(Clearwisdom.net) As a Falun Dafa practitioner in China, I knew the evil Communist Party's (CCP) ruthless and vicious persecution of Dafa practitioners. Facing the persecution, I also knew that Teacher did not acknowledge the persecution, but I did not really know the inner meaning of this. As a result, I was persecuted repeatedly from 1999 to 2003. I was illegally arrested and detained, my home was ransacked, and I was held in a forced labor camp. I was in terrible shape. My family and my work unit were in turmoil, and my neighbors, friends, and relatives were seriously affected.
In July 2003, when people from my work unit drove to the forced labor camp to bring me back, I suddenly thought of Teacher's words:
“If every one of you can understand the Fa from the depths of your mind, that will truly be the manifestation of the Fa whose power knows no boundary—the reappearance of the mighty Buddha Fa in the human world!” (“Cautionary Advice,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
My mind shook: “Oh! I just need to recognize the Fa from my heart!” The words Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance suddenly became part of my mind. I seemed to understand that I only needed to follow the standard of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to do things. I then knew how to clarify the truth to people. I chatted with them, thinking only of how to tell them about Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
The CCP staff who were participating in the persecution, because they were either deceived by the lies or influenced by power or self-interest, were in fact pushing their own lives toward destruction. Those participating in the persecution and those just poisoned by the lies, unable to distinguish right from wrong, were the real victims of the persecution. I no longer hated them and no longer treated them with ill will. Instead, I used opportunities to clarify the truth to them in order to save them. Teacher said, “The power of true compassion can dissolve all deviant factors.” (“Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan”)
Of course, I continued to cultivate. Through studying the Fa a lot, I began to clearly understand what Teacher had said and that I had not done things according to the Fa, let alone done a good job. I deeply felt I had let down Teacher, Dafa, and all the people under my influence. Before this understanding, I often thought that I was persecuted because I was being diligent and had done well. I now realize my understanding was just plain wrong. At last when I looked inward, I was in real cultivation. A few days later, my unit leader brought my wage card to my home and told me that I was to retire early and didn't have to go back to work. From then on I received off-post payment, and I became a full-time cultivator. The police stopped harassing me. People in my work unit came to find me on the sensitive dates, claiming they had to bring me my cheque or they wanted to invite me to a dinner. During the Olympic Games, they took me to a scenic point. I brought with me some truth-clarifying material and spent a whole day with them. They were very polite every time we met and never spoke of Falun Gong. Of course I was aware of their intention, but I no longer bore them ill will; instead I used whatever opportunity available to clarify the truth to them.
Dafa has changed my mindset and I have become more compassionate. My practice environment is getting better and better, and there have been changes in my family that I couldn't have thought possible a few years ago. When my daughter also started practicing Falun Dafa, my husband was strongly against it. He was even worse than the evil guards and did a lot of bad things. Of course, I now understand the reason for his behavior was the lack of compassion in my heart. When my daughter and I became more compassionate, he no longer opposed our practice. He turns down the volume on the TV and closes the door tightly while I send forth righteous thoughts. He also started to practice sitting with his legs just crossed. I am glad for the changes in him and confident he will join us in cultivation someday. Although we sleep in separate bedrooms, our relationship is more harmonious than when we were first married. We are courteous and considerate to each other. When I think back to New Year's Eve, he was really exposed to a great deal of mental and economic stress when my daughter and I were arrested and held in a detention center. Then I was arrested at every turn and sent to a detention center, a brainwashing unit, and a forced labor camp. Our two computers were taken away, and we were forced to pay heavy fines. Now I feel that he was the one really being persecuted. At that time, I did not know to look inward, and I hated him for becoming the evil accomplice. I even included him in my list of people to be destroyed. It was really an unrighteous thought, and this caused many troubles! When trouble came, I regarded it as persecution. I hated the evil guards. It was my human notion of “not acknowledging the persecution” that lacked compassion and thus could not only not stop the persecution, but could increase it. That was why I suffered a long period of tribulations.
Since 2005, in the process of doing the three things and especially, when I began to recite Zhuan Falun repeatedly from memory, my mind and body have dramatically changed. As my mind improved and I did the exercises regularly, I became very healthy and I now look much younger than my actual age of 60. When friends and relatives noticed the changes in me, they accepted the truth about Dafa readily and quit the CCP. Some of them even begin to study the Fa.
Even though I had long ago memorized “Compassion can harmonize Heaven and Earth, ushering in spring. Righteous thoughts can save the people in this world” (“The Fa Rectifies the Cosmos,” Hong Yin Vol. II) , I really didn't understand it. Then, I had only gained such a small amount of compassion and righteous thoughts. However, even that small amount of compassion and righteous thoughts helps me understand that freeing oneself of hatred and anger to achieve peace of mind is not easy and is indeed a painful process. Now I can experience the joy of Fa-rectification cultivation.
I will forge ahead vigorously in Fa cultivation, do well the three things, and live up to Teacher's compassion salvation.
