I'm a Falun Gong practitioner named Li Xinren (pseudonym). I live in XX Farm. I was sent to Jiamusi Labor Camp for one-year labor re-education on April 28, 2000 because I went to Beijing to appeal twice. The police at the labor camp asked me why I practice Falun Gong. I replied, "Because it's the righteous Fa, teaching people to be good people." He asked, "Do you know that the government has labeled it an evil religion?" I answered: "Yes, I know." "Then why do you still practice it?" I told him: "I once found my way out from among the dregs of society, so I think I'm pretty qualified when it comes to being able to rationally distinguish between what is good and what is bad."

Here is my story. My parents divorced when I was 16 and I lived with my father after that. Having lost the security of a family, I began to seek after pleasures by myself. I indulged myself in drinking and having fun and became addicted to bad habits such as gambling. When I started working at the age of 18, my father committed suicide by taking poison because he could no longer endure the conflicts within the family. Stricken by this whole series of mishaps, I indulged myself in doing wrong deeds even more unscrupulously. When I ran out of money, I started stealing. After I was caught in 1994, I was sentenced to five years of forced labor. My girlfriend, who had been with me for five years, left me while I was serving my sentence. I couldn't bear it. I became so weary of life and I was filled with hatred toward society and people.

I made up my mind: if I could not be a good person in this lifetime, I would become a bad person who would be known throughout the generations. I would pay back the world back for all the pain and unfair treatment inflicted on me by society. Under such an abnormal mentality, I completely disregarded all standards for being a human being. At the labor camp, I gambled away the money that my friend and my mother worked so hard to make. I didn't stop to think how that money had been in exchange for my mother's sweat, doing manual labor with her thin, frail body.

I was spiraling down under my twisted mentality until I was fortunate enough to learn Falun Gong in 1996. After I read Zhuan Falun several times at the labor camp, I realized that as human being, we should behave according to the principle of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. I realized that all my tribulations were due to my own karma. Everything happened to me for a reason. In particular, I realized that the true purpose of life is to return to the original true self, assimilating to the cosmic characteristics of "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance." I realized that a person should treat others, as well as his work, his life, and his family with benevolence, respond with truthfulness, and regulate his behavior with forbearance. At that moment, I started pulling myself together. I diligently did my work, and gradually got rid of my old bad habits. I could feel the change in my mind and knew in my heart that it was right. With "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" as my guide, I worked harder than I had ever worked before and went beyond what I had thought were my physical limits. No matter what my task was, I always did the work well and took the labor camp as my home. I was rewarded for my hard work: because of my outstanding behavior, the head of the labor camp shortened the period of my sentence by a total of 10 months and released me on probation one year before the due date. This was beyond my expectation.

I am a beneficiary of Falun Gong. Dafa gave me a rebirth and pointed out a new way of life for me. Is it really bad just because some people in the government say it's bad? How much do they really know about Falun Gong?

Because of the changes in me, my sister's neighbor approached her and proposed to let their daughter marry me. My sister told them about our family situation, that I had spent time in prison, and that I had a debt of over 30,000 Yuan RMB (nearly US$4,000, about 9 years' average salary in China). But they said: "This young man is very virtuous. I have full assurance in letting my daughter marry him. It doesn't matter much that he's poor. The important thing is that he can treat my daughter well." I was really very happy that they weren't biased against me because of my criminal record. I asked their daughter: "Won't you be unhappy marrying me, a poor guy who drives a pedicab for a living?" She replied: "I don't mind that you're poor as long as you treat me well. Even if you become a beggar, I'll still follow you." At that moment, I really wanted to yell out: "Teacher, it is you who gave me a new life and changed my destiny." That's how I ended up having a happy family, and I know it could not have happened if it were not for my practicing Falun Gong.

When I heard that Falun Gong was being labeled an evil religion, I told my wife: "I want to go to Beijing to appeal." She cried and asked me: "Could you think about me and our child who is about to be born?" I told her that I didn't want to lose them and she should know how happy I have been in the past year since our wedding. A person who has once been deprived of the warmth and security of a family knows best how to take care of his family. I had greatly benefited from Dafa and so I had to go to Beijing to appeal for myself and for the nation, and to validate that Dafa is righteous. If it were not for Dafa, I would not have all that I currently have. So I must report the truth about Falun Gong to the leaders of our country, to let them know more about it so that they will realize that Falun Gong is beneficial to both the people and the nation.

Some people have said that we are not good. During the appeal processes over the past year, we never used force and used only our benevolence in facing the unfair treatment we received. We silently endured the swearing and beatings of the politicians and law enforcers. We believe that during this period of testing Dafa and Dafa practitioners, the nation and the people in the world will see the dignity and majesty of Dafa. Dafa practitioners are validating that Dafa is righteous to everyone using their pure hearts.

Should we not dare to speak the truth because of the threat of damaging our own personal interests? Are the bad phenomena in society enough to make the people of the world think? Think about it, we Dafa practitioners can let go of all that we have--even our lives to step forward to validate Dafa. Is this not sufficient to demonstrate that Falun Gong is the righteous way?

Dafa practitioner Li Xinren

October 2000