(Clearwisdom.net)
I am fortunate to have learned about Falun Dafa and become a practitioner in 1998. I was born in 1949, and since I have believed in the existence of gods since I was a child, the atheistic propaganda of the Chinese Communist Party has had little effect on me. When I first read Zhuan Falun, I could not put the book down. This is the book I had been in search of for decades.
There were many videos of Teacher lecturing overseas by 1998, and every time he gave a lecture, he always told practitioners to keep studying the Fa. I thought that these words of Teacher must be very important, so gradually I learned to pay attention to them. At that time I was very busy at work, but I read the book whenever I could make the time. I experienced interference when reading the book; sometimes after reading a bit, I would struggle to keep my eyes open, and wanted nothing more than to go to sleep (at that time I did not realize it was interference). To combat this, I picked up the book and read it out loud until I was ready to sleep. I felt strange doing this, but I would tell myself, "I must pass this test." When I said those words, I would suddenly become very clear-headed.
Since beginning my Falun Gong practice I have been getting up at 4:30 am to practice the exercises every morning. I remind myself to diligently study the Fa. With Teacher's words reverberating in my ears, I know that I can save sentient beings and do my best to act in a positive, open and honorable way during this period of evil persecution. I practice with my third eye closed, so I can't see or hear things in other dimensions, but I rely on a firm faith in both Teacher and Falun Dafa.
Not long after July 20, 1999, when the evil persecution began, I eliminated a big chunk of karma, which manifested as a serious cold, high fever and loss of appetite. I got through it drinking only a bit of water each day. One morning, while practicing the second set of the exercises, I felt surprisingly good as I held the wheel in front of my head. Normally, holding the wheel in front of the abdomen is more comfortable than holding the wheel in front of the head. On that day, though, when my hands came down to the abdomen, I felt very dizzy, sweated profusely, and my heart started to race. Somehow I knew that I wouldn't fall down, so I gritted my teeth and firmly planted my feet to ride it out. After a while, everything returned to normal. During that entire week, I did not take in anything but water. I studied the Fa and practiced the exercises every day, went to work as usual, and my spirits were extremely high. I performed my work in this heightened state with no negative effects whatsoever. It was a major test for me to eliminate such a big chunk of karma during that critical time when the evil forces were persecuting and slandering Falun Dafa, but I was not moved.
After the persecution began on July 20, 1999, the environment for studying the Fa together and practicing the exercises outdoors was destroyed. The evil's attacks on Falun Dafa and slandering of Teacher made me very uncomfortable. One by one I told my neighbors that what was being broadcasted on radio and television was untrue, and that Falun Gong teaches people to improve their inner natures and become more compassionate. Falun Dafa is a great universal law, and its practitioners' goal is to have healthy bodies, not to overthrow the government like the propaganda was saying. We have never been involved in politics in any way. I gradually told the facts to relatives, friends and neighbors throughout first my local area, and then surrounding areas. This all started with my wanting to explain to my relatives that Falun Dafa was good.
On March 15, 2000, I practiced the exercises outdoors with nine fellow practitioners. For doing this, we were charged with the crime of "disturbing the social order" and jailed for 15 days. During this detention, we were forced to perform hard physical labor each day. After my release, I lost my job. My spouse was on unemployment insurance, bringing in only 78 yuan a month, and our 23-year-old daughter could only find work as a part-time laborer. Our lives were truly difficult, and it was hard to save as much as one yuan.
We did not have many Falun Gong truth-clarification materials in 2000, but when I had any, I would go to the high-rises uptown by bus to distribute them. Because I could not find another job, I began to repair bicycles on the roadside. When customers came, I took the opportunity to clarify the truth to them. Because my prices were very low, my service was good, I was polite and I used these circumstances to validate Falun Dafa, people left with a good impression. Everyone could easily see that I was a good person who spoke the truth about Falun Gong and also accepted their views; the impact on them was quite positive. When there were no customers and I would read the book, nobody interfered with me.
On December 30, 2000, fellow practitioners and I went to Beijing to validate the Fa. We were arrested on the way and persecuted for a month in a detention center. After I returned home, the officials wanted me to write a guarantee statement that I would give up Falun Gong and pay them a deposit of 3000 yuan to guarantee it. I refused to cooperate with them. The police station then arranged for a person surnamed Zhou to "visit" me at home every two to three days. I clarified the truth to him and said, "Falun Gong practitioners practice Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance, and strive to be good people."
On October 1, 1998, my next-door-neighbor, surnamed Zhang, was the manager of a factory hostel. When his daughter got married, she lost a platinum and diamond ring worth 2500 yuan that was bought for her by her mother-in-law. I found it and returned it to her mother. If I did not practice Falun Gong, would I have returned the ring? After working for more than 30 years, I had hardly any savings. Might I not sell a ring valued at 2500 yuan for 1000 yuan? Because I am a Falun Gong practitioner, my inner nature has improved, and I have learned to take material things more lightly. Can you tell whether this was the action of a good person? I let my actions speak for themselves.
Before the Chinese New Year of 2001, one of the officers in charge of our region's Household Register and Residential Committee came to my house and advised me to apply for the Low-Income Supplement. I said that as a Falun Gong practitioner, I did not want to take money from the government when I could work to earn my own income. She said, "Some people have air-conditioning and cell phones, but they still come to the police station and made a big fuss insisting they need the Low-Income Supplement. You don't even have good furniture in your home, and when I tell you to apply for it, you say you don't want it. I am deeply impressed." I replied to her, "Thank you for your kind words and high regard. It would be reward enough if you could recommend me for some work if an opportunity arises." After our meeting, she asked the Residential Committee to hire me to sweep the floors in their building. Since that time, no one from the police department has come to "visit" me again, because now they understand that Falun Gong practitioners are good people.
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