(Clearwisdom.net) Respecting Teacher and the Fa is an important foundation for keeping righteous thoughts and performing righteous deeds. Practitioners who sincerely respect Teacher and the Fa will believe in Teacher's Fa without a doubt. They will be able to walk a righteous path of cultivation during the era of Fa-rectification.
In 1996 I was extremely fortunate to obtain a copy of Zhuan Falun. I read it through in one day and felt terrific. I thought, "The author is marvelous. I must have him teach me, if possible." I only took Teacher to be a marvelous Qigong master then. Now, when I review my whole life, even life back before this lifetime, I realize I have always been under Teacher's protection.
At the beginning of 1999 I decided that, among the various things in my life, cultivation was the most important. I already knew that Teacher was here to save sentient beings.
That is why, since July 20, 1999, when the persecution campaign against Falun Gong started, I have not been afraid at all. I told others that the CCP has fought heaven, fought the earth and fought the people, to the extent of becoming crazy. This time it fights cultivators. The CCP must be headed for extinction.
I clearly felt that Teacher was suffering for sentient beings. I felt, though, that I had no way to help. I often made the Heshi gesture in front of Teacher's photo and asked for his forgiveness.
On July 20, 1999, I participated in the appeal to the provincial level government. As a result, I was detained for over three hours. The next day I heard from fellow practitioners that they saw countless Falun falling on the bodies of Falun Gong practitioners who participated in this peaceful appeal. Endless gratitude and admiration toward Teacher rose up from the bottom of my heart. Teacher taught us, "Take the Fa as teacher." ("Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference") Respecting Teacher must be respecting the Fa. It is this mindset of firmly believing in Teacher and the Fa that has led me to remain steadfast on the path of Fa-rectification. It is hard to describe my boundless appreciation for Teacher. This gratitude stems from acknowledging Teacher's vast compassion and Buddha's infinite grace for countless beings, including me. No beings will be able to repay it.
With this mind of truly believing in Teacher, who allowed me to understand many laws, during the Fa-rectification cultivation I have exhibited great powers. These powers were derived from respecting Teacher and the Fa. The following are a few brief examples:
In August 2001 I was arrested and taken to a detention center. When I talked with a policeman he stated he once did brainwashing work at a brainwashing center and had his way with Falun Gong practitioners. When I ignored him he said, "While your Teacher is enjoying life in America, you are suffering here. Why?"
I said, "Having a teacher for one day makes him my father for life. I am only worried about our Teacher not being able to enjoy his life. If he can enjoy a good life, I will be so happy! I only regret my inability to provide him with more comfort. In the past, when Sakyamuni spread his Fa, his disciples redeemed all their possessions for golden bricks for him to walk on. They did it to show their admiration to Buddha. Today, the Fa that our Teacher spreads is even greater! It is only right if he is in a better situation. I only regret that I am not capable of providing it. I am very glad that our Teacher enjoys life in America. It is my wish that our grand Teacher can enjoy more in this world. It is the right thing." The policeman couldn't say a word to that.
After entering the cell the head of the cell told me to recite the regulations. I refused. He reported it to the guard. The guard said, "How can he have time for regulations when he uses all his time to recite the Fa?" Hearing this I smiled at him. The head of the cell did not mention this again.
At the labor camp, when I talked with a police officer, I usually requested that he not use Teacher's full name while having a conversation with me. I told him he could say, "Your Teacher, Mr. Li, or Master Li." I also told them that it was for their own good. Most policemen could accept this request and their kind thoughts were also awakening. One of the policemen was specifically assigned to deal with the Falun Gong issue. On my request he never called Teacher's full name and took special care of me.
During a very hot summer day he asked me to go to the squad leader's office. He told me that it was too hot, and his office had air-conditioning. I could rest there for half day. He promised not to mention Falun Gong and invited me to drink iced mineral water. I expressed my gratitude and said, "You do not want to mention Falun Gong, but I will talk about it." So, for the whole morning I clarified the facts about Falun Gong to him. From then on he was no longer so enthusiastic to participate in Falun Gong persecution.
When the labor camp set up its first brainwashing session, they were to pick some practitioners to go there. A policewoman who spoke with me was said to have "reformed" more than a hundred Falun Gong practitioners. During the three hours of our conversation, I mainly did the talking and she did the listening. At last, she told me that they (other practitioners) all admitted that the old forces arranged all of the things around them. She asked me, "Are you also arranged by the old forces?"
I answered, "I am not."
She said, "Why not you?"
I answered, "Our Teacher said 'The old forces made well-ordered arrangements, but I too have done things with much order.' ("Teaching the Fa at the Washington DC International Fa Conference") I follow nobody's arrangement but our Teacher's."
As soon as she heard this she became silent. After a while she said, "You may go." A three-hour conversation ended just like that. Afterward, a policeman told me that the first thing she said to her boss was, "That old guy must not be sent to the brainwashing session."
The labor camp held two consecutive brainwashing sessions in 2002. Each session lasted two months. I didn't join the first one, or the second one. Meanwhile, a police officer told me to take a look at the brainwashing session. I refused.
When I thought about it again I remembered that Teacher told us to reform those who do reformation work. If that place needed me to clarify the truth, I should go there. So I decided to clarify the truth in the brainwashing session. Once I had this thought, "I was destined to be brainwashed." That was what the police intended. My plan, however, was to reform those who do reformation work. A former fellow practitioner whom I knew came to talk to me. After our conversation he expressed right away, "What Mr. Zhang said is right. I will publish a declaration and continue my cultivation." That fellow practitioner never repeated his mistake again. Since then he has persisted on his cultivation path. We still keep in contact.
The brainwashing session in the labor camp was very evil, but could not shake my determined mindset to respect Teacher and the Fa. I asked those who talked with me not to use Master's full name.
One person didn't follow my request. He always used dirty words. I slapped the desk and stood up. "If you dare to say another swear word, I will go on a hunger strike tomorrow. Stop acting sloppily." I said it loudly. He shut up right away. The next day I abolished his right to talk to me. This was the eighth day since I started the brainwashing session. No collaborators dare to show disrespect to our magnificent Teacher in front of me. On the ninth day the brainwashing session ended. During the time I was in labor camp they never held another brainwashing session.
I know that the Gods in the old cosmos also respect Teacher, but they wanted to control the course of Fa-rectification. That is not allowed.
No beings dare to touch those practitioners who sincerely respect Teacher and the Fa. This is what I understood and felt. The following are a few examples of respecting the Fa:
On October 1, 2000, I went to Tiananmen Square for a peaceful appeal. I was detained in a police station. I didn't respond to the evildoer's requests. When he was about to beat me I recited "Mighty Virtue" from Hong Yin,
"Dafa does not leave the body,
The heart harbors Zhen-Shan-Ren;
In the world is a great Arhat,
Spirits and ghosts fear greatly."
He became so scared that he ran away. This demonstrated the power of Dafa.
In the first half of 2001 I was very diligent in learning and reciting the Fa, so the Fa showed me its cosmic powers.
Once, when I was reading Zhuan Falun, the text on a page turned into a colorful and sparkling Falun. I knew it was Teacher who encouraged me to learn more of the Fa and learn it better. I could not help but burst into tears.
Another time I was studying "Falun Buddha Fa - Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Switzerland." Suddenly, the page in the book turned into a sparkling and marvelous world. It is so marvelous. No one could describe it in words. I was stunned and stared at it. As soon as I was about to utter my exclamation the book returned to its original form. I was moved to tears. I appreciate the mercy of Teacher and Dafa, which showed me its miraculous energy once more. I saw and felt it. It strengthened my mind to cultivate in Dafa.
In the labor camp I kept on reciting the Fa, about 10,000 words daily. (Those I could recite would be recited every day. Some writings I recited several times a day). The Fa was in my heart, mind and soul. With Teacher's Fashen (a body made of gong and Fa) and the righteous Gods' protection, the evil dare not abuse me. In the chilly winter I would not feel the cold when reciting the Fa; in the hot summer I would not feel the heat when reciting the Fa. When the Fa was in my heart/mind, it led me to clarify the truth in the labor camp, to send forth righteous thoughts, to eliminate the evil, and to save sentient beings. I was not in the labor camp to be educated. I was there to offer salvation to sentient beings. Why would I say it was for offering salvation to sentient beings? Because I felt when we are immersed in righteous thoughts and righteous deeds, not only will many predestined humans be saved, but so will many beings in other dimensions; even high-level beings will be saved.
Once a police officer got me to go to the so-called psychology therapy room, so he could persecute me separately. There are a lot of Fa-validation stories. Here is one about this officer:
During a Duanwu Festival (also called the Dragon Boat Festival, on May 5, lunar calendar), the labor camp was told to improve the quality of our food. Everybody got one preserved egg and one salted egg. The preserved egg I got was rotten. No one could eat it. I threw it away. The salted egg was smaller than a regular egg. I had never seen such a small salted egg in my whole life. Obviously, they were trying to provoke me to complain. After dinner the officer made an extra effort to come to me and asked how the dinner was.
I replied, "The preserved egg smelled bad, and the salted egg was extremely small. You wanted me to feel uncomfortable, but I didn't care about it at all. Teacher asked us to 'consider others first so as to attain the righteous enlightenment of selflessness and altruism.' ("Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature" from Essentials for Further Advancement) On the issue of eating, we don't care at all. If I eat the small one, others will get the big one. If I take the rotten one, others will take the good one. It didn't matter. On the contrary, if I had taken the big and good one and others took the small and smelly one I would have felt uncomfortable. Falun Gong practitioners should be selfless and altruistic and put others' interests first."
Once he heard that he ran away. That concluded my so-called psychology therapy.
Respecting Teacher and the Fa is fundamental to maintaining righteous thoughts and righteous deeds. Practitioners who sincerely respect Teacher and the Fa must believe in the Fa without a doubt. Wrong decisions, such as using human principles to judge the Fa, will not happen.
Believing Teacher without a doubt is the basis for respecting Teacher and the Fa. We also need to try hard to follow Teacher's instructions. If we are really able to do that, no impure elements dare to disturb us. I understand this, but was unable to do so at every moment and in everything. When I did things in accordance with Teacher's instructions I was very safe in assisting Teacher to save sentient beings. Here are a few examples:
After I left the labor camp I often clarified the truth in public. Once I clarified the truth at a bus stop downtown. After just a few minutes a predestined young man expressed his interest in learning Falun Gong. When he went back home he would find a practitioner to teach him.
The 610 Office in my city informed taxi drivers to report Falun Gong practitioners who clarify the truth. The driver would be rewarded with 5,000 yuan for each practitioner they reported. That was a very attractive sum of money to an ordinary taxi driver. Nevertheless, every time I took a taxi none of the drivers reported me.
After The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party was published I handed it out to people and never fell into any danger.
After I was released from the labor camp, except for the first month, I have been visiting and sending out articles from the Minghui website (the Chinese version of Clearwisdom). It has also been very safe.
In brief, bathed in Teacher's vast compassion and Buddha's infinite grace, these several years of Dafa cultivation have been the happiest years in my life.
A forced labor camp is a living hell in the human world. Under Teacher's protection and with his strength I used righteous thoughts to deter the evildoers' actions. The old forces don't respect the Fa. They participate in the persecution of Dafa practitioners. I use righteous thought to eliminate the evil, assist Teacher in saving sentient beings and validate the mighty virtue of Dafa.
Mainland China is a big prison where our practitioners validate Dafa's infinitude and magnificence, assisting Teacher in Fa-rectification and saving sentient beings. As an element of Dafa, I often feel so fortunate and happy. After walking through all those so- called sufferings and difficulties, I often felt that they were so trivial. Words can barely describe my gratitude to our grand Teacher!
