High School Teacher: My Tribulation Dissolved After I Let Go of My Ego

(Minghui.org) More than a decade ago, my various attachments created a loophole in my cultivation and I was arrested for my faith in Falun Dafa. Master Li (the founder of Falun Dafa) had in fact given me subtle hints and reminders many times, but I ignored them. 

One day a friend told me that he didn’t want to see me end up in a brainwashing center. But my ego prevented me from looking inward. I thought because I had some prestige among ordinary people, the old forces wouldn’t dare do anything to me. My thinking and reasoning were not aligned with the Fa. As a result, I was sentenced to three years in prison and lost my job.

Clarifying the Truth to the Police on the Phone

After I was released, a great opportunity presented itself—a private school invited me to join their teaching staff and offered a competitive salary. I felt that it was all arranged by Master.

County police officer Lin called me one afternoon in 2019. He bombarded me with questions, trying to find out more about my current situation.

This passage of Master’s Fa came to mind, 

“...you should go and clarify the truth to him. It is a master key, the key that can unlock that thing all beings have had sealed off for a long time and been awaiting for ages.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World Volume IV)

I asked Lin what the purpose of the phone call was. He said he was merely following protocol to call and check on recently released prisoners. I told him, “Well, since you’ve mentioned it, I’ll tell you the truth. But first I have to make it clear that this is between you and me. None of it should be used to persecute practitioners.” I wanted to save him from committing more crimes against Falun Dafa. 

I told Lin that Falun Dafa teaches people to be good. It teaches people to become better by following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Practicing Falun Dafa helps people get rid of illnesses and stay healthy. 

I told him about the 1998 survey conducted in Guangzhou and surrounding areas, where 20,000 practitioners were interviewed. Ninety percent of them reported full recovery from illnesses through practicing Falun Dafa. They said their family relationships became harmonious and they were considered exemplary employees at work. They worked hard and did not compete for better positions. Based on this survey, Qiao Shi, one of the top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) at the time, concluded that Falun Dafa benefited the country in many ways and did no harm. 

However, Jiang Zemin, the then head of the CCP, ignored opposition within the Party and started the ruthless persecution. The state-run media fabricated stories to smear and slander Dafa and continuously broadcast them. After carefully examining the video footage of the staged Tiananmen self-immolation incident, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization concluded that it was a hoax set up to frame Falun Dafa. Its purpose was to alienate and incite hatred towards practitioners and to justify the persecution and genocide of this spiritual group. 

Lin listened quietly during our phone call. He occasionally asked a question, trying to find out where I worked but I ignored his questions and kept clarifying the truth. I told him, “When I was imprisoned, I witnessed the ill-treatment and horrible torture that practitioners were subjected to. I hope you treat practitioners with kindness.” Lin simply said, “Good.” I then hung up. 

I checked the time and I had just about ten minutes to get to my next class. Thank you, Master for the perfect arrangement. I found out later that Lin was transferred to a different department.

Clarifying the Truth to an Officer Who Harassed Me At Home

I went to a nearby city in late September 2019 to purchase a car for my son. A young county police officer called my son and said that he wanted to see me. I told my son to tell the officer no. My son does not practice Falun Dafa, but is very supportive of Dafa. He said, “The officer is very polite. Why don’t you meet him?” To prevent the officer from bothering my son and his fiancee, I agreed to meet him at home. 

The officer arrived and brought along a child. My wife wouldn’t let him come in. I said to the officer, “There’s an old saying, ‘Whoever comes to my door is my guest.’ I should invite you in. But I know the purpose of your visit, so I can only talk to you outside.” 

I clarified the truth to him and told him, “The United States is going to sanction officials who are responsible for persecuting Falun Dafa. You have a small child. Even if you don’t think for yourself, please consider your child’s future. Don’t make it impossible for you or your family to go overseas one day.”

Our conversation went well and I mistakenly let my guard down. I answered his questions such as where I worked and what I did. Without realizing it, I cooperated with the evil and put my safety at risk. I was deceived by the appearance of kindness and wanted to show off my eloquence. I did not act in line with the Fa. 

Clarifying the Truth to the Police at Work

County police officers Zhou, Deng, and Chen later came to the school where I worked. They told the vice principal that they were looking for me because of a piece of property I owned. The vice principal called me to his office. I asked the officers, “Is this a personal matter or business?” They said they were there on business. “Then please show me your credentials.” The officers showed me their badges and a letter from the police department. I wrote down their names.

They warned me and told me not to clarify the truth to my students but said it was okay to pass out a few fliers. They seemed to know a little bit more about Dafa. They told me they were just following their supervisor’s directions. I didn’t answer any questions but continued to clarify the truth. 

I told them that Falun Dafa teaches people to be good people and conduct themselves according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I told them that Dafa is practiced in more than 100 countries and regions in the world. Many intellectuals and highly educated people, government officials, and elites of different fields practice Falun Dafa. I told them Dafa is welcomed by people around the world, and that it has been given thousands of awards and is acclaimed by governments. 

“If Falun Dafa were as bad as the CCP’s propaganda machine claims, who would welcome it? Why is Falun Dafa only persecuted in China? I hope you think about it. Why are practitioners unmoved by the CCP’s persecution and remain steadfast in their faith?” They wanted to photograph me but I refused. Then they explained that it was just a procedure so I agreed to be photographed. 

I told them the story related to the Berlin Wall. In 1992, former East Germany guard Ingo Heinrich was convicted for shooting Chris Gueffroy in 1989 as the youth tried to flee across the wall. When Heinrich said he was just following orders as a soldier, judge Theodor Seidel dismissed he defense and said that it was no problem to follow the order, but that he could have raised the muzzle by one centimeter to spare the innocent. 

One officer said, “We’ve already raised our muzzle high. We didn’t search your office and are only here to gather some information.” I advised them to treat practitioners with kindness. One responded, “If they are outside of our jurisdiction, we won’t bother them. But if they are, we have to do what we’re told.”

I was not frightened during the visit but I was slightly worried about losing my job. I didn’t proactively clarify the truth to my administrators following the visit. Because I failed to expose the evil in a timely manner, it did cost me my job.

Looking Inward and Cultivating Myself

After summer school ended last year, my principal asked me to resign. He said it was because I practice Falun Dafa. I clarified the truth to him and he was very receptive. However, the local police were after me. They had put a lot of pressure on the school to fire me. 

I was the homeroom teacher for a senior class for the third year in a row. Most of my students from the previous two years were accepted into the most prestigious schools in China. One of my students even placed first among all seniors in the city in the college entrance exams. The principal had tried his best to stall the police in order to keep me. 

But the city and district Education Bureau and police department kept pressuring him, and the principal felt he had no choice but to let me go. He promised to compensate me for the entire year, including the full senior teacher bonus. Not wanting to make it difficult for my principal and colleagues who cared about me, I resigned. I lost this great job because I was afraid I’d lose it. I decided that I had to let go of my fear and proactively clarify the truth.

I left my teaching position at the private school toward the end of summer. Many schools had already recruited and signed contracts with their teachers for the next school year. But I didn’t lose hope. When I was released from prison, I quickly found a job with Master’s help. I went from making 20,000 yuan a year to more than 200,000 yuan a year. I knew there must be a way for me to make a living, given that I practice Falun Dafa. I also had years of teaching experience under my belt. 

A friend soon referred me to a job at a school in the neighboring city. This is a newly established school and the students’ grades and behavior were bad. The principal had me take over as homeroom teacher to a class whose behavior was especially challenging.

Most of the students in my class were preparing to enter the STEM track in college but literature and history was my forte. The parents were not happy with me and with the fact that the homeroom teacher was replaced without their permission. I explained that it was the school’s decision and mentioned a few things about the students, which offended some of the parents. They didn’t have confidence in me and they were concerned about their children’s future. The discussion with the parents became heated. I was used to being the dominating voice in my classes and having supportive parents. How dare they talk to me like this? I was hurt and bitter. Because I didn’t maintain my xinxing and argued with them, the parents became angrier.

Just as things escalated, I remembered what Master said,

“As a cultivatorOne always looks for one’s own faults‘Tis the Way to get rid of attachments most effectively...” (“Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong,” Hong Yin III)

I calmed down and examined myself thoroughly. I found my attachment to upholding my ego and I was not considerate of others. I needed to eliminate these attachments. I stopped arguing with the parents and focused on doing a good job teaching the kids. I treated each one of them with kindness. Toward the end of the school year, the one parent who was most upset with me sincerely apologized after seeing how much his child improved.

Counteracting the CCP’s Efforts to Brainwash Students

For decades, the CCP has targeted children. It uses the school system and textbooks to brainwash them. This is reflected in many school activities. The class “blackboard” is one of them. The school Moral Education Department assigned a theme for the month of October to sing the praises of the Communist regime. The department was going to inspect each classroom’s blackboard and hold a contest within each grade. 

I decided that a Dafa practitioner’s class would not do such a thing—I would not allow my students be to brainwashed. I told the class, “Fall is a season when many diseases spread, so we have to pay extra attention to our health. Our theme for October will be ‘Health and Wellness.’” We filled our blackboard with information about staying healthy, and the Moral Education Department never came to inspect our class. 

The school also dictates the content of the blackboards to be related to the CCP whenever they receive “Red Character” documents from the Education Bureau. I told my grade supervisor, “The CCP’s deceitful, evil, and violent nature has caused the deaths of more than 80 million Chinese people through its various political movements. They fabricated history to deceive people. I don’t like it. I am not trying to be unsupportive of our school but I oppose singing the praises of the evil Party. I enjoy all of our culture-related events such the calligraphy exhibit.” The supervisors nodded silently.

The city Office of Cultural Affairs released a document outlining plans for an event to prevent “cults” from entering schools. All the students and staff were required to participate. I knew the CCP would use this event to slander Dafa. My students and I would not participate. I asked Master to strengthen me and I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate the negative impact this was going to have on the students. The event was canceled.

To promote our school, the administrators came up with the idea of a singing contest of CCP propaganda songs at the local shopping center. All students and teachers were required to participate and the local communities were invited as well. Three thousand people were expected to attend. 

I told a colleague, “Bo Xilai (a former member of the Politburo of the CCP who was convicted on bribery and embezzlement charges) sang the CCP’s praises and ended up in prison. This singing contest is not going to bring the school good luck. An outbreak of the CCP virus (COVID-19) is imminent. Why does the principal want to hold a large event like this?” I sent righteous thoughts and asked Master for help. About two weeks before the event, the Education Bureau instructed the school to cancel it.