(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Gong in 2005. Before that, I was destructively aggressive. I was arrested several times because of fighting, but was never sentenced.
My mother practiced Falun Gong and was persecuted multiple times after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began its persecution of the practice in July 1999. She was arrested a lot and was held at the local detention center, drug rehabilitation center, forced labor camp, and in the end, she was illegally sentenced to over a decade in prison.
As for me, I was the leader of a gang; so what made me finally give up evil and became a Falun Gong practitioner who believes in the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance?
My mom is a kind person. After she started to practice Falun Gong she became an even better person and more open. She used to have lots of illnesses. She was always on the lookout for Chinese medicines in her attempt to return to good health. She also practiced other kinds of qigong. But since she began to practice Falun Gong, her health improved dramatically, and so has her temper. She kept telling me to accumulate virtue and stop doing bad things.
I read the book Zhuan Falun twice and agreed with the principles. When I read that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are the “Sole Criterion to Discern Good and Bad People,” I was convinced. But, I thought that I still needed to earn more money first, and then I would cultivate.
One day I was depressed and very upset, so I drank excessively. My mother again told me to stop losing virtue. I got even more upset and cut my head with a beer bottle. I was taken to the hospital by my younger brother. When I woke up the next day, my mother told me, “One of the principles of Falun Gong is that harming, killing people or committing suicide is a crime.” It is for this reason that I didn't believe in the self-immolation hoax on Tiananmen Square when I saw it on TV.
Doubting the CCP
I had a good relationship with two colleagues, both of whom practice Falun Gong. I knew their characters and personalities very well. They are mild and kind people. However, they were persecuted by the communist regime. They were sentenced to forced labor, lost their jobs and have become homeless.
Chinese government officials are corrupt and yet the government doesn't stop the corruption. Yet, they persecute innocent people who do not hit back when attacked, and do not talk back when insulted. Thousands of practitioners have been persecuted to death. How can I believe in the Party?
Not Imprisoned as a Gangster but as a Falun Gong Practitioner
I think that the CCP is the real cult. Practitioners are the most righteous people. I have been convinced and moved by the principles of Falun Gong, and have begun to practice Falun Gong.
I was arrested and sentenced to prison one year after I started to practice Falun Gong. Some of my friends said I was foolish, as I didn't spend my time on making money and even lost my job due to my belief in Falun Gong.
I told them, “It's worth it [to practice Falun Gong]!” The authorities didn't arrest me when I was a gangster, but they put me in the prison when I wanted to be a good person who believes in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. What does this demonstrate? It is very clear to see who is good and who is evil.
A friend said, “A gangster like you who used to stop at no evil has changed to become a different person after you put your faith in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. You no longer drink, fight and you stopped gambling. I believe Falun Gong is good because of seeing the changes in you.”
Quitting the CCP
Nearly all of my old friends have quit the Party and its affiliated organizations after I clarified the truth to them. I also helped over 50 people quit when I was in prison.
I once helped more than 20 people quit the CCP and its affiliates at my friend's birthday party for his one-month-old baby.
I also gave copies of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and truth-clarification DVDs to the police officers I knew. I have helped several officials, prison guards, police officers and security guards quit the CCP and its affiliates as well.
The majority of my fellow gang members admire and support Falun Gong behind the scenes. They encourage me to persist in my belief. I gave them some software which helps them break through the Internet blockade and allows them to search out the truth themselves.
Practitioners Are the Most Reliable People
A police officer who was deluded by the communist regime's propaganda used to report practitioners to the authorities. After I clarified the truth about Falun Gong to him, he understood and said, “If you have truth-clarification materials you want to distribute, please let me know. I will drive you in the police car to help you distribute them.”
My friend and I accepted a job at a Karaoke bar [where people sing along with a music video] recently. My friend hired a practitioner to make assorted fresh fruit platters. He said, “The people I hired before either stole the fruits or took them home. This practitioner, has never eaten the fruit nor taken anything home.”
The person whose job was taken over by the practitioner asked the manager to fire the practitioner. But my friend said that he would resign if the practitioner would be let go.
I am very happy when ordinary people have a good understanding of Dafa practitioners. They think that practitioners are the most reliable people! It is also most encouraging that more and more people support Falun Gong.
I still have a long way to go when evaluating myself according to the standard of the Fa. I must be diligent and do the three things well, which includes clarifying the facts about Falun Gong and saving more people.
