(Clearwisdom.net)
Greetings compassionate Master!
Greetings fellow practitioners!
I have always been curious about the mysteries of the human body, and I had practiced numerous forms of qigong before Falun Dafa. Ever since I began to practice Falun Dafa in May of 1995, I have believed that Falun Dafa is the ultimate, pure, and righteous law of the universe. I promised to myself that I would keep practicing Falun Dafa no matter what.
(1)
Before July 20, 1999, I studied the Fa, did the exercises, and spread the Fa with fellow practitioners often. I felt that I was diligent. Before the persecution began, I had read Zhuan Falun over two hundred times. I had laid a good foundation for my future cultivation and Fa-rectification. I believe that because of this foundation of Fa study, it was possible for me to walk out of the most evil environment, and be able to walk the cultivation path arranged by Master with a clear and rational mind.
After the persecution began, I was fired from my job, my home was ransacked, and I was sentenced to prison for a long time.
I spent 1,460 days in prison. There, all sorts of officials took turns attempting to "transform" me. They often "talked" with me until midnight. One prison guard asked me, "Why do you go to Beijing often? Why not go to Taihang Mountain?" I told him, "It is a citizen's lawful right to go to Beijing to appeal. If the central government were at Taihang Mountain, we would go there. We cannot appeal to the ocean, right?"
In prison, the guards ordered inmates to monitor us closely. I lost the environment for Fa study and doing the exercises. The old forces found my loophole and began serious persecution of my physical body. One day I suddenly lost my appetite, and had tachycardia, shortness of breath, difficulty speaking, trouble walking, edema of both legs, and severe weight loss. Also, a number of my organs began to fail, including my heart, liver, lungs, and kidneys. I almost lost my life, but I managed to come through.
I remembered that in 2003, when I was battling illness karma, I received Master's "Touring North America to Teach the Fa." It was like a good rain after a long drought. I read this Fa over and over again, and I felt myself grow. I saw the sunshine again after the fog lifted, and I realized the importance of my historic mission and my responsibility. It is no longer about reaching consummation for individual cultivation. Instead, I realized that we carry the momentous mission to save sentient beings.
I thought at the time, "I should not let go of this flesh body, as I need it to save sentient beings. Even if I can only save one being, this amounts to saving a universe and the countless beings within it." With this righteous thought, I used any chance I found to describe the wonders of Falun Dafa to inmates. I later realized that Master required us to clarify the truth. I realize now with this one righteous thought, Master had protected me; turning the tide to save my life. Our compassionate Master saved me from the grip of the old forces and made it possible for me to continue walking the path of Fa-rectification arranged by Master.
I also understand that we Falun Dafa practitioners should cherish ourselves more, and never give up in the face of illness karma. If you face illness karma and accept the idea of giving up this body, that is not the same as letting go of the attachment of life and death. It also does not mean you have gotten rid of the attachment of fear. If you do not understand this for a long time, you might be taken advantage of by the old forces and walk the path they have arranged. You might lose your life and cause damage to your individual cultivation, as well as Fa-rectification. I believe we Falun Dafa disciples need to use this human body to save more sentient beings. This is the true meaning of "A human body is hard to acquire" (Zhuan Falun).
(2)
In the course of the persecution carried out by Jiang Zemin's regime, the evil policy of "ruin their reputations, bankrupt them financially, and destroy them physically" was implemented. Those who fired Falun Dafa practitioners from their jobs were not only trying to destroy practitioners' reputations, but were also trying to cut off their source of income. Their goal was to destroy practitioners' will.
When I was released from prison, I had to face the tough questions of "What do I do now? I no longer have a job or income, what should I do?" Numerous Falun Dafa practitioners in mainland China face the same problems. This is the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) wicked way of attempting to force people to give up their beliefs in order to have a job. In order to make a living, I began running my own business. I went from being a government clerk to being a merchant.
In today's mainland China, corruption overruns society. People pursue nothing but money. Human morality is declining on a daily basis. I thus experienced difficulty being a merchant. Even when one wants to do something lawful, it is very difficult to escape extortion from government agencies that oversee business licensing, taxation, and environmental protection. For instance, they expect to be given lavish gifts or treated to extravagant dinners, and this has become "normal" business practice. One family member of mine does not practice Falun Dafa, and she handles this type of business. But even though she has not practiced Falun Dafa, she acknowledges Falun Dafa and also understands the truth. She is very reluctant to do this type of "normal" business, and is sick of the CCP.
In the business world, merchants pursue profit. As cultivators, we need to let go of the attachment to material gain. I understand that as a Falun Dafa practitioner, I should always remember what Master taught us: you can be a good person in any profession. It has nothing to do with what kind of profession you are in-- it has everything to do with your heart. I have a small business, but we practice fair trade.
One time, a client sold us a batch of merchandise. The quality was fine and the price was slightly low compared to average. We bought it, and they quickly sold out. Later we learned that the merchandise came from a dubious source. Since it had been a while and all the merchandise was sold, it was impossible to do a recall. We thought, "What should we do?" I discussed this with my family and said that we could no longer do business with that client, and in the meantime I donated the money we made through that trade. As a Falun Dafa practitioner, this is an ordinary act. But in today's mainland China, a society of money worship, this small matter has tremendous importance. We all know that as Falun Dafa disciples, we are fortunate to hear Master spread Falun Dafa. We are constantly cultivating ourselves in this profound, vast, extraordinary Dafa. Our words, thoughts, and deeds reflect the righteous and glorious nature of Falun Dafa. This also shows that the millions of Falun Dafa practitioners are worthy of being called "golden light in the mortal world" ("Congratulatory Message"). We can proudly say: this is a pure land!
Some time later, I met that client again. I thought, "I will save him today." I told him that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner, and that I had to be fair when I did business. I also told him about the persecution, the wonders of Falun Dafa, and how the CCP has committed unpardonable sins by persecuting Falun Dafa, and how heaven will ultimately eliminate the CCP. He was a member of the CCP, and he was moved by my sincerity and understood that I was concerned for his well-being. He agreed to quit the CCP, and chose a bright future.
(3)
From reading the Minghui website, I saw how fellow practitioners are doing so well. I was very happy and also found out my own shortcomings. Practitioners are all carrying out their vows: overseas practitioners are holding fast in front of Chinese embassies, tourist spots, and clarifying the truth in various settings. A series of projects are being carried out to stop the persecution and mainland practitioners have stepped out in front of all the pressure, clarifying the truth to the world's people in order to save more sentient beings.
Compared to practitioners who have clarified the truth well, I feel that I am lacking their dignified and upright manner and their selfless, compassionate heart. When I clarify the truth face to face, I like to pick people who I am familiar with, and avoid strangers. I am afraid that this would cause problems if they do not understand. I have attempted to break through the barrier, but still feel resistance. I am not satisfied with my truth clarification efforts.
For example, I contacted a man in his 50's through a mutual friend. My friend told me that he is the director of the political and judicial department of the public security bureau in our city. He is responsible for designing certain policies to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. When we first met, I was concerned and did not clarity the truth in a dignified and upright manner. I just told him that Falun Gong was being persecuted. Afterward, I was regretful that I did so poorly, and thought, "Why can't I clarify the truth in an upright manner? Hopefully we have a predestined relationship, and we will meet again later." When I did see him again, I told myself that I could not miss this chance again: "I have to tell him the facts and save him." So, I told him more about Falun Dafa. To my surprise, he accepted what I was saying and said, "The Constitution grants us freedom of belief." After we talked for some time, he smiled and told me, "One of your Falun Gong fellows already told me these things." I asked him whether he had already quit CCP. He said, "I know what you mean. Quitting the CCP is something from your heart, not something you have to do publicly. I already did it and used a pseudonym." He told me that he no longer handled any affairs related to persecuting Falun Gong. When we said goodbye, in front of many people he smiled and said loudly, "I have a pseudonym!" I was very happy for him and we shook hands and said goodbye. From the conversation, I saw how most of the citizens in mainland China are awakening. They are seeing through the CCP's lies, and are choosing a good future for themselves.
With Master's Fa-rectification advancing, with the elimination of enormous evil in other dimensions, and Falun Dafa practitioners' steadfast truth clarification, the attitude of the world's people towards Falun Dafa has changed. Through truth clarification, I can clearly feel this. When evil was rampant in persecuting Falun Dafa, many people did not dare to discuss Falun Gong in public out of fear of the CCP. They were even afraid of listening to the truth about Falun Dafa. The situation is changing now.
Several of us independent merchants needed to expand our stores. The landlord hired a construction company to renovate the location. There were about a dozen construction workers. After I contacted them, they remembered that I practiced Falun Dafa. One of the workers asked in public loudly, "What are the principles of Falun Gong?" I told him, "Our principles are Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and this is what we abide by. We want to be a good people." Someone said that he had a beautiful DVD about Falun Gong, another said he picked up a Falun Gong brochure, and some said that they saw truth-clarification messages on some paper money. They discussed Falun Gong without fear.
During the construction, I often talked to them about the basics of Falun Gong. Some of them liked to discuss it with me whenever they saw me. Whenever one worker saw me he said, "Falun Dafa is good. Falun Dafa is the righteous Fa." I smiled and nodded my head. He sometimes would add, "Heaven will eliminate the CCP. Quit the CCP to save your life." I asked him, "Did you join the CCP or its related organizations?" He replied no. I told him that as long as he remembered that Falun Dafa is good, he would be protected. Later, whenever he saw me in the field, he said, "Falun Dafa is good, Falun Dafa is the righteous Fa." I am so happy to hear that every time.
During the process of truth clarification, I also met those who refused to listen, including one friend who works with the government. I will not give up yet; before the end of Fa-rectification I will still have time to save him.
During these several years of Fa-rectification, I have come to understand how we Falun Dafa practitioners are one body. Even if one of us is not able to save a person, he has already laid the foundation for another Falun Dafa practitioner down the road. I wish us well in doing the three things and in Fa-rectification. I hope we cooperate and coordinate well, persist in clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings, and meet Master's requirements.
Thank you Master for your compassionate salvation!
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