring villages. Since then, we have had better results in Fa-validation, and it has become easier to clarify the truth to police officers.
One practitioner asked a police officer, “Which is higher, Jiang Zemin or our constitution?” The officer pondered for a while and replied, “It should be the constitution.” Then the practitioner went on to say, “If that is the case, the persecution against Falun Gong is illegal.” Since then, this officer has not been seen participating in the persecution.
Some police officers also commented that a certain practitioner was “amazing.”
A man who used to support the persecution gradually changed his mind after witnessing practitioners’ actions. He commented in public, “I really admire Falun Gong practitioners.”
Another person pointed at a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) member and said, “You guys are afraid of Falun Gong.”
Once, the police wanted to take down some posters put up by practitioners, but couldn’t find anyone willing to do it. They had to turn to people from outside of the village.
In July 2010, a practitioner was arrested. We enlightened that this reflected the overall status of the local practitioners. We decided that we must continue with group study, look inward and send forth righteous thoughts.
After we improved as one body, the situation in our area improved. The power of one body also manifested in assisting a dozen other practitioners, both new and veteran, in overcoming sickness karma.
Studying the Fa and Sharing on Issues Arising in Cultivation
The biggest challenge for us has been to study the Fa with a calm mind.
Teacher said:
“In order for Dafa disciples to walk their paths well and do the three things well, they must study the Fa well and take Fa-study seriously. The regions that have done well saving sentient beings and validating Dafa, and where great changes have transpired, are always places where people have studied the Fa well. And the Dafa disciples who have improved quickly are always those who have made Fa-study a priority. That is because the Fa is the foundation; it is what’s fundamental for Dafa disciples; it is what ensures everything; and it is the avenue by which a human being journeys toward godhood. Thus I would like to take the opportunity of this Fa conference in Australia to tell all Dafa disciples around the world: Whether you are a new or veteran student, all the same you must not neglect Fa-study on account of being busy. Don’t just go through the motions when you study the Fa. You should study with a concentrated mind, and you must really be studying. There have been so many lessons involving this. I hope all of you do well on the final leg of the journey. The future will soon be displayed before [the world’s] eyes.” (“To the Australia Fa Conference”)
In addition to studying the Fa together, we also read experience-sharing articles about Fa study. We made it a rule not to do other things when we were studying the Fa. We came to an agreement that we must be attentive and read every character correctly. Over time, many practitioners met the requirements, including the older practitioners who were illiterate.
The second issue was that practitioners looked outward when problems arose. We were determined to change that.
We spent a lot of time reading Teacher’s Fa regarding looking inward and had a great deal of sharing on that, which helped us tremendously. Before we started reading the Fa, we would recite poems from Hong Yin III, such as “Don't Argue” and “Who is Right, Who is Wrong,” which we had memorized.
Whenever problems arose, we also held meetings to help each other look inward. The outcome was very good.
In addition, we had sharings on issues such as altruism, eliminating the attachment to fear, negating the arrangements of the old forces, sickness karma, and clarifying the truth to save people. As a result, many of us improved greatly.
In addition to the weekly group study, we went to other villages and even other counties to assist practitioners there with setting up study groups and to help them pass sickness karma and other long-standing tests.
In our local area, we don’t stick with just one study group. This way, we can interact with different practitioners in different groups and improve faster as one body.
Our local study group has been established for three years now. We all know that Teacher has been strengthening us, and our cultivation environment has gotten better.
We would like to thank Teacher. We will strive to be more diligent, walk the path arranged by Teacher and fulfill our vows, so that we can return to our true home with Teacher.
