(Clearwisdom.net) In the beginning of 2005, the Bureau of Education in my city adopted new measures for implementing the regulations concerning the appointment of teachers in the local schools. Among these regulations was a rule regarding Falun Gong practitioners. The rule requires Dafa practitioners to sign a Guarantee Letter, which is a statement in which they promise not to practice Falun Gong, in order for them to qualify for teaching positions. Should a practitioner refuse to renounce Falun Gong and decline to sign a Guarantee Letter, they cannot be appointed to a teaching position, and the school is required to report them to the 610 Office.
An administrator at my school came to me and asked me to sign a Guarantee Letter, saying, "This is for your own good. It's just a formality so we can report to our supervisors. You can still practice at home." I told her that I definitely couldn't write a Guarantee Letter. During this conversation, there were three school principals standing there. I told them, "I cultivate myself in accordance with the teachings of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. I must tell the truth. I can't promise to do something I won't do. To be a righteous and upright person isn't a crime. Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance aren't wrong."
The principals emotionally tried to persuade me to go along with it. I told them about the cruel persecution that I had been subjected to and the unfair treatment that my relatives and good friends had suffered for the past five years because I practiced Falun Gong. The three principals were obviously distressed, and they said, "We all know that you are a good person, but we don't have a choice. You need to be more flexible at this critical moment." I explained to them that this is a question of morals, and that it would be unethical for me to go along with them on this issue just to avoid difficulty. As there was nothing more for them to say, they suggested that I have a good rest during the winter break, and they would discuss this issue with me again next semester. Consequently, they ignored the requirement for a signed Guarantee Letter in my case.
The new semester began, and it was time for teachers to sign their employment contracts with the school. Some schools had included in the "discipline column" of their contracts the stipulation that practicing Falun Gong is not allowed. On the second day of the new semester, as soon as I saw the statement, "Practicing Falun Gong is not allowed" in my contract, my first thought was that I wouldn't sign it, because it's an unreasonable requirement. I went to the principal's office and told her that the contract was not reasonable, and I wouldn't sign it. The principal was very surprised.
Later on, the principal asked the administrative supervisors to persuade me to sign, saying, "It's a critical moment for you. If you don't sign the contract, we'll have to terminate your employment at your current position, and then you'll go home with three months' salary. You need to consider the consequences."
I answered, "If I lose my job, my family will face crisis, but I am not at fault. I can't submit to these fallacious conditions." I pointed out that what they proposed to do was illegal and that they would be held responsible. The principal repeatedly explained that she was just following orders from her superiors.
One of my colleagues suggested I quit my position, so that I could obtain a fixed monthly salary, but I was hesitant.
Later, I calmed down, studied the Fa and looked inside myself. I realized that I still had omissions in my cultivation. While I was confronted with conflicts, how could I circumvent them and not dare to face them? I knew that if I couldn't conduct myself properly in this situation, many lives would be harmed. I hadn't thoroughly and completely clarified the truth to my colleagues, so I made up my mind that no matter what I would explain it to them directly. Regardless of the consequences, I wouldn't consciously do anything that didn't meet Dafa's requirements.
Remembering Teacher's words about the power of our righteous thoughts, I sent forth righteous thoughts and firmly negated this evil persecution from the old forces. I followed the path arranged by Master, and refused to allow the evil to interfere. With righteous thoughts I eliminated the dark minions and rotten ghosts.
The next day I went to the principal's office and said to her, "I've given my situation a lot of thought, and I've decided not to quit my current position, nor sign the contract." The principal asked many of my colleagues, all of them my good friends, to try and persuade me to give in. I was glad in my heart when they came to me, because I had such a wonderful opportunity to clarify the truth to them. One by one they came to ask me to compromise, and I answered each of them in turn. Whenever a colleague came to me, I told him or her the truth; once my colleague understood, he or she would leave.
The principal sent two administrative leaders from the Education Committee, both of whom are close friends of mine. Again I clarified the truth about Falun Dafa to them. I told them that Falun Dafa teaches people to be good, and that after spending 8 years cultivating Dafa, I was awed by the magnificence and wonderfulness of Dafa. I had experienced frequent difficulties and torture over the past few years because I wouldn't give up my belief. However, I never wavered in my belief, because it's not wrong to be a good person, on the contrary, it's a crime to persecute good people.
As it was the last day to submit contracts, the principal finally decided to go to the Education Bureau and report the situation to them. After she returned, she asked me to come to her office, and said, "I give up. If the article concerning Falun Gong is removed from the contract, will you sign it?" I immediately answered her, saying I would sign. Then she said, "Well, go home first, then come and sign the contract tomorrow morning."
That very day, the principal arranged for the school administrators to stay late and change all the employment contracts for the schoolteachers. The next day, the principal came to me and said, "I don't know much about your beliefs, but I see how you've been faithful to your beliefs. What's more, you are so good, and everyone here would miss you if you were to leave. From now on, you must be cautious about your own safety." We talked for quite some time and she never once asked me to refrain from speaking about Falun Gong, she only reminded me to be careful.
Afterward, everyone at the school saw that I had been allowed to keep my teaching position without renouncing Falun Gong. Nothing affected me. Now I could clarify the truth about Falun Dafa to more students and teachers.
With unshakeable belief in Dafa, I passed this ordeal. At last the miracle had happened. I experienced the magnificence of Dafa and I thank Master for his benevolent salvation.
Before this happened, so many people believed that the arm couldn't beat the thigh in wrestling [a Chinese expression], and the contract couldn't be changed just for me. Initially, human notions affected me. Had I not handled the situation properly, the aftermath would have been unthinkable. During the process many people positioned themselves well and their righteous thoughts concerning Dafa will bring them a bright future.
Some of my fellow practitioners were aware of my situation, and they silently sent forth righteous thoughts for me and encouraged me. I was clear in my mind that only through the righteous thoughts and actions of Dafa practitioners can sentient beings be saved, and without them, sentient beings would be destroyed. To live is to choose, and it is Dafa practitioners who give ordinary people chances to choose their future. At last the good side of ordinary people's human nature had shone through, and the evil was naturally eliminated, as there was no place left for it to display its evilness. Later on, I found it much easier than before to clarify the truth.
April 25, 2005
