(Clearwisdom.net)

I am an elderly practitioner. Since I started practicing Falun Dafa until today, I don't know how to describe my gratitude toward our Master. There were many amazing things that happened to me. Along my path of cultivation, with firm belief in our Master and Dafa, I overcame one obstacle after another.

Finding Falun Dafa

I suffered from epilepsy from the time I was five years old. When an attack came over me, my body trembled like a leaf and I would completely lose consciousness. In order to cure me, my family spent a great deal of money. Excessive acupuncture treatments had damaged my renzhong point and my fingers and toes, but had not cured anything. My life was really miserable. When I was over 30 years old, I developed a hypersensitive throat condition and coughed everyday all year around. I had taken a pile of medications and finally became allergic to them. All these were my sufferings until I reached the age of 60, before I obtained the Fa.

When I was a high school student, I longed for the elevation of my mind and body through an ancient cultivation practice, because I wanted to understand "For what a man lives." The predestined relationship with Buddha buried deep in my heart gave me a faint thought that one day I would take on a cultivation path. But where was my way? On June 29, 1997, I finally found it. On that day, after I got Zhuan Falun, I read the book straight through from 3 p.m. until 4 a.m. the next day. I cried while I was reading, like a lost child finally finding home. I was finally awakened from my dream of 60 years. I knew in my heart that Falun Dafa is the pure land I was searching for my whole life. Since that day, the book has never left my side.

Only a few days after I had committed myself to Falun Dafa, the illnesses that had afflicted me for dozens of years all disappeared. My entire body felt light. I am grateful to Master because it was he who gave me a new life. I will meet his expectations only through diligent cultivation, so since that time, I have moved steadily forward in my cultivation and assured myself that I shall return home with Master.

My Fa-rectification cultivation stories

Since the persecution began on July 20, 1999, each Falun Gong practitioner started to walk his own path. In the past five years, we have experienced a lot. My deepest conviction is that if we have unwavering faith in Master, and there won't be any unsurpassable obstacles.

1) Walking out of the police station in 17 hours

One night after 9 p.m., I went out to distribute Falun Gong truth-clarifying materials with a fellow practitioner. After we had passed out all the VCD's, we put up many self-adhesive posters. While we were posting them, two police hiding in the darkness noticed us. Because the other practitioner was carrying a lot of materials and I wanted to protect her and the materials, I asked her to go first and said I would deal with the police alone.

The police took me to the station to interrogate me. They ordered me to squat. I recalled Master's teaching,

I told them I could only sit down, not squat. They held Master's photo upside down, so I told them very gravely to put it upright. They followed my order and put Master's photo on the desk.

In the police station I used my wisdom from Dafa cultivation to deal with the police. They set up many traps, but I identified them one by one. In the end, they got nothing from me.

The next afternoon, when I was alone with the young policeman watching me, he told me an amazing story. When he went to arrest that female practitioner, the three words "Don't arrest her" appeared in front of his eyes just before he could reach her. He realized that it was a hint from a Buddha, so he let her go. I told him about Falun Gong, and he was very happy to learn the truth. He said, "If they don't release you before 5 p.m., I will set you free at midnight and give you 200 yuan to get home. And I will take care of the rest of the stuff as a start to my treating Falun Gong practitioners well." At about 3 p.m., I was released. I left the police station openly and with dignity in 17 hours.

The next morning, I went to the police station again, full of vigor. I told the director the real situation regarding Falun Gong. After he learned the truth, he was very grateful. In the end, he accompanied me all the way out of the courtyard of the police station and told me to come back when I had time in the future.

Walking out of Masanjia Forced Labor Camp in 40 days

1) Sent to Yaojia Detention Center in Dalian City

In the summer of 2001, two practitioners came to our place. They had been going from place to place to avoid persecution, and they were not in a good condition at all. So when the police came to arrest them, my home was ransacked as well. They found a lot of truth-clarifying banners and VCD's, so they sent me to the Yaojia Detention Center in Dalian City.

In the detention center, I recited Master's articles and poems to those practitioners who hadn't memorized them. After a while, they could all recite them. There were also many prisoners in the detention center, and they often verbally abused practitioners. One day the prison guard ordered us to recite the prison regulations, which the practitioners refused to do. So the prisoners in the same cells as the practitioners were forced to sit on tiny stools as punishment. Since the prisoners didn't know about the truth about Falun Gong, they didn't blame the police who made them suffer but were angry with the practitioners instead. One prisoner shouted, "Everyone jailed here is a prisoner, so he or she should recite the prison regulations." I thought to myself, "I am a Falun Gong practitioner. I must rectify the environment." So I said to him, "Listen. Let me tell you why Falun Gong practitioners are different from you. You are prisoners because you have committed crimes, so you were sent here for re-education. But we are not. We are good people and were sent here due to Jiang Zemin's persecution. If we write a 'Guarantee Statement' against our conscience promising not to practice Falun Gong, we would be free. However, we would not do such a thing. We were locked here because we would not give up our belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Wouldn't you agree that we are different?"

Everyone suddenly became quiet. Then the other practitioners also started to tell them the real situation about Falun Gong.

After that, we not only were exempt from reciting the prison regulations, but also could practice the Falun Gong exercises in the cell. The prisoners blocked the monitoring camera with their bodies and watched out for us at the door so that we could practice. Some prisoners even started to do the exercises and recite Master's poems in Hongyin with us. Our environment had been rectified. It was just as Master taught us:

2) Illegally detained in Masanjia Forced Labor Camp

Master gave me a hint to encourage me to do well

In Yaojia Detention Center in Dalian City, I was sentenced to three years of forced labor and transferred to the notorious Masanjia Forced Labor Camp. Arriving at Masanjia Forced Labor Camp, I was very depressed. I was concerned that it was the place where the most evil had accumulated, and I was unsure when I could get out of there. My words and actions were not like those of a practitioner, and my status dropped to the level of everyday people. One night in a dream, Master said to me as a hint, "A practitioner should always present the image of a practitioner in any environment. Review your own words and actions and see if they were like a practitioner's." I was shocked and woke up. When I reviewed myself and searched within, I realized that I thought that I had ended up here because I did not do well. Since I was already here, then I should just do well what a practitioner should do. Since then, I have always remembered that I am a Falun Gong practitioner who has come to save the sentient beings and assist Master in Fa-rectification.

Spread Master's articles

During my stay in Masanjia Forced Labor Camp, many practitioners had not seen Master's articles for a long time, let alone the recent ones. A lot of so-called articles that secretly circulated among practitioners were fake. To maintain firm righteous thoughts in such a vicious environment, one cannot deviate from Master's Fa even for a single moment. I deeply understood the importance of this. At that time I could recite many of Master's new articles, so I was determined to share them with those practitioners who refused to yield to the evil.

Two "personal cangues"(1) watched me all the time and followed me everywhere. In order to spread Master's articles, I had to first clarify the truth to them. One of them was actually only brainwashed on the surface, but she still believed in Master in her heart. I soon rectified her attitude, and she started to help me circulate the articles. In order to do that, a proper location was needed. I looked around and found that the corner of the cell where the thermos flask was placed was visited most frequently. I volunteered to sleep in the bed next to the thermos flask, so when the practitioners who had not been brainwashed came to get water, I could put the short articles on the floor, and they would take them away.

The long articles were more difficult to spread and took longer to write down. There were too many eyes monitoring the practitioners, which also made it difficult for me to write. I then started to investigate other alternatives and asked for help from Master in my heart. Soon I found the way. In the cell there were two kinds of people: those brainwashed and those not brainwashed. They often quarrelled among each other, and this irritated the team leader. I took the initiative and told her that, accompanied by the chief of the cell, I would like to talk with those who had not been brainwashed in order to help settle their conflicts. After the team leader agreed, I first clarified the truth to the chief of the cell, who had yielded to the evil only on the surface. With her help, while talking with those un-brainwashed practitioners, I took used the opportunity to recite Master's long articles for them.

After I completed spreading the articles, I made another request of the team leader: Those who had been brainwashed should not be allowed to defame Master or Dafa. Accordingly the team leader ordered, "In the cell no one should express her opinion." After that the cell became peaceful, and the team leader appreciated me very much.

Master said,

During the process of validating Dafa, we must use wisdom rather than rashness. With regard to spreading the articles, I felt that as long as we have the willingness to do something, Master will arrange everything. What can stop practitioners from doing things for Dafa?

Not yielding at all on the principle issues

In Masanjia Forced Labor Camp, many practitioners who were labelled "brainwashed" were actually so just on the surface. Those practitioners either wanted to get out of the labor camp as early as possible or feared the persecution, so they had accepted the brainwashing. To me, for whatever reason, such acceptance is wrong and a form of yielding to the evil. So in Masanjia Forced Labor Camp, I held fast to the principles and did not yield at all. Whatever means they used against Master or Dafa, I could see through it straightaway and could tell whether they were cultivating or not. Certain matters that seemed to be unrelated to the principle issues actually were. This required me to face all that was happening with a calm mind. I should be clearheaded to accomplish the objective of validating Dafa.

A woman on our team who had been brainwashed had a very serious disease in one of her eyes. The team leader called for everyone to contribute money for her medical treatment. Everyone did so except for me. The team leader asked me why I would not donate and indicated it would be fine even I just donated a little bit. I said to her and the others nearby, "She attacked Master and Dafa, and this is the karmic retribution she has received. If I donate money to her, isn't it the same as attacking Master and Dafa? This is an issue of principle. Donations should not be given to her. Further, I don't even have any money. She is suffering from this disease because she followed Jiang, so she should ask Jiang for money for her medical treatment." I wanted to let them know the end result if they turn against Dafa. This was also a warning to the evildoers and those who had accepted the brainwashing.

When I first arrived at Masanjia Forced Labor Camp, the team leader encouraged the prisoners to attempt to brainwash me. Some came alone and some came in groups, but I firmly refused all of them. Later, a brainwashed woman whose name was Che Li from Dalian City approached me. She was supposed to be a master at brainwashing others. As soon as she came into the room, she stretched out her hand and wanted to shake hands with me. I immediately put my hands behind my back and told her, "I won't shake hands with you. I'm concerned that you are polluted, and you are not qualified to shake hands with me. In the whole of Masanjia Forced Labor Camp, I look down on you the most. While you are fooling others, you are also fooling yourself. You accept the brainwashing as soon as you arrive at Masanjia, and you change your attitude as soon as you are released. This time you were sentenced to Masanjia, you are again attempting to brainwash others. Not only you yourself have been brainwashed, you also go on to damage others. How many people have you damaged and turned against Dafa?" She was very embarrassed by my accusations. Since then no one has ever attempted to brainwash me.

Clarifying the truth

In both the detention center and the forced labor camp, I tried to seize every opportunity to clarify the truth. As long as I had a chance to talk to people, I was able to turn the topic to Jiang's persecution of Falun Dafa. Whether to the guards or to the brainwashed people, I was able to use different methods to help them understand the facts. Many people have become my good friends, and they all like to listen to me. Dafa has given me the wisdom to use different methods to clarify the facts to different audiences.

When I did well, Master let me go home

Facing the multiple metal doors of the forced labor camp, I believed in Master. As long I could do well, Master would decide everything. The team leader once said to me, "Old woman, it will be three years! If you don't change your attitude, are you willing to stay here for three years?" I said, "How long I will stay here is decided by my Master. If Master lets me go home, no one can stop me. As long as I do well the things that a practitioner should do, I'm sure I'll go home within three months." Many people were nearby at that moment, and they all treated this as a joke and did not take it seriously.

After all the lectures had been spread, one night at about 3:00 a.m., I dreamed of Master. In the dream, Master kindly patted my shoulder and said, "Do you want to go home?" I said in tears, "Master, I'm so eager to go home even in the dream, but how can I go?" Master said, "You have been doing very well here. We'll let you go today." Then I woke up. I told this to the others beside me, but they all regarded this as a crazy person's joke. Soon everyone in the cell woke up and asked me what was the matter. I told them that Master said to let me go home today. Those who had been brainwashed all made fun of me and laughed, "What nonsense! There are so many big metals doors one after another in the forced labor camp. How can one ever get out?" I told them in all seriousness, "Master's words are the Fa. Since Master let me go home, I will surely go today."

At about 3:00 p.m. that very day, the labor camp notified me that I could leave for home. With firm belief in Master and firm belief in Dafa, I finally walked out of Masanjia Forced Labour Camp in an upright and dignified manner.

In the Fa-rectification, there are still many more stories. Because of firm belief in Master, I broke through one tribulation after another. In the last steps on the path of validating the Fa, let us together do well the three things that Master has told us to do and strive forward vigorously together.

Please kindly point out anything improper.

Notes:

(1) "Personal cangues": Persons designated to supervise the behavior of practitioners.