(Minghui.org) The first time I heard about Falun Gong was in 1996 when I was 17. A friend told me about it and said it involved the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I did not quite understand that, but subconsciously I felt that these three words would change my life.
Later my friend brought me Zhuan Falun and other books. I read them and liked them very much. I shared this with my classmates and some began to practice Falun Gong as well.
Arrest and Improvement
I went to City A in 2001 and found a job there. Over the next several years, I tried many ways to inform people about Falun Gong and about the unjust persecution Falun Gong practitioners were subject to in China. Some approaches I took involved putting up banners, mailing letters, and printing and distributing informational materials. However, I was unable to get in touch with local practitioners and always felt a barrier between me and the Fa.
A tribulation in 2009 changed this situation. One day that summer, several police officers came to the store where I worked. When they asked for my laptop, I refused; they wanted to take away my copy of Zhuan Falun , I stopped them. Out of anger, they took me to a police station and handcuffed me to a chair.
From the interrogation, I came to know that the police had seen information about Shen Yun Performing Arts in my blog posts, and tracked my computer IP address. The officers promised to release me once I answered all their questions. With fear and homesickness, I cooperated with them and signed the interrogation record.
With my information on file, officers immediately changed their attitude. Instead of releasing me as they promised earlier, they sent directly me to a local detention center.
By then, I was clear-minded and knew that the police had deceived me. When looking within, I knew I had fear and wanted to go home, which was taken advantage of by the evil. In “Dafa Disciples’ Righteous Thoughts are Powerful”, Teacher wrote,
“Why should you, a Dafa disciple, fear the evil ones when enduring persecution? The crux of the matter is that you have attachments. If not, do not endure passively, and face the evil people with righteous thoughts at all times. No matter what the situation, do not cooperate with the evil’s demands, orders, or what it instigates. If everyone does this the environment won’t be this way.”
So I decided to do well and remedy the loss.
One day when meditating, I felt myself immersed in an immense, compassionate energy. Seeing my own dimension very bright, I suddenly came to understand my mission of coming to this world: assisting Teacher with Fa-rectification. This was my prehistoric vow.
As such, I did not yield in spite of the mistreatment. The guards released me on the 7th day.
Letting Go of Human Notions and Stepping Forward
Upon my release, I had a strong urge to tell others about Falun Gong. I also bought an extra cell phone, planning to call people and debunk the communist regime's slanderous and deceitful propaganda.
However, my parents worried about my safety. They asked me to work at a relative’s store in City B. Every day I was busy with work and had little time for Fa-study, let alone telling people the facts about Falun Gong.
About one year later, I got in touch with practitioners in City C. I visited them and was excited to see that practitioners there were very diligent. After realizing my eagerness to join them, a practitioner invited me to help out at their local printing site. At their printing site, they print all sorts of materials that are given out freely to people. The materials contain important information about the persecution of Falun Gong, debunking the communist regime's lies.
I was very happy with this arrangement. But when I returned to City B, 610 Office agents from my hometown were already there waiting for me, trying to force me to write a statement to give up my belief. I discussed with my father and he suggested that I leave immediately.
At that time, I remembered Teacher’s words in “Fa Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting”,
“If you don’t let the evil’s interference sway you, bad factors won’t arise from you, the evil will become trivial, you will become towering and massive, and your righteous thoughts will be ample. That’s truly the case.”
I told my father that it was the 610 Office agents, not me, who were committing bad deeds. They should leave City B and stop harassing me. Plus, if I left at that time, they may use it as an excuse and harass my parents.
My father did not have a better idea, so he agreed with my decision. The next day, I found that the 610 Office agents had already left. By then, I remembered Teacher’ words in “Teaching the Fa at the Founding Ceremony of the Singaporean Falun Dafa Association”:
“What is a Buddha? He is the guarantor of all beings at his level, the protector of all beings, and the defender of the truth of the universe.”
I told my father my plan of moving to City C. Thinking that would be safe for me and my family, he said yes.
Working at the Printing Site: Studying the Fa Well and Eliminating Attachments
Not long after I arrived at City C, my parents learned that I had joined a printing site and stopped working at my relative's place. They were very upset about it. But for me, I had wasted too much time and yearned to make up for it. A printing site is a place where I could work hard at preparing materials that will help save sentient beings.
Therefore, I spent lots of time memorizing and reciting Zhuan Falun and reading through all of Teacher's books. Nonetheless, there were still conflicts from time to time. As I continued to look inward, I found numerous attachments including lust, jealousy, the show-off mentality, and an attitude of struggle. Also, I was often thinking about validating myself instead of validating the Fa.
One day, I was stuck in a conflict again. Seeing no hope of finding a solution, I knelt in front of Teacher’s image and asked for help. Then, I remembered Teacher’s words in Hong Yin III : “Infatuated
Life is short, You've merely stopped over at the inn. Don’t forget your vow before descending here; If you hesitate along the path because of fame, self-interest, emotion, and revenge, When will you wake up and return to your home? ”
Right at that time, I knew how I should handle the situation.
Working at the Printing Site: Sending Forth Righteous Thoughts
I paid close attention to sending forth righteous thoughts right after I joined the printing site. I knew this was necessary, not only to cleanse my own dimension, but also to prevent interference from the evil.
Once after visiting another city and coming back, I had symptoms of diarrhea. It continued for two days and didn't alleviate. I sent forth righteous thoughts to no avail and wondered what I should do.
While studying the Fa and reading other practitioners' experience-sharing articles, I realized the pain was caused by interfering elements in other dimensions. So once again, I calmed down to send-forth strong righteous thoughts directly towards those elements causing my stomach problem. After 30 minutes the pain stopped and I fully recovered.
I've never had a stomach problem since then. This experience made me more determined in cultivation.
