(Minghui.org) I was fortunate enough to begin practicing Falun Dafa in 1998. It was the best thing that ever happened to me.
I took the Master's Program Admissions Test in 1999 to get into a well-known research institute. I scored high enough to be accepted by Tsinghua University and Beijing University. When I went for an interview, Professor Chen (alias), who was in charge of admissions, said that they were tough graders and that I’d scored well above the cutoff point. She assured me that anyone invited for an interview had a great chance of being accepted. The ones who were just over the line had been transferred to other institutions.
I went home and waited for school to start. One day Professor Chen called me. She apologized and said they couldn't accept me after all. She explained that the school had planned to expand its enrollment and had submitted a request. They were very confident that it would be approved, so they invited many students for interviews. But their request was not approved and it was too late to transfer us to other institutions.
My heart sank. She explained that this had never happened before. This year, apparently, the government laid off many young civil servants. To pacify them, they were encouraged to go to graduate school. So that they would be eligible for admission, the cutoff point on the exam had to be lowered for them, and the universities had to invite them for interviews and accept them instead of those who’d scored higher. I could tell that she felt very bad for me.
It's very competitive to get into a graduate program, and I was distraught. I lay in bed and couldn’t even eat. Then I remembered that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner, so I studied the Fa. I realized that fame and gain were all worldly things and that I should not be attached to them. After I let go of the attachments to self, I was no longer depressed. Instead, my heart was filled with kindness and tolerance, the principles of Falun Dafa. I put myself in Professor Chen's shoes. I thought about what she had to go through having to apologize to all those who were affected. They might not have been so understanding. It was not her fault.
I thought about those who were caught in the same situation as me. They must feel terrible having invested so much time and effort into getting admitted. I wrote to Professor Chen: “Although I did not get in and I felt terrible about it, I know it's not your fault. I am a Falun Dafa practitioner. Our teacher tells us to consider others first when things happen. I understand how you feel and don’t blame you. Please do not feel guilty. I also realize that others who were rejected are having a hard time. Being admitted to graduate school almost guarantees a good future. As someone who has a spiritual belief, I can put what happened into perspective and carry on. If opportunities to transfer to other institutions come up, please consider the others first. You can place me at the bottom of the list.” At the end of the letter I encouraged her to learn more about Falun Dafa and said I hoped that she would visit a practice site.
When my cousin heard what happened, he felt very bad. Prior to my interview I asked him to contact another university just in case this one did not work out. Because he was so sure that I would get in, he didn't reach out to any of them. Out of guilt, he wanted to bribe the institution that his company worked with and bump someone else to give me a seat. But I knew better than that—I was a Falun Dafa practitioner and should not hurt anyone else for my own gain. I refused to accept his offer. I let go of the opportunity just like that.
On July 20, 1999, Jiang Zemin launched the persecution of Falun Dafa. All the media in China are controlled by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). They churned out smear campaigns that poisoned the minds of countless Chinese. I believed Professor Chen understood the truth about Falun Dafa. I offered her my best wishes for a bright future.
Encouraged by my family, I once again began preparing to take the graduate school exams. I spent half of each day studying the Fa and doing the exercises and the other half studying for the exams. I came in second in my total scores. I was accepted into an institute for both a Master's and a Ph.D., which I could study consecutively. I knew that, had it not been for Falun Dafa, I could not have earned such high marks.
My supervisor was a person of integrity. Her parents (retired) and her husband were high-ranking government officials, but she had never joined the CCP. She was very hardworking and kind to the students. She was very well respected.
My time in graduate school was during the darkest years of the persecution. I diligently followed Master's teachings to be good and respectful of the professors. I got along with my colleagues, putting everyone else before me. When I made a mistake, I owned up to it. Once I broke a very expensive piece of equipment. No one would have had to know about it. As a Falun Dafa practitioner, I knew that I had to own up to my mistake. So I told my supervisor and offered to pay for a replacement. She was very surprised at my honesty but would not let me pay.
One of the male students was called to the supervisor's office for bad behavior. He was very upset after being criticized. I knew that he did not take criticism well, so I went to her office and asked if I might have a word with her. With her permission, I offered my take on the incident. I said, “He's intelligent, just a bit lazy, so he didn't do well on his labs. He's very sensitive. If you could encourage him instead of criticizing him, he will do better. I don't mean to find excuses for him. I just want our team to do better.” My supervisor was touched at what I had to say. She had come to trust me based on our many interactions. She even trusted me with her office key.
Many years later, I learned that she thought I was an excellent student, although I was not the best at research. I knew very well that it was Falun Dafa that guided me. I was just following the teachings and trying to be good.
I told all the faculty members of the research team about Falun Dafa and the persecution. I also talked to the administrators of the graduate school. I talked to my fellow students as well and gave them copies of the NineCommentaries on the Communist Party. Someone reported me to my supervisor, which put her under a lot of pressure. However, she tried to protect me whenever she could.
Many of my professors and fellow students came to understand the truth. Some withdrew from the CCP and also helped others quit it. They passed around copies of the Nine Commentaries and VPN software to people they knew.
One of the students commented, “Falun Dafa practitioners are remarkable. They have persisted despite being persecuted.” Another student commented in front of his professors and classmates, “It's good for people to have a spiritual belief.” One of the senior students trusted me after she heard that I practiced Falun Dafa. She asked for my advice whenever she had problems. She had already learned the truth about the persecution of Falun Dafa from several alumni from the Institute and knew that practitioners were good people.
Before I started graduate school, a husband and wife who practiced Falun Dafa were graduate students under Professor Wang (alias). Following the teachings of Falun Dafa, they became well-respected in the Institute for their upright character and their academic achievements. After the persecution started in 1999, they went to Beijing to appeal for an end to the persecution, but they were arrested and taken back to the Institute. At that time, most people sided with the CCP and pressured the Institute authorities to dismiss them. Professor Wang, who knew the students well, refused to do so.
Soon afterward, the head of the Institute retired. Although Professor Wang was not senior enough, he was appointed head. This shows that his good deeds were rewarded and, as the saying goes, “The heavens are watching.” He knew that I was talking to people about Falun Dafa, so he protected me. His kindness was rewarded as he did better and better in his research. He moved up in his career and later became a member of the Chinese Academy of Science.
After I graduated, I called my supervisor and talked to her about quitting the CCP. She told me that she was no longer a member due to her age. I explained why it was beneficial to withdraw anyway. I said, “The CCP is corrupt and has destroyed our traditional Chinese culture and moral values. Close to 80 million people have been killed during its political campaigns. Now it's persecuting Falun Dafa practitioners. The CCP will be destroyed for all the crimes it has committed. Since you swore to give your life to the CCP, it's important that you withdraw from it so you won't be held accountable for its crimes when it goes down.” Once she understood, she was pleased to withdraw. She also quit for her husband. I wished her family a happy and peaceful future.
These years of unrelenting persecution have shown that nothing can make Falun Dafa practitioners renounce their faith. Throughout its bloody history, the CCP has lied to the Chinese people repeatedly. Please do not listen to it. Please find out the truth for yourself.