(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1995. During the past 24 years, I have witnessed the power of Dafa. Due to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) persecution, I lost my job, was arrested, and incarcerated in a forced labor camp many times. Under the guidance of Master Li, however, I have firmly walked my path to this day.
There were multiple life and death tests during those 24 years. I realized that every instance of persecution was an opportunity to step out of “humanness” and choose either an everyday pursuit or the righteousness of Dafa. Only after we put down all kinds of emotional attachments and keep strong righteous thoughts will Dafa reveal a higher level of meaning to us. Although the process of giving up human attachments is painful, the more we let go, the happier we become.
Although I lost a lot of material possessions, there is Dafa in my heart, and I am full of happiness. The process of practitioners cultivating their minds is also a test of faith and conviction. We should sincerely cherish this opportunity.
In the beginning, I dreamt, at least 10 times, of my soul flying up to the sky. At that time my child was still young, and once my child flew with me. I didn't experience this dream after the persecution began.
In order to safeguard Dafa's reputation and resist the persecution, I went to Tiananmen Square to appeal for the right to practice Falun Dafa, walked the streets and alleys to distribute information about the persecution, and talked to people face-to-face.
When the persecution first began, it indeed required great courage to go to Tiananmen to safeguard the honor of Dafa.
Once, while meditating, I thought about my work, family, and children. I then let go of my sentimentality for them one by one and eventually decided to return to Tiananmen. At that moment, I had the sensation of my body disappearing, leaving only my mind, which seemed as big as the universe. I remembered that Master had repeatedly told us to step out of humanness so we can bring our xinxing level up to standard.
In the early days of the persecution, when some people were confused and wavered about whether to continue following Falun Dafa, I also did a lot of thinking. I then decided to let go of all my ordinary thinking to follow Master and firmly cultivate Dafa for the rest of my life. When reading Zhuan Falun the next day, I experienced any that confusion I had about Dafa was resolved.
I then filled two notebooks with my understanding and experiences and shared them with fellow practitioners so we could improve together in negating the persecution.
In 2003, my mood was relatively low due to the seriousness of the persecution, and my cultivation state was not good. Master saw my fear, and let me see in my sleep the moment when the truth is revealed—in one ten thousandth of a second, everything stops, the truth is displayed, and the minds of all beings are stilled. What one has achieved is fixed at that point, and there is no further opportunity for people to cultivate or get to know Dafa.
In my dream, I felt deep pain and regret that I hadn't cherished my time nor cherished Dafa. Every life owes Master. But everything was over, and there were no more chances. Even after many years, pain lingers in my heart every time I think about this scenario.
What happens in our dreams is not cultivation. During the especially difficult time when I was imprisoned in a forced labor camp and was deprived of rest and basic needs, Master repeatedly used the form of dreams to give me and other imprisoned practitioners hints and encouragement.
In one dream, Master came to us and said to firmly believe in Dafa and work through the tests. Master told me when I'd be released, and that I should share the information with everyone to give them confidence. It turned out the day we were released early was the day I saw in my dream.
We all tried our best to maintain strong righteous thoughts and recite the Fa in the labor camp.
Without the blessing and encouragement of Master, it would have been really hard for me to overcome such a cruel persecution.