(Clearwisdom.net)
Greetings, Compassionate and Great Master!
Greetings, dear fellow practitioners!
Obtaining the Fa in This Chaotic World
I obtained the book Falun Gong in 1996 by chance. I realized that it was a profound cultivation practice, but didn't take it up. I did read the book when life became difficult. Due to my poor enlightenment quality, I didn't study the Fa in depth. I understood that the book was teaching people how to become a good person. I took it as an ordinary qigong, so I was not diligent. Actually, I didn't cherish Falun Dafa and the rare opportunity to obtain an orthodox cultivation practice.
When my wife's workplace transferred her to a town from the village we lived in, we got in touch with Falun Dafa practitioners. We realized that Teacher had arranged for us to meet up with other practitioners. In May 1998, I finally understood the value of the practice and decided to practice cultivation from then on, so I could return home with Teacher.
After I practiced cultivation in earnest, I took lightly personal fame and interest and became a hard worker. Disregarding fame and rewards helped me achieve harmony. I lived by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. In my spare time, fellow practitioners and I went to suburban areas to help others learn about the practice. We studied the Fa and practiced the exercises as a group.
Nothing Stopped Us from Talking about Falun Gong
On July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and Jiang Zemin regime banned the practice and began its cruel persecution of Falun Dafa. At the beginning, I felt lost and filled with pain. Around December 26, 1999, my wife and I went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong. We brought along an appeal letter asking the government to restore Teacher's and Falun Dafa's reputation. Before leaving, we left letters of resignation at our respective work units.
On Tiananmen Square, I witnessed great acts by many practitioners who risked their lives to appeal for justice for Falun Gong. We were arrested and taken back to our local area. I was detained in a cell with inmates who were sentenced to death. Guards ordered prisoners to make me give up my belief. I told them that good is rewarded with good and the evil is met with evil. I spoke about Falun Dafa and taught them how to become a good person. Many were astounded because of the compassion displayed by practitioners. A 17-year-old boy who had killed someone in a fight wanted to hear more about Falun Dafa. He swore to become a good person later and make amends. Everyone, including the guards, were filled with admiration for Dafa, and the inmates stopped fighting and quarreling. Our cell became peaceful. I often thought that if there were no persecution, these lost lives would be free to listen to Falun Dafa and change into good people. Everyone, including bad people, has a good side.
I was sentenced to one year of forced labor. I firmly believed in Teacher and Falun Dafa and told the facts about the practice to everyone. The guards didn't listen, but their attitudes didn't stop me from speaking about Falun Gong. The guards tortured me physically and spiritually. In the daytime I had to perform heavy labor and at night they tried to brainwash me. I was forced to listen to lies about Falun Gong, study the CCP culture, and stand at attention. I felt depressed and fatigued. It was difficult to adjust to this type of life from having been recognized for good work and being a role model at work. It is just like Teacher said, "Tempering the Will" (Hong Yin I). I firmly believed in Teacher and Falun Dafa. Whenever I felt fatigued and couldn't work anymore, a guard asked me to speak of my thoughts. Instead, I told them about Falun Dafa and my cultivation experience. Teacher was protecting me at all times.
We secretly wrote down Teacher's articles, which we exchanged and memorized at night. Whenever possible, I tried to recall every sentence, and the content of every lecture. I recalled and memorized the Fa repeatedly in my heart day in and day out. The great Fa principles solidified my righteous thoughts and helped me through that harsh time. Trying to "transform" me, the guards frequently took me to another courtyard at 2:00 or 3:00 a.m. I kept in mind firmly Teacher's Fa:
"With the master and the Fa here what is there to fear" ("Lecture in Sydney")
"If you can let go of life and death, you're a God; if you can't let go of life and death, you're a human"("Teaching the Fa in New York City")
Every time after I told them the facts about Falun Gong and answered their questions, the environment became harmonious and I returned to the cell safely.
One night I was taken to an office. As I entered, I saw handcuffs and a rope on the desk. The guard looked vicious. He told me to think carefully and said, "You must 'transform.'" I calmed down and expressed my firm belief in Teacher and Falun Dafa. Finally, he spoke of his problems because of me. They had taken several hundred yuan from his salary because of me. I said, "We are cultivating by following the principles Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and trying to be good, yet we are tortured. To help people cherish Falun Dafa and not do bad things, we went to Beijing to appeal to the government for justice for Falun Gong. Yet, we are imprisoned in prisons and in forced labor camps and our families are also suffering. Our salaries have been cut, and practitioners lose several thousand yuan and benefits every month, but we never complain. Yet, you grieve for losing a little money. You are also harming people." He stopped mistreating me and gave me a big red apple. I knew that Teacher was encouraging me. As long as we believe in Teacher and Dafa, we will indeed find: "After passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead!" (Zhuan Falun) (official translation)
In April 2001, I was arrested again. I first thought that I had not been careful when talking to practitioners over the phone. I looked within and found that I didn't study the Fa well enough and indulged in lust and comfort after being released from the forced labor camp. I had stopped clarifying the truth about Falun Gong to co-workers and sentient beings. The police claimed that I would be sentenced to one year of forced labor. When I was taken to the labor camp, a practitioner and I told police the facts about Falun Dafa and sent righteous thoughts at the same time. There was lightning and thunder when we arrived at the camp. We failed the physical and the forced labor camp refused to accept us. The police officer was adamant about getting us admitted to the camp, but he didn't succeed. He was angry and said, "You are so bad that they don't even want to take you." I was happy in my heart. Teacher said,
"In the workplace or in society, some people may say that you are bad, yet you may not necessarily be bad. Some people may say that you are good, but you may not really be good. As a practitioner, if you assimilate yourself to this characteristic you are one that has attained the Tao--it's just such a simple principle." (Zhuan Falun)
I was returned to the detention center. In the meantime, I developed an attachment of elation, fear of suffering pain, and the wish to be released as soon as possible. I didn't look within and get rid of bad thoughts. Three days later, officials from the Gansu Province 610 Office and others took me to Ping'antai No. 1 Forced Labor Camp.
The guards tortured practitioners, forcing us to do hard labor during the day and torturing us spiritually at night. Some practitioners were handcuffed to the metal bed frame, so they could neither squat down nor stand up straight. Some practitioners were beaten brutally by inmates, and others were deprived of sleep. The guards forced us to read books that slandered Falun Dafa and attempted to brainwash us.
Despite all the pressure, we insisted on telling the facts about Falun Gong, honoring our prehistoric vows and saving sentient beings. We supported each other. We held righteous thoughts and a strong belief in Falun Dafa. Practitioners appealed to the government for the right to practice Falun Dafa, distributed truth clarification materials, and established material production sites. Two practitioners that had been detained with me were persecuted to death. Thinking about them makes me cry. Our great Teacher and the great Buddha Fa have forged thousands of great Falun Dafa disciples. These practitioners' indestructible righteous faith in the cosmos's Truth frightened all evil. When we cooperate well as one body, the evil system in the forced labor camp will collapse.
With Teacher's Protection, Dafa's Mighty Power Shines Brightly
In July 2000, my wife and I took our four-year-old son to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong. To prevent local authorities and our workplaces from being affected, I didn't give my name. Later, I was detained in the Beijing Chongwenmen Police Station. Because I refused to memorize the cell rules, the police ordered detainees to pressure me. It was late autumn. Everyone else wore warm clothes, but I had only shorts and a short sleeved shirt. They didn't give me any food, clothes, or daily use products.
One day, a guard took me out of the cell and shocked me with an electric baton. I recited Teacher's poem again and again in my heart,
"In life, nothing sought,
In death, regretting naught;
Washing away all wrong thought,
Buddhahood, with less
adversity, is wrought."
("Nothing Kept," Hong Yin)
The guard showed me a Falun Dafa book and pretended to be a practitioner. He was persuasive and wanted me to renounce Falun Dafa and tell him my name and address. I opened the book and saw Teacher's picture. Teacher looked at me compassionately, his eyes filled with tender care. Teacher's smile gave me great courage. At that moment my righteous thoughts were solidified and my face was bathed in tears. I could feel Teacher's expectations and his happiness when he saw us doing well.
Forty minutes later I returned to the cell. A detainee cursed loudly, "Look! They beat you terribly!" It wasn't until that moment that I noticed my scorched arms and legs. When the inmates saw my firm belief in Dafa, they changed their attitude and gave me their tomatoes. They no longer cooperated with the guards, took care of me, and helped me. When local police from my area and colleagues came to get me, all the inmates stood up and wished me well. This came as a great surprise to the police, who knew only violence. Only Falun Dafa practitioners that live by the principles Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance could generate kind thoughts, help people like this and bring out their human nature.
Over the past 12 years, many people, no matter how evil they once were, stopped cooperating with the authorities and started protecting practitioners once they were moved by the Falun Dafa principles. In the prison, they passed around Teacher's articles and memorized Hong Yin with us. We became friends. Many people were bathed in Teacher's infinite grace.
The guards used many torture methods in the labor camp. I always held one thought in mind, "Teacher and Dafa are all-powerful and indestructible." One time, the labor camp broadcast a film that slandered Falun Dafa and ordered everyone to see it, but I refused. Guard Li Zhengang, who was very cruel and beat practitioners brutally, took me to his office. He cursed at me and wanted to beat me. I recited in my heart,
"Think twice about your savagery, oh wicked ones
When Heaven and Earth are bright again,
down to the boiling cauldron shall you go
Little can punches and kicks change a person's heart
Violent winds usher in an autumn with harsher chill"("The Chill of Autumn's Winds," Hong Yin II)
Suddenly I felt that I was very huge and the guard very small, not worthy of looking at me. He was dumbfounded. His evilness disappeared and his eyes were full of fear. I constantly sent righteous thoughts in my heart and looked straight into his eyes.
From then on Li Zhengang no longer dared to persecute me. He ordered a drug abuser to monitor and torture me. I was forced to stay in a corner and not allowed to walk around. He also ordered two detainees to read books to me that slandered and defamed Dafa. I thought, "You don't have the final say. I will not listen. I closed my eyes and sent righteous thoughts. They couldn't sit still, so from time to time they walked back and forth. I sent righteous thoughts to let those evil guards who tortured me receive retribution in this lifetime. That night they got drunk, and despite drinking not that much, they vomited and thought they had a case of bad alcohol. They had stomach trouble for the entire week, and vomited everything they ate.
I was detained for six months without having left the building and without family visits. I memorized the Fa and sent righteous thoughts every day. I didn't suffer too much. I let go of my attachment to life and death. I wrote a will and managed to send it to my classmate. In the letter I spoke of Falun Dafa. I also talked about my situation in the labor camp and the persecution Dafa practitioners suffered. I told him that if one day he heard that I had jumped from the building, had committed suicide, or was dying of an illness, he could be sure that I had been tortured to death by the guards. I asked him to pass my will along to my father if he heard such news.
This was my level of thought at the time. Actually, how could the evil be allowed to persecute practitioners? How could practitioners be persecuted to death? I was 31 years old that year. I felt miserable for having written a will in that evil environment. Thanks to great Teacher's strengthening and protection, the guards that monitored me and partook in the torture I suffered gave me the opportunity to leave the building after six months and then they no longer tortured me.
In July 2003, I escaped and became homeless. The local 610 Office searched for me. They also monitored my relatives. During that time, I didn't forget my responsibility as a practitioner who is saving more sentient beings and talked about the benefits Dafa gave to its practitioners. I wrote about Falun Dafa on paper, playing cards, and notebooks and distributed them everywhere. I collected poems regarding the benefits of Falun Dafa, facts about the persecution of Falun Gong, and the evil nature of the CCP, and then compiled them into a pamphlet. I distributed the pamphlets in the residential community. During that time, I couldn't get in touch with fellow practitioners, nor could I log onto the Minghui/Clearwisdom website. Teacher saw everything that was in my heart and strengthened me. Soon after, I bought some equipment and started burning DVDs of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and all kinds of material about Falun Gong.
Gradually I developed an attachment to doing things. I didn't often look within and so failed to rectify myself. One time, plainclothes police followed me after I spent a lot of monetary bills that had messages about Falun Gong written on them. At the time, I hadn't known that my landlord was also involved in persecuting practitioners. I calmed down and looked within, studied the Fa more, and sent righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil. The police had many people following me. Even other homeowners in that community participated in monitoring me. It seemed as if I was in trouble. One night, it was as if the evil elements were rushing towards me, trying to surround me. I sent righteous thoughts for a longer time to eliminate the evil. I asked practitioners in my family to send righteous thoughts and help me break through the tribulations. I gave the Nine Commentaries and other informational materials to the people who tracked me and told them about how the CCP persecuted Falun Gong and its practitioners. I also told them all that had happened to me and my family.
I returned from my homeless state and lived in a noble and upright fashion. I validated the Fa with righteous words and actions. In the meantime, I personified the purity, compassion, forbearance, and righteousness of practitioners. My surrounding environment changed. The poisonous words injected into people's minds by the CCP disappeared. People changed their attitude towards practitioners, from hatred to concern, and from concern to care, protection, and kindness.
After we became homeless, my wife and I worked on a construction site, ran a steamed bread store and set up a temporary stall. Now, we have a small store. Although we have suffered a lot, our hearts are at peace. Practicing cultivation in Dafa is our choice, and we will never regret it. We are helping Teacher save sentient beings and spreading the good news and blessings of Dafa while doing business, inspiring people to be kind. Dafa's mighty power constantly surrounds us. Now we are doing well, and people have learned to like us. Ordinary people admire us. I often told people, "We are blessed, because our entire family practices Falun Dafa."
Remembering the past, I realized that every test and every tribulation was actually aimed at our hearts. As long as we believe in Teacher and Dafa, the evil couldn't move us even a little, and we could walk every step forward steadily. Teacher's grace is infinite!
I want to kneel down to express my thanks to Master. Thank you, great Master. Thank you for your compassion. It's difficult to be worthy of Master's grace. Whenever I miss Master, my face is bathed in tears.
I also want to express my sincere thanks to fellow practitioners overseas. Let's stand together through storm and stress, spread the wonderful news of Falun Dafa everywhere, and save more sentient beings!
