(Clearwisdom.net)
I was very fortunate to have obtained Dafa in 1996. I benefited so much mentally and physically from Dafa that there are no words that can describe it. Just when I was overjoyed in the best time of my life, Jiang's regime started its brutal and bloody persecution against Dafa and Dafa practitioners, wounding and killing many of us.
If it were not for Teacher's immensely compassionate care, the boundless power of the Fa, and sharing experiences with and receiving help from my fellow practitioners, I couldn't have survived to this day after more than 6 years of this persecution. I could never repay this even with my life. Now, please allow me to share my personal cultivation experiences with all of my fellow practitioners.
1. Only through studying the Fa earnestly can we strengthen our Righteous Thoughts, leaving no weakness that the evil can exploit.
The police abducted me, taking me to a detention center where I suffered a multitude of tortures, because I went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Dafa, to clarify the truth. Many practitioners who were detained along with me continued to adhere to the principles of "Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance".
We cultivated our xinxing, and rigorously followed Teacher's Fa to guide our own conduct. Our words and conduct gradually touched the hearts of the detention center guards and they came to understand that Dafa practitioners are truly a group of kind, good citizens. Our environment at the detention center was relatively relaxed and generous. Practitioners who could recite Teacher's articles would write them down for us to read and pass around. Practitioners outside the prison brought Zhuan Falun for us to study and share, and thus guaranteed our ability to continue Fa study in that special environment. With ample Fa study, our righteous thoughts were strong.
The county 610 Office tried many devious ways to get us to sign "guarantees" pledging to never practice Falun Dafa again. Even though we had some omissions during our time there, they never accomplished their goal. One of the guards threatened, "We can't deal with people like you, but there are other places that can!" A few days later they sentenced a few of us to 1 year in a labor camp. Because of my lack of righteous thoughts, I was sent to the notorious Pingantai Labor Camp in Gansu Province for further persecution.
The labor camp guards started torturing me with a variety of means as soon as I got there. Because of the ample Fa study I did at the detention center, I was very calm. On the first day they put me together with drug addicts and former practitioners who had been "transformed." They started ordering the drug addicts to coerce me to write a "confession." I had no fear at that time, and the inmates did not assault me after facing me for a while but went away while cursing me. I was not aware that my righteous thoughts were working. In the evening, the prison guard squadron leader ordered several collaborators to read the Three Statements that they had drafted for me to sign. In this evil situation, the prison guard ordered me to stand up and follow suit, but I started reciting my personal cultivation experiences instead. Without me finishing my story, the prison guard screamed out loudly and left in a hurry.
On the second day, two other practitioners who were forced to write the "Three Statements" against their will praised me saying, "We were not allowed to speak out truthfully." I did not feel I did anything extraordinary. I spoke from my heart only because I had unwavering faith in Teacher and Dafa. Soon after, the prison guard secretly ordered another "collaborator" to brainwash me with brazen lies and to try to poison my mind step by step. Facing his hideous attack, I simply recited the Fa continuously, and did not hear a single word he uttered. After three evenings of attack I came out unscathed, and they failed miserably.
Later, they sent several "collaborators" from another brigade to help "educate" me. I simply told them about my resolute faith in Falun Dafa, as well as the reason why it was wrong for them to turn against Falun Dafa. They eventually quit.
Finally, labor camp terms were extended for all Dafa practitioners who refused to sign the "Three Statements." They tortured practitioners with sleep deprivation during the night and heavy work during the day. At each critical moment I was able to resist by reciting Teacher's articles. Otherwise, the result would be unthinkable. Teacher said,
"The Fa can break all attachments, the Fa can destroy all evil, the Fa can shatter all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts." ("Drive out Interference," from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
"If you are not afraid, the factor that would make you afraid will cease to exist." ("Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)," Essentials for Further Advancement II).
Based on unwavering righteous faith in Teacher and Dafa, I overcame one obstacle after another.
2. My personal experiences of clarifying the truth
Because of the serious persecution that I suffered and because of my attachment to fear, at first I was afraid of being illegally arrested when I stepped forward to clarify the truth. I was very selective when clarifying the truth face to face. Due to my fear, my words were not very convincing, lacked power, and did not accomplish good results in saving sentient beings. I was afraid to distribute truth telling flyers on a large scale, and each time I only distributed no more than 5 to 10 flyers.
With my continuous studying of Teacher's Fa lectures and new articles, I began to realize that the historical mission shouldered by Dafa practitioners during the Fa Rectification period is very significant. I built up my confidence to clarify the truth face to face. I was not afraid to tell the truth to save the police, whom I once contacted, and my attachment of fear gradually subsided. Gradually, I could distribute more than 100 truth-clarification flyers each time, and I naturally played VCDs to visitors coming to my home so that many of them learned the truth. Almost everyone at my workplace knows that Dafa is good after learning the truth, and gradually but actively began to boycott the evil.
With the ever shortening time left to save sentient beings, I was deeply touched after Teacher published "Let Go of Human Attachments and Save the World's People," and I started to distribute flyers in several nearby villages during the day. Even though the quantity was not large, I felt it helped me a lot to raise my xinxing. I could feel that it was difficult at the beginning, mostly caused by my attachment to fear and the negative influence caused by bad human notions, thus befitting the arrangements of the old forces. It blocked the positive influence of my divine side, and blocked my own initiative to save more sentient beings. As long as we keep up consistent Fa study, sending forth righteous thoughts to destroy various degenerated human notions, our mindset will be more righteous when we clarify the truth, and our righteous thoughts will get stronger with time, with improved results, and will finally form a positive cultivation state. Teacher said,
"With fear in you,
It will abduct you,
Set your thoughts righteous,
The evil would collapse,
As a cultivator,
Fill yourself with Fa,
Send Forth Righteous Thoughts,
Rotten Ghosts would be blown apart,
Gods are validating the Fa in this world."
("Hongyin II - What are you afraid of?") (provisional translation subject to further improvement)
So long we always measure our actions with the Fa, constantly correct our conduct, there is nothing we can't accomplish.
3. A concerted group effort is the key to following the right path in our final journey
My fellow practitioners in our district paid close attention to sending forth righteous thoughts and clarifying the truth as a group since 2002. With the fast pace of Fa Rectification thrusting forward and eradicating the evil forces, our district environment improved tremendously. For example, my own home environment was not very good. My father constantly interfered with my Fa study and doing exercises. Sometimes he even slandered Dafa. After I cleansed the evil factors behind him doing face to face sending forth righteous thoughts, in addition to fellow practitioners clarifying the truth and showing the positive attitudes of Dafa practitioners, he was moved and completely changed. Now, he even tells others that Dafa is good. It has significantly improved the cultivation environment in my home.
Wherever there is interference, we notify everyone to send forth righteous thoughts in a concerted way as a group. We headed off a few dangerous instances during our validating the Fa and saving sentient beings. But during the last few months, I felt that some practitioners relaxed in our group cooperation, reduced the frequency of group Fa study and sending forth righteous thoughts.
A few practitioners, including myself, showed signs of a passive cultivation state. On top of neglecting personal xinxing cultivation, many ordinary human attachments started to pop up below the surface. This left gaping omissions for the evil, dark minions, rotten ghosts, and spirits to exploit and physically interfere.
I coughed constantly during sending forth righteous thoughts and clarifying the truth. Around October 1st the evil tried to disturb and obstruct us by forcing practitioners to do thumb printing, demanding photos, coercion, and threats.
At this critical junction, compassionate and magnificent Teacher published his new article "The Closer to the End, the More Diligent You Should Be." I was deeply touched. I will work hard to improve my xinxing, get rid of my attachments, and do well the three things that Teacher asked all Dafa disciples to do well during this final, limited timeframe. I will cooperate well in groups, reduce the cultivation gaps, follow closely the current of Fa Rectification, cherish the path we have walked before, and walk well the final steps towards the future.
Please kindly advise me of any shortcomings due to my limited cultivation level.
