(Minghui.org) I'm a high school teacher and I began practicing Falun Dafa in April 2006. I follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in my daily life and when I teach students.
I feel that its my responsibility not just to teach my students things about everyday life but also to save them. I clarify the truth to students and advise them to quit their memberships in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organizations. I usually teach two classes each year, and each class contains 40-70 students.
I generally clarify the truth in the evening while students are relaxing or catching up on their studies.
After I clarified the truth to students in two classes and advised them to quit the CCP organizations, some parents called the principal. The principal told my non-practitioner husband, who works in the same school, to pressure me to stop.
When my husband and I drove to work the next morning, he scolded me. He told me to stop telling the students about Falun Dafa. I refused. He angrily shouted, “Wouldn't you feel embarrassed if the Department of Education and all teachers in the city knew you practiced Falun Dafa?”
I smiled and said, “Practicing Falun Dafa is the most sacred honor in the universe. Dafa is righteous. If they all knew I was a practitioner, they would admire me.” He was silent.
Soon after, surveillance cameras were installed in the classrooms. The cameras were directed at the podiums. I knew negative factors in other dimensions were attempting to scare me and stop me from telling students about the persecution of Dafa and how to quit the CCP. I sent righteous thoughts toward the camera so it would not be used by the evil factors to interfere with me.
As usual, I continued clarifying the truth to students during evening self-study sessions with my classroom door open and under the surveillance camera. I maintained my righteous thoughts. Those students who understood quit the Young Pioneers, a youth organization of the CCP.
When I walked into the teacher's office one day, a colleague said, “Some teachers said that you'll tell students about Falun Dafa before this semester ends.” I smiled.
I thought, “My supervisors and colleagues agree with my truth-clarification. I wish they would listen when I tell them about Falun Dafa so they could be saved.” In the end, most of them did listen, and some agreed to quit their memberships in the CCP organizations they had joined. I continued clarifying the truth to students. I understood that everything would be fine as long as I did not have fear.
I told my students, “Raise your hand if you like to listen to my stories about Falun Dafa.” Nearly every student raised their hand. Only one did not. Most of them agreed to quit their memberships in the Young Pioneers.
The mother of the student who did not raise his hand contacted the head teacher. She was angry and said that I talked about Falun Dafa and advised her son to quit the Young Pioneers. After the head teacher reported me to the principal, he decided to fire me.
I reminded myself that I was a practitioner and could not go along with the old forces' arrangement. I told my students, “I haven't done anything wrong. I have your best interests at heart and I told you the truth. I don't blame that student’s mom—she does not understand about Falun Dafa. Unfortunately I have to leave. Please remember the words I taught you, ‘Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’ You’ll be safe.”
Many students wept. The head teacher was also in tears.
I told the students, “You can tell your parents what happened. If they like, they can call the school and ask the principal to allow me to stay.” Several students scolded that student, and his mother stopped making trouble.
I told the principal, “I'm only telling the students about the true situation in China. It will be hard for you to find a replacement, right? I haven't committed any crimes. You should let me continue teaching.”
The principal agreed to have me stay and continue teaching.
After I clarified the truth to students one evening, a student said she'd report me. I had some resentment in my mind. The student told her mother. Her mother called the principal and threatened to report the issue to the Department of Education if he did not do something.
The principal stopped my teaching again and told the logistics director to move my things to a small office in another building. He also told me not to contact other teachers.
The Township Education Commission and the principal invited me for a “talk” the following Monday. I was not afraid. I silently told Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa, “Master, I only follow your arrangements. Please help me.” I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference in other dimensions.
When I walked into the conference room, I smiled and greeted them. I reminded myself that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner. The commission director said that according to an internal order from his superiors, Falun Dafa was not allowed to be practiced either at home or outdoors.
I stood up and said, “The Chinese constitution guarantees freedom of belief. This persecution is wrong!” He seemed not to hear what I said and continued talking. I sent righteous thoughts.
In order to stop him from committing wrongdoing, I said loudly, “Please stop. Kindness is rewarded but evil meets with [karmic] retribution. Those who protect practitioners will be blessed. I hope you will all be blessed and have a safe future. Please remember, ‘Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’”
The director and his staff stood up to leave. The principal told me, “Don’t leave. A school administrator will talk to you.” I thought, “Master, I only listen to you. Please help me.” I followed the commission staff out of the conference room.
The principal came to my office. I clarified the truth to him. He already knew Falun Dafa is good and quit the CCP. “Now that they've left,” he said kindly, “I’d like to chat with you. You need to protect yourself. The Education Commission and school are trying their best to protect you, but you cannot continue teaching. This order is from our superiors.”
I asked him to have a seat. I explained the persecution in depth to him and advised him to not participate in it.
“You agreed to quit the Party,” I said. “You quit it so you won't be held accountable for the CCP's crimes in the future.” He said, “Good. Thank you.” Since then, he tried his best to protect me, and I continued clarifying the truth to each class I taught.
I have nearly one hundred colleagues, and I've clarified the truth to almost all of them. I did not talk face to face with some of them but called them over the phone or sent them text messages. I also asked practitioners overseas to phone them and clarify the truth.
At first, I was reluctant to talk to them about the persecution. Later I enlightened that it was my responsibility to save my colleagues—I had no excuses. Most of them are kind to me and respect me for practicing Falun Dafa.
Master said, “Let me tell you, every person in the entire world was at one point part of my family.” (Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference)
After reading what Master taught, I knew these precious lives were part of his family. I treasure each of them. I knew I needed to clarify the truth to them and save them.
A few years ago, I told my colleagues the basic facts about Falun Dafa and the persecution. Since I usually don't have opportunities to contact them separately, I tried to talk with them during lunch, after coming to work, or in the late afternoon before going home.
I saw a head teacher playing basketball one day. I had clarified the truth to the students in his class many times. I told him, “Please remember, ‘Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good. Have you thought about quitting the CCP organizations? The Party has killed many people. When you joined the Party, you raised your fist and vowed to sacrifice your life for it.”
“Who sacrifices their lives for it? I wouldn’t do that. I want to live a good life,” he said.
“Good. Then quit the CCP organizations and void your vow so you can have a good life. Do you agree?” He immediately agreed.
A middle-level administrator caught a cold. When he saw me, he said, “I feel like I'm dying!” I said, “Remember to say, ‘Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’ You’ll recover soon.” He said the words and recovered. He happily came to me, quit the CCP organizations and got a flash drive with information about Falun Dafa.
An art teacher didn't want to quit the CCP. I did not give up and kept clarifying the truth to him. He did not change his mind. During the CCP virus (coronavirus) outbreak, the school asked him to be a prevention officer.
Seeing him wearing a white protection suit, I felt compassion for him and wished that he would stay safe from the CCP virus. After sending righteous thoughts, I clarified the truth to him again. He was afraid of catching the virus and was moved by my sincerity and kindness. He finally agreed to quit the CCP organizations.
During lunch break one day, I clarified the truth to a substitute teacher. I told him that the textbook contained content slandering Dafa. One politics teacher read the text directly, which meant he was participating in the persecution. I told him that some teachers who taught politics had bad experiences afterwards.
When I returned to the office that afternoon, the substitute teacher said, “The principal wants to see you.” As soon as I stepped into his office, the principal said, “A politics teacher came to my office and yelled, ‘If you don’t take action, all the politics teachers will jointly report the issue to the Department of Education.’”
The principal asked me what I had told the politics teacher that angered him. I looked within for shortcomings and realized that some of my words were not appropriate. The old forces took advantage of my loophole. I sent righteous thoughts and had no resentment towards the politics teachers.
When I noticed that substitute teacher was in the office alone one afternoon, I gave him a little keepsake with Falun Dafa information and briefly clarified the truth. He smiled and said, “Good. Thank you.”
One day, the office director said they would hold a dinner party. I thought this was a good chance for me to clarify the truth, so I joined. When I entered the restaurant, I saw more than a dozen middle-level administrators present. I kept sending righteous thoughts.
Finally, I stood up and greeted everyone. I said, “I am very pleased to be here today. You are very kind and treat me well. You have protected me. I wish you a bright future. Please remember ‘Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’”
“Let’s live happy and long lives under the protection of Dafa,” a vice principal immediately stood up and raised his cup. Everyone stood up and raised their cups.
Normally teachers teach one class every year. When the principal cannot assign a teaching duty, he asks me to teach two classes. I don’t complain and I'm not afraid of hard work. I can save more people by teaching more students. I told him, “I practice Dafa and enjoy good health. Master teaches us to take whatever work we're assigned.” The principal laughed happily.
“She teaches two classes in one year,” the principal praised me during a staff meeting. “She is conscientious and hardworking. I hope everyone can learn from her.” Later, when I clarified the truth to my colleagues, they accepted it easily.
Because of his position and to protect his personal interests, the principal dared not tell anyone he thought Falun Dafa is good even though he’d quit the CCP organizations.
I decided to show him the document showing that it was legal to publish Falun Dafa books and clarify the truth further. One day, a teacher told me the principal wanted to see me in his office. I knew it was my chance. I quietly said, “Master, please help me.”
I brought a copy of document No. 50 of the State Council Press and Publication Administration that allows the publication of Falun Gong books. I also brought a work form and went to the principal’s office. In my mind I was going to clarify the truth to save him instead of going there to listen.
As soon as I entered the principal’s office, I thought it was a setup. There was a big vacant sofa—they invited me to sit on it. I declined and just sat on a stool.
“You must have your photo taken,” the principal said. “We'll submit the picture to the Education and Sports Bureau to prove that we talked to you.”
“I won’t have my photo taken,” I immediately said. “Don’t take the picture. Don’t listen to bad people. And don’t participate in the persecution.”
I used my hand to cover the mobile phone of a teacher who was about to take my photo. I said, “Don’t do this. This is a wrongdoing against a Dafa practitioner.” He stopped.
I said, “Everyone, practicing Falun Dafa is legal. I have the official document to show you.” When the principal said he wouldn’t read it, I said I would read it to them.
“I am going to call the police to take you away!” the principal yelled and took out his cell phone. A vice-principal immediately stood up to defend me and sternly told me to sit down.
Master taught us,
“In our school’s cultivation, you will not have any problems as long as you can conduct your xinxing well, since one righteous mind can subdue one hundred evils.” (Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun)
I kept my mind steady and did not argue with them. I understood the principal’s difficulty and pressure. In order to give him an excuse, I calmly handed him the work form and said, “I’m here to submit this form to you.”
At that moment, he stopped calling the police. I smiled and the atmosphere eased. I then said loudly, “Practicing Falun Dafa is legal.”
No one said a word. They listened quietly as I talked. “We are protecting you,” a vice-principal said, “The police substation called me a few times and said that you spoke out for Falun Dafa in public. I stopped them from hurting you.”
I said, “I know that you all protect me, and you are all good people. Thank you! But you wanted to photograph me as soon as I came in.” The principal smiled and said, “I wanted to tell you to move to the small office.”
I said, “Practicing Dafa and following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be a good person is not wrong. I recovered from several severe illnesses after I began practicing. A hundred million people in China practiced before the persecution began. Now Falun Dafa is practiced in over 100 countries.”
“I will move into the small office,” I said. The principal smiled and said, “Okay.” One of the vice principals laughed. The principal also laughed and said, “This is just a formality. You don’t need to sign any statements. You can go now.”
I walked out and said, “Thank you, principal. Thank you, all kind people. Please remember ‘Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’ I wish you a safe and happy future.”
This year the great plague struck. During the most intense days of the lockdown, police patrolled with their sirens blaring and used their loudspeakers to order people to stay home. I was not moved. When I received emails about this, I deleted them immediately. I was not afraid. That blockade was for everyday people, not for Dafa practitioners.
When practitioners in my area went to visit other practitioners’ homes for business, as long as they sent righteous thoughts, the guards at the neighborhood gate opened it for them and they drove through.
Fellow practitioners and I encouraged each other to overcome fear and difficulties. We continued going out and participating in group Fa study. We were able to distribute informational materials and clarify the truth without hindrance. Several of us fellow practitioners coordinated well.
It was inconvenient to get in and out of other communities, so we encouraged each other and agreed to distribute truth-clarification materials in our own neighborhoods. We also sent righteous thoughts toward the surveillance cameras when we went out to post truth-clarification banners to raise awareness of the persecution.
I keep my meals as simple as possible. I would feel bad if I spent time eating and drinking well. My husband likes eating dumplings, so I just make dumplings for him. When he saw that I was trying to save time, he didn't ask me to make dumplings for a long time.
I encouraged him to eat out at a good dumpling restaurant and buy some for his mother. This not only balances my family life but also saves time for cultivation. Sometimes I make dinner and let my husband eat first. I go out to my neighborhood to distribute some informational materials or cards with information on how to get around the CCP’s internet censorship. Then I go home and eat dinner.
Master has endured tremendous suffering to extend the time for us to save people. Millions of people have not yet been saved. I still have so many attachments to get rid of.
I will keep in mind my mission and responsibilities as a Dafa practitioner, cultivate myself well, live up to Master’s grace, do what I should do, and return to my true home with Master.
(The 17th China Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference on Minghui.org)