(Clearwisdom.net) I am a Falun Dafa practitioner from the countryside of Anhui Province. I have wanted to share my experiences for quite some time but felt insecure about my low level of education and worried that I didn't fully understand the Fa. So I wasn't brave enough to write about my experiences. After seeing fellow practitioners' articles in "Minghui Weekly," I became very much inspired. I thought that even if I didn't understand the Fa well enough, I still wanted to share with fellow practitioners, look for my shortcomings, and improve more quickly.
I obtained the Fa on the 16th of the first lunar month of 1997, when several practitioners from the city came to our village to introduce the practice. I read the Falun Dafa flyer, watched the exercise demonstration, and heard about the wonderful effects of health improvement. At that time my mother-in-law had all kinds of illnesses, so I let the practitioners use my TV set to play the videotape of Master's Fa lectures. They also gave me a copy of Zhuan Falun and a set of exercise tapes. During those several days when we watched the lectures, I just wanted my mother-in-law to be cured. I didn't listen to the lectures attentively myself. I did not know what Master was saying, yet I was able to learn to do the exercises. After they left I didn't practice.
One day at noon, I was on my bed resting when suddenly a big red beam of light and a ring appeared in front of my eyes. The shining light was extremely pretty. I wanted to shout with delight. Afterwards I saw many other living beings from other dimensions and many Fa wheels turning. I thought, "Isn't that the scene I saw when I saw the video the other day? How could I be seeing these same things now?" I couldn't understand it whatsoever. Later I heard that the practitioners had gone to our neighboring village to introduce the Fa. I found them and told them what I had seen. They said, "Congratulations! Master has opened your third eye, but you don't want to get too excited about it. There are even more marvelous things to experience, and you will come to know them when you study the Fa."
I invited them to my home again and continued Master's video lecture series. I sat in the front and listened attentively to all nine lectures. I often became tearful. Master's Fa deeply moved me, and I realized my life's mission. All of my past hardships were to obtain this Dafa. I finally found my return path home. I pledged that from then on, no matter how hard or how dangerous the path or how bad the environment might become, I would keep on practicing, complete my mission, and return to my true origin with Master. From that point on, I started to set up my home as an exercise practice site: exercising in the morning, studying the Fa at noon and doing farm work the rest of the time. We also talked about going to the surrounding dozens of villages to spread the Fa. After several months, there were about four to five hundred people practicing Falun Gong in these villages. The spiritual outlook improved beyond recognition in these villages, and we lived much more fulfilling lives.
On July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party leader, Jiang Zemin, launched the persecution of Falun Gong, which seemed to be so overwhelming that it blotted out the sky. It was similar to a lightning bolt from the sky. I was extremely sad and cried, "Why don't they allow us to practice such a great Fa? It makes no sense. I must appeal to the highest authorities for help! I must let the government know about the benefits of Dafa." After making up my mind, I decided to go to the capital city of Beijing. My family members warned me that it would be useless, "An opinion from a farmer like you could change the CCP's decision? You could incur a fatal injustice." I firmly replied, "Even if they cut off my head, I still must speak up about the benefits of Dafa." At that time, I didn't care whether I lived or not.
I discussed with my husband, a fellow practitioner, about going to Beijing together. Other practitioners very quickly wrote and co-signed a truth-clarification letter for us to take. As we got on the train going north, both of us felt a mixture of sorrow and happiness. Our sorrow was for Dafa and Master being persecuted. We were happy because the obstructions we encountered didn't hold us back. We were finally going to the Central Government to be heard. At that time, in Beijing, fellow practitioners from various areas of the country were arriving to appeal. We spoke with one voice: "Clear Dafa's name! Clear Master's name!" Policemen were everywhere on Beijing's main streets, intersections, and alleys leading to Tiananmen Square. Tiananmen was heavily guarded. One group of practitioners went there and were arrested and sent away. But it didn't frighten the practitioners who had "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" in their hearts. The State Bureau for Letters and Appeals didn't let us in. We had no other option but to send the co-signed letter to the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress.
We went back to our hometown and started our new path of cultivation. The original Fa study group was separated into smaller groups, and we also changed their locations frequently. As long as the Fa was in our hearts, we could keep firm righteous thoughts. With strong righteous thoughts we could get rid of our attachment to fear.
In the beginning of 2007, the village and town local police stations started to persecute the countryside Dafa practitioners. They searched practitioner's homes, fined and arrested us one by one, and threatened, "Will you still practice or not?" At that time I did not know how to answer wisely and only replied, "Why not? It's such a good practice." At the beginning of March, seven or eight police cars from the city, county, and the township levels came to our village to arrest practitioners. At first they took us to the village administration office for interrogation. We gave them the same answer, "We will still practice!" Afterwards they took us to the local police station. Another practitioner asked me how to answer them. I said, "Just tell them about the real changes we experienced after practicing." A policeman pulled me into a room and said, "The Central Government calls Falun Gong (slanderous term omitted). What do you think about that?" I replied, "The Central Government is wrong. Our Master teaches us to do things according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and to be a good person at all times. How could it be branded as such?" That policeman became silent and didn't say anything. He took us to the police car and drove to the county police department. A police officer wearing a suit said, "I have interrogated so many Falun Gong practitioners, but I don't know how to practice. Can you show me how to sit in the lotus position?" I said, "Yes!" I demonstrated the fifth exercise for him. He was happy to follow me doing the exercise. Afterwards he said, "Can't you just say that you won't practice and just pretend?" I told him, "Master taught us to say the truth, and if I lied, it would mean that I have failed to follow Truthfulness." He had no reply. Afterwards I was allowed to go home. Only my husband and another practitioner were detained for 15 days.
After July 20, police came to our village to harass practitioners frequently. Because we gradually became mature in the practice, we knew how to use righteous thoughts to eliminate evil and how to clarify the facts to the police. Every time they came in force, we all let them know the truth and they went away.
In order to better clarify the facts to more people and to expose the evil, I moved to another nearby village to open a business. That way we could get in touch with more people and offer them salvation. I also played a VCD about Falun Gong and the persecution in the shop for the customers and gave "amulets" to predestined people. The effect was very good. One day a fellow practitioner brought in one of Master's articles, and we made plans to go to my home to study it. When I was about ready to go home, several police officers intruded into my shop. They used a flashlight to check here and there. I immediately sent forth a righteous thought, "You can't search this place! All the Dafa materials in my shop can't fall into bad people's hands!" At the same time, I was calmly asking, "What do you want?" The police officers mumbled a few words and left. They drove the car in the direction of my home. At that time, about a dozen of our village's practitioners were studying the Fa at my home. There was no telephone there and I couldn't clearly recall a practitioner's phone number either. How could I inform them? I asked Master to give me a hint at this critical moment, and I was able to suddenly remember a practitioner's phone number. I quickly called the practitioner, and when the police car got to my home, all the practitioners had already dispersed.
When we first started to clarify the facts, we had very few materials. I re-produced them by copying them myself. My son also helped me. We practitioners made use of all the things at our disposal to post and distribute materials and to tell others about Dafa. Gradually more channels to get materials became available. We got the Nine Commentaries. We then rode tricycles, motorcycles, and bicycles and covered the several dozen miles over the surrounding areas to spread the Nine Commentaries to urge people to quit the CCP and expose the evil locally. When people passed by my shop, I always said, "Remember, Falun Dafa is good, have a safe trip, and be without illness." I also gave them some materials and asked them to bring me to their friends and relatives. It has been seven years and we have never stopped. Sometimes the police come to the village to harass us, but they don't find any excuses to arrest anyone. They have to pretend to be kind and say, "We know you practitioners are all good people. You may practice in your home, but do not go out to spread the materials. Otherwise it is going to jeopardize our jobs." We see how they are being made use of by the authorities.
In these more than seven years of tribulations, we developed faith in Master and the Fa. We put down our human attachments and got rid of our fear. We didn't let the evil take advantage of us. I realized that Dafa's mighty power and Master's protection were watching over us.
To all countryside Dafa practitioners: Let us come together to save the sentient beings. Let us complete our great mission.
