(Minghui.org) Greetings, revered Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I would like to use this Fa conference to report to Master and share my cultivation experiences with other practitioners.
I am a teacher who previously taught high school English. On April 25, 1999, I saw the news report about10,000 Falun Gong practitioners peacefully petitioning the Chinese government. I became interested in learning more about Falun Gong, and after asking around, I finally managed to obtain some Falun Gong books from a friend. I finished reading the books in three days.
Falun Dafa’s profound principles had a great impact on me – one that reached the depths of my soul. Without hesitation, I started practicing. I then recommended Dafa to my wife and daughter, who also became practitioners.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began persecuting Falun Gong on July 20, 1999. My wife and I were illegally arrested and imprisoned, and I was even sent to a forced labor camp. After being released, my wife and I were both relegated to teach at a primary school over 25 miles away. The school hired professionals to monitor our every move, and they often harassed us.
Later, I left the primary school and started an English training course in our county’s city for primary and lower secondary school students. When I first started, I had just two students, but the course has now expanded to over a hundred students per week. The center has been running for 10 years now and has trained over 3,000 students.
Almost all the students have parents who are government officers or public security personnel. Among the parents are the director and members of the county’s 610 Office, approximately 90% of the police in the Domestic Security Division, police officers from all levels, two deputy county magistrates, and other officials.
They send their children to learn English, and some of the parents are even English teachers themselves. These people know that I practice Falun Gong and that I adhere to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in my daily life. They also know that I practice these principles when teaching my students and that my English-tutoring skills rank among the best in the county.
I strive to teach pure English without mixing in any of the Party’s rhetoric, which would poison the students’ minds. During my classes, I clarify the truth to the students and tell them what Falun Gong is and why the wicked Party persecutes Falun Gong. I have also put up posters about how the practice has spread around the world.
Once, I overheard a conversation between two students, and one of them read out the poster’s headline, “Falun Dafa Has Spread Around the World.” The other student, who didn’t yet understand the truth, said that Falun Gong was no good. The first student anxiously replied, “You don’t understand [the truth]; you shouldn’t say things irresponsibly. Listen to how good this sounds!” With that, she again recited in her tender, young voice, “Falun Dafa has spread around the world!” The second student became silent and started to read the poster closely.
I also clarify the truth to the students’ parents. If a student’s parents are from the Domestic Security Division or are police officers, I get them to bring their parents to me, which gives me the opportunity to clarify the truth in detail.
Through the wisdom and calm disposition that Dafa has unlocked for me, I have been able to attract an endless stream of students. I know in my heart that these children and their parents have all come to learn the truth about Dafa, so I seize the opportunity to clarify the truth and distribute Shen Yun DVDs. Moreover, I often play the Shen Yun DVD at the training center for the parents to watch.
A member of the county’s 610 Office once told me that, after conducting a survey, they found that over 98% of the students I had taught gave very high ratings for the course. My training center has also been voted the best in the county for the past several years. Other nearby English training centers that opened didn’t last very long, including the ones that had hired foreign teachers.
They were all very puzzled as to how a teacher who had been removed from a high school and sent to a labor camp could run such a successful English training center. I believe that it is because I am a Dafa practitioner; Master is supporting me, so that predestined people can seek me out to learn the truth about Dafa.
Last March, I heard that a practitioner named Xiaolin had been detained by the police. I decided to report the deed on the Minghui website. I was a little afraid at the time, so I didn’t go straight to Xiaolin’s house. Instead, I sent a letter to another practitioner in Xiaolin’s village, and she wrote back with details of how Xiaolin had been taken into custody. I wrote up a report and sent it to Minghui, which published it online the very next day.
Two or three days later, Xiaolin’s family (also practitioners) and the practitioners from his village visited me to discuss how we could rescue Xiaolin. We were all unfamiliar with the law, so we sought help from a practitioner living in the city. After speaking to him, we decided to write up a letter of appeal for Xiaolin's immediate release.
The letter was finished at 4 a.m. the following day. Within hours, we met with the practitioners in our county to decide who should accompany Xiaolin’s family, and who should send righteous thoughts to support them.
A few practitioners and I accompanied Xiaolin’s family to the county Procuratorate. One receptionist read our appeal letter and exclaimed, “How is it that you all know the law so well!”
She then asked us to have a seat while she went to speak to her supervisor. During that time, we clarified the truth about Falun Gong to the other reception staff. The receptionist later returned without her supervisor and made a record, which was completely written from our point of view. We were happy and felt that this was Master’s way of encouraging us.
On the third morning, we went to the Domestic Security Division and successfully passed along the letter of appeal to the division head.
That evening, our county suddenly experienced a violent thunderstorm. The wind was so strong and the sky was so dark that many people were terrified. I had never seen anything like it. Ten minutes later, the sky cleared, and I realized that there must have been a great battle between good and evil in another dimension; this was the first time in years that practitioners in our county were using the law to oppose the persecution.
On the fourth day, Xiaolin’s family took the letter of appeal to the detention center. One of the officers shouted at Xiaolin’s wife and even called the Domestic Security Division and 610 Office. The 610 Office head and the head of the Domestic Security Division rushed over and began shouting at the practitioners. They also threatened to lock up Xiaolin’s brother in the detention center. Despite their abuse, they could not alter our resolve to rescue Xiaolin.
Following that encounter, Xiaolin’s family distributed hundreds of copies of the letter of appeal to residents throughout the village. This was to let them know that Xiaolin had been unlawfully detained and how wrong the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong was.
After further discussion, we decided to hire a human rights lawyer to defend Xiaolin. The 610 Office director somehow caught wind of our plan and made threats to Xiaolin’s family. He told them that no one would be willing to take on a Falun Gong practitioner’s case, but we remained determined to find a lawyer.
I took Xiaolin’s wife to seek out a practitioner in the provincial capital. Coincidentally, a human rights lawyer happened to be in the city handling a case for another practitioner. I realized that this must have been arranged by Master. After a brief discussion with the lawyer, he agreed to sign a letter of attorney.
However, Xiaolin’s wife had some reservations afterward, but I pointed out that engaging a lawyer was not purely meant to save just one practitioner from persecution, but also an avenue to clarify the truth and expose the persecution to a greater number of security division officers. It would also allow the world’s people to discern who were the true criminals. After realizing this, Xiaolin’s family decided to ask the lawyer to fight for a “not-guilty”plea.
Xiaolin’s wife and I brought the lawyer to the county Domestic Security Division. In the past several years, no one in our small town had ever engaged a lawyer from another province to handle a legal case. The lawyer’s arrival set the town authorities on fire – the county’s law committee, police, and the 610 Office called an emergency meeting.
The authorities asked the lawyer why he came from the big city to defend a case in a small county, and why he would defend a Falun Gong practitioner on a “not guilty” plea. The lawyer gave his reply, and after a two-hour meeting, the authorities directed him to apply for bail and said they would release Xiaolin after three days.
We were all delighted when we heard the news, and the lawyer left shortly afterward. However, we failed to realize that our attachment to zealotry would have a negative impact on the outcome of the situation.
Three days later, Xiaolin’s wife received a call from the Domestic Security Division saying that they would release Xialin seven days later. But after a week, the date was extended to 15 days. Xiaolin’s wife exclaimed, “How can you cheat people like this!” to which the person on the line replied, “That’s precisely what we’re going to do: cheat you!”
As it turned out, our first attempt at rescuing a practitioner didn’t have a very good outcome. Xiaolin remained in detention. But the arrival of the lawyer created a huge impact on our small county town, particularly on the authorities. The news spread like wildfire through our small county, and people came to view Falun Gong with new admiration.
Subsequently, Xiaolin’s wife and mother began seeking out key personnel in the detention center, courts of law, Public Security Bureau, and Domestic Security Division. Many practitioners accompanied them each week to meet these key personnel, and they would clarify the truth wherever they went.
Last July, the police arrested another practitioner named Xiaohua. I immediately reported the incident on the Minghui website. Xiaohua’s husband and son were not practitioners, but her paternal grandparents are practitioners with very strong righteous thoughts. They immediately prepared a letter of appeal, which the family submitted to the Domestic Security Division, Procuratorate, and other authorities. They distributed it to relatives, neighbors, and anyone they met.
Xiaohua and Xiaolin’s families coordinated with each other in meeting repeatedly with key personnel. And on many occasions, the CCP members would hide when they saw them.
During the entire process, the practitioners in our county helped by sending strong righteous thoughts and even accompanied both families on visits to local officials. Many practitioners overcame their longstanding fears of clarifying the truth face-to-face and some even overcame their fear of the police.
Before Xiaolin’s trial, we cooperated to write and post public invitation letters, make calls, and send truth-clarification messages to residents in the county. We all decided to attend the trial as spectators to support our fellow practitioner with righteous thoughts. When the trial began, there were over 50 non-family practitioners in the court room.
This was the first time that a trial in the county court had such so many spectators. Both the authorities and legal circles were shaken by our actions. No one expected Falun Gong to be so extraordinary.
The Domestic Security Division made a threatening call to my elder sister, warning her that I was “too active” and that I should be careful. I reassured her and had no fear.
Xiaohua’s trial was held next. The practitioners that hadn’t participated in Xiaolin’s trial all came on board. Because we had more time to prepare, we made over 700 invitation letters and distributed them among the practitioners in our county.
In the two days before the trial, all the practitioners in the county set out to cover all the towns and villages with invitation letters for the trial. Even the young and old helped. We went out on motorcycles, bicycles, in cars, and on foot. Within one night, the entire county had heard about how Falun Gong practitioners had been illegally arrested and placed on trial. Through a united effort to rescue our fellow practitioners, we spread the truth over a wide area and became even more coordinated as one body.
The publicly displayed letters frightened the Domestic Security Division greatly, and they sent out people to tear them down. But too many had been posted for them to remove. The authorities didn’t dare to visit Xiaohua’s home, so they went to the farm that Xiaohua’s family owned. Xiaohua’s son immediately rushed to meet them, and Xiaohua’s grandmother made 10-20 copies of the letter of appeal, which she gave to each person.
At Xiaohua’s trial, there were several times more spectators than before. All 80 seats in the courtroom were filled, and there were many more people who weren’t able to get in. When they saw how many people there were, many people said, “I didn’t realize Falun Gong was so great!”
After Xiaohua’s trial, the verdict for Xiaolin was handed down: He was sentenced to jail in a nearby prison. But the prison refused to accept him, so he was taken back for incarceration at the detention center.
After studying the Fa and discussing the matter, we decided to meet again with the key authorities. We split up into groups to clarify the truth at the detention center, Domestic Security Division, and courts. I went to the detention center, where we clarified the truth to the center's head. His attitude was very good, and he listened to us attentively.
Our efforts, however, may have threatened the authorities, as Xiaolin was transferred to the provincial prison the very next day.
Shortly afterward, the county Bureau of Justice called my two elder sisters and said they were going to cut off my stream of students. My sisters were very frightened, but I told them that we are Dafa practitioners and are not afraid of these threats. I didn’t think further about the matter.
Even though we weren’t able to secure our practitioners' release, all the practitioners in the county managed to step forward and coordinate as one body. These incidents also enabled all the county residents, particularly the authorities, to understand the truth more clearly and to have a new and truer understanding of Dafa practitioners.
After the two trials of Falun Gong practitioners, the county Domestic Security Division and 610 Office began to view me as a “key person” and said that I had organized the two rescue attempts.
At the end of June of this year, the authorities pressured the Department of Education to investigate the tuition classes that students were taking outside of school lessons. Their real motive was to identify the students taking my English training course.
Before school vacation, the authorities called the students' parents, warning them to stop sending their children to my classes. They didn't dare mention the reason being that I practice Falun Gong, but instead lied about me lacking qualifications.
On the first day of classes, many parents came to talk to me about the phone calls. I was initially angry when I heard about it, but calmed down almost immediately as I recalled Master's words: "You play the leading role in this period of history ..." (“Walk Straight Your Path” in The Essentials for Diligent Progress Vol. III)
I thought to myself that I am playing the leading role, and these people [the authorities] are here to push me to greater heights by giving me a free round of publicity. The more I thought about it, the less angry I felt, and I even began to feel proud of myself.
The CCP officials were using barbaric, underhanded tactics to prevent me from getting students. But they had underestimated the power of righteousness and the power of the truth. For the past several years, I had been clarifying the truth, and my students had been receiving top marks in their examinations regularly. So none of the parents and students were influenced by the authorities’ lies. And when I started classes again, my center still had an endless flow of students. When the authorities called, some parents even told the caller upfront, “We know this teacher well enough, and we believe him more than we believe you!”
I was really moved by the overwhelming support from the parents and students. Seeing how they had awakened to the truth, I felt even more proud to be a Dafa disciple. I often receive calls from my former students or their parents, expressing gratitude for my teaching. This really touches my heart. Some of these students still remember me, despite the fact that it has been several years since I last taught them. They tell me that I will always be their teacher, which is a huge source of encouragement to me.
On the last day of summer classes, my wife and I paid a visit to the head of the Department of Education, where we raised the issue of how our students' parents had gotten those damaging phone calls. I told him about my experience of practicing Falun Gong and why the CCP was persecuting Falun Gong. My wife also told him that their methods were underhanded and unacceptable.
The head immediately exploded in anger and shouted that even if we filed a complaint with the State Board of Education, it would be useless. Without a trace of anger or impatience, I said, “Then you can write it down on paper, that ‘I, Mr X, head of the Department of Education in X County, told this person to file a complaint with the State Board of Education, and that even if he did it would be useless!” This unexpectedly gave the head a scare, and he didn’t dare to bring up the issue any further and listened obediently to what we had to say.
Toward the end of our meeting, the head told us that our English training center was pretty good, but he had acted under pressure from the county’s Political and Legal Affairs committee. I told him, “Then don’t follow them in doing such dirty deeds!”
Thereafter, I continued to expose this dirty deed to the public. What I didn’t expect was that most people in the county already knew about it. One primary school teacher told me, “At the time, all the members of the CCP in the education system had a huge meeting. They wanted all public school teachers to pay attention to their campaign, and that compliance would be part of the teachers’ year-end appraisals. The teachers were to assist in preventing you from having any students and from breaking you financially. Little did the Party members expect that their plan would fail so miserably!”
Looking back at my cultivation journey, I am profoundly aware that all my blessings were given to me by Master and Dafa. So I have never dared to slacken in clarifying the truth and helping save sentient beings. I clarify the truth wherever I go, and I help out in any way I can. I am very happy and fulfilled when doing the three things asked of practitioners.
In the remaining time we have, I want to cooperate even better with practitioners in my county. This is so that, through Dafa disciples, the sentient beings in our area can live better lives and have a greater hope for being saved! Thank you, Master. Heshi!