(Clearwisdom.net) The following are true stories of people validating the goodness of Falun Dafa. To protect people's privacy, we have used aliases for names and false addresses. The stories have been compiled by region and can be classified into two parts: "Falun Dafa Introduction" and "Truth Clarification."
1. What sort of person am I supposed to "reform" into?
In 1998, Falun Gong practitioners went to the provincial government to appeal for Falun Dafa. They told the person at the reception desk, "Practicing and cultivating Falun Dafa can turn a bad person into good person and a good person into an even better one." "Turn a bad person into a good person?" the receptionist asked doubtfully. "It is certainly true!" followed a young practitioner, "I happen to be a person who changed from a bad one into a good person after I started to practice Falun Gong. I used to drink, gamble, fight with others, steal the factory's belongings and sell them, and was apprehended and sent to a detention center and a labor camp. Since I started practicing and cultivating Falun Dafa, I have become a better person." He went on to tell about how Falun Dafa had helped him understand higher moral standards based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" and completely changed his life for the better. He talked about doing everything according to the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, thinking of others first before thinking of himself, respecting and caring for old and young, donating money to people suffering from natural disasters, refusing to pocket the money he picked up, and so on.
The receptionist nodded his head when he heard the young man's personal experience. Other people present were also moved. The practice of Falun Gong not only enabled him to become a better person, but also enabled him to act honestly as he frankly shared his life experiences before and after he took up the practice of Falun Gong. Nevertheless, such a good person was arrested and sent to a labor camp after the persecution started on July 20, 1999, simply because he continued to introduce Falun Dafa by sharing his real story.
In the camp, the guards used torture to force him to "reform" and give up his Falun Gong practice. He replied with perfect assurance, "I have been here before as a bad person. It is Falun Dafa that has turned me into a better person, a person with dignity. Now you want to reform me. Can you tell me what sort of a person am I supposed to reform into? Do you want me to be reformed into a bad person again?" The guards were speechless.
2. Still donating to the national "Hope Project," but the result is not the same.
An older couple frequently went to a particular branch of the Construction Bank to make a donation to the national "Hope Project." Each time they would anonymously donate one or two thousand yuan to the project. When the head of the branch insisted that they tell their names, they would simply say that they were Falun Gong practitioners. All the staff at the branch appreciated their donations. After the persecution began on July 20, 1999, they continued to conduct themselves according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and continued to donate money to the project at the same branch bank. They still did not give their names but would say, as usual, that they were Falun Gong practitioners. However, the bank staff not only did not appreciate their donation, they also reported them to the police to have them arrested. The couple was detained under charges of "advocating an outlawed practice, confusing and poisoning people's minds, and interfering with social stability and unity."
3. Was it the environment in China that turned goodness into evil?
On a Sunday I visited a friend who frequently traveled overseas. He had seen for himself the following: practitioners appealing for Falun Dafa in front of Chinese consulates or embassies in many countries, day and night, bitter cold or extremely hot, rain or shine, some for over 1,000 days and nights; many people practicing Falun Gong at famous tourist spots, such as Mount Fuji, the Eiffel Tower, the Statue of Liberty and the Sydney Opera House; and Falun Gong practitioners handing out truth-clarifying materials at big international airports. He had read those handouts and said that Falun Dafa had been spread around the world to over 60 countries, that Falun Dafa had received 1,200 awards, and that the former leader of China, Jiang, is being sued in international criminal court in the Hague.
Falun Dafa is considered a righteous practice all over the world. How come it is only in China that the practice is treated as something bad? Is it because the Chinese environment can turn something good into bad? Not at all. The reason for this persecution in China is because Jiang, out of his clownish jealousy and by abusing his power, slapped a fabricated label on Falun Gong. Countless good people have been wrongly treated as bad people in the political upheavals such as the Counter-Revolutionary Movement, the Great Leap Forward and the Cultural Revolution. When can we put an end to yet another farce in China, in which one group of people is instigated to persecute another?
4. "My folks give me nothing to worry about, but I do worry."
My grown-up son worked outside the province for a long time. Someone asked him, "Your folks are getting older. There is an old saying that 'One should not work far away from his folks when they are still around.' Do you worry about your parents?" He replied, "Well, yes and no. I'm not worried about their health. All Falun Gong practitioners enjoy good health." He went on to explain, "My wife and child and I often get sick with colds or diarrhea, but my folks never do. It is true. For about ten years now, since they started to practice Falun Gong, they have not needed any medication, not even a pill. I have seen this with my own eyes."
"On the other hand, I am worried," he continued. "They may be persecuted by those who especially enjoy persecuting good people. My folks, like other good people, may be forced to attend a brainwashing class, or they might be abducted and suffer physical torture. How can I not worry? There is nothing bad about elderly people practicing Falun Gong in a park. The laid-off people have very little income, and they often do not have money for medical treatment. If people go to the parks to practice Falun Gong, it is a sign of peacefulness and contentment. It is good for the country. Why did Jiang and his followers have to carry out this persecution and make people suffer? How can I not worry about my folks?"
5. A police guard at Tiananmen Square says, "Those who swear are good people."
One day a family traveled to Beijing. They felt very excited about being at Tiananmen Square and were getting ready to take a family photo. Just then, a person ran over and grabbed their camera. He took out the film to expose it and smashed the camera on the ground. When the family took a closer look, they discovered that the person who had harassed them was a police officer. Why had he done such a thing? After the persecution began on July 20, 1999, many practitioners went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong and were illegally arrested at the National Appeals Office. Since they now had no other place to appeal, they went to Tiananmen Square to peacefully appeal, but the police arrested them and beat them up. To cover up their unlawful activities, the Tiananmen Square police tightened the security by having police in close proximity, ready to act. They committed acts of great cruelty, yet they were afraid of having their pictures taken and they were especially fearful of having their crimes photographed and exposed on the Internet. This family, however, had nothing to do with Falun Gong, and they did not take photos of anything unusual. They were furious over what the police had done and started to swear at the police. Many people crowded around and supported them. A police officer forced his way in and shouted, "They are good people. Those who are swearing are good people. Falun Gong [practitioners] would not swear when sworn at, nor would they fight back when beaten."
6. Falun Gong makes overseas Chinese feel proud and respected
One of my colleagues told me that his son, who works in Britain, called and shared the following story: The annual Edinburgh Festival was an exceptionally grand occasion. The 2004 festival was especially spectacular, and about 15, 0000 people watched the parade, which boasted the participation of 99 organizations from all over the world.
The Falun Gong contingent, demonstrating traditional Chinese culture and art, won the first prize in the parade's community category for the second year running. Western audiences gave them the "thumbs up" and commented favorably on their displays. Several big media vied with each other in reporting the event.
The fact that Falun Gong won the first prize again made the overseas Chinese living in Western Europe feel very excited and proud. They called their relatives in China to share their experience and told them that Falun Gong was not at all like what is described by Jiang's regime. Instead, "Falun Gong makes overseas Chinese feel proud and respected."
7. "I've read the newspaper you gave me, and it makes much sense"
Dafa practitioner C gave a mid-level cadre a truth-clarifying article to read entitled "A few words from my heart to the cadres at various levels on the major issues about Falun Gong" (http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/7/14/79354.html)
Later he called the practitioner and said, "In the past I did not read any of the 'newspapers,' but I did read the one you gave me. It presents the facts and is very convincing!"
The same practitioner also managed to pass a copy of the article to one of the main leaders in the province through his secretary. The leader did not say anything after reading the article, but he carefully kept the article in a safe place.
8. Inmates, "Practicing Falun Gong can make one become a better person."
Falun Gong practitioner E shared his experiences of when he was in prison: "We made sure that we clarified the truth of Falun Gong to the guards and inmates every day. We also told them some stories and cases of due retribution for good and evil, and they all loved to listen to these stories. I told them that a Taiwan prison invited practitioners to introduce Falun Gong to inmates so that they could become better persons. Prisons in China, by contrast, have practitioners as prisoners, forbid them to talk about the practice, and ask other inmates to monitor practitioners' activities. Inmates, especially cell leaders No.1, No. 2 and No.3, all wanted to learn to practice Falun Gong after they got to know the truth. Based on my memory, I wrote down 'Lunyu' and Master's new articles and for them to memorize. Cell leader No.1 wrote down,
'Study the Fa and obtain the Fa,
Share in learning and share in cultivating,
Following [the Fa] in everything,
Compliance is cultivation.'
(from "Solid Cultivation" in Hong Yin),
and gave this to cell leader No.2 and asked him to memorize it.
Cell leader No.1 made a Falun logo using pieces of a cigarette package. Conditions in the camp were very harsh, but he persevered in making the logo, little by little, based on what I had drawn. Finally he succeeded. The outcome was quite good. Both cell leader No.2 and No. 3 asked him to make a logo for them as well and put it in their pockets as an amulet.
When the guards searched the cell, they carefully placed Master's new articles and the Falun logo in a safe place. When I practiced Falun Gong, they would watch very carefully and they would also keep watch over the guards for me. Cell leader No.3 asked me to practice the exercises next to his bed, saying that the energy field had stopped his headache. He also sent a massage to his wife and asked her to practice Falun Gong.
9. "I am willing to serve a longer jail term if I could do something for Falun Dafa practitioners."
Practitioner D shared the following story: "Another inmate had finished serving his jail term and was getting ready to go home. I wrote a letter to my family and asked him to give it to them. In the letter I told my family to sue those on the 'Security Team' (the police who work for the 610 Office) in my name for their inhuman persecution. Cell leader No.1 read the letter and warned, 'If the police find this letter, they might extend his term.' I realized the danger and said to the other inmate, 'Let's forget about it.' But he said, 'I am willing to serve a longer prison term if I could do something for Dafa practitioners.'"
