[Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day] Persevering in My Faith

(Minghui.org) The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been persecuting Falun Dafa for 24 years. Many people have asked me, “Why are you so determined in your belief?”

It is true that many practitioners have been detained, imprisoned, and tortured. Some of us have lost our jobs and even our lives. But countless practitioners have persevered. Maybe it’s hard for people to understand the rationale behind it. But the following is my answer to the question.

My Parents

I was born in the 1970s. Both of my parents worked very hard, which took a toll on their health. At the recommendation of relatives, my parents began to practice Falun Dafa in 1996. The changes in them were dramatic. Not only did their health improve, but my father also stopped drinking and smoking. They stopped fighting with each other and our family became harmonious. Every day after work, they joined other practitioners to study Dafa’s teachings and do the exercises. They also discussed the attachments they had and areas where they could improve.

Life was simple and happy at the time. The audio lectures of Master Li Hongzhi, founder of Falun Dafa, were often played at home. The teachings influenced me, and I understood the importance of moral standards. I learned to be honest and have integrity.

However, as a young man in his early 20s, I was still longing for a “successful and good” life, so I did not really practice Dafa.

Difficult Times

Jiang Zemin, the former CCP leader, started to suppress Falun Dafa in July 1999. Overnight, all practitioners faced a choice: their conscience or material interests. The pressure was intense.

Having benefited from Dafa physically and spiritually, my parents knew that Dafa was good, and they would not give up their belief. They decided to go to Beijing to appeal and tell officials the facts about Dafa. I knew the hate propaganda put out by the CCP was false. In fact, all the practitioners I knew were rational and good people. None of them did what the CCP claimed. Therefore, I was worried about my parents for their safety, but I understood their choice.

For appealing for Falun Dafa, my parents were illegally detained and sent to forced labor camps. I had to travel between detention centers and labor camps to visit them. The detention center once told me to pick up my mother’s winter coat. Seeing the worn-out clothing all bloodstained, I was in tears. Because of her faith in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, my mother had to suffer so much. I asked Master in my mind, “How long will these tragedies continue?”

Every month I had to visit both places where my parents were being held. I could not find a full-time job. To make things worse, some of our relatives stayed away from me to avoid being implicated. During those years, I experienced so much pain and sorrow. No matter how difficult it was, I always kept Dafa’s principles in my mind. That is, I would not do anything bad or cause trouble.

I was thankful for those practitioners who took care of me during those years. They often visited me and gave me some money. Some often bought me some food. One of them introduced her daughter to me, and she later became my wife.

Beginning to Practice

I began to read Zhuan Faun, the main teachings of Falun Dafa, in 2002. Finally, I completely understood why so many practitioners risked their lives for their belief, because Dafa is truly great. Master told us that the real purpose of life is to return to one’s original, true self by assimilating to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. That was how I became a Dafa practitioner.

At first, I did not know how to cultivate. As time went on, I learned how to apply the Dafa principles in my daily life. In 2003, I was hired by a large state-owned enterprise. In that setting, few people put solid effort into their work. Considering myself a practitioner, I always tried my best to do things well.

The company had a renovation project that winter. We frequently had to do physical labor outdoors. Because it was just over minus 10 degrees Celsius (14° F), none of my coworkers could bear it, and went inside after a while, leaving me working there with a spade. I continued after lunch until the day was over.

This project lasted more than ten days. During this process, I was the only one who continued working till the end. Later on, one official praised me in front of the management team, “He [referring to me] treats the company like his own home and always works hard whether people are watching or not.” I know that I am just an ordinary practitioner, and did what other practitioners would do.

Telling People the Facts

Some people do not understand why Falun Dafa practitioners would spend so much effort to tell others about the practice. The reason is simple: The CCP has mobilized all its media outlets to defame Dafa, and it has blocked all channels for practitioners to express their opinions or appeal. As a result, practitioners have no choice but to hand out materials, clarify the facts face to face, and make phone calls.

During breaks at work, I often chatted with coworkers about Dafa and the CCP’s lies about the practice. I later went to work at another company and began using online channels to raise awareness about the persecution. Email is an effective way to disseminate information. I often collected email addresses in my spare time and sent out lots of emails.

The feedback was good. One netizen replied, “I once joined the Youth League. I have overcome the Internet blockade to access an overseas website and quit the organization.” Another person replied, “Thank you and please be mindful of your safety.” These emails always motivated me to do better.

Validating Dafa in the Detention Center

By 2009, I had been promoted to be an executive of the company. Because we gave out Falun Dafa materials, however, both my wife and I were arrested. During that time, I emphasized the importance of my job. Because there were important job responsibilities the following day, I asked the officials to contact my company so that my work could be transitioned to someone else. Even after being taken into the interrogation room, I still talked about these activities. One police officer was very touched and called out, “If I had a business, I would hire someone like you!”

After some time, officials ransacked my home and held me in a detention center. The president of my company contacted the police to bail me out. At that time, if I’d signed documents to renounce my practice, I would have been able to go home, continue my life, and possibly advance my career to become the company’s vice president, which I was already a candidate for.

Knowing that Dafa is great and teaches one to be a good person, I could not go against my conscience and do things against Dafa. In fact, it was Dafa that gave me the wisdom and ability to do my job well.

One person I met in the detention center, Gan, was detained for bribery. He was a manager at a criminal police squadron. Whenever there was a break, he wanted to discuss Falun Dafa with me. We once had an in-depth discussion and I told him that as a Dafa practitioner, I never accepted kickbacks or bribes, or did things against my conscience such as having an affair. “Dafa has made me a good person with great health,” I explained. “All genuine Dafa practitioners would do the same. When you see practitioners in the future, you can always treat them as friends you can trust.”

Gan was very moved, and when watching television news in the evening, he copied me to do the sitting meditation with his eyes closed.

Yuan, a modest farmer, had accidentally killed a villager in a conflict. He started to observe me, and after some time, he said I was different from how television portrayed practitioners.

I smiled and said, “Yuan, the CCP fabricated those lies to mislead people so that it could suppress Falun Dafa. They are not true. Just look at practitioners in your village or nearby and you will have an idea, right?”

“What you said is indeed true,” Yuan nodded and said.

In detention, I often helped the elderly, cleaning or sewing the clothes for those who could not do so. I helped others write legal documents, clean up the place, and answered all kinds of questions. Some inmates were impressed that I seemed to understand everything.

Yuan saw this and he became my best friend there. “I used to believe whatever the CCP said. Now I know those are all lies and I am so happy to know that Dafa is so wonderful,” he said.

Although everyone was expecting him to receive a death sentence, Yuan was given a life sentence instead. I knew this was a blessing because of his positive attitude toward Dafa. “I will tell my wife that I will become a Dafa practitioner!” Yuan said.

My sentence was five years and my appeal was rejected by the higher court. After I was admitted to the prison, two inmates were assigned to watch me around the clock, one during the day and one at night.

One day, several inmates asked me about Dafa. I told them that one year before the persecution started in 1998, a survey was conducted by Qiao Shi, former chairman of the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. Based on several independent surveys, both Qiao and the National Department of Sport concluded that Falun Dafa offered many benefits and caused no harm.

I clarified the CCP’s propaganda on the Tiananmen Square staged self-immolation incident. I asked them to think about why the plastic bottle containing gasoline and the hair of the alleged self-immolator Wang Jindong, both high flammable, didn’t catch fire? How could the police officer get a fire extinguisher in such a short time? And how could the little girl, Liu Siying, sing in the TV interview even though she’d supposedly had a tracheotomy?

I told them that the CCP didn’t dare allow people to read Zhuan Falun, the main teaching of Falun Dafa. If they did, everyone would know that Dafa was righteous, and the CCP’s lies would be exposed. I talked for half an hour and the inmates listened attentively. “We want to thank you because we now understand it all,” one of them said.

From the time I entered the prison, I refused to acknowledge that I was a prisoner. So I would not join the political study or do physical labor. During those four years in prison, many prisoners learned the facts about Dafa through my behavior. Gan said to me, “I met Falun Dafa practitioners in the past but hardly talked with them. Now I’ve learned everything from you,” he said. He is still in contact with me today.

Another inmate, Zhu, who was on death row, had caused headaches for almost all the guards. Because he kept causing trouble, he had been held in three different prisons. Zhu had no interest in being exonerated, so officers did not know what to do with him. Since he had not contacted his family for many years, no family members ever visited him. I often bought daily necessities and food for him. We also chatted a lot. Zhu usually admired those mafia leaders and looked down on most inmates. But he respected me and I trusted him.

Knowing that the CCP mistreated people, Zhu often criticized the inmates for spending money for term reductions, and the guards for accepting bribes. He learned the truth about Dafa and was sympathetic to practitioners. I encouraged him not to give up, and try to get home early. He took my advice and finally contacted his family. His family members visited him and gave him some money. Zhu stopped being so cynical. The day I was released, Zhu stood there for a long time to see me off.

Sometimes when I looked at the tall buildings outside the prison, I knew I could have been an executive enjoying a life of luxury had I given up my faith. But after those years in the prison, I became even more firm in my faith and truly became a Dafa practitioner who was selfless and considerate of others.

Starting from the Beginning

After my wife was arrested with me back then, she was sent to a labor camp for one year. After she was released, she developed a mental disorder. When I returned home, she did not recognize me. She often dressed poorly or wore nothing at all. After five years behind bars, I was unprepared for so many changes.

At first, I went to live with my parents. They asked me to first calmly study the Dafa teachings and do the exercises. This would allow me some time to get familiar with these changes and interact with my wife later. After some time, with help from my parents and parents-in-law, I was able to return home and began to take care of my wife.

It was not easy. My wife was not normal. Every day, she spoke nonsense, refused to eat, or hurled bad words at me. When this happened, I felt very bad. My parents suggested that I handle this as a cultivation opportunity and consider hardship as joy like Master said.

Had I been an everyday person, it would have been difficult to live like this. But as a practitioner, I knew that this was my responsibility. Every day, I shopped for groceries, did the cooking and household chores, and looked after my wife. Sometimes she defecated in bed and I had to clean it up quickly. Sometimes she swore at me fiercely, and I would recite the Dafa teachings silently. The CCP had persecuted my wife and I needed to take good care of her.

Many relatives and friends feel bad for my parents and me, thinking we have lost so much because of our faith. But we know that Dafa is good and the persecution is vicious. We are not doing this for ourselves but to safeguard the common good. It appears we have lost a lot, but our minds are peaceful and grounded.

To better validate Dafa, I decided to not only look after my wife but also go back to work. As long as we practitioners walk the right path, we will be fine. In 2016, I was hired by a well-known dining business as an executive. With a sense of responsibility and many years of management experience, I optimized the management workflow and infrastructure as well as improved productivity. My work was well recognized by the chairman of the board.

After accumulating some experience, I launched a dining business with a few friends. With good planning and quality products, we became a well-known business in my area. My relatives and friends were surprised by my accomplishments. They could not imagine how my family and I could achieve so much after all the suffering we had endured.

Only I know how much effort I have put in this and how much my parents have supported me. Without Dafa and Master Li, none of this would have been possible.

These are some of my experiences over these years. There are many more that I could not include because this article would be too long. I hope my story helps you understand Dafa and why it is so important for our society.