(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, all Dafa disciples!
I am very fortunate to have become a Fa-rectification Period Dafa disciple. Under Master's compassionate protection, I have matured through 15 years of cultivation.
I am grateful Master has endured so much for me through these 15 years. During my struggles to overcome xinxing tribulations while I was personally persecuted, Dafa was able to solve all of my problems and change my human notions one by one. That is how I persisted until today. Thus, I would like to share my experiences through these years with my fellow practitioners and Master.
Obtaining the Book
I arrived at an exercise site on April 18, 1998 with the pursuit of treating my illnesses. For 20 years, I had incurable adhesive capsulitis in my shoulder. After only three days of doing the exercises, the illness vanished completely. On that same day, the coordinator gifted me a book entitled Zhuan Falun.
I began studying the book immediately after work before spending the whole following weekend readingit.
I became fascinated after my first read through. I had not known my illnesses and karmic debts were connected to actions from my past lives. I had always thought I understood the basic principles.
Growing up, I was a diligent and studious child and was always involved in leadership roles in school. Naturally, I became a teacher after growing up. Only a few years after entering the education sector, I became the top achiever among all the teachers in the village–I was initially rated as an upper-level elementary school teacher and climbed to an excellent class administrator at the village, district, and city levels.
I have always perceived myself as knowledgeable and competent, challenging myself to work hard and maintain high moral values.
Zhuan Falun opened up the world for me, allowing me to fully examine my true inner self. I realized my efforts were not for the children's education, but rather for my own personal fame. I wanted to obtain a high ranking position as early as possible and hold a higher position than everyone else.
I also quickly realized that my bias toward my mother-in-law over my own mother was for selfish reasons. I bought clothes for my mother-in-law not out of filial piety, but rather to impress others.
After reading through Zhuan Falun three times, I realized many of my actions were not in accordance with the principles of Dafa: I competed at my workplace and did not accept my colleagues' opinions. I bragged when my students gave me gifts. I was aggressive at home and disrespected my husband. I complained that my mother-in-law did not give me enough. I fought with my husband and often threatened divorce. I gambled and played mah-jong after work, I drank alcohol at parties, and I even watched pornography.
My actions were the complete opposite of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
Master said in Zhuan Falun,
“Zhen-Shan-Ren is the sole criterion to discern good and bad people.”
These universal principles opened up my mind, changing my logic and situational perceptions.
I caught a very serious cold once shortly after I started practicing Dafa, with a fever and a sore throat so bad I could not speak. However, I was not afraid. The notion of taking medicine did not even cross my mind. Although very uncomfortable, I was happy. I knew Master was purifying my body.
My husband was concerned and advised me to go to the hospital. I said I was fine. I have Master to take care of me. As long as I truly believe in Dafa, Master will look after me. By continually studying the Fa and doing the exercises, I recovered in just two days. I was elated. This was the first time my sickness was cured without any medicine or injections. I thought to myself, “this is great!”
During that time, I would ride my bike to the local exercise site every morning and night. I admired those senior practitioners who could recite the Fa and meditate in the double lotus position for over an hour. I often looked at Master's photo and asked, “How come I didn't obtain the Fa earlier so I could have created less karma?”
Since the day I obtained Zhuan Falun, I have studied at least one lecture every day (except the days I was illegally detained). I arrived at a point where I could recall relevant portions of the Fa when I encountered problems. Both my body and mind were changing rapidly. My heart disease, migraine, and many other chronic illnesses disappeared. It was imperative that I remained open-minded and hopeful.
After a few months, I introduced Dafa to my mother-in-law. Because she had witnessed all my positive changes, she also began cultivating in Dafa.
However, this momentum did not stop there. During the winter of 1998, my husband also began cultivating. He immediately quit smoking, drinking, and gambling. Soon, our child followed in our footsteps.
We started a group Fa-study environment at home and used our yard as an exercise site. Dafa vastly improved our family life. My life and work have become blended into cultivation, and my lifestyle became structured. I discovered the meaning of life, my responsibilities, and my mission.
My Life is for Validating the Fa
After about a year of the happiest time of my life, the head of the Chinese Communist Party, Jiang Zemin, began the brutal persecution of Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999. Like other fellow practitioners, I felt obligated to go out and validate the Fa.
The school required everyone to renounce their belief in Dafa and write guarantee statements to that effect at every meeting. I can still clearly remember that I recited “True Nature Revealed” in Essentials for Further Advancement II tens of times daily to keep myself focused on my cultivation.
The school principal could not shake my steadfast devotion to Dafa, no matter what he tried. As a final effort, he punished me by transferring me to a distant elementary school with bad conditions to teach a disobedient class.
Prior to teaching my first class, I had heard that six of the students routinely didn't do homework at home and had to finish their homework in the teachers' office. This did not worry me, as I knew Dafa disciples have wisdom to ensure students complete their homework without having to revert to harsh disciplinary action.
During the first week of school, I told my students to copy vocabulary twice as homework. With the wisdom I gained from Dafa, I taught the class in a compassionate manner, allowing the students to feel that I was truly thinking for them.
Then, something miraculous happened: the children began wanting to do homework and participating in class. The fighting had all but vanished. I realized I had to be a good person no matter where I was, always in accordance with Dafa, and using my actions to validate Dafa.
When a few classroom doors wouldn't close, I brought wood from home to repair them. When the students bought books and exam supplies, I did not accept my share of the profits. When doing chores at school, I took the lead. When the school was distributing promotions, I passed them onto the younger teachers.
The principal said to me once, “If everyone practiced Falun Gong, this school would be successful without a principal.”
A young teacher once said to me, “Before you arrived at our school, I thought you were very foolish. After working with you, I now know you are not. You are such a good person and have inspired me to act less selfishly.” I am actually not as good as she describes and am far from the requirements of Dafa.
In 2000, I was illegally detained in a labor camp for over nine months because I went to Beijing to speak out for Dafa. After my return, I was transferred to another school. I frequently reminded myself that my purpose in life is to validate the Fa and that I am a Dafa disciple no matter where I go. I can save people only if I achieve that mentality.
I began persuading people to withdraw their membership in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations. Among the 27 students I taught, 25 withdrew. Among the 12 teachers at my school, 11 withdrew. During that time, I had a close friend whom I thought would quit the CCP enthusiastically if I asked her. Instead, she was resistant even after multiple conversations. I was beginning to get frustrated.
However, taking a step back, I thought about the future of her life and felt sorry for her. One afternoon, I decided to write her name and “quit the Youth League and Young Pioneers” on a sheet of paper and showed her. I said, “Sister, these withdrawals are too important for people's lives.”
She was delighted and said, “Oh, it is this easy? Don't worry then. I will convince my family members to quit too. I will bring you a list of names.” After a week, she persuaded seven of her family members to quit the CCP and also introduced them to Zhuan Falun.
I knew that everything was done by Master. Magnanimous and benevolent Master does not want to leave behind even one predestined person. Therefore, as a Fa-rectification Dafa disciple, I must not leave a single person behind, either. I will have people understand the facts even if I have to tell them a thousand times.
Some people from the 610 Office attempted to arrest me in school but failed. The principal later sent me to a valley 15 miles from my home.
The principal blamed me, “You have brought me a lot of trouble.” I explained that the fault lies not with me but with the Communist regime. During that time, I was unaware the administration had ordered for me to be monitored while teaching and forbade me from being a class administrator.
On the third day of school, I became extremely depressed. That feeling is indescribable.
After class, I went out to the field alone. Tears streamed from my eyes, and there was a sharp pain in my heart. I suddenly remembered Master's Fa in “Eliminating Evil” in Hong Yin, Volume II,
“A hundred thousand milesthis vehicle travelsRacing to slay evil,brandishing swordsThe hand, erect,props up the falling skyFa-rectification averts the brewing tragedy”
I found my attachment. I was unhappy that I had a bad reputation. I was attached to fame. Master endured large amounts of tribulations for his disciples and sentient beings. In comparison, my troubles are insignificant.
After I gave up my attachment, the situation changed completely. No one monitored me on the fourth day. On the ninth day, the first grade class administrator fell ill. The principal and three teachers all escorted her to the hospital while I took over teaching her class. The principal was very moved.
The parents, however, did not recognize my efforts. I received feedback including “My child did not learn anything” and “Why did you allow my child to doodle all over their practice booklet?” Some parents even stormed into the classroom, threatening to transfer to another school.
I calmly replied, “Give me two months. You pay over a 1000 yuan to have your children attend this school. If you are still unsatisfied after two months, I will personally find a better school for your children.”
In the end, the parents were satisfied. Even the principal was very pleased. I knew that I would not have handled this situation well if it wasn't for my cultivating in Dafa. It was Dafa that taught me to treat everyone with compassion.
During final exams, some village directors came to the school to evaluate us. They were extremely stringent. However, after the evaluation, my class was ranked first out of eight classes. I heard from other teachers, “For over 10 years, our school's classes never made it into the top three.” At the end, my class had the most students.
One of my students' father tripped and severely injured himself. His family was very poor, and his father had to raise him single. He called to inform me that he planned to drop out of school. After putting down the phone, I drove to the hospital and brought the student to my house. I escorted him through two bus transfers to get to school each day and paid for his lunch.
This act touched the hearts of all the parents and teachers. One teacher said, “What is so bad about people who practice Falun Gong? This society would be so much better if everyone practiced it!”
There is only one teacher in my school who did not do the “three withdrawals” from the Party. I even convinced four visiting teachers to quit. I used the opportunity of family visits to clarify the truth and convince them to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
The village head, director of the women's association, accountants, and workers in the school all quit CCP and its affiliated organizations.
One day when my students were in fifth grade, 20 people from the 610 Office came to arrest me. I told my students, “Your teacher practices Falun Gong, so she is a good person! The police are coming to arrest me! They are bad people!” The head of the 610 Office entered the classroom and threatened, “I will have you fired if you don't come with me!”
The children circled me, acting as a shield, and yelled together, “Our teacher is a good person! Falun Dafa, please save our teacher!” Some students even called their parents to come. After an hour of stalemate, the police left.
However, due to this incident, I was again transferred to another school, this time with an even harder commute. My heart was not like before, and I faced this new situation calmly. I knew that my mission was to clarify the truth regardless of where I went.
I am now retired. Throughout more than a decade of persecution, I had been transferred to five schools within the village and met so many predestined people. This whole experience helped me mature and taught me how to better save sentient beings.
These memories are like a distant story when I think back now. Thank you, Master! I will be more diligent in the future and do the three things better.
