(Clearwisdom.net)
In June 2003, my German language study visa was due to expire in two months. According to Germany's visa policy, a student who enters Germany to study is qualified to have his/her visa reviewed only if he/she passes a university entrance exam within two years. At that time, I was left with only one more exam opportunity. If I could not pass it, I would have to leave Germany immediately.
My mind was unclear. After I went abroad, I was led by the notion of "pursuing comfort," and my attachment to my relatives back home, as well as the difficulties of living in a foreign land, had turned me against learning German. This sentimentality stayed with me for a long time. I even secretly hoped that I would fail the test, so that I would have an excuse to return to China. The underlining cause was that I was selfish, and I had no strength to face the reality of my attachments within.
After hearing about my situation, fellow practitioners found time to share with me. They all hoped that I would not go back to China, and suggested to me that I could apply for political asylum in Germany. However, I had a strong bias against being a refugee. I became emotional and felt uncomfortable upon hearing the word "asylum." Moreover, since I was a child, I was indoctrinated with the twisted "patriotic" propaganda by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), so I believed that even if I were persecuted in my own country, I should not seek asylum in other countries.
In late June, practitioner A, who was applying for political asylum in Germany, needed a witness. His hearing officer thought that an "average" Falun Gong practitioner might not encounter persecution in China. I am an "average" Falun Gong practitioner and had the experience of being expelled from school, losing jobs and being arrested twice, therefore I decided to testify for this practitioner. In Frankfurt, practitioners B and C (who spoke fluent German), and I, accompanied practitioner A to see his lawyer. After the lawyer listened to my testimony, he was interested in my experience. He was a bit surprised that a person in my situation did not apply for refugee status as soon as I got off the plane. He asked me whether I wanted to apply for refugee status. If I did, he was willing to help me. I shook my head with a smile. Practitioner B answered on my behalf that I would consider it and then give him a reply later.
A few days later, we made another appointment to see this lawyer for practitioner A. Practitioner B suggested that since she had two weeks holiday from work, I could temporarily live with her, so I would not need to travel back and forth such a distance, and she said she would like to share her place with me. I accepted her invitation and went to her place. During the two weeks of staying at her home, fellow practitioners and I studied the Fa together a lot, and we sent forth righteous thoughts on time. She also shared with me some of her understandings of Fa-rectification work. In addition, she taught me German from the most basic level and encouraged me to speak German. Fellow practitioners also told me, "asylum" is actually a kind of safeguard in democratic countries to protect the lives of those who have been persecuted or would be persecuted. Asylum, they told me, is a way to protect human rights.
The three things that Teacher asks us to do opened up my mind, and gradually helped me to walk out of the erroneous zone of my "narrow self." The tolerance and understanding of fellow practitioners also helped me to let go of my worries in applying for political asylum.
In mid-July 2003, through that lawyer in Frankfurt, I turned in my refugee application with the German Federation Bureau. My application was accepted and I had a witness hearing on August 5.
Due to my poor German, I was unable to handle many things by myself. At that moment, many fellow practitioners helped me to tidy up and translate documents and contact the lawyer. They also shared with me on the Fa. With more Fa study and sharing, my mind gradually became clearer.
Master said,
"The evil did infuse the German policemen with a lot of bad things, and they treated us quite unreasonably at that time. What should a nation's attitude be toward Dafa, and what should it be when the evil and the righteous are before them? What should I do with their future?!"
("Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference")
When I was reading those words, I was shaken. I realized that in the country where I was living, there were many kind and innocent people who had been infused with bad things by the evil forces. As one who knows the truth, shouldn't I be responsible to clear up their misunderstandings toward Dafa held in their hearts? When the evil pushes a good person who cannot swim into the water, but those who can swim stand on the shore and think only about their own potential personal losses, isn't that ignoring and tolerating murder and the malicious actions of the bad people? As a Dafa practitioner, how could I act like that? At that moment, I made a decision: it is not important whether my refugee status is approved. The important thing is that I must try my best to tell the Germans what I saw and heard in China, and how the evil CCP uses the entire nation's machinery to implement the nation wide brutal persecution of Dafa practitioners! After that, I no longer used the excuse of my poor German. With the assistance of practitioners speaking fluent German, I struggled to tell the German people everything I had witnessed in China, either on the train or in Falun Dafa activities.
Once on a train, I met a German who has a website. After listening to my experience, he was moved and wanted to publish my story on his website to seek more support and assistance from people.
The day before my hearing, practitioners held a phone conference in regards to my case. We decided that on the day of my hearing, practitioners would hold a Falun Dafa Information Day event in the center of the city of my hearing and introduce Falun Dafa to the residents. In addition to that, they planned to send forth righteous thoughts on my behalf.
On August 5, two practitioners and I went to the Federation Bureau. A hearing officer and the interpreter appointed by the bureau took us in. At 8:20 a.m., we started our conversation. I understood that all of our conversation would be transcribed as a written record to be submitted to the Federation Bureau to be filed, so that many people would be able to read the material. During the hearing that day, I understood that in principle, the hearing officer could not interrupt me; therefore I should tell them everything I wanted to say.
After the first twenty routine questions, the hearing officer asked me, "What's the real reason you are coming abroad?" I took this opportunity to briefly introduce why I practiced Falun Gong, and then I started to talk about the persecution of Falun Gong by the CCP starting in 1999. I used my experience to get their attention, and tried my best to explain to the hearing officer and the interpreter how the evil CCP uses the entire nation's machinery to relentlessly destroy all Dafa practitioners.
The good hearted interpreter felt that I covered too many things, and worried the hearing officer might lose patience, so he reminded me, "It's enough to talk about your own matters. You do not need to mention other people." I responded to his reminder with a smile, and immediately pulled back to talk about myself, and then slowly spread out from my experience. When he reminded me again, I came back to talk about myself, and then gradually expanded the topics. At the same time, I sent forth righteous thoughts and hoped the hearing officer would let me finish.
I talked continuously for three and a half hours. During that period, the hearing officer was not impatient at all, but listened earnestly. After I said all that I wanted to say, the officer asked several simple questions such as "Would you give up practicing Falun Gong in the future?" My hearing ended at 12:30 p.m.
Before I left, the officer smiled and shook my hand. From his expression, I felt that he trusted me. The interpreter walked out with us practitioners. He said with a smile that other people normally took only half an hour at most, but I took four hours, and it had even passed lunch time. Seeing him sweating profusely, I suddenly felt somewhat guilty. If my German had been a bit better, he would not have been so tired. I felt embarrassed, "I am sorry for talking so long and make you tired!" He repeatedly said that it was ok and offered to give us a ride to the train station. We thanked him and told him that our friends were waiting for us outside, so he left in a hurry. When he arrived at the gate in his car, he saw us and passionately waved his hands to us. Several Chinese refugees near the gate even thought we were friends.
We went out the gate, and several practitioners who waited for us were clarifying the truth to a few Chinese refugees (next to the Federation Bureau is a refugee camp). One of the refugees went back home and brought us tea. Afterwards, three Chinese refugees who lived in the refugee camp joined the practice site in that city.
Then we went to our Falun Dafa information desk in the city center. On that day, we did not leave until we handed out the last flyer.
A month later, on September 6, 2003, the Federation Bureau granted me political asylum.
After this experience, I understand what is most important for a Dafa practitioner to consider during this historical period, when countless sentient beings are anxiously waiting to be saved: let go of our notions of loss and gain, and give up as much as we can for their salvation. I remember Teacher said:
"I can give up to the greatest extent and possible everything I have, therefore I can resolve all of this." ("Lecture at the Conference in Switzerland")
As a Dafa practitioner, I think we should think about how to jump out of the pit of self-limitation and reach the realm of what Teacher requires us to be: "selfless and egoless."
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Category: Clarifying the Truth
