Cultivation Is Serious

(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1998 when I was in my 20s. After I read Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Dafa, I stopped being an atheist and I believed in Gods and Buddhas. I felt that Dafa was what I had been waiting for. Every time I saw Master Li Hongzhi’s picture in the book, I felt he smiled at me.

I felt that I was lucky to be human, because I could learn Dafa in this lifetime. I must cultivate well and follow Master on the path of cultivation. But cultivation is not a theory. It only happens when one truly puts it into practice and cultivates oneself.

“If everyone practiced Falun Dafa, the police station would close.”

At the end of September 2019, the police and community social workers called me and said people from the city and the district wanted to talk to me. I guessed it might be someone from the Political and Legal Affairs Committee. I said let’s meet at the neighborhood committee. My husband, who also practices Falun Dafa, accompanied me and said he would help me by sending righteous thoughts.

My husband was talking angrily when I entered the conference room. I later heard someone was holding his arm to prevent him from entering. It was obvious they wanted to talk to me alone. Two people I did not know met with me. I sent righteous thoughts so the person talking wouldn't say anything negative.

I sent forth thoughts so the person talking wouldn’t say anything negative. He turned his head and raised his eyes, and appeared to be thinking hard. The other official gave me a piece of paper and said he wanted me to sign.

It was a pledge document requiring the signer to be a law-abiding citizen. I refused since I hadn’t done anything wrong. I asked them if they planned to approach passersby and have them sign it. I said they were discriminating against me and my belief, and I would not accept it. They said that they had a video recording of our conversation. They asked if I contacted other practitioners. I later learned they were involved in the “Zero-out” campaign.

Because I did not sign the paper, the social workers visited me every week. I saw them waiting for me on my way home, and they even came to my workplace. They kept telling me I would face severe consequences if I didn’t sign. They threatened me and said it would impact my work and family. They then called and told me that the director of the police station wanted to talk with me.

We met in a meeting room of the neighborhood association. When the director took out the pledge document I said, “Don’t bother, I won’t sign.”

I told the director how my husband and I followed the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance for many years. My husband didn’t have a job. I had to work and take care of my mother-in-law who couldn’t take care of herself. The director asked me what he should do. I told him not to participate in the persecution of practitioners, otherwise he and his family might be held accountable for the CCP’s crimes.

The director said, “If half the people practiced Falun Dafa in our society, the policemen’s job would be easy. If everyone practiced, the police station would close.” He said he was under a lot of pressure, so he was forced to meet with me.

Our conversation showed that people are unwilling to participate in the persecution. But in order to survive in this evil environment, they have no choice but to do things that go against their moral values. They gradually become numb under the daily bombardment of lies and brainwashing. When practitioners sincerely and patiently explain the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance we can eliminate the evil factors and save them.

Let Go of Life and Death

I was at work when a police officer managing “Falun Dafa Affairs” called and said they were downstairs. I went and saw the director and someone from the Neighborhood Management Office. I greeted them warmly. The Neighborhood Management agent said, “You look normal!” I said, “Of course. Practitioners are normal.”

They invited me to dinner in a restaurant. The person from the Neighborhood Management took out two pieces of paper and asked me to sign. I said, “I won’t sign. Besides, can you guarantee that nothing will happen after I sign?” He said that he would try his best. I refused to sign it and said their approach was discriminatory.

After the food was served, the relaxed atmosphere turned tense. The person from the Neighborhood Management warned me, “If you don’t sign, we will continue coming to your home and office. We will keep looking for you.” I know that everything is arranged by Master, so I would not sign the document. This person kept threatening me, and I noticed the director was snickering.

It was almost 3 p.m. I said I needed to go back to work, but they blocked the door and told me to call the police. I asked them why I needed to call the police since they were the police. I realized they were trying to keep me there. If the police were called, they would try to force me to sign the statements, or they would not allow me to leave.

I was really struggling in my mind. Could I go back to work? What if I couldn’t? What would the company do if it found out? My head started to hurt, but I knew I wouldn’t sign anything. When they saw that I was determined to leave, they told me to go to the police station. I said I needed to go back to the office and get my bag.

As I walked downstairs, I begged Master not to let them take me away. I would only follow Dafa’s principles, and I would only follow the path arranged by Master. Even if I lost everything, I could not let them commit crimes against Falun Dafa and practitioners.

They sat on either side of me in the police car. The person from the Neighborhood Management said, “You think about it again and we’ll make an appointment to discuss it tomorrow.” I said yes, knowing in my heart that they actually wanted a way out, since there was no reason to detain me in the first place. They dropped me off near the company.

When I got out, the person from the Neighborhood Management said, “Don’t tell anyone what happened today, and don’t send a report to the Minghui website.” I felt the situation was amusing. These people wanted to appear so powerful but they were actually frightened. I felt they were pitiful because they were blinded by the CCP’s lies.

I was under great psychological pressure, and I told my husband what happened. I had a splitting headache and felt I was about to die. I felt like I was facing a life-or-death decision. No matter how bad my cultivation was, I knew I could not let them persecute me, since it would really hurt them.

I couldn’t sleep that night. I thought that since I obtained Dafa, I must cherish it. Believing in Dafa is not wrong, following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and being a good person was not wrong either. I asked Master to strengthen my righteous thoughts. I tried to recollect the Fa I could remember. I decided that I would not sign anything even if I lost everything. I had once been illegally sentenced. During my probation period, I signed some things out of fear, but I later published statements to rescind what I did.

When I got off work the next day, a social worker was waiting for me on a road I had to pass. Four people from the Neighborhood Management came, but none from the police station. They took out the pledge document letter and a piece of blank paper. They wanted me to either sign or write something on my own. I said that I would write “Falun Dafa is good.” They said no. I said that my faith was sacred and I would not sign anything. They saw that I really would not sign. My husband, who was sending righteous thoughts outside, then called me, so they let me go home.

That night, I felt that I experienced a life-and-death situation. I will cherish the remaining time to study the Fa, cultivate, and be kind to all living beings. I decided to listen to one of Master’s lectures every day and send righteous thoughts. They stopped looking for me. Thank you Master for your compassionate care!

Compassion for My Family

Growing up, I was afraid of my mother. She was uneducated, but was strongly indoctrinated by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). She liked to sing CCP songs and her actions and words were very hurtful. Even after I was an adult and married, I was still afraid to see her, because she frequently got angry for no reason.

After I started practicing Falun Dafa I seldom quarreled with her. I understood the meaning of human life, and why we are here. I knew that if I wanted to be truly good to my mother I should make her understand that Dafa is good. This is her purpose for coming to this world. My fear of her gradually disappeared.

I bought my mother the food she liked, bathed her, cut her hair, chatted with her, and walked with her every time I visited. I had her to listen to music composed by Dafa practitioners. I couldn’t talk to my mother if I didn’t practice Dafa, because before, we always quarreled whenever we spoke. We now get along, and talk and laugh.

My mother-in-law has practiced Falun Dafa for many years. She was bedridden for years because of her attachment to qing (emotion) for her family and had an unclear understanding of the Fa while we were persecuted. She likes to recite Master’s Hong Yin. My husband and I take care of her. I sometimes feel really tired. But I want to finish the cultivation journey with her no matter how tired I am. I reminded myself that this difficult situation shows me I need to give up my attachment to comfort.

Reciting the Nine Words Stopped the Stomachache

My husband was released from the detention center in 2008 and suffered from severe illness symptoms. He was thin but his belly was swollen. We studied the Fa and did the exercises every day. His condition kept improving.

With Master’s compassionate blessing, my husband’s bloated abdomen went down and he recovered without going to the hospital by the 19th day. We were very happy. We told our relatives who came to see us, and they were all surprised and happy for us. The persecution we suffered also put a lot of pressure on them. Through this incident, we helped them understand that “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”

Last year a relative called me and said that her husband had a severe stomachache. The doctor said he needed surgery. The family decided not to have surgery and just to take care of him themselves.

He witnessed the fact that my husband recovered without going to the hospital. Therefore, whenever he felt uncomfortable, he just recited the nine words, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good”, and he said it was truly effective.

During Chinese New Year this year, our relatives had dinner together. The relative’s husband was there and mentioned the issue again. He said he did not go to the hospital for surgery when he had stomach problems. Instead, he sincerely recited, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,” and the pain stopped.

He also said that when one recites the nine words one should say them sincerely. I was happy for him after hearing this. I really didn’t expect him to change, because he said some negative things about Dafa before.

My cultivation is still lacking, and I haven’t had the earth-shattering cultivation experiences other practitioners had. I just wanted to share my experiences to encourage other practitioners, so we can walk firmly on the path of cultivation.