(Minghui.org) This is a story of a former 610 Office staff member who began Falun Dafa cultivation. The 610 Office is a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) agency in charge of executing the policy of persecuting Falun Dafa practitioners. It was formed on June 10, 1999, prior to the official start of the persecution on July 20 of that year – hence the name “610 Office.”

Below is Yu Run's story, in his own words:

I am a Falun Dafa practitioner who started practicing during the latter half of 2014. I bought a few Falun Dafa books in 1996, because I thought the books looked interesting. I flipped through them, but didn't really read them.

A good friend of mine has persisted in her Falun Dafa cultivation during the persecution, and I admire her character. In 2006 I gave her the several Falun Dafa books I owned. Local Domestic Security officers learned about this, and used falsified charges to send me to a forced labor camp for two years, simply because they thought that I sympathized with Falun Dafa and considered me an “enemy of the Party.”

I was very angry about what had happened to me, and vented all my resentment on Falun Dafa. After my release I worked at the 610 Office and brainwashing centers. I monitored Falun Dafa practitioners and hunted them down in other provinces.

Searching for a spiritual practice, I started reading books on Buddhism. My good friend mentioned above had been illegally sentenced, and was released from prison in 2012. I tried to persuade her to take up Buddhism, but she persisted in practicing Falun Dafa.

I couldn't convince her to practice Buddhism, and worried about her safety. She, on the other hand, often asked me to read Falun Dafa books. She said that she was seizing the time to read all of the Falun Dafa books again, since she was without them during her years in prison.

She also played truth-clarification DVDs for me and gave me some informational pamphlets. She often told me, “Falun Dafa is good!”

I didn't completely believe what she said, but had been wondering about the reason for such a brutal persecution. And why were these practitioners so firm in their faith in Falun Dafa, to the extent of risking their lives?

My friend is someone I have known for years. She is a very good and kind person, yet she was sentenced for her belief. My lingering questions eventually prompted me to find out what Falun Dafa really is, and learn it first-hand.

I obtained a copy of the main book Zhuan Falun and started reading. I then moved on to other lectures. I realized that Falun Dafa teaches people to be kind, and that the Chinese Communist Party's propaganda has been misleading people with outright lies. I knew that the CCP does not want people to be kind, as it is afraid of good people. It therefore tries to ruin good people and sabotage other people's chances to become good.

I felt like a window had opened in my heart, and I was able to see the true blue sky and breathe fresh air. I felt lightness, a free feeling, and excitement... My only regret was that I hadn't taken it upon myself to get to know Falun Dafa earlier.

I also recalled my previous bad deeds. Deceived by the CCP, I worked hard at the 610 Office. I was rewarded for my bad deeds, and even had the opportunity to meet the head of the CCP in person. I didn't know what I was doing!

I am now often in deep regret and self criticism. As I became more and more aware of the truth and the consequences of my crimes, I wrote a solemn declaration in 2014: “I declare that all that I have done against Falun Dafa and the Master of Falun Dafa was wrong. I am determined to become a genuine Falun Dafa practitioner.”

I have since been practicing Falun Dafa for half a year. I have read Zhuan Falun many times. I cannot put the book down. I need to study it daily.

I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa. Master has accepted me and offered me salvation despite what I have done. I am living proof of the Buddha's immense grace. Thank you, Master Li!