(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master. Greetings, fellow practitioners.
All three members of my family practice Dafa. My cousin (a fellow practitioner) came to stay with us. She lived in my house for a while and then rented an apartment.
My cousin and I worked together to clarify the truth, and we have a tacit understanding. We agreed on many things, including our approach to clarifying the truth—and the results were good.
As time passed, our relationship became closer than sisters. When this upset my family members I accused them of jealousy, but I didn’t look within. A fellow practitioner even pointed out, “I see the deep affection between you two.” I didn’t think about it. When my cousin was kidnapped by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) police, I suddenly awakened.
Looking inward I noted that I had too much affection for my cousin. I discussed many issues with her. As time went by, my human attachments increased. Sometimes our speaking and doing things were mixed with human attachments and were not in line with the Fa. I had become too dependent on her. When the old forces took advantage of the loophole and persecuted her, I was filled with remorse. After I found the attachment, I corrected myself. But my cousin was still detained. I planned to hire a lawyer to rescue her.
Eliminating My Dependence Mentality
Since I never participated in rescuing practitioners, I did not know what to do. When I was worried about where to find a human rights lawyer, some fellow practitioners who helped rescue others offered to help me.
We found two lawyers, one was local and was only responsible for meeting and passing information to my cousin. The other was a human rights lawyer from another place and was in charge of defending her.
As soon as he arrived, the human rights lawyer went to the detention center to meet with my cousin and accompanied us to the police department to request her release. After that, he rarely showed up.
One day I called and asked him when he would come again. He was upset and said angrily, “Didn’t you call me the other day? Didn’t I tell you?” I said that I didn’t call him. He became even more angry and said, “How can you lie?”
I was puzzled. But I thought that I am a practitioner, I shouldn’t get upset. I didn’t say anything. Later, I learned that another practitioner had called the lawyer and asked when he would come. The lawyer mistakenly thought it was me calling him.
The lawyer came again later. Thinking that he was angry before, I tried to explain what happened. He didn’t say anything. I was not provoked by his attitude, and even felt a little bit of xinxing improvement.
Later, I enlightened that the lawyer was impatient because we called and expected him to come, and because we relied too much on lawyers. Unless a lawyer was with me, I did not want to visit the police department, procuratorate, or court. So wasn’t his getting upset helping me remove my mentality of dependence? I should thank him in my heart.
After eliminating this mentality, I took the initiative to talk with the case-handling unit, and I went to the procuratorate and the court to ask about the case.
We needed the cooperation of my cousin’s family members. But her family complained that I didn’t take care of her, which led to her being detained. After the trial started, another cousin complained about me in front of the lawyer.
The lawyer felt bad and told me, “This is really hard for you. I admire your patience.” I said that I didn’t do well and I needed to improve my character. My cousin’s family were not practitioners and I could understand their feelings. The lawyer nodded knowingly.
Putting Down Ego and Cooperating with Other Practitioners
Several practitioners participated in the rescue process. Because there were more people, there were naturally more ideas. I listened carefully to everyone’s suggestions, and adopted them as long as they conformed with the Fa.
But everyone has their own opinions, and sometimes they exclude each other. I also had human attachments and thought that one practitioner was too extreme or another one was selfish. There are naturally differences and contradictions.
When I calmed down, I thought: since we are still cultivating we have human thoughts, and we inevitably think about problems and try to solve them in human ways. But we have to be strict with ourselves, and we all have to cultivate our xinxing. If we all stick to our own opinions, then the old forces can take advantage of our loopholes and make trouble. That should not happen. I have to pay attention and not let our differences expand.
I told the other practitioners that everyone has his own strengths. We should complement each other, learn from each other, and cooperate smoothly. My honest sharing really worked, and everyone agreed.
Each practitioner did what they were good at: Some wrote articles to expose the persecution; others clarified the truth through text messages; some practitioners from my cousin’s hometown mailed letters; and some went to meet with my cousin’s parents who lived hundreds of miles away. I accompanied my cousin’s family to the public security bureau to request her release, to the procuratorate to submit a complaint letter, and to the court to submit the application for the judge’s recusal. The practitioners cooperated well.
Clarifying the Truth to the Police Department Deputy Director
My cousin and I were illegally detained in 2015 by the police after submitting our complaint letters against Jiang Zemin, the former CCP head who initiated the persecution. After I was released, I wanted to look for the deputy director who participated in the persecution to get back our computers and other items.
I didn’t dare to go, so I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate my fear. I felt better and went to his office. I clarified the truth to him from multiple angles. I explained why Jiang Zemin’s supporters tried so hard to persecute Falun Dafa, and that it is practiced in more than 100 countries across the world. I said that the Tiananmen self-immolation incident was staged to frame Falun Dafa. He listened quietly. Then he said, “You are all good people. It will be good if Jiang Zemin dies—then he won’t persecute you anymore.”
I also told him about the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and why millions of Chinese have already withdrawn from the CCP and its organizations. He immediately agreed to withdraw from the CCP, and helped his wife and son quit. He also saved the pseudonym used in the withdrawals. I advised him to change his job and stop participating in the persecution of Dafa. A few days later, he returned my computer, hard drive, cell phone and Dafa books that were taken from my home.
This time when my cousin was arrested, the police took a deposit certificate of 80,000 yuan (US $12,525). I went to him again, and he told me to go to the bank to report the loss. I did. Later, when the case-handling unit returned personal belongings unrelated to the case, it did not submit the deposit certificate and did not give any explanation. Thanks to the help of the deputy director, we avoided a loss of 80,000 yuan and prevented the police from committing more crimes.
The director also got blessings for his good deeds. Before long, he was transferred from the police department and promoted to the municipal government.
Overcoming Fear and Attending the Court Hearing
When the court started the hearing against my cousin, I planned to attend it. Fellow practitioners reminded me that the national security personnel would watch who entered the court and said that they would retaliate in the future. I was not afraid.
Only immediate family members were allowed to enter the court during the first hearing. I thought that I must enter the court, as what I did was the most righteous thing in the universe. Entering the court was also an encouragement to my cousin, and we needed to know what happened during the hearing. When I had this thought Master helped me enter the court smoothly. Four people including family members went in. After this first hearing, fellow practitioners were later allowed to enter the court.
On a reception day for the court director, I directly talked to him and told him that my cousin did not break the law and should be released. I also told him that the judge for this case unreasonably delayed the hearing without evidence of any crime being committed. The director said he would discuss the issue with others in the court. However, due to pressure from the Provincial Public Security Department, my cousin was sentenced to prison.
Although it did not achieve the expected results, the process helped me remove a lot of human attachments—mainly my fear. I had never attended a court hearing before, let alone to talk with a court director. Now I can take fellow practitioners to observe during court hearings, and talk to the director directly. Through the process, I also eliminated my attachment to reputation, eagerness, and grievance.
Eliminating Interference
My cousin’s case was appealed to the Intermediate Court. There was no response for a long time. I planned to check whether the court received the appeal. The night before I planned to go, my mid-section began hurting and I couldn’t move. After resting for a while, I still couldn’t get up. I finally stood up, painfully walked to the bedroom and lay down. It was difficult for me to turn over. I thought: If this goes on, I won’t be able to get up tomorrow to go to the Intermediate Court. I slowly sat up and moved to the edge of the bed. I wanted to stand up, but could not due to the pain.
My husband woke up and saw that the door of my room was open. He asked if I was okay. I said I wanted to do the exercises, but I could not get up because of the pain. I asked him to help me up but he couldn’t pull me up. He suggested that I meditate. I leaned against the bed and meditated. After an hour, I was able to move and place my feet on the floor. I did the standing exercises.
After I finished the exercises, it was already after 3:00 a.m. I went to my husband’s door and asked him to get up to do the exercises. Hearing that I hadn’t slept all night, he told me to go to bed. I said I’d like to practice the exercises with him. After we did all five exercises, we sent righteous thoughts at 6:00 a.m. Afterwards I drove to the Intermediate Court.
If I didn’t get up to do the exercises, I might really not be able to get up. Who knows how long I would lie in bed? I knew this was interference from the old forces, which were trying to stop me from going to court.
Treating My Cousin’s Family Members with Kindness
Since I was not arrested along with my cousin, her family was confused and even resented me. They often complained about me. Because I did not agree with their approach to rescuing my cousin, they threatened me. I thought about the situation from their perspective and I could understand their feelings. I looked within for my shortcomings and cultivated myself.
When we went to the detention center to visit my cousin, her younger sister said that she had something to tell her. My daughter had a different view on this. My younger cousin said some provocative words. I remained silent but my daughter didn’t hold back, and the two quarreled.
I immediately told my daughter not to say anything, and I reasoned with my younger cousin. She calmed down. I said to my daughter, “How can you be rude to your aunt? Hurry up and apologize.” Although my daughter was not convinced, she apologized and invited her to dinner.
Afterwards I talked with my daughter about this matter privately. We are cultivators and should not quarrel with ordinary people. But my daughter did not want to listen and said she felt wronged. She felt that our family did a lot to rescue our cousin, spending money and running errands.
When my cousin’s family members came to visit her, we picked them up by car and spent a lot of money on food and accommodations. They did not thank us—instead they complained. My daughter had trouble coping with their behavior, so I avoided talking about it.
I just studied the Fa with her every day, and we didn’t say much after we read. A few days later, when I talked about it again, my daughter realized that she was wrong. Later, my younger cousin came to visit her sister again, and my daughter graciously picked her up and invited her to dinner. My younger cousin felt embarrassed about the way she acted.
While my cousin was in the detention center, her daughter asked me for money twice. I knew that she had been rebellious since she was a child. Such a big thing happened in the family, but she asked for money. It seemed like she was trying to provoke me. Her mother was kidnapped in front of me. Seeing that I was fine, she felt upset.
So I treated her kindly and sympathized with her. I cooked for her and gave her money. Once, I gave her two thousand yuan. Gradually, she also changed and respected me. I know that practitioners’ kindness influenced her. In this process, I let go of my attachment to self-interest and expanded my capacity. I have a deeper understanding that a component of cultivation is being humble.
I visited my cousin after she was released from prison, but I didn’t mention her daughter asking me for money. She later found out from her family and was touched. She said that her father praised me and said I was very kind. Her younger sister said that a good person like me was hard to find. My cousin told them that only Falun Dafa practitioners are such good people.
I had a deep feeling about this: Practitioners have to set strict requirements for ourselves in every word and deed in our daily lives, in order to validate the goodness and beauty of Dafa.
When I examine my cultivation, I realize that I still have many shortcomings. Some I still haven’t identified—others I’m unwilling to give up or they repeatedly surface. But no matter what the situation is, when Master’s Fa-rectification is about to end, we can no longer let our attachments rule us. Time is so tight, I really want to cultivate myself as soon as possible and become a qualified disciple.
Thank you, Master, for your compassion and salvation! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
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