(Clearwisdom.net) I obtained Falun Dafa in the fall of 1998. Here I want to share my experiences of breaking away from atheism and doing well in the three things required of Dafa practitioners.
Breaking away from atheism was the beginning of Dafa cultivation
Ever since I was young, I was educated with the Party's atheist theories. I was always the person in charge of this or that Party committee. I chased after fame and fortune and was very sickly. Since the 1980s I have learned many kinds of qigong in attempts to get healthy, and I received many qigong certificates. I spent much money on tuition for the qigong classes, but my condition only got worse.
I remember that in 1996 one of my colleagues recommended Falun Gong to me. I bought three Falun Gong books but read them only once. In 1998, a former classmate recommended Falun Gong to me and invited me to her home to watch lecture tapes by the founder of Falun Gong. I loved watching the tapes and felt that they were something different from anything I had ever learned before. From then on, I knew from the depths of my heart that we came into this world in order to return to our original, true selves.
By constantly studying the Fa and doing the exercises my body and mind were purified. I realized that atheism, which I was taught my whole life, teaches people that gods don't exist and therefore people have nothing to be afraid of. The inevitable result of being indoctrinated with atheism is moral corruption, because people who fear nothing will stop at nothing. Atheism also creates the greatest barrier for people who are here to obtain the Fa.
I realized that the only way to truly eliminate atheism from my head was to repeatedly study the Fa. I also needed to cleanse my home environment. With the help of fellow practitioners, I discarded qigong books, books on political theories, and unhealthy novels. I felt that a burden had been lifted off my shoulders after I was done throwing away those books. I realized that the process of cleaning out my bookshelf was also a process of eliminating my fixed notions and cleansing my own dimensional field. For me, it was the beginning of true cultivation. I decided in my heart/mind that I will practice Falun Dafa, no matter what happens.
Dafa practitioners' families should oppose the persecution
During the time from September 1999 to September 2003, my daughter was abducted, illegally detained and sent to a forced labor camp for practicing Falun Gong.
During the past five years, perpetrators from the Street Party Committee and the local police station have constantly harassed and threatened me, and ransacked my home. The persecution my family and I have endured shows that human rights and law are blatantly trampled in China, and that a group of villains are committing crimes against humanity. I completely lost my faith in the Party.
In September 1999, soon after the persecution began, my family and I went out to validate Dafa. My daughter was abducted and illegally detained for 15 days. The perpetrators ransacked my home, illegally detained me, and the persecutors from the Street Party Committee and the local police station constantly pestered us to write Guarantee Statements.
In September 2001, my daughter was again abducted while she was distributing truth clarification materials. She was illegally sentenced to one year of forced labor. I was under tremendous stress and cried many times.
One day I asked a fellow practitioner to send forth righteous thoughts to help my daughter. The fellow practitioner said, "So many practitioners are being persecuted! Is it right to send forth righteous thoughts only for your daughter?" Her words hit me like a bomb and forced me to see my attachment to my daughter. I am the family member of a Dafa practitioner and it is natural for me to oppose the persecution. This was a great opportunity for me to clarify the truth to related government departments and neighbors in order to offer people salvation.
My daughter didn't have access to new Dafa scriptures because she was held in a forced labor camp. I recited Master's new scriptures when I visited her at the forced labor camp. On my way to the forced labor camp I sent forth righteous thoughts as I asked Master for help, as I was determined to let my daughter hear the new scriptures. I didn't acknowledge the old forces' arrangements including its persecution of us. Facts have proven that Master is protecting us as long as we act righteously.
One day, Dafa practitioners' families crowded the reception room at the forced labor camp. They had different reactions. I thought, "I am a Dafa practitioner and the family member of a detained Dafa practitioner. We have to help detained Dafa practitioners strengthen their righteous thoughts." I never cried in front of my daughter and encouraged her to be persistent in Dafa practice. I thought I would encourage her to negate the old forces' arrangements and persevere in Dafa practice. We not only met and ate together, we talked for over two hours. I also learned she just announced that her Guarantee Statement, which she wrote when she was not in a right state of mind, was void, and she would return to Dafa practice. After our talk, my daughter was strong in her righteous thoughts and she eventually broke free using righteous thoughts.
I also started to help her from the perspective of Dafa instead of using human notions as I did before, and the outcome was completely different. As I constantly corrected myself, I tried to do well in the three things required of Dafa practitioners, and I exchanged my experiences with other family members of detained Dafa practitioners. I encouraged them to have righteous thoughts and righteous actions. I said, "We should get rid of fear because we are bound by duty to oppose this persecution. If every Dafa practitioner's family members bravely stepped forward to oppose this persecution, the perpetrators would not have been so unrestrained."
After my daughter was illegally sentenced to forced labor, I did not indulge in the sadness or worries of ordinary people. Instead, I took up the work she used to do, such as providing truth clarification materials for fellow practitioners in the surrounding areas, distributing flyers, and exposing the persecution.
Because Jiang's group, devoid of justice and humanity, had begun the persecution, perpetrators from the police department, the security department, the Street Party Committee, and the Community Party Committee constantly harassed and persecuted Dafa practitioners who were released from labor camps. I used to be afraid of them, but now I clarify the truth to them, including the police, officers from the Street Party Committee and my neighbors. It was also a process of constantly negating the old forces' arrangements and stepping out of humanness.
One day in September 2003 my daughter was abducted in front our home by police officers. I heard the news on my way home and I immediately thought, "This time I must not acknowledge the old forces' persecution, because it is unworthy of testing me." In the afternoon, my husband and I went to the police station and asked for my daughter. One officer said, "Your daughter practices Falun Gong, and the National Security Bureau told us to arrest her." He also said, "She has been sent to a division police department." I thought, "No matter where you sent her, we'll get her back." We firmly negated the old forces' arrangements and resisted with righteous thoughts. Two days later my daughter escaped using righteous thoughts. Again, our experience has proven that Dafa practitioners and their families are also one whole body, and the persecutors are powerless when we walk the righteous path.
Take solid steps in doing the three things well
During the past five years I used many opportunities to clarify the truth to government officials, cadres, large companies, and people who work in judicial and legal departments.
My husband witnessed my daughter's and my physical changes after we began cultivating. Nevertheless, the qigong theories I told him about prior to my obtaining Dafa severely stymied him from obtaining Dafa. In order to help him, I explained the facts to him whenever possible. One day he agreed to read the Falun Gong books. Once he had the will to read Dafa books, his illnesses quickly disappeared. He experienced the wonders of Dafa and is now a determined practitioner.
I clarified the truth to different people from different perspectives according to their backgrounds and the location. Many of the people to whom I clarified the truth have started practicing Falun Dafa. One time a friend held a party and invited other friends who worked in the government and at large state-run companies. One person was a city government official. I thought, "This is a great opportunity to clarify the truth." I drank water instead of alcohol, and I toasted to their health. I then recommended Falun Gong to them. Someone asked me, "What happened with the self-immolation incident in Tiananmen Square?" I said, "It was staged." And I briefly explained. I thought if these officials at least refrained from persecuting Falun Gong practitioners who worked for them, they could be saved. Afterwards, a friend read the Dafa books and said he would learn the exercises when he had time.
Another time, I attended the wedding of a colleague's son. Afterwards my colleague was busy, so I leaned close to her and said, "Remember Falun Dafa is great! Practicing Falun Gong is good for one's health." One year later I met this colleague again and I wanted to tell her the facts in detail. She happily told me that after the wedding, her neighbor told her the truth about Falun Gong and she started studying the Fa and doing the exercises. She said she believed Falun Gong was great because I told her, and that was why she was able to listen to her neighbor. Through this encounter I realized that by saying one more word and giving out one more flyer, that one more person may be offered salvation.
In the past five years, countless Dafa practitioners walked with determination amidst tremendous tribulations. Their stories inspired me. I conducted myself according to the standards of a Dafa practitioner. I took the initiative to do whatever was good for Dafa.
One time a fellow practitioner printed a box of flyers and wanted them delivered to a certain place. I delivered the flyers in the snowy -30o C (-22o F) weather with a cool head. I saw Dafa flyers everywhere before the Chinese New Year and I was very happy. This batch of flyers suppressed the evil and helped many people learn the truth.
In March 2003, an article on the Minghui website called for Dafa practitioners in Mainland China to provide firsthand evidence of the persecution to a district court in the State of Illinois, USA. After learning the information I thought, "Although I have never been detained, my daughter has been held in a labor camp, my family was harassed, and my home was ransacked. Also, I constantly risk arrest in China as long as I practice Falun Gong. The persecution constitutes the greatest violation of human rights. Dafa practitioners should cooperate as a whole body and together bring the head perpetrator responsible for the persecution to an international court." I reported my real name and my experiences of being persecuted to Minghui, and I discussed this with other practitioners to communicate the necessity of bringing Jiang to justice from the perspective of the Fa. Many practitioners overcame their fear and wrote their experiences of being persecuted and sent them to Minghui to be used as firsthand witness accounts. No practitioner was arrested or affected during this process.
Fa rectification has not yet ended. Dafa practitioners should continue to do well in the three things Master requires of us.
During the past five years Dafa practitioners have matured, and Master, with his boundless benevolence, gave us one opportunity after another. Let us continue to rectify ourselves through validating Dafa and offering people salvation. Walk with greater determination on the path of Dafa practice and by conducting ourselves according to Dafa we will never get lost!