(Clearwisdom.net) I am 57 years old and was fortunate enough to learn Falun Dafa in 1996. Before I started practicing, I had bronchitis, headaches, gastritis, arthritis, gallstones, kidney stones, sciatica and other health problems. Most of these diseases had been with me for more than twenty years, and every day I had to take medicine. The pain and suffering were unbearable.
Regrettably, even after I had practiced Falun Gong for more than a year, I did not finish reading Zhuan Falun. After much discussion with fellow practitioners, I realized that I had been wasting my time. I then became diligent in my cultivation, and I felt extremely comfortable. It was the feeling of having a healthy body, which I had had many decades before.
The persecution of Falun Gong started on July 20, 1999, and my boss told me to watch the television. Seeing how Teacher Li was cruelly slandered by the evil, I thought, "My Teacher is a very noble person. He taught us how to be good people by cultivating Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. This can't be right." I could not bear to watch the television anymore, and I cried for an entire afternoon.
The next day, my boss reprimanded me during a meeting and ordered me to give up my practice of Falun Dafa. He threatened to fire me if I disobeyed. After he said this, I stood up and said, "Teacher Li taught us the great Fa and nothing can compare to it. My Teacher also taught us Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance, and these are universal truths. Falun Dafa is a good cultivation practice--why can't I practice it?"
My company began to force me to "wear smaller shoes" by purposely making trouble for me in hopes that I would relinquish Falun Dafa. My determination to practice Falun Dafa, however, became stronger each day. I told people on the street that Falun Dafa was good. I also told many of my colleagues that Falun Dafa was good. Soon, someone told my boss, and I was severely reprimanded. My boss lowered my salary, took away my work lunch, and even had his father monitor me in the company. In spite of that, I persisted in clarifying the truth to everyone I knew. As a result, my salary was reduced from 600 yuan to 400 yuan. My boss even made me work on Sundays. I was not moved at all, for I knew that clarifying the truth was among the things I should do.
In September 2001, I went with some practitioners to distribute truth-clarification materials. Each of us carried about 200 items, and they were extremely heavy. When we finished distributing most of the materials, we realized that we had been turned in to the police. The police interrogated me, "Who told you to distribute those materials? Who is your leader?" I replied, "In this world, only my Teacher has explained Falun Dafa to the sentient beings. He taught us Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance, and how to be a good person. Falun Dafa is good. We're trying to clarify the truth to everyone and hope that others will not believe those defamatory television programs."
We were detained at a police station where we taught the inmates the Falun Dafa exercises, Teacher's articles, Teacher's Hong Yin, and to follow Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. A month later, the inmates wept when we were released. They said, "Falun Dafa practitioners are all good people. We also want to practice Falun Dafa after we're released."
The village government continued to detain us, so we decided to go on a hunger strike to protest such persecution. After 10 days, the medical examinations showed that our bodies were greatly weakened. They released us, as they were afraid of being held responsible for our deaths. While we were in detention, the authorities tried to force us to write the Three Statements, but not one of us wrote them. After returning home, I went back to work, but my boss insisted that I sign a statement that I would not practice Falun Dafa again. I refused and was fired. My boss even deducted a few thousand yuan from my salary.
I went to my work unit to settle my account, but was severely reprimanded by the party secretary. I patiently clarified the truth to him, but he was too deeply poisoned by the lies on television. I sternly told him, "You know better than anyone else that I am a good person in this work unit. If you wish to follow [former Chinese president and instigator of the persecution] Jiang Zemin and persecute good people, then you are the one who is wrong!"
Soon the director of my work unit came in. He said, "For many years I have known that you are a good person. Whatever you believe is your freedom of choice. For this matter, I'll settle it today, and you can come back to work. When you are tired, you can practice Falun Dafa." I clarified the truth to every sentient being in my work unit. I gave them truth clarifying cards and materials as well as CDs.
My only thought was, "Teacher Li taught us such a good Fa, and it should be known to everyone. I'm an expert in gardening, and I think I can use my expertise to plant the Chinese characters for 'Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance' using the flowers in the garden near my living unit. This would allow everyone to see the truth. Being a Falun Dafa practitioner, I should validate the Fa, clarify the truth to sentient beings, and persist in my cultivation of Falun Dafa under all circumstances."
On June 6, 2002, after returning home from work, nine police officers took me to the police station. Around 9:00 p.m. that night, they began to physically abuse me. Five of them beat me, and some pulled my hair while others slapped my face. Some even whipped me with their belts. There was another practitioner with me during this brutal round of persecution. The police chief forced his hand into my mouth and dug into my right cheek. My cheek bled profusely, and my right sleeve was soaked with blood. Nevertheless, he refused to stop and continued to dig at my mouth while screaming hysterically. I ignored him and sent forth righteous thoughts. I did not feel any pain at all, and I knew deep in my heart that Teacher Li had endured the pain for me. During the 10 days of confinement, I was given very little to eat. One day, the police chief was about to take my foot and thumb prints, but I thought, "Teacher Li said that every Falun Dafa practitioner was a great god and no one would be worthy enough to touch us." With this righteous thought, a phone call came and they took the printing equipment away.
On another occasion, the police made many practitioners stand outdoors in the freezing weather without jackets. The oldest was 70 years old and the youngest was only about two years old. The father of the youngest practitioner was beaten severely, and then they submerged his entire body in water except his head. It was bitterly cold outside, and we began to run and recite the Fa-rectification verses. Soon, the weather changed. Under a strong wind and rain, all the officers began to run away, and this torture finally ended.
Ten days later, I returned home. When I went to work, the director of my work unit was astonished by my wounds and asked me what had happened. I told him that I had been beaten by the police. Then he said, "You did not commit any crime for practicing Falun Dafa exercises as you practice it for the sake of having a healthy body. How has this offended others? You don't have to work today. Just wear your bloody shirt and show everyone how this unjust society treated you."
After hearing this, I immediately thought of clarifying the truth and exposing the persecution of Falun Dafa by using myself as a walking example. It was also a means of validating the Fa. I clarified the truth to everyone, including people in my work unit, on the street, and my neighbors. I did not have any fear at all. After this experience, I became even more diligent in my cultivation. I woke up before 4:00 a.m. in the morning to practice the fifth Falun Gong exercise. I used whatever time I had left after doing my work to study the "Fa."
The situation in my work unit eventually became better as more people understood the truth regarding the persecution of Falun Dafa. As a result, there were also more people who wanted cards with Falun Dafa sayings on them from me. I did my best to do the three things Teacher Li required of us. I took the initiative to clarify the truth to people, gave them the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, and informed them of the importance of quitting the Communist Party. For those who were unwilling to listen, I would search inwards and try to find my attachments. Eventually, everyone I talked to quit the Chinese Communist Party.
I realized that our local practitioners needed to improve as a whole body, so I decided to take the time to help them to step forward to validate Falun Dafa. In addition, with those practitioners who felt that the Nine Commentaries was getting political, I patiently clarified the truth to them and explained that exposing the persecution was not a political act. I also told them about how evil the Chinese Communist Party was, and hoped that more sentient beings would see its true nature and not be deceived by its lies. How could saving sentient beings become political? Some practitioners awakened and began to do the three things Teacher required of all practitioners. Some other practitioners, however, are still confused, and they have not even read Teacher's new articles. I am very concerned about them.
After practicing Falun Dafa, I felt and looked younger. I became healthy physically and emotionally, and I have not taken any medicine since I started the practice. My attachments towards fame and fortune also lessened.
I truly feel that it is such an honor and joy to be a Falun Dafa practitioner, especially a Fa-rectification practitioner. I told myself that I must do the three things well so that more sentient beings can be saved. This is the Dharma-ending period, and I must fulfill my historical mission.
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