(Clearwisdom.net) It was absolutely lawful that my mom appealed to the provincial government; however, the police said that she disturbed public order. It didn't make any sense at all. Therefore, I wrote a letter to Jiang Zemin, expounding on the wonderfulness that Falun Gong brought to my family and telling him that he was wrong to persecute Falun Gong and arrest my mom. I signed my legal name in this letter. Afterwards, it was said that the letter was stopped and spread among many officials. Unexpectedly, for many people, although I appealed to the government and wrote a letter with my real identity, nobody came to harass me nor did it bring me any negative effect. Instead, in such an evil environment, my school never held any activity to persecute Falun Gong or mentioned Falun Gong in any meeting. Many of my classmates knew that I practiced Falun Gong. I was still awarded the title of "Three Star Student." Officials from my local community or neighborhood committee never came to my house.
---- By the author of this article
Greetings, esteemed Master!
Greetings, fellow practitioners!
This is my third time participating in the Internet Experience Sharing Conference for Practitioners in China. At this time, my experience of practicing cultivation for over ten years flashed through my mind. Facing Master's image, I feel like I had gone back ten years ago.
1. Dafa Offers Salvation to People with Predestined Relationships
When I was very young, I often thought of death, which caused me much fear. I was depressed like an old man. One day when I was in the 5th grade, my mom mentioned Falun Gong to me, saying, "This cultivation practice will allow you to become an immortal." I immediately expressed, "I want to practice this cultivation!" From that moment, my heart had settled for the first time in my life because I knew I had Master taking care of me.
I followed family members to do the exercises at that time, and read Zhuan Falun and Master's other teachings by myself. Gradually, I became optimistic and outgoing, possessing very good health. Before I practiced Falun Dafa, I was thin and often had colds and fevers. I suffered from indigestion; whatever I ate when I went out, I would have loose bowels afterwards. After practicing Falun Dafa, I became strong and no longer had digestive problems.
2. Dafa Breaks the Illusion
There was an experience sharing conference in my local area on April 25, 1999. Nearly ten thousand people attended this conference, including nine members of my family. It was sunny and cloudless that day. Seeing a lot of practitioners there, I thought, "Master has so many disciples!" There was nobody who was responsible for maintaining order during the conference, but everyone was orderly. When one practitioner was making his speech, everyone else was listening carefully and quietly. Although everyone had lunch in the conference hall, there was no wastepaper or plastic bag left unattended.
After July 20, 1999, I dimly felt in my heart that what was happening was a test and Master was watching me.
One morning in February 2000, my mom said that she must go out to appeal for Falun Gong, and asked me whether I would like to go with her. I didn't hesitate, saying, "Yes!" Then we went to the Division of Complaints and Appeals at the provincial government together. Officials there didn't let us finish our statement and sent the police to arrest us and take us to the police station. The police officers questioned me on why I came to appeal. I told them that I was there for Falun Gong. They asked me whether I had watched the news on TV. I said, "I have watched it. Falun Gong is not what the news has described, Falun Gong teaches people to be good." They asked me whether I would continue to practice Falun Gong and whether I was there because my mom made me come. I replied, "I will continue practicing Falun Gong and I am here because I want to be here." The police officers made a statement from this investigation. Many policemen passed it around for observation because they felt curious about me. I thought, "Just one Dafa disciple's arrival can have so many people know about Falun Gong."
Two days later, my mom was subjected to a month of criminal detention, claiming that she had disturbed public order.
It was absolutely lawful that my mom appealed to the provincial government, however, the police said that she had disturbed public order, which didn't make any sense at all. Therefore, I wrote a letter to Jiang Zemin, expounding the wonderfulness that Falun Gong brought to my family and telling him that he was wrong to persecute Falun Gong and that it was wrong to arrest my mom. I signed my legal name in this letter.
Afterwards, it was said that the letter was stopped and spread among many officials. Unexpectedly, for many people, although I appealed to the government and wrote the letter with my legal name, nobody came to harass me nor did it bring me any adverse effects. Instead, in such an evil environment, my school never held any activity to persecute Falun Gong and never mentioned Falun Gong in any meeting. Many of my classmates knew that I practiced Falun Gong. I was still awarded the title of "Three Star Student." Officials from my local community or neighborhood committee never came to my house.
3. Growing Up Within the Fa
My mom and I decided to appeal in Beijing in July 2000. However, because my xinxing didn't reach the required level and my heart was not pure, we were stopped on the way and arrested. As a result, my mom was sent to the detention center and I was brought back home by family members. The entire family blamed me, saying that I was responsible for my mom's arrest and saying that Dafa was not good, making me feel like I was being soaked in brackish water every day. During that period, there were no Dafa books at my house because they were all illegally taken away by the police. I didn't know other fellow practitioners, so I knew nothing about what was happening in the outside world. I felt deep lonliness and helplessness. Family members who practiced cultivation before had all fallen silent. Under such suffering, there was still a sound from the bottom of my heart, "Keep going! Never give up!"
Afterwards, my mom was given two years and a half of imprisonment by the evil Chinese Communist Party (CCP). I was already enrolled in high school at that time. I told my experiences to my classmates and they were moved to tears. In the beginning, I didn't make good grades at school. Later, I obtained Dafa books and I urged myself to study the Fa and do the exercises. Master was taking care of me and enlightening me with every step. Gradually, my grades became better and better. When my mom was released, I was recommended for admission to college after getting the second highest score in my class in the general examinations. Seeing hope, family members also changed their attitudes at this time, and they approved, saying that Falun Dafa is good.
It was not until my mom's return that I learned about the Clearwisdom website. I became aware of other practitioners in Mainland China who were severely persecuted, that Falun Dafa was widely spread throughout the entire world, that the CCP set up an evil organization called "610 Office," and that the movie "False Fire," which analyzes the 2001 Tiananmen Square "self-immolation" incident, won Honorable Mention at the 51st Columbus International Film & Video Festival. I thought that my cultivation should enter a new phase.
More and more practitioners came to my house, bringing all kinds of information. From them, I found my shortcomings and gaps. My advantage is my youth and I could do things that other practitioners cannot. Seeing my heart, Master arranged many opportunities for me. Once there was a final exam coming on the following day and I needed to memorize various points for the exam. But a fellow practitioner had an emergency task which required work overnight. After I finished the task, it was already too late for me to memorize or study. I thought, "Everything is here for Dafa; so is the exam. Let it only ask about the points that I have memorized." As a result, every question on the exam was what I had memorized already. I finished it and submitted my paper quickly. Actually, the result had already been designated in advance. It was to test a cultivator's response during this process. I chose Dafa as priority number one, and Master helped me with doing well on the exam.
Once I gave some truth-clarifying materials to my college classmates; however, someone reported me to the college's public security division. Then officials notified me to go to the division for an investigation. I told myself that I must take this great opportunity and not disappoint Master. The public security officials asked me many questions. I told them that Falun Gong teaches people to be good according to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and that I was convinced by this true principle, so I practiced Falun Gong. I still remember, it was in December, but the sun's rays were abnormally dazzling and directly shining into the investigation room. I knew that Master was behind me. After this investigation, nothing happened to me. I still continued my classes as usual.
When I went out of the division and walked along a path of gingko plants, a gust of wind blew, making all the petals dance and flutter away in the breeze. I suddenly felt, "Isn't this the heavenly beauties casting flowers about?" A great feeling arose in my heart.
4. Becoming Mature within the Fa
For quite a long time, I had been calling myself a little disciple. It seemed that my cultivation path progressed alongside my mom, and I had never truly become mature. When I was a sophomore, my mom was arrested again. I knew that Master had higher requirements and expectations of me; I needed to blaze my own path.
At that time, many practitioners in the local areas were arrested. However, I just had one thought in my mind, "As a Dafa disciple, I must have courage to face this." I first went to the police department to clarify the truth about Falun Gong with family members. Then I wrote down everything about my mom's persecution in documents. For public security divisions, procuratorial offices, and the people's court in my province, I went to their offices to personally clarify the truth. For those in other provinces, I mailed them all truth-clarifying letters. During that period, it was because of Master's support that I was full of strength every day and went everywhere without feeling tired. Many officials in the government were also kind people. While listening to my statement, they all kept silent. Wherever I went, I always brought materials with me. By a rough calculation, I had personally delivered dozens of copies.
Master was also taking care of me at every moment. Once when I was on a bus to a police department, I felt a little afraid, as well as helpless and alone. At this moment, I suddenly saw a "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" amulet on the window in front of the bus driver. A warm current coursed throughout my body. "Master is always around me!" I felt very warm in my heart and all the feelings of loneliness or fear had disappeared.
In my opinion, Master has arranged everything for me really well. Master gave me many opportunities and great virtue to me, but actually everything was done by Master. Although I have never met Master personally, I always feel that Master is always with me.
Every month, I went to the forced labor camp to visit my mom. I took it as a good opportunity to clarify the truth. I explained the truth to other prisoners' relatives, the guards and the policemen. I also wrote letters to my mom every month. Because I knew that each letter would be examined by officials, I wrote letters so that more people could know the truth about Falun Gong. In every letter, I encouraged my mom, explained the wonderfulness of Falun Dafa and explained that those who persecuted Falun Gong would be met with evil returns. Before my mom was released, I wrote the last letter. I thought that this letter must be well articulated, telling people the seriousness of the persecution and that the real victims were those who ignorantly participated in the persecution. Under the help of Master, I finished the letter without pause. After my mom returned, she told me that the last letter was read by every official in the forced labor camp.
After my mom was released from the forced labor camp, she went back to work in her former workplace. I thought this was also because of Master's compassion. Seeing this, people around us also believed that doing good deeds is met with good rewards, and being evil is met with evil returns, and that Falun Dafa is good.
Now I am an English teacher in a primary school. Through teaching, I have also developed a way to clarify the truth to my students. In class, I often compare eastern culture with western culture, telling my students how foreign children live and that they never wear red scarves. I teach "Truthfulness," "Compassion," and "Forbearance" to each student, translate it for them and tell them the meanings. I asked students "Is 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance' good?" Everyone answers, "Yes," and follows me to recite "'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance' is good!" When I have opportunities to face only one student, I always say, "When I was young, I was often ill. But after learning Falun Gong's teachings of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance my body became healthier and healthier. Let's recite 'Falun Gong is good and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good' together." Many children still don't know about Falun Gong. I then directly tell them that "Falun Gong is good; Falun Gong teaches people to be good. Every Falun Gong practitioner is a most kind-hearted person." I also often play cartoons from the Fang Guangming TV group and the students like them very much. When the students do their homework in class, I play Dafa music for them and they listen carefully and quietly.
My students and their parents like me very much. I was also awarded the title of "Excellent Teacher." I just follow Master's requirements and have done just little things, but Master is always encouraging me and giving me the best.
As cultivators, ordinary people's losses and gains are all worldly possessions; we don't care for them at all and just follow the course of nature. However, after having practiced cultivation to date, I also profoundly enlightened that caring little for fame and gain doesn't mean being as poor as a church mouse, getting rid of emotion doesn't mean to have an icy manner, following the course of nature doesn't mean being irresponsible. My family's house is very big and many people admire it. Some people, including some fellow practitioners, asked me, "Since you started cultivation, from going through school and to obtaining employment, have you ever been adversely affected by practicing cultivation?" I said, "No, never. Everything that Falun Dafa brings to me is wonderful. In such a harsh environment in Mainland China, as long as we keep Dafa in our hearts and firmly believe in Master, we will not lose anything, instead, everything will only get better."
Master has told us that Shen Yun should be in mainstream society. I thought that as Dafa disciples in Mainland China, we are the ones in mainstream Chinese society, we are this society's nucleus. Now, it's time for us to make an impact in the mainstream.
As Master said,
"Back before the persecution of Falun Gong began, over half of the true upper-middle class of mainstream Chinese society had taken up Falun Gong. The wicked Party then drove these people, the mainstream, to the other side, and has since created a corrupt class that serves as society's nucleus. And it is thus that Chinese society has become corrupt beyond redemption." ("Fa Teaching Given at the 2010 New York Fa Conference")
I know that I still haven't done well in many aspects and I often stumble, but I never give up. I must persist to the end and do better and better. I will create a better environment and save more sentient beings, so that Master will not have to worry about me. I hereby thank you, revered Master! It is the greatest honor to be your disciple in this life. Thank you, all of my fellow practitioners!
