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Letting Go of Resentment and Treating My Persecutors with Compassion

April 09, 2020 |   By a Falun Dafa practitioner in China

(Minghui.org) Many practitioners have suffered ruthless persecution since Jiang’s regime started suppressing Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999.

Some practitioners had horrifying experiences and can still remember how police officers brutally persecuted them for upholding their belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. For those who have been tortured, it is painful to recall those memories.

It is likely that those who have been persecuted harbor some degree of antagonism or resentment towards the police. From studying the Fa and looking within, I enlightened that my resentment and the thought of revenge came from the attachment to selfishness.

I never thought about how the persecutors themselves are sentient beings who are waiting to hear the truth. If they don’t, they will receive karmic retribution for their participation in the persecution.

Master said:

“… every person in the entire world was at one point part of my family …”(Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference)

Since they were once Master’s family members, we must also treat them as family members and try to save them. It was the old forces who arranged for them to play such a pitiable role.

They took enormous risks to descend to this human world so that they could obtain the Fa, but the communist regime has instilled wicked notions in their minds and used them as tools in its persecution of Falun Dafa.

The old forces will eventually eliminate these people for their participation in the persecution.

We need to clearly recognize the old forces’ evil arrangements and seize the day to save these pitiable beings who are facing the dangerous situation of being eliminated.

With that in mind, my sense of responsibility as a practitioner was gradually strengthened and I thought of several people to whom I quickly needed to clarify the truth.

Part I

I went back to my hometown where I had not been for more than ten years. My family was severely persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and many local people knew our story. I had been displaced from my home for years as a result of the persecution and people were wondering if I was still alive.

I inquired about the previous Security Section Chief in my former company, who was in his thirties ten years ago and had persecuted me and other Dafa practitioners many times.

I heard he had been fired and also got divorced. His house had been repossessed because he couldn’t repay his loan. He was now a paraplegic living with his parents.

I went to his address and rang the doorbell. An elderly man looked at me through the window and said fearfully to a person inside, “He has come back for us, let’s open the door.”

The old couple was shocked by my sudden visit and thought I had come for revenge. Their son, Xiao Ding (alias), was the main person who persecuted me and was a follower of the CCP.

Seeing their fearful faces, I explained, “Falun Dafa has taught me to be a good and honest person, but I had been persecuted to the point of becoming homeless and my whole family was ruined.”

I went on to say, “Although your son actively participated in the persecution of good people, I don’t resent him. It was the wicked CCP that lured him with personal interests and made him a tool to persecute others. He fell into such a situation by following the wicked Party. But I still want to visit him.”

The old couple seemed to relax, saying, “Now he has received karmic retribution for committing evil deeds, please kindly help him!”

Xiao Ding’s father took out a bunch of keys and led me to a very old house blocks away. Opening the locked gate, I saw a yard full of tall weeds. There was a one-foot wide brick pathway in the middle of the yard. He opened a second gate, leading me to a small room on the right.

There I saw Xiao Ding, who used to be young and energetic. When he saw me, he cowered in the corner of his bed, looking at me with frightened eyes.

Xiao Ding had lost all his fortune and could not even take care of himself. Seeing him helpless and alone in this old house, I realized the wicked Party had actually persecuted a wide range of people since it launched the persecution against Falun Dafa in 1999.

Xiao Ding’s case demonstrated the heavenly principle that good will be rewarded with good, and evil met with evil. Xiao Ding’s father only said a few words to him then left us alone.

I said, “I heard that you fell into a very bad situation, so I decided to come visit you. Years ago you participated in the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners. You might have been cheated by the lies of the CCP, or lured with personal interests by higher-ups. Now you have received karmic retribution for persecuting good people.”

I continued, “You should know that all of these things are tricks orchestrated by the CCP to destroy the Chinese people. You still have a chance to know the truth.”

He saw my sincerity, so he told me about the many things he had experienced during the brutal persecution. He explained that the Public Security Bureau police, 610 Office officials and staff who worked in our former company and participated in the persecution of Falun Dafa had already received karmic retribution.

Some died suddenly, others had car accidents or died of severe diseases. Xiao Ding said he felt ashamed to have fallen into such a situation. Both he and his child have to rely on his elderly parents.

I told him, “The CCP is skilled at inciting people’s hatred, creating conflicts in its brutal political campaigns and using people who don’t know the truth to persecute others. The CCP’s policy of treating the people like ‘blindfolded donkeys’ also includes ‘killing the donkey the moment it leaves the millstone.’”

I went on to say, “For years the CCP has been using this approach to stir up hatred against good people and supporters of traditional Chinese culture. You were an active participant in the persecution of Falun Dafa, but you are also a victim of the persecution.”

Lastly I said, “If you could tell your story to your family and friends and let them know the evil nature of the CCP, you will also be saving them. In this way you can atone for your sins. Please choose a bright future by quitting the CCP!”

He agreed, and I gave him Freegate (software that allows access to websites blocked by the Internet censorship in China), some information CDs and other materials.

A few years later, I went to see Xiao Ding again. He had already moved in with his parents, and looked much better.

He had memorized the date that I last visited, and could calculate the number of days between my two visits. I enlightened that sentient beings truly cherish the opportunity to be with Dafa disciples, and it is Master’s boundless benevolence that saves them. All we need to do is to put in some effort.

Xiao Ding’s mother told me, “My son obtained a copy of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party on the streets. This book really helps people see the Chinese Communist Party’s brutality against innocent people. I’m 80 years old now, and I have witnessed many of the evildoings of the Party that were mentioned in the book.”

I replied, “The wicked CCP has always used deceptive propaganda, causing everyday people to believe that they are exerting themselves to serve the people. The CCP teaches its citizens to be patriotic and maintain order in society, while corrupt officials take billions of the Chinese taxpayers’ money overseas.”

I went on to say, “Many descendants of those corrupt officials have luxury houses overseas and huge deposits in their bank accounts, and many have permanent foreign green cards. As a matter of fact, it is the corrupt Party members who have brought China to the verge of collapse. Some people have become confused and think the CCP is China. The country is the country and the Party is the Party! Chinese people are the descendants of the Yan and Huang Emperors, whereas the CCP is a specter from the west. Let’s hurry up and quit the evil Party!”

Upon hearing this, she happily agreed. Xiao Ding told me about the social situation and domestic and international affairs. He also disclosed the CCP’s evildoings while persecuting Falun Dafa practitioners. I felt happy for his awakening.

Before I left, his father said to me, “We are very glad that you can come visit us. We are honored to have you here!” Xiao Ding asked me to visit him whenever possible.

Part II

There was a director in my former company who had suffered from karmic retribution for persecuting Dafa practitioners.

I heard that he suddenly had a stroke at his workplace and was sent to the hospital for emergency rescue. Luckily, the resuscitation was successful and he lived. However, that incident left him paralyzed and he could not leave his home.

At that time, he was not even fifty years old. He has been confined in home for more than ten years by this point, almost like living in prison.

When he participated in the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners years ago, I once tried to persuade him: “We practitioners are good people who conduct ourselves according to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. We never hurt people, even when we are wrongfully beaten or scolded. Also, I used to suffer from many illnesses, and after I began to practice Dafa, my mind and body were purified, my illnesses vanished, and I saved our country a large amount of money because I no longer needed medication.”

Lastly, I said, “In Chinese society, corruption is everywhere, I strive to follow the principles of Dafa and not take one extra penny from work or take bribes. Please do not participate in the persecution of good people like us, or you will end up hurting yourself.”

At that time he was an official who was chasing money and a high position, and he wouldn’t listen to me. Instead he got very annoyed, saying, “Stop talking about this topic! I don’t believe these things.”

Not only did he lose his power but he almost lost his life. When I found him, he was quite shocked and started to panic. I explained to him that I did not come to blame him.

He calmed down and said with regret, “I didn’t expect that the persecution would be so brutal. When I was the director, I was also pressured by the higher-ups to suppress you. But I didn’t expect that they would stop your salary and make you lose your source of income to live on. They were bullying you!”

I replied, “In fact, my family has suffered unprecedented persecution, far beyond what you know. We used to be colleagues, and you all saw great changes in me after I started practicing Falun Dafa. Not only did I get a healthy body, but my work performance improved. Ever since the persecution started, our family life became miserable—we were harassed every day and watched constantly.”

Furthermore I said, “You witnessed some directors in our company take orders from the higher-ups and frighten my family members with brutal threats. They deprived my child of the right to go to school, and even cooperated with the police to illegally arrest and frighten my child!”

As he listened attentively, I said, “Their actions were against the law and against the constitution; those actions were illegal and criminal. These people can’t tell what is right and what is wrong. It is a heavenly principle that good will be rewarded with good and evil met with evil.”

He looked at me and nodded. I continued, “Although you carried out directives from above to play the role of helpers for Jiang’s regime, everyone is responsible for his own actions. Now you have received karmic retribution, and your family members were also implicated by your evildoings. However, because I practice Falun Dafa I have become more tolerant and forgiving. So I came to visit you today, hoping that you can know about the truth and confess your sins from deep within your heart.”

I finished by saying, “Let me help you quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations! Master will save you as long as you sincerely recite the nine words, ‘Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good; Falun Dafa is good.’”

Since he couldn’t move his right hand, he asked me to write down the phrases for him. He then recited the nine words in his heart and renounced the CCP. Before I left, he said, “I never thought that you would come visit me!”

In the brutal persecution of Falun Dafa, many Chinese people are also being persecuted by the Communist regime. Many people have received karmic retribution for their part in the persecution, and we are saddened to see that many of them have met with misfortune over the years.

Traditional Chinese culture holds that good is rewarded while evil is punished. As Falun Dafa practitioners, we do not want to see these officials incur karmic retribution after blindly following persecution policies that have no legal basis.

For those who have met with misfortune, they are likely to reflect on themselves. If our practitioners can clarify the truth to them with compassion, they will be most likely to feel our kindness and have endless gratitude for a life saved by Dafa.

The above is my limited understanding. Please feel free to point out anything inappropriate.