(Clearwisdom.net)
Part 1: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2004/11/28/54999.html
From then on, I entered the new stage of comprehensively clarifying the truth to and saving forced laborers. I adopted numerous means. I talked to different groups of people from different angles. For instance, I discussed with educated people about the mysteries of the universe and history. For people who were not well educated and who believed in the existence of ghosts, I first talked to them about ghosts, then, about gods, and eventually about Falun Dafa. For people who believed in fate, I talked to them about historical prophecies (for example, Nostradamus' prophecy), then, I cut to the topic. For people who were not satisfied with the government, I first talked to them about the corruption and the continual decline of society's moral standards. All in all, I made modifications for different people. Meanwhile, I conducted myself by strictly following the principle of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." I brought Falun Dafa's goodness and beauty to wherever I went, and Falun Dafa naturally became a hot topic. In addition to personally talking to people, I also wrote fourteen sets of truth-clarification documents and passed them among the forced laborers. Many who came to understand the truth said that they would practice Falun Dafa after they were released. People whose Buddha-nature came out at that time asked me to teach them about the Fa and practice the exercises.
Under that kind of high pressure, there were eight or nine people (including those in the detention center) who took up cultivation of Falun Dafa. When one of them was discovered by a policewoman, she was reprimanded; she solemnly said, "Yes, I'm indeed a Falun Dafa practitioner and Teacher Li is indeed my Teacher. Falun Dafa is indeed good. I have only cultivated for about one or two months and I've kicked many bad habits. For example, I used to indulge myself in comfort. I hated working. Every month my family gave me four to five hundred yuan so I could squander and enjoy it in the labor camp. For a long time I have not been able to complete my work, so I paid others to do it for me. I did not do my own chores and I paid others to wait on me. I was famous for being lazy and I was addicted to smoking. Yet now, I can finish my production assignments on my on. I do all my own chores. In addition to learning to endure hardship and become frugal, I only need 150 yuan from my family every month. I'm trying to break my long-standing smoking habit." Because of her powerful statement and the open acknowledgement about her change among the people in the Unit, the policewoman was speechless.
Some of them had only been practicing Falun Dafa for a few months. Consequently, some peoples' terms were extended, some were kept in solitary confinement, some were forced to serve hard labor; yet, they still remained steadfast in Falun Dafa and never yielded to or cooperated with the evil to persecute Falun Dafa or its practitioners. Some of them were deeply aware of Teacher's compassionate salvation, because within a short period of time Teacher had on numerous occasions anointed, eliminated sickness karma and eliminated toxins for them (they were drug addicts). After understanding Fa-principles, some deeply regretted selling drugs in the past that harmed others and themselves.
Many people did not take up practicing Falun Dafa at the time. However, after understanding the truth of the persecution against Falun Dafa, they took the initiative to ask me, "What can I do for Falun Dafa." Dozens of people have done good things for Falun Dafa after knowing me. During those years, there were several dozen people planted as covert monitors to keep an eye on me at one time or another. Yet, after they came to understand the truth and were moved and inspired by Falun Dafa's "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," the majority of them did not cooperate with the malicious persecution; instead, they became righteous.
After the news was out that I was promoting Falun Dafa and passing around letters, several people (including people who took up practicing Falun Dafa, and monitors who had done good things) and I received an extended forced labor term. Except for specific individuals, they did not hate Falun Dafa or me while living in such a cruel environment. In our private conversations, they still said that Falun Dafa was good. "Falun Dafa is good" was publicly acknowledged throughout the unit.
When the policewomen became aware of this and after facing people whose better side was affecting this, they panicked. After resorting to numerous tactics to coerce laborers to attack me came to no avail, they attempted to defame me and to incite their hatred against Falun Dafa and me by fabricating lies. Nevertheless, these tactics did not have any effect on people who had come to understand the truth of Falun Dafa.
The reason that all this was handled so well was, firstly, a firm belief in Teacher and Falun Dafa, otherwise, nothing is possible. Secondly, letting go of life and death and self, and keeping my mind on how to let more people understand the truth and therefore be saved. People who understand the truth will shortly return to society and they will spread the message to many people by word of mouth. Thirdly, resisting the evil and exposing the persecution will establish a correspondingly livable environment, or else a lot of things would be impossible. In order to get rid of the monitors in the beginning, I went to the chief of the Division and Unit, and I even went to the labor camp supervisor, asking them to stop assigning monitors to watch me and pointing out to them that motoring is a violation of my rights; meanwhile, I held a hunger strike to protest; they had no choice, but to compromise with me. Afterwards, I utilized numerous methods to resist the persecution by the new vicious policewoman who was in charge of Falun Gong practitioners. I was again monitored. As a result, in order to protest, I practiced the exercises in front of everyone regularly. Faced with a pure and righteous force, the malicious factors had no choice but to retreat and stop assigning monitors to watch me.
In order to resist their persecution, I wrote an in-depth truth-clarification report that exposed the facts of the judicial corruption and pervasive persecution they had imposed on Falun Dafa practitioners and forced laborers.
Meanwhile, I wrote a letter to their supervisors at the provincial level to report and expose their unlawful acts.
When high-level personnel came to check it out, they were shocked and panicked.
I also made fourteen sets of truth-clarification packets. I mailed them to related supervisory departments and submitted them to the labor camp, the division and the unit, hospitals, and so on. Many people, including people from high to low level offices, read these materials. Their attitude toward me changed dramatically and they gave me leeway in many respects. I also went to them and condemned their policy of forcing Falun Dafa practitioners and forced laborers to serve hard labor every day for as long as eighteen or nineteen hours. This is in direct violation of the regulations, which state that, "Working part-time and studying part-time, with no more than eight hours of labor." As a result, they later had no choice but to require no more than four hours per day of work from practitioners.
I wrote several hundred thousand words of truth-clarification materials. They earned me ample time and precious opportunities to reach people on a large scale and clarify the truth in-depth. Afterwards, in order to protect a certain labor camp supervisor's position, they assigned me a full-time so-called monitor under the guise of "taking care of me and to prevent me from doing too much work". After I clarified the truth to the monitor, she developed a sense of justice and in turn offered me leeway in many respects.
After different levels of supervisors and policewomen read the fourteen sets of truth-clarification materials, their attitude toward me changed greatly. There were numerous reasons people's minds were changed. For people who were deceived in the past, after reading information about the appeal in Zhongnanhai, the self-immolation in Tiananmen Square and the 1,400 death cases, the poison in their minds was eliminated.
For people who were not complete materialists and who were also interested in spiritual things, after reading the numerous legends and miracles of Fa-validation, which proved that Teacher is an enlightened being and that there is a karmic relationship between good and bad which is rewarded accordingly, they would develop good and righteous thoughts. After reading articles that exposed their persecution and judicial corruption, the policewomen's demented thoughts were definitely shaken and stifled. All of this prepared a smooth path for me to clarify the truth at will.
How do I clarify the truth to the laborers in a comprehensive manner? When searching for Fa-principles to guide my mind, I suddenly remembered Teacher's article, "Digging Out the Roots:"
"Dafa has created a way of existence for the lowest level, mankind. Then, among various types of human behavior within the human form of existence at this level, which include collectively presenting facts to someone, and so forth, aren't these one of the numerous forms of existence that Dafa gives to mankind at the lowest level? It is just that when humans do things, good and evil coexist. Thus, there are struggles and politics. Under extremely special circumstances, however, Dafa disciples adopted that approach from the Fa at the lowest level, and they completely applied their good side. Wasn't this an act that harmonized the Fa at the level of mankind?"
In one workplace with several hundred people, both new and seasoned laborers constantly coming and going, I did not have enough time to contact everyone. Therefore, aside from clarifying the truth to people around me, I let people pass around and read truth-clarification materials. I mainly targeted laborers who appeared strong, trustworthy, had a good reputation and were capable of influencing others. I let them understand the truth and Falun Dafa, and that enabled them to teach people in their own circles to understand and spread the truth. Because there was a large population of laborers, I was able to achieve the effect of "stirring up a thousand waves with a single pebble" (a Chinese saying). Consequently, the work units that I was in generally had pretty good opinions about Falun Dafa. When some forced laborers were chosen as monitors to watch Falun Dafa practitioners, this was a good assignment for the average person, because they did not have to do hard labor, yet, they would rather be working hard and be exhausted than involved in something that was against heavenly principles.
In addition to rationality, wisdom, righteous thoughts, righteous actions and taking the Fa as your teacher, passing every test well is important in doing Fa-validation work well.
For the past several years, the most difficult test to pass was emotion and sentiment. My son, who was from my previous marriage, was only fourteen when I was arrested. I was not sure where he was heading during all this chaos. At any moment, my present husband could leave the two of us. Then, my son would have to go back to his biological father's place, where the environment was extremely unfavorable for his growing up. Every time I thought about him or saw him, my mind was filled with all sorts of complicated emotions. When I saw thirteen or fourteen year old children who were being sentenced for taking drugs, I could not help but think about him, and I worried that he might go astray, thinking he might not handle himself well.
After suffering about this for a while, I told myself clearheadedly that I must understand this from the Fa. If he did not have that karma, he would not encounter the tribulation. I firmly believed that his learning Fa-principles during the past few years had laid a foundation for his character and he would definitely make it through the challenges. I also firmly believed that Teacher would take care of him. I quickly let go of my attachment.
Later, a policewoman told me that my son had moved back in with my ex-husband and attended school there. My heart immediately turned cold. The thing that I dreaded most had finally happened. Seeing how upset I was, the policewoman immediately tempted me and said, "Actually, I understand that you want to cultivate, but you don't necessarily have to be so strict with yourself, you could give in a little bit and still achieve your goal." I realized that the opposition was taking advantage of me because I became emotional. I replied firmly with righteous thoughts, "It's impossible. I can't possibly be so selfish that I would do something against the heavenly laws and principles. The heavenly principles are fair; however much you have endured, that's how much you'll gain. He will be compensated for his misfortune and the pain he is now suffering."
Afterwards, my son returned home from his biological father. It happened as I had predicted, he had fallen so far behind in school that he was not admitted to good, select high schools. After learning about this, the policewoman again came to sway me, "High school is the most critical period. With no one watching over him, how will he be able to enter college?" I replied calmly, "Cultivating in Falun Dafa, he will be blessed. If he is destined to have something, he eventually will have it. What's there to worry about? I'm pretty confident in his conduct. The son of a Falun Dafa practitioner will definitely take an upright path."
In this way, the test of emotion touched my heart again and again. Everything turned out to be unexpectedly good. My husband did not leave me, and he painstakingly took care of our family and helped me raise my son. In only six months after I returned home, my son's performance in school quickly improved, and he actually improved his ranking from thirty-something to number eight in his class. His former, undisciplined behavior also changed greatly.
In the spring of 2001, the malicious factors had us watch the video of the self-immolation in Tiananmen Square. At the time I did not see clearly and did not have time to analyze it from the perspective of Fa-principles. I thought to myself, "How could this be true?" My thought was not in the Fa, so the malicious factors took advantage of me. It was as if my brain was about to explode. I felt dizzy the whole night. The next morning, with heavy steps, I climbed up to the third floor to see the scenery and to relax my mind. At the time, the sky was filled with morning clouds and the red sun was rising. I felt like I was in a Buddha's sacred land, a holy place. At that moment, I sorted out my thoughts and checked them against the Fa. Everything immediately became clear and everything was resolved easily. It was so dangerous! Luckily, Teacher helped me in time and enabled me to rationally use the Fa to evaluate things; otherwise, I could not imagine the consequences. Actually, at that time, Teacher let me see the magnificent views and inspired my sacred feelings, and therefore, I became rational. It was Teacher who used the incomparable, immense compassion and power of the Fa to dust off the dirt and puzzles in my mind.
When I made up my mind to write a truth-clarification document, I thought about writing it in a comprehensive manner and to extensively cover shallow and deep aspects to validate Falun Dafa. For example, Falun Dafa's effect in improving one's health, Falun Dafa's numerous extraordinary phenomena and the numerous facts that prove that Teacher is indeed an enlightened being who saves sentient beings. In addition, I also thought about exposing the lie of the self-immolation in Tiananmen Square, analyzing the 1,400 death cases, and about explaining the truth of the appeal in Zhongnanhai. I exposed the perpetrators' different forms of torture and that the heavenly law of good and evil will be rewarded accordingly. I also thought about reminding them that everyone is positioning him or her self in the Fa-rectification and that they will establish a path for themselves in the future.
After comprehensively reflecting on it, I decided to write a truth-clarification document with fourteen special topics. Moreover, in order to let people understand it fully, the truth had to cover all the different levels, from the highest to the lowest--all these should be presented to them. Yet, the conditions in the labor camp were extremely perverse at the time. What would happen if Falun Gong practitioners continued to openly spread and safeguard Falun Dafa in the forced labor camp? It was obviously very dangerous. What could be done to change this situation? At the time I did not know about sending righteous thoughts to protect myself. I thought that the meaning of my life's existence should be the same as it was before: to assist Teacher in Fa-rectification, to save beings, and to safeguard Falun Dafa, even if there was a mountain of swords and a sea of fire ahead of me, I would still advance ahead. Not to mention that Teacher and Falun Dafa were by my side. Hence, I started writing with this in mind. In my writing process, the Fa-principles that I needed to know about, the facts, statistics and information that I used for explanation would all emerge in different ways. I was clearheaded. Including the ones I had transcribed, they were several hundred thousand words long. It took me six months to complete.
Accordingly, with Teacher's protection and hints, I broke through one obstacle after another and passed one test after another. Teacher gave me one opportunity after another to establish my own mighty virtue. In this way I steadfastly made it through this difficult time.
But, there were also things that I did not do well. At the beginning, except for refusing to be "transformed," validating Falun Dafa and clarifying the truth, in terms of other aspects, I was basically taking the personal cultivation path arranged by the old forces, and I passively endured the persecution. For example, I blindly participated in the hard labor and lining up for roll calls. I constantly used human notions and thoughts to look at problems. I failed to continue to understand the Fa from the Fa and to make new breakthroughs to transcend the persecution. Consequently, I was persecuted even further.
In the labor camp, in addition to continuing to clarify the truth and spreading Falun Dafa, going home became a passive and pessimistic expectation. I was in sorrow and regret. Although, by taking the Fa as my teacher, I made it through the tribulation.
Teacher has explained to us the Fa-principles of transcending tribulations and persecution and given us capabilities and elements of Falun Dafa, yet, I did not make good use of them, nor did I completely oppose the old forces' arrangements, or eradicate their restrictions. Instead, I was controlled and persecuted by the malicious factors. It was really heartbreaking. However, I became aware after I was released, that I had to enter a brand new cultivation stage.
(To be continued)
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