(Minghui.org) By the time I was in my early 30s, I had been pursuing things envied by others, including a university degree, a high position with a good salary, and other “social accomplishments.” But suddenly my division-level cadre title (government position) was removed with no reason given. This sudden loss gave me a wake-up call. I began to ask myself, “What’s the purpose of living in this world? What do people really want to pursue?”
Starting My Cultivation Path
I began practicing Falun Dafa in March 1996. After I read Zhuan Falun, the questions I had were all answered. I came to understand that the purpose of life is to return to one’s original true self. I made a pledge that no matter how long my cultivation path would last and how much hardship I had to endure, I would follow Master Li (Dafa’s founder) to return to where I came from.
Back then, every morning at 5 a.m., I set out to the practice site to do the exercises, regardless of the weather. On one rainy day, at the end of the exercises, when I opened my eyes, I was the only one left. Those days were the happiest times of my life— I had Master, who taught me the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
I became a good wife in my husband’s eyes. I took care of our child and did the household chores without complaint. At work, I did my job diligently. I studied the Fa and did the exercises in my spare time. I lived a happy life.
Prior to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Dafa, nearly half of the people in my department at work had read Zhuan Falun. We used the lunch break to do the exercises together. Everyone held themselves against Dafa’s requirements. Because of that, there were hardly any conflicts.
One day, a colleague gave me a white silk handkerchief, which had a lotus flower on it. Many years later, my sister went to Hangzhou City for sightseeing and bought another one for me, which had the same design. Only by following Dafa, could I be like a lotus flower that emerges from the mud but remains unstained.
Holding on to My Belief
I was held in a detention center when the persecution first started. I kept reciting Master’s Fa deep in my heart:
“Dafa does not leave the body,The heart harbors Zhen-Shan-Ren;In the world is a great Arhat,Spirits and ghosts fear greatly.”(“Mighty Virtue,” Hong Yin)
I could recite this thousands of times a day. The more I recited, the more I felt like being “a great Arhat.”
A few guards came by as I was picking chili peppers in the cell, which was part of the forced-labor work. One of them shouted, “Anybody here practice Falun Dafa?”
I stood up, with a chili in hand, and answered “I do!” He took a close look at me and asked, “Then why don’t you break the ends of those peppers off?”
I replied, “For me to practice Falun Dafa, I need to be a good person by holding myself up to the standards of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, as opposed to breaking those ends off. They’ll come off when it’s time.”
He looked at his cell phone, turned around, and left, with the others following in a line. The detainees gave me a thumbs-up. I knew that Master was strengthening me. With the wisdom bestowed upon me by Dafa, I managed to say what I wanted to say in that evil environment. It also helped the others witness what kind of people practitioners are.
I was in the labor camp when the self-immolation incident on Tiananmen Square occurred. After watching the news on television, the guards got all the inmates together to hold a meeting. One of them called my name to ask what I thought after watching the video.
I replied, “I was going to go to Beijing to appeal for Falun Dafa, but before I got there, I was arrested and taken to a labor camp. Since Tiananmen Square is heavily guarded, how could those people get in? In addition, Falun Dafa practitioners are taught not to kill or commit suicide. Whoever truly practices Falun Dafa would never do that.”
The guards ordered everyone to return to their cells and called the meeting off. Lies can’t withstand tests and will be easily exposed. Since then, they hardly ever organized inmates to watch the self-immolation video.
As personnel in the labor camp couldn’t change my belief, they transferred me to the local drug rehabilitation center a year later. When the director of the center came to see me, I said to him, “I’m someone reasonable and fit. Why do you lock me in here? Actually I know. You also know that it’s to undermine my will, having me give up my belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It’s not a crime to believe in those principles. For my belief, I wouldn’t mind sacrificing myself!”
During those days at the drug rehabilitation center, I kept in mind what Master taught us:
“When it’s difficult to endure, you can endure it. When it’s impossible to do, you can do it.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
I treated everyone with compassion, including the guards.
As long as there was an opportunity, I let them see the beauty of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Gradually, my environment became relaxed, and people were more friendly toward me. When a few drug addicts who always caused trouble had conflicts they couldn’t handle, they’d come to me to seek some guidance. They remarked that whatever I said was like music to their ears.
I shared with them the Fa principles that I learned from Dafa, asked them to be tolerant in everything they ran into, as meeting others all depends on their predestined relationships, and that we should treasure them. Sometimes, only after a brief chat, the inmate would tell me that she knew what to do. But other times, only by talking to someone multiple times, could I solve her problems. No matter how many times it took, I always had smile on my face and treated them compassionately.
Every time after I finished sharing, I always said, “I learned these principles through practicing Falun Dafa. It is our Master who taught me. Falun Dafa teaches people to be good by following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It’s never like what the propagated on TV says. Please don’t believe that; their lies are meant to deceive people.”
Clarifying the Facts Through Claiming My Pension
When my four years in a forced labor camp ended, and I returned home, I realized that my pension was not being paid. I took out an administrative litigation to demand my pension, with the purpose of having more people learn about Falun Dafa through this act.
During the process, one thing touched me. When I called the provincial Supreme Court, I found the judge in charge of my case. She was very appreciative that I had such faith in the law. It was not convenient to talk over the phone, so after we hung up, I wrote her a letter, with part of the content as follows:
“I always have a wish. I understand that many people were like me before, who didn’t know the true purpose of life, and kept searching. Finally, I found the meaning of life. I then wanted to share this treasure with everyone, just as how I’m sharing it with you. Falun Dafa has been persecuted for more than 20 years, so I deeply feel that this sharing has come a long way. Without holding on to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance, without practitioners’ great compassion and forbearance, I wouldn’t be who I am today. I don’t care too much about the outcome of this case, as long as you can understand the truth and make the right choice for yourself, so as to have a bright future. This is truly my wish!
“I have been held in a detention center, forced labor camp, drug rehabilitation center, and prison for close to ten years. Perhaps you may wonder what I did, for being held that long? The answer is rather simple: I just wanted to be a good person, tell the truth, and let every kind person know that Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good! It’s not only me, every Falun Dafa practitioner is like that.
“I know that for Falun Dafa practitioners to believe in the law today requires extraordinary courage and a strong mind. Why would I say that? Please read the following stories, then perhaps you will understand.
“Story one: In February 2000, I went with my daughter, who was in her second year of junior high school, to appeal for Falun Dafa at the provincial government appeals office. I said to the staff there, ‘We practice Falun Dafa, and wanted to share with you our understanding about it.’ Upon hearing the words, ‘Falun Dafa,’ the clerk asked us to fill out the appealing registration forms. Based on the requirements, I told them that I have read Zhuan Falun more than 200 times, my cultivation experience tells me that Falun Dafa is the only pure land for mankind, and for one to practice Falun Dafa, it will bring only benefits to the nation and people without causing any harm.
“After that, two police officers came and took us to a police station for interrogation. Petitioning the appeals office is a citizen’s right. Reporting our situation in practicing Falun Dafa to the government openly and giving the government the right to know us is a sign of trust in the government. However, our legitimate appeal was treated as a crime. We were interrogated, and our home was searched. Because of that, I was detained as a criminal for a month. The arrest warrant said that I interfered with social order. Since I came home, I was put under residential surveillance, where the security department was responsible.
“Story two: In May 2004, the Supreme People’s Procuratorate published news in the media saying that it would strictly investigate certain types of cases involving public, prosecutorial, and legal malfeasance, as well as any violation of human rights. After reading this, I immediately asked the Supreme People’s Procuratorate, in the form of an open letter, about my two criminal detentions and one detention in the labor camp, asking them to review whether my situation fell within the scope of their investigation.
“After the letter was sent out, I personally sent it to the Provincial Higher Procuratorate and the relevant departments. A few months later, Domestic Security police arrested me at work, and took me to a detention center. The ‘evidence’ was my open letter. This time I was sent to a forced labor camp where I was held for three years. I was subsequently taken to the city’s drug rehabilitation center.
“Story three: When my daughter and I were having a meal at a friend’s home in April 2014, we were arrested for an ‘illegal get-together.’ We received sentences of four years and three and a half years, respectively. When I was held in the prison, I was under strict control. I was deprived of the right to communicate with others or have visitors. The prison instigated two inmates to monitor me around the clock. Every day, I was forced to sit on a small stool for 13 to 14 hours, which made my legs swell, blood pressure rise, belly bloat, and I was dizzy. I could only use the washroom at set times. So I was afraid of drinking water, out of concern it would affect my bladder. The inmates had to bring meals to me every day. The mental and physical torture can’t be expressed in words.
“The reason why I was subjected to such cruel treatment was that I wanted to appeal! The only way the provincial female prison would release me from being strictly controlled was to plead guilty and acknowledged my ‘crime.’ However, I didn’t agree with the sentence, nor plead guilty. Thus I was under strict control for nearly three years until the day I was released.
“Through the above cases, I want to ask: Can the law be trampled on like this forever? Who can stand the test of history? When we do something, heaven is watching. I hope this letter can bring you some inspiration, and help you find the long-lost innocence and beauty in the chaotic world. Let us remember ‘Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!’ so we can be protected by gods and Buddhas.”
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