Cultivating Myself While Petitioning for My Mother’s Release (Part II)

(Minghui.org) Continued from Part 1: 

Making Truth-Clarification Phone Calls to China

Besides talking to foreign governments and International human rights organizations, I also needed to clarify the truth to law enforcement agencies in China. I’ve always admired the important role practitioners on the RTC platform play and sought someone locally on the platform to help with my mother’s case. But everybody was tied up in other Dafa projects, and they suggested that I take matters into my own hands. 

To be honest, I always was concerned about clarifying the truth to people from China. It’s embarrassing to admit that I had not been very diligent in my cultivation. Although I’ve participated in some Dafa activities in my area, I preferred to clarify the truth to Westerners. They just appear to be more polite and receptive. Chinese people are different, as they live in a totalitarian state and are heavily influenced by the Chinese Communist indoctrination. 

Most Chinese people’s minds are filled with greed and aggression. I disliked interacting with them and dreaded their derision and sarcasm. For this reason, I’ve avoided clarifying the truth to Chinese people. I also lacked experience presenting the basic facts about Dafa and the persecution.

But this time, I couldn’t ignore the issue. I knew these phone calls are important, as they were the most direct way to clarify the truth to the officers involved in my mother’s case. I made up my mind and jumped right in, hoping to break through my fear.

I ran into many issues on my first day, just as expected. Resentful and combative, I couldn’t stay calm when talking to the law enforcement officers. This resulted in them being impatient with me and even hostile. I got into quite a few heated shouting matches with them. 

A high ranking official in the 610 Office asked me whether I was a practitioner as well and threatened to arrest me if I ever dared to get back to China. A police officer then hung up on me before I could even finish my first sentence. Infuriated, I called that number two dozen times. The officer cursed and told me I was taking up their emergency line. I snapped, “It’s all because you arrested my mother!” 

Those early calls I made were just to let off steam. I would take it out on anybody who answered the phone. It was not effective at all as far as truth clarification goes.

Chinese police officers are very sneaky—they have all kinds of excuses to evade responsibility. When I called the local police station, the police told me my mother was not in their custody, and I needed to call the detention center. When I called the detention center, the guard told me they only facilitate the detention and were not involved in the legal process. He told me to call the district police department. When I called the district police department, the officer told me they didn’t make the arrest, and I should to talk to whoever made the arrest, sending me right back where I started. I tried to use all kinds of methods, only to find it was a waste of time. 

I now know how hard it is for Chinese people to appeal to the Communist regime for unjust treatment. They must jump through so many hoops, yet may not get anywhere. Additionally, these police officers are experts in beating around the bush. They do not address the problem directly. Quite a few times, I caught myself subconsciously following their false logic and ended up not clarifying the truth.

A Practitioner Helps Me Through the Process

I was exhausted and frustrated, not knowing how to deal with these “old foxes.” Just then, an experienced practitioner offered to help me. She would sacrifice her morning exercise time to make phone calls with me for a couple of hours each day. She also invited other practitioners to join us. It was such a big help and came just in the nick of time. I was able to listen in when she made phone calls and learn how to avoid being sidetracked and dodge tricky questions. She offered sincere critiques and suggestions as to how I could improve. 

The practitioner pointed out that being overly concerned about my mother kept me from covering the basic facts about Dafa and the persecution. She reminded me that our ultimate goal is to give the officers who had never heard or understood the truth an opportunity to be told what is truly going on. Only by covering all the basics can we clear away the evil elements instilled in their minds and help them be rid of the tight grip of the Party. This is also to stop them for committing crimes against Dafa. If my conversation only focused on my mother, I would be wasting the opportunity to potentially save whoever happened to pick up the phone. 

Clarifying the Facts Comprehensively

I quickly realized how many police officers were clueless about their involvement in the persecution. I often heard them say, “The higher-ups told us to make the arrest, and we just enforced the law.” I told an officer one time, “Please don’t participate in persecuting Falun Gong practitioners.” He pushed back, “I don’t like the sound of that. What do you mean by persecuting? When have I persecuted you?” and hung up. 

These officers really didn’t think they were doing anything wrong. They didn’t think they were participating in a groundless persecution in any shape or form. As law enforcement officers, they don’t know the law and don’t know that practicing Dafa is completely legal in China. They make arrests just because they were told to and, in their minds, that is enforcing the law.

To present the facts more effectively and comprehensively, I searched the Minghui website for sample scripts and guidelines that other practitioners shared. I compiled the talking points and rewrote them to fit my needs. I tailored my script based on my target audience, addressing their concerns. Besides covering the basics, such as what Dafa really is and the Tiananmen Self-immolation hoax, I also included the fact that there is no existing law in China stating that Falun Gong is illegal. 

The Standing Committee of the National People's Congress (NPC) passed a resolution on October 30, 1999, to ban quite a list of cult organizations and punish cult activities. Falun Gong is not on the list. The Chinese Ministry of Public Security issued “Public Notice Regarding Identifying and Banning of Cult Organizations” in 2000 and again in 2005. Falun Gong was not named as one of the 14 cult organizations. The General Administration of Press and Publication of China issued Order No. 50 on March 1, 2011, and revoked the 1999 ban of Dafa books. Publication and distribution of Dafa books is legal in China. 

The police officers also need to be aware of “Provisions on Liability of Public Security Organs’ Police Officers for Fault in Law Enforcement” put in place in 2016. This establishes that each law enforcement officer will be held accountable, even after they retire, for any mishandling, intentional or not, or any major errors that they’ve partaken in that resulted in wrongful convictions. I asked the officers I spoke to to consider this—if solely based on an order from their superior instead of the law, they arrested and provided false evidence to lock away an innocent Falun Gong practitioner, who will be responsible in the end?

I also shared with them how foreign governments aid Falun Gong practitioners in their effort to counteract the persecution. The practitioners now have a way to submit names and contact information of police officers involved in the persecution to the US Congress. Once on the list, these officers will be sanctioned by the US government. They themselves, as well as their spouses and children, will not be given US visas and their funds in US financial institutions will be frozen. 

Following the example of the US, many other countries, including Canada, the UK, Australia, and New Zealand have passed or are drafting similar legislation to sanction those involved in the persecution. My goal is to let these officers know that participation in the persecution could potentially harm themselves and their families.

Becoming More Effective in Clarifying the Truth

When I softened my tone of voice and improved my script, people on the other end of the line were willing to listen longer. I could tell that I was getting my message across, and the officers were thinking and reflecting on what was really happening and how it would affect them. Some stayed on the line for more than 20 minutes, as opposed to one or two minutes in the beginning. I needed other practitioners’ support in the first week, and by the second week, I was comfortable doing it on my own. Each day, I talked to different officers at the police station as they went through their shift rotations. 

Of course, the ones who answered the phone were usually lower in rank. I wanted to reach the ones with higher rankings so they could learn the truth. Not being able to get to the high ranking officials through calling, a practitioner suggested I write to the chiefs, directors, and deputy directors. I also made tweaks to my phone script and rewrote it into a letter format, still covering the basic truth about Dafa and the persecution. 

My goal was for these officials to understand that blindly following orders would result in repercussions. I hoped they would take a step back to reevaluate the situation and reconsider how they’d approach Falun Gong cases moving forward. Will they risk being a scapegoat and continue to help the Communist regime commit crimes against Falun Gong? Or will they choose to do the right thing and release the practitioners?

My mentality changed as I made more phone calls. I began making these calls because I believed it would help tremendously in rescuing my mother—it is also the most direct and effective way to clarify the truth. The effect of calls is powerful and would rattle the evil to its core. 

I found myself sincerely hoping that these law enforcement officers would learn the truth and stop helping the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in its wrongdoings. The mentality shift made the process more effortless. I also got rid of attachments, such as dependency on other practitioners, competitiveness, resentment, and fear. Little by little, my compassion also grew. 

Perseverance Wins Out

I was on a very tight schedule during those months. It was winter time. I started my days early in the morning when it was cold and still dark out. I arrived at work hours before anybody else. In a quiet office, I made truth-clarification phone calls to China. I then started my regular job. 

When calling China, I often ran into people whose hostility brought back awful memories from when I lived there. It did get quite depressing sometimes. Yet, when I hung up the phone and started my workday among my friendly co-workers, I was back to the relaxed and comfortable environment of my day to day life. It was as if I teleported back and forth between two universes. I talked to my father every day to check on him and get updates on my mother’s case.

A wave of weariness suddenly washed over me one day. I caught myself wondering, “When will this all end? It’s only been a month. What if my mother is detained for months? What if she is sentenced to prison or forced labor? How long am I going to carry on like this?” I rejected this thought right away: “Isn’t this my attachment to comfort? It’s making me want to go back to my comfortable life and not have any worries.” 

I didn’t like feeling anxious and exhausted all the time. I resented the idea of working through difficult times and tribulations. I didn’t want to suffer any hardships. I lacked perseverance. It’s doable to go full force clarifying the truth for a day, two days, a month, or two months. But the biggest challenge is time—as it goes on, I start to think, am I going to lose steam not being able to see light at the end of the tunnel?

Studying the Fa helped reinstate my determination. Regardless of the outcome, I made up my mind to keep going down this path. If my mother’s case was sent to the Procuratorate, I would call the Procuratorate and court to clarify the truth. I mentally prepared myself to stay in this fight long term. I was no longer attached to the “one month” deadline I had imposed on myself. As long as the persecution lasts, I will keep going. I made plans to increase the intensity of truth-clarification on a global scale. I began to draft an article raising awareness of the persecution to submit to mainstream media.

On the day that I was going to contact a media outlet, I received the news that my mother was released. Thank you, Master. Thank you to my fellow practitioners for all your support, and the righteous thoughts we all contributed.

Huge Impact: Minghui and The Epoch Times

I called my mother after her release, and we had a long conversation. I forwarded the news of her release to The Epoch Times the very next day, and it was published right away. Some of the details my mother shared confirmed that Minghui and The Epoch Times played a huge role in deterring and suppressing the evil. 

She said that the officers at the detention center and the police station randomly asked her, “I treat you well, right? I’m not persecuting you, right?” My mother was confused by these questions at first. After our conversation, she quickly made the connection between the publication of her arrest on Minghui and The Epoch Times as to why these officers were cautious around her. Being exposed on these media led to the officers receiving an influx of truth-clarification phone calls from outside of China. It gave them the opportunity to learn the truth and make informed decisions moving forward.

A Successful Rescue Takes Both Sides

When the police tried to make my mother sign the guarantee statement renouncing her belief in Dafa, she didn’t waver. She shared a cell with about 40 other inmates and many advised her to comply. They told her if she didn’t, she’d be held longer and maybe get sentenced. They said a practitioner previously held there didn’t renounce Dafa at first but gave in after several months. 

My mother did not allow anything to move her heart and kept strong righteous thoughts throughout her ordeal. This made me realize that it takes two sides to successfully rescue a practitioner. It doesn’t matter how well we organize our rescue effort or how hard we work, the detained practitioner has to place complete faith in Master and the Fa, and keep strong righteous thoughts and righteous actions. Only then can our effort be effective.

My mother told me a story. Most of her cellmates were detained for illegal handling of money. Some were falsely accused of embezzlement because of their employers’ wrongdoings. A young woman in her cell was asked to sign the minutes after a hearing. The officers were pushy and promised her she’d receive a light sentence if she cooperated. Without thinking much, the young woman signed but ended up receiving a heavy sentence. She found out later that the record did not correlate with what was said at the hearing and regretted not reading it. She told everybody in the cell to never trust the police. These CCP officials are thugs who will lie and cheat to protect their own interests.

Of course, nothing could make resolute practitioners of Falun Dafa waver. They would not fall for the evil’s tactics and would deny any arrangement by the old forces. Here is a reminder to those who fear the CCP and its thugs—don’t even, for a second, think you’ll get so lucky as to get away with it. Don’t believe the evil’s lies. We need to completely deny the old forces and their arrangements, not cooperate with the CCP, and stick to our own cultivation paths.

Interference

I encountered a lot of interference when I petitioned for my mother’s release. On the very day she was arrested, I started to have a bad toothache. My wisdom teeth were cutting through my gums and the right half of my face was swollen. It hurt so badly that I couldn’t open my mouth. For two weeks, I only drank water as even drinking broth hurt.

My cell phone at one point started acting up. Phone calls from other practitioners wouldn’t go through. The system message said my number was busy when I wasn’t even using the phone. The alarms I set for global righteous thoughts were not working right, either. When I played the exercise music on my phone, it paused randomly and caused disruptions.

While driving on the freeway late at night, the Shen Yun music I was playing in the car was interfered with by some kind of signal. It made strange high pitched noises that lasted several minutes. I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate all evil elements causing the interruption. After several minutes, the music was playing normal again.

I knew all of these things happened because of my efforts to rescue my mother. The old forces and evil elements tried to interfere using all possible means. They don’t want me to cultivate diligently, and they don’t want me to help fellow practitioners. But, that is exactly what I am going to do—I will do the three things well as asked by Master, not acknowledge the old forces’ arrangements, and their efforts will go in vain. 

These strange phenomena stopped entirely after my mother was released.

What I Have Learned

My father’s attitude toward Dafa completely changed after meeting with the attorney, and he is much more supportive now. He used to not like it when my mother and I talked about Dafa or cultivation. He now listens quietly and takes it all in. He even recites the two auspicious phrases, “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,” on his own because he knows it’s beneficial for him. 

In the months after my mother’s release, I received letters from several newly elected local officials and responses from foreign governments. They expressed concern over my mother’s arrest and willingness to support my effort. I was happy that they chose to support Falun Dafa, even though my mother had already been released. I was reminded once again that, for Dafa practitioners, everything we do is for the purpose of clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings.

Having gone through this tribulation, I now have much stronger righteous thoughts and faith in Dafa. I didn’t exactly know how to look inward and examine myself before and always focused on other people’s shortcomings when conflicts arose. Now, I’m able to calm my mind and look for my own problems. I’m much more proactive in rectifying and improving myself. 

I’ve eliminated many stubborn notions and attachments. My sentimentality toward my mother was reduced significantly. I have a new perspective on the tests and hardships that we go through and no longer fear tribulations, knowing that they help us improve. 

Master painstakingly arranged our cultivation paths, and we really need to do well every step of the way. Each tribulation, each test, even down to its intensity was carefully arranged according to our inborn quality and capacity. If we stay resolute in our belief, Master will take care of everything for us. When we truly work on relinquishing our notions and attachments, we’ll find that the things we used to care so much about no longer affect us.

Petitioning for fellow practitioners’ release in itself is a great opportunity to clarify the truth and validate the Fa. If we do it with selfish notions, we will not see good results. If we act in an upright and dignified way and hold ourselves to the standards of the Fa, we’ll reach many people and help them learn the truth. We have to position ourselves well and stay clear-minded at all times. We’re not the victim, we’re Dafa practitioners of the Fa-rectification period. We’re here to help Master rectify the Fa and save sentient beings.

My Understanding of the Fa Elevated

I’m so grateful for fellow practitioners’ sharing on the Minghui website. When I was feeling the most hopeless and didn’t know what to do, those articles inspired and kept me going. When I read about other practitioners maintaining righteous thoughts and righteous actions while experiencing great tribulations, my understanding of the Fa was instantly elevated.

This is why I decided to write this sharing, so we can improve together and cultivate diligently. There may be thousands of miles between us, yet I was able to find encouragement because of what you have gone through. Thank you, fellow practitioners and the Minghui website for your hard work and selfless contributions. 

Thank you to Master for always protecting and guiding me. Even when things were difficult, I had no doubt that Master was right here with me, watching over and helping me. I’m sorry for all the troubles I’ve caused. Thank you for everything, Master.