(Clearwisdom.net) Yesterday I went by the local forced labor camp to become familiar with its surroundings. I chose an area where I could use a can of spray paint to write signs clarifying the truth about Falun Gong.* After I came back home, I made plans for going back there at night to paint the truth-clarification signs.
During the process of making this decision, I asked myself a series of questions:
"Am I frightened?" I answered, "I am not." The location where I chose to write the words were on the walls near the front gate of the labor camp. It is precisely because there is evil at the forced labor camp that I would go there to expose the evil.
"Am I scared of losing my job, since I would lose my job if I am caught?" I answered, "I am not." "Am I scared of my home being ransacked?" I answered, "I am not." "Am I scared of death?" I answered reciting Master Li's poem,
"And with no attachment to living or dying, He walks his path of Fa-rectification openly and nobly" ("Righteous Thoughts and Righteous Actions").
I would go to validate Dafa, with no attachment to living or dying.
"Am I scared of the cruel torture in the labor camp?" I answered, "I am not scared of even death, much less anything else."
"Will I run away if someone sees me writing the truth clarification words?" I answered, "I will not run away. Even if they see me, I would finish the writing."
"How will I act if I am arrested?" I answered, "If I am arrested, I will walk out of detention in a dignified manner. If I am sent to the labor camp, I will then validate the Fa there."
At that time, the question, "What if I am arrested?" kept coming to my mind. I then thought that I would just walk out of the jail. The question came to my mind many times. Later, I realized that it was not right to think this way. How could I have this thought? I would not be arrested. If I always considered what I would do if I were arrested, was that not the same as acknowledging the old forces' arrangements? I would not be arrested and there exists no "what if I am arrested." I would just go to validate the Fa and expose the evil. I would not be arrested; this kind of thing would not happen to me. Master Li's words resounded in my mind: "And with no attachment to living or dying, He walks his path of Fa-rectification openly and nobly" ("Righteous Thoughts and Righteous Actions").
In the evening, after I ate dinner, I set off for the labor camp on my bicycle. After the recent snow, the roads in northeastern China were very slippery. On the way, I fell down many times. (Generally, I am very skilled at riding a bicycle, but later I understood that I kept falling down because my mind was not calm.) After I fell down a few more times, I told myself that I would go to validate the Fa and expose the evil no matter how dangerous it was. I wanted to follow the Fa. What was I coming here for? Was it true that I came to assist Master in rectifying the Fa? Am I coming to endure ordinary people's hardships? Did I go to the labor camp to establish my mighty virtue and endure tests? My wisdom told me that I should go forward and not draw back. With these thoughts, I reached the labor camp.
When I got there, I saw that just opposite the labor camp gate was a building, and on the side of the building, there was a wall. I decided that this was the place where I would write. I took out the spray can and started to work. Because the words were very big, for each stroke, I had to spray several times. Initially, my heart was not very calm, but I gradually calmed down. I wrote the five big characters of "Falun Dafa is good" on the wall. Then I started to ride my bicycle home. Just after I got on my bicycle, I saw a motorcycle coming towards me from the labor camp. (I knew this because the labor camp is in a suburb, and there are rarely people traveling at night. Furthermore, there is only a narrow road to and from the labor camp.) The motorcycle's light was on, and it was coming toward me. At that time, my mind was very peaceful and I did not get agitated. I rode toward the motorcycle. The person on the motorcycle showed no reaction. I rode away from the labor camp, and I did not fall once on my way back home. I thanked Master in my heart for his compassion and protection. I successfully returned home.
After I came back, I realized that nothing would happen as long as I walked my path righteously. I should examine what mentalities I have. I hope that every fellow practitioner will maintain a righteous mind. What are we coming for? Are we coming to live as ordinary people? Are we coming to accept the so-called tests of the old forces? Or are we coming to assist Master in rectifying the Fa? I hope that every fellow practitioner will carefully think about our purpose for coming here.
This is my personal understanding; please point out anything that is not right.
*With access to all normal means of communication such as newspapers, magazines, TV and radio denied to them, Falun Gong practitioners have resorted to many creative and sometimes unusual methods to clarify the true facts about the persecution of Falun Gong to the Chinese people.
December 15, 2003