(Clearwisdom.net) I started to learn Falun Dafa before July 20, 1999 when the persecution began. With firm faith in Teacher and Falun Dafa, I have passed through nearly six years of the brutal reign of terror. After much reflection, I would like to write down my personal cultivation experiences in the Fa-rectification period over the past several years, to share with fellow practitioners.
The Choice of My Life
Since childhood, I have been full of questions about human life, wondering where human life originates and where it goes. I looked for the answer in books and on my life's path. My colleagues who practiced Falun Gong read and chatted about the book, Zhuan Falun at lunchtime every day. After I listened for a long time, I could tell that this book was unusual. A fellow practitioner recommended his Falun Gong practice site to me. I did not have the book, so I borrowed one and attended group study every day. I felt that this book was truly very profound, and it explained many principles of being an upright person. Since then, my philosophy and human concepts have been changed and my life was altered. It was an important choice in my life.
Through repeatedly reading the book and learning the five sets of exercises, after more than two months, I was able to go from sitting in the half-lotus position to sitting in the full lotus position with both legs crossed in the tranquil meditation. At one point, I developed symptoms of "illness karma," and my fever nearly reached 104 degrees Fahrenheit. I did not undergo acupuncture or take medicine, but the fever left and I became normal in about four days. I felt my body was much more relaxed, and so I passed the first test of eliminating karma.
Keeping the Faith
Falun Dafa has changed my path in life. My surrounding environment and family life all became harmonious. I not only obtained a healthy body, but also improved the manner in which I dealt with others. I told my relatives and friends about my personal experience and benefits. My mother and younger sister also joined me in practicing Falun Dafa.
After the persecution began on July 20, 1999, in order to ask for justice for Falun Gong, many practitioners went to the relevant city and provincial departments to conduct peaceful appeals, but it was no use; we found that we had no place to speak out. The fully armed police drove away the peaceful practitioners, beat some of them and arrested others. Suddenly, dark clouds arose, and the situation became extremely terrible. We were arrested and taken by car to the local sports arena. We practitioners were not frightened by the aggressive arrogance of the police and tried to talk reasonably to them and recited Lunyu. Later, the police took us to a school in the Ling District. Practitioners practiced the exercises together in front of the police without a bit of fear. All day until nightfall, police officers from each district registered and took us back to our former work units and neighborhood centers. On the second day, the work units began to confiscate our Falun Gong books, and thus we could no longer study the books and practicing the exercises together.
I was blacklisted at my workplace and became an object of surveillance and was looked upon as a key participant in our peaceful appeal. The cadres at my workplace often spoke with me, and the area police frequently came to my home and harassed me. People around me also tried to convince me, "Are you still practicing? Are you against the government?" They would advise, "The forearm can't overcome the thigh," or "Don't use an egg to bump the stone," [these are well-known Chinese expressions] and "In the end, you will suffer losses, even implicate your family, affect your child's going to school," and so on. I told them, "The television and newspapers are all propaganda tools in the service of the government. They fabricate lies and frame cases against Falun Gong, call white black, and confuse people about the reality what they see and hear. If Falun Gong were not good, would so many people learn it? The law should respect human rights. Freedom of belief is a citizen's right. The real reason for the persecution is that the government fears that Falun Gong practitioners are outnumbering Communist Party members, and so they are afraid of losing their personal power. Falun Dafa is welcomed in every country around the world and has received much recognition in China. Don't those facts explain the problem?" I did not give up Falun Dafa, but persisted in studying the book and practicing the exercises, and never stopped. I can give up everything else in the world, but not Dafa. As long as I don't lose my faith, I am able to get through the toughest moments in life.
Clarifying the Truth, Saving Sentient Beings
While I was in the confusion brought about by the persecution, I obtained Teacher's new articles, which directed me on my cultivation path. I deeply felt Teacher's great mercy and Dafa practitioners' important responsibilities. We have entered cultivation in the Fa-rectification period. We not only need to complete our personal cultivation but also we need to clarify the truth and save sentient beings. Because we are Dafa disciples in the Fa-rectification period, we shoulder great historical missions. We must wash away the injustice suffered by Dafa and let people who are deceived by the lies understand the truth. Only by experiencing the ordeals of the persecution did I realize that the group study and practice in the old days were so precious. I contacted fellow practitioners from former days. Although we no longer have the big practice site, we have resumed our small study group.
There are many ways to clarify the truth, such as distributing truth-clarification flyers and VCD's, hanging small banners, and posting notices. Big streets and small lanes all can exhibit practitioners' footprints in validating the Fa, letting poisoned people know the true situation and alarming the evildoers. The truth-clarification materials are placed everywhere: in people's mailboxes, in building corridors, and in bicycle baskets. While handing out materials, I got rid of my fear. I regularly clarified the truth in public areas including departmental buildings, hospitals and schools. I delivered truth-clarification materials to people with predestined relationships. After a long period of tempering myself, I have become braver.
Mighty Virtue
Dafa never leaves the body,
Heart contains Zhen-Shan-Ren;
A great Arhat in the world,
Spirits and ghosts fear the most.
(Hong Yin, subject to further improvement)
At work, I clarify the truth to people around me. By speaking to them face to face, I have cleared away the evil factors around them and caused some people to change their attitudes towards Dafa and to recognize the evil essence of Jiang Zemin's regime. The awakened people are silently supporting us in their hearts.
Cooperate With Each Other, Advance as One Entity
A great way has no form but exists as a whole entity. Dafa practitioners in the Fa-rectification period need to cooperate together even more, so that we can do the three things well, form a powerful energy field, and accomplish the objective of the main body.
The old forces' interferences have created gaps among practitioners. Some practitioners study the Fa and practice the exercises at home and are unable to step forward to validate Dafa. They thus remain in the state of individual cultivation, as things were prior to 1999. Practitioners who lose contact with each other improve very slowly and find it difficult to follow the process of Fa-rectification.
It is extremely important to maintain the cultivation environment that Teacher left for Dafa practitioners: group study, sharing together, and frequent communication. Although we may have different understandings and points of view when we discuss things, it is all normal and provides good opportunities for us to improve our xinxing. But we can achieve mutual understandings. Because some elderly practitioners are illiterate, they have difficulties in learning the Fa. They can read through Zhuan Falun, but it is a great effort for them to read Teacher's new articles and lectures outside of China. I often read Teacher's new articles with the elderly practitioners, and read articles from Minghui Weekly [a selection of articles from the Clearwisdom website] to them. I treat fellow practitioner's affairs as my own affairs, so differences in age and social situations can be removed.
I have kept in contact with fellow practitioners for several years. I have delivered Teacher's articles, weekly news and some truth-clarification materials them. More than five years of repeated difficulties have enabled me to mature. Now I am able to look inward, strive forward with other practitioners, assimilate to Dafa, and continuously advance the Fa. I do not use human notions when looking at issues, and do not leave any excuse for the evil to distance me from the whole body. I work hard to help my fellow practitioners keep up and not fall behind.
Negate the Old Forces, Eliminate the Communist Evil Spirit
From primary school to high school, I experienced the "Cultural Revolution" and grew up under the education of the "Chinese Communist Party (CCP) culture." The absolute ideological education of atheism was instilled into every aspect of our lives and became part of each of our perspectives. The Party culture is an evil lie with beautiful clothes. No matter how beautiful and elevated it sounds, no matter how pleasant its songs of praise, they are all feigned. It causes me great anguish to know that all those years I was deceived by the sweet words of the Communist evil spirit. Now I completely negate the old forces, eradicate the Communist evil spirit, purify myself, quit all organizations with any relation to the CCP, sweep away its baneful influence, make a clear distinction, and recall my true self that has been lost in a maze.
The publication of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party has made quite a stir in the world. Practitioners and awakened people throughout the world have been moved to quit the CCP. This phenomenon is a warning to people, and to practitioners; it is a very serious matter.
Teacher told us in "Turning the Wheel Towards the Human World,"
"Dafa disciples do not want to leave behind any blemishes; their making a renunciation is not 'getting political,' and even less is it going through a formality. Rather, it is an attachment that needs to be removed in cultivation. No one can reach Consummation if they remain marked by, or if they acknowledge, the most evil thing in the entire cosmos. In addition, only when Dafa disciples are able to clearly recognize it for what it is, purge it from their minds and no longer let it interfere with their thinking, can they have stronger righteous thoughts and do well what Dafa disciples should do; it is a step in cultivation that you have to take."
This displays practitioners' righteous faith towards Dafa and Teacher.
The above is only my personal enlightenment at a very limited level. Please kindly correct any mistakes.
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