(Clearwisdom.net) I am a government employee who began Falun Dafa practice in 1997. Prior to that I had internal diseases and was very thin. My family and colleagues regarded me as a man who was not going to live long, but now I am strong in build and have a rosy complexion and lots of energy. I am a totally new person. People who know me well attribute these changes to Dafa.
Only one week after I began Falun Dafa practice, respected Master started to cleanse my body. The first symptom was like a heavy cold. My whole body felt alternately cold and hot. My joints ached and my throat was swollen and painful. I incessantly coughed up thick phlegm. Before this incident I often caught cold, but this time it felt much different. I felt total body discomfort but I immediately realized that Master was helping me cleanse my body, so I did not go to the hospital. I felt the most uncomfortable on the third day. A colleague had drunk too much alcohol and asked me to take him to a hospital. I knew this was not coincidental; it was Master testing me to see if I was steadfast. I did not change my mind regarding hospitalization for myself. After getting my colleague taken care of, I immediately went back to work and thus passed this test.
The following day, I felt that all my symptoms had quickly disappeared. A day later, I felt so light and easy - it was like a rebirth. Since then, I gained weight quickly and became much stronger. I experienced the miracle of Dafa! I hungrily read through Master's Zhuan Falun and other lectures. But because of the decades-old indoctrination from materialistic philosophy, I stayed on a level of ordinary gratitude toward Master. I regarded Master as a qigong master of extremely high morals. I did not profoundly understand the Fa principles, and did not think more about the supernormal phenomena that I saw occasionally.
When the overwhelming suppression of Falun Gong commenced on July 20, 1999, after an initial shock and fear, I began to think rationally. I began to realize that the choice to practice Falun Gong was not simply the choice of a way to exercise my body, but a choice of a way to cultivate, a choice of my future and my life. On this path there might be unimaginable pressure and suffering. Was my choice correct? Was Master's Fa right? Recalling the huge change to my body and mind in the past two years since beginning Falun Dafa practice, my mind gradually became clear and my thoughts became resolute. I felt that Dafa and Master were not wrong, and my choice was not wrong. I resisted the pressure from society, family and friends and continued to read Master's books and to practice the exercises. I gradually was able to understand the Fa from the Fa.
As the Fa-rectification process moved forward, I started to clarify the truth to people. But because of my attachment to fear, I often debated in my mind until I was sure the person would not report me; then I would talk to them. Thus, my scope of truth clarification was small, and truth clarification was difficult. Now I realized that at those moments, besides having fear, I lacked sufficient righteous belief, lacked righteous thoughts and did not have enough of a clear understanding of the evil nature of this persecution. These were fundamental reasons for creating barriers in my mind.
In 2003 my family went through a tribulation. This event made me raise my understanding of the seriousness of cultivation and the relationship between cultivation and Fa-rectification. One day the police unexpectedly arrested my practitioner wife and several other practitioners. They had to endure tortures such as beatings, wearing shackles, not being allowed to go to the restroom, and sleep deprivation. When I was enduring huge social pressure, I came to realize my present responsibilities as a Dafa practitioner. I realized that I should not wait, and should not be afraid. I should go out to disclose the evildoers and persecution, in order to rescue my fellow practitioners.
I made the best of my time to clarify the truth to colleagues, managers, law enforcement people, friends and relatives. I gradually lost my notion of fear in the process. The truth clarification results were getting better. Also due to the righteous thoughts and righteous actions, a few months later my wife and other practitioners were successfully released. This round of persecution alerted the practitioners in our region; together with me they witnessed the evilness and madness of the persecution and recognized the persecution's true nature. Other practitioners gradually joined the great current of truth clarification. The situation in our region quickly changed in a great way for the better. After this tribulation, I realized that truth clarification is a precious tool to destroy the evil and help stop the persecution. The process of truth clarification is not only a process to disclose the evil and counter the persecution; it is also a process to eliminate the notion of fear, and more so, a process to offer salvation to people and validate the Fa.
A colleague at my place of employment, not knowing the truth, made a disrespectful joke about Master at a meeting. I felt crestfallen! We cannot circumvent difficulties when we encounter them.
Once when I was distributing Falun Dafa materials with my wife, we took special care to leave some materials for him. When we arrived outside his home, we noticed a very bright street light and a group of people chatting under it. I thought, "Why won't these people leave?" Just as I thought this, the light went out. The people complained and walked away. I quickly pushed the materials under the door. When I turned around again and had walked a few steps, the light came back on. My wife whispered, "Master is helping us!" A few days later, this colleague took the initiative to ask me about the Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident. Since then, he has stopped saying condescending words against Master and has begun to promote Dafa among our colleagues. This lesson made me I realize that as long as our hearts and minds are on the Fa, are on the issue of saving people, Master is always protecting us and helping us. Thus, we can accomplish the goal we desire.
In February 2005 Master published His article, "Turning the Wheel Towards the Human World." My body and mind went through another trial - another elevation of levels. That day, another practitioner told me about quitting the Party. I hesitated for a minute, just one short minute, but it was a severe trial having to do with one of my fundamental attachments. I thought that if I quit the Party and my name was made public, how would my managers and colleagues see me? More seriously, what if I lose my job? I didn't know then about using an alias. But I immediately realized that it was a human attachment, the notion of fear. It was a fundamental attachment I should eliminate. One minute passed. My thinking became resolute, "Can I reach enlightenment while I'm attached to a government job? There is Master, there is the Fa. What is there to be afraid of? Quit!"
A few days later, the practitioner who had sent in my renunciation on the Internet told me that he had used an alias for me. I knew it was Master seeing my resolute mind, protecting me, and more importantly, encouraging me to make further progress.
After quitting the Party I encountered symptoms of a heavy cold, which hadn't shown up for several years. I clearly realized that this was the Communist evil spirit persecuting me in its last-ditch struggle. I reinforced sending righteous thoughts. The evil spirit was quickly eliminated. After eliminating it, I again felt like I had been reborn, with a new body and new life.
My circumstances are similar to those of many other practitioners. In the past several years we have changed from practicing qigong for health reasons, to becoming ordinary cultivators, and have finally become true Dafa practitioners in the Fa-rectification period. In the eight years of tempering, my body and mind continue to rise in levels in Dafa. Now I truly understand Dafa's profundity and the seriousness of the Fa rectification. Our responsibilities are heavy and sacred.
November 21, 2005