(Minghui.org) Since the persecution of Falun Dafa was launched by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in China, I have sent three letters to the provincial and municipal authorities. These letters recorded my cultivation journey, and displayed Dafa’s mighty power and Master’s boundless mercy.
When the CCP launched the persecution of Falun Dafa in July 1999, I had practiced Dafa for less than 2 years. I was employed in a leadership position at a university. After I went to Beijing to appeal for Dafa, several members of the provincial education commission and public security bureau came to my university and demanded that I renounce my faith in Falun Dafa. Apparently I was one of the top ranking officers among practitioners in my province.
Before practicing Dafa, I used to suffer from a number of illnesses, including coronary heart disease, hypertension, and atrophic gastritis. After I started practicing Dafa I recovered from all my illness. How could I give up Dafa? After resisting for a month, the director of the provincial education commission gave me an ultimatum: “All of us got in trouble because you refused to give up your faith. The key is in your hands. You decide! And think of the consequences!”
With my attachment of fear, I gave myself the excuse of “considering others.” I compromised against my will. I said that I would stop practicing. But I thought, I will continue to practice secretly at home. They won’t know, will they?
At the end of that year, an investigation team from the central government came to my university. At the last meeting before they wrapped up, the team lead suddenly asked me: “Please tell me the truth. Is Falun Dafa good?”
Without thinking, I said firmly: “Of course it is good! Otherwise I wouldn't practice it!”
The team lead said to the members of the investigation team: “Everyone says it is good. But it is forbidden. What should we do?”
After the meeting, a middle-aged female team member held my hands and said: “I’m from the Ministry of Education. I knew of you long ago. Please take care of yourself!”
I was moved. I thought: The members of the investigation team from the central government wanted to hear the truth. Yet, I hid at home and practiced Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in secret. What a shame! In the days that followed, I was so ashamed of myself that I could not even look at Master’s picture.
In May and June of 2000, Master’s new articles “Your Heart Should Know” and “Towards Consummation” were published. I was shocked. I was exactly that type of person who entered Dafa holding fundamental attachments.
Master said:
“...While those too attached lose their direction ...” (“Your Heart Should Know”, The Essentials of Diligent Progress II)
I understood that I must overcome my fear, and clarify the truth of Falun Dafa with dignity. After careful thought and preparation, I wrote a long letter to the provincial 610 Office. I said that it is a terrible mistake to persecute Falun Dafa and there would be serious consequences down the road. I also firmly stated that I will continue to practice Dafa.
Staff from the provincial 610 Office took some of the words I wrote out-of-context and announced them to all major systems in the province. I was named as a “typical example” speaking out for Falun Dafa. The provincial deputy secretary of the Education Commission came to my university.
“In the letter you said that you are a communist party member, and even more, you are a Falun Dafa practitioner. You made it sound like a Falun Dafa practitioner is better than a communist party member. How dare you!”
“Of course!” I replied immediately. “Falun Dafa practitioners act with integrity and probity. But look how corrupt the communist party is now!” He slapped the table and shouted: “You are against the communist party!”
The director of the municipal 610 Office brought a group of people from the local public security bureau, procuratorate, and justice department to my university. They tried to force me to do self-criticism.
I was disgusted, but instead of explaining to them in detail, I simply said: “No matter how you punish me, my future will be bright. But your future will be very sad!” I then turned and left.
The 610 office director got angry and told others to find a reason to get rid of me.
A year later, myself, my wife, and my daughter-in-law were arrested. I realized it was a consequence of my improper actions. When I was talking to the local officials, I displayed a lack of the kindness and compassion that a Dafa practitioner should have. I did not know how to negate the old forces’ persecution. I behaved like a “hero” among everyday people.
When I was taken to the detention center, a guard laughed at me: “Look, a famous person becomes a prisoner!” I was angry. I thought: I don’t care!
That night, I meditated when the guard fell asleep. These words, each letter as big as my palm and shining silver, appeared in front of my eyes: “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is with you!”
This was the first time my celestial eye opened. It was Master’s encouragement. Dafa is with me! Master is with me!
I began to tell people about Dafa in the detention center. Two inmates wanted to learn the Dafa exercises. I taught them in the cell. Later, a practitioner managed to give me a hand printed copy of Zhuan Falun. The two inmates and I studied the book for a month while other prisoners kept an eye out for us.
When I was asked to sign the arrest warrant, I wrote: “I am not guilty. The true criminals are those who persecute Falun Dafa.”
I was handed a seven year sentence. My daughter in law was sentenced to four years. My wife was taken to a brainwashing center.
While in prison, I took all possible opportunities to tell guards and other prisoners the facts about Falun Dafa. One day, the superintendent of the cell block called me to his office. He asked me to sit down⸺prisoners are not usually allowed to sit in the office⸺and asked me many questions about Falun Dafa. He told me that he is a Christian. “I know you are a good person. The CCP is unreasonable. Please take care of yourself!”
When I was in prison, I repeatedly dreamed I was teaching. In one of my dreams, I went to a classroom to teach but found the room was empty. I took it as a hint from Master that I have clarified the truth to those predestined people here. Now it is time for me to leave the prison and tell the facts about Dafa to more people.
I asked Master to strengthen me and help me leave the prison. Soon I began to show severe symptoms of my old illness. The local 610 Office thought I was going to die and put me on probation. With an oxygen tube inserted in me, I was taken from the prison to my home.
My friends and relatives were extremely worried. With Master’s protection, I recovered completely after three months of studying the Fa, doing the exercises, and sending righteous thoughts. People around me were shocked to see that I had recovered so fast. An elderly professor, who was a lay Buddhist, said excitedly: “You should go outside and walk around everyday and let others see you! You used to be very sick. You were cured by practicing Falun Dafa. Given the CCP’s persecution, your old illness came back. Then you went home and practiced Falun Dafa, and you recovered again! Quoting your people⸺this is validating the Fa!”
Looking back, the letter I wrote to the provincial 610 Office was itself written by adhering to the indoctrination by the CCP. I had a fighting mentality and felt hatred. More ridiculously, in the letter I quoted former CCP leaders Mao Zedong and Deng Xiaoping’s theories in order to criticize Jiang Zemin.
It was just like Master described:
“And this is especially important with Chinese people, who have had their heads infused with the wicked-Party-culture’s mode of thought, vocabulary, and conduct, and who are trapped within the confines of the wicked Party’s culture. Even when some Chinese people curse the wicked Party, they do so in its own context, without ever having truly understood the wicked Party for what it is.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2010 New York Fa Conference”, Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XI)
After the publication of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and Disintegrating the Communist Culture, I finally understood the evilness of the CCP, and how much I was indoctrinated by the CCP. When doing the three things, I must eliminate the influence of the CCP's indoctrination.
In September 2007, just as my truth-clarifying project was going smoothly and my younger son’s wife was released from prison, my older son was arrested. He was accused of “distribution of public funds” and “suspected corruption.” It caused quite a stir in my university. People were gossiping: “So a Falun Gong family produced someone who is corrupt!”
It was a blow to my family. I pondered: Did my son really commit the crime? Was it connected to my cultivation? It must be the old forces trying to interfere with me doing the three things!
Two weeks later, nine Udumbara flowers were found on the fruits we offered in front of Master’s portrait. Master was encouraging us! I thought that my son might be framed. Someone did it in order to smear Falun Dafa’s image.
I hired a lawyer. I told the lawyer I practice Falun Dafa and clarified the truth to him. The lawyer withdrew from the CCP. He later told me: “I recite Falun Dafa is good every time I enter the gate of the procuratorate or court.” Once in court, he righteously demanded an answer from the prosecutor: “Why are you bringing up false evidence?!”
Given the large amount of evidence showing that my son was innocent, the case was twice “returned for further investigation.” Despite the evidence, my son was sentenced to 10 years in prison for “not admitting guilt.”
A week before the sentence, my older son’s wife saw 14 Udumbara flowers in the elevator of our apartment building. Everyone in my family was excited! Furthermore, my eldest son’s wife began to practice Falun Dafa. Many relatives advised her to divorce my son, but she refused and decided to wait for her husband’s release.
When my son was in the detention center, I asked the lawyer to bring a letter from family members and a photo of the Udumbara flowers, as well as some of Master’s new lectures. Later, he told me that the prosecutor kept demanding that he admit guilt, or else they would do something to me⸺his father. Given the mental torture, he twice considered committing suicide.
Then he read Master’s poem:
“Imprisoned as you are,don’t be sorrowful or sadCarry on with righteous thoughts and actions,and the Fa is with youCalmly reflect on the attachments you haveRemove your human thoughtsand evil will naturally die out”(“Don’t Be Sad”, Hong Yin II)
“It was Master’s words that gave me strength,” my son told me. “Dafa guided me. The miracle in our family⸺the Udumbara flower⸺provided great encouragement to me. I understood the meaning of upholding Dafa.”
It is very difficult to appeal an unjust ruling in China. Despite the fact that some of the judges thought my son was wronged, and the provincial People’s Congress raised objections on the decision of the provincial high court, my son’s appeal was rejected.
I planned to go to Beijing to appeal to the Supreme Court. As soon as they heard I wanted to go to Beijing, local authorities and officials from my university tried to stop me. The director of the district 610 Office came to my home twice, and told me that higher officials asked him to tell me that I was not allowed to go to Beijing, and they wanted me to state that my son was not punished because I practice Falun Dafa. They even sent a police car and several people to stay in front of my apartment, watching me day and night for a month. Many of my colleagues thought the authorities were being unreasonable and had gone too far.
I came to realize that I should expose the evil persecution of my family to the public, and prevent those who did not understand the truth from committing more crimes. I sent my younger son to Beijing to hand in the appeal. Meanwhile, I wrote an open letter, entitled “Why is it so difficult to be a good person,” to provincial and municipal officials in various branches. In the letter I described the details of my family's persecution.
Soon my open letter was published on the Minghui website. Several practitioners followed up and published their analysis. I initially thought the procuratorate and the court framed my son. After reading fellow practitioners’ articles, I realized the 610 Office was behind it. The 610 Office instructed the prosecutors and judges to make the case in order to smear Falun Dafa!
This lawsuit is not just about my son. Furthermore, it is about exposing the evil and upholding Dafa!
Years after, I read the open letter I wrote at that time. Although it contained less of the CCP indoctrination than my first letter, it showed my anger toward prosecutors and judges. It lacked a Dafa practitioner’s tolerance and compassion.
My appeal to the Supreme Court never got a response. I wondered how I should continue. One day in May 2011, when I was sending righteous thoughts, a message appeared in my head: “Sue the prosecutor.”
I took it as Master’s hint. I went to the court and checked all the so-called evidence the prosecutor filed regarding my son’s “crime.” I found one of the most important documents from the university was missing. I checked the archives in the university, and was shocked by what I discovered: The initial documents from the university showed my son did something good. But the prosecutor took some details out and made it look as if my son was guilty. The prosecutor also intentionally hid another document which was in my son’s favor.
I filed a lawsuit against the prosecutor to the provincial procuratorate.
In October 2011, 17 Udumbara flowers appeared on the window glass of my son’s room⸺it was the third time the flowers appeared in our home!
I understood that Master was encouraging me. I needed to expose the 610 Office’s evil act and cultivate myself well. While continuing to do the three things, I filed a new round of lawsuits on prosecutors and judges framing my son.
During the next three years, I petitioned five times, from the local procuratorate to the supreme court. The process was exhausting and even dangerous, and I encountered much scolding and many insults from judges. I often thought Master’s lecture about monks wandering around among everyday people. I understood these were part of my cultivation and good opportunities to eliminate my attachments, such as the fighting mentality, resentment, vanity, and seeking comfort.
In May of 2015, many practitioners started to sue Jiang Zemin, the former CCP leader who started the persecution. After I filed two lawsuits with the Supreme Procuratorate, local authorities harassed me.
Noticing that local practitioners were arrested after suing Jiang Zemin, I wrote another open letter, entitled “Why did I sue Jiang Zemin.” It was addressed to the newly appointed provincial CCP secretary and governor. In the letter, I listed persecution examples carried out by the provincial political and legal system. I stated that Jiang’s act is a crime against humanity. I described the persecution of my family, especially my eldest son. I pointed out that someone wanted to frame my son in order to smear me and Falun Dafa. At the end, I asked them to immediately stop the persecution of Falun Dafa in the province, and investigate the severe persecution cases. When I wrote the letter, I felt inner peace and a practitioner’s compassion.
The open letter caused a stir. The conspiracy of slandering Falun Dafa was exposed. The officials in the provincial Education Commission and my university were very nervous. Friends worried about my safety. I remained calm. I believe in Dafa’s power. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is with me!
The purpose of my letter was to tell the facts to the provincial CCP secretary and governor and stop the persecution in the province. I did not expect it would help my son’s case. To my surprise, when my son was released after serving 10 years in prison, the provincial Department of Justice suddenly instructed a law firm to review my son’s case.
I witnessed one more time what Master said: “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture one, Zhuan Falun)
Looking back on my cultivation path over the past more than 20 years, remembering Master’s protection and guidance, and finding Udumbara flowers three times at my home, I am moved to tears.
Thank you Master for your boundless mercy!Thank you fellow practitioners for all the help and concern!