(Clearwisdom.net) I began Falun Dafa cultivation in 1995. In the ten-plus years since, I have escaped from persecution places three times. My cultivation path is rocky, and only with Master's care have I been able to continue. I would like to share my experiences with Master and practitioners.
Prior to cultivating I was in poor health, racked by heart disease, rheumatic arthritis and hypertension. Although I was hospitalized many times, the conditions persisted. I was later told that Chinese medicine could cure my illnesses. My son took me to a doctor for acupuncture treatment, but two weeks later there were no changes. The doctor himself practiced qigong and told me that his practice may not be powerful enough to solve my health problems. He said that if it was, that I should have recovered in three days. His words enlightened me. I began to look for a good practice, which could help me obtain better health. I subsequently found a Falun Gong exercise site and began cultivating.
After I began Falun Dafa cultivation, my illnesses disappeared. Witnessing my great physical and mental changes, my family also began doing the cultivation exercises. Over time the exercise site grew from a few people to over one hundred practitioners. In order to help more people obtain the Fa, I often helped with large-scale activities to spread the Fa.
We formed a study group in my house and studied the Fa every afternoon. I was born into a poor family and had never gone to school. I couldn't read a single word. When practitioners read, I always followed in my heart and tried to memorize the Fa. Gradually, I could study the Fa by myself and was able to read all the Dafa books.
Escaping Evil Places Three Times
The persecution began on July 20, 1999. As a Dafa practitioner I felt that I shouldn't turn a blind eye to it, and I wanted to go to Beijing to appeal. Accordingly, a few practitioners and I took the night train to Beijing. When we were transferring from our train to Harbin at the Jiamusi Station we were arrested by police, and were sent back to our hometown and detained there for 24 hours. I was ordered to sign a promissory note, stating I would no longer go to Beijing to appeal. I refused. Finally I was released.
On January 1, 2000, I again took a train to Beijing. This time, seven of my family members and four other practitioners went to Tiananmen Square and held up a banner on which was written, "Falun Dafa is Good." We then shouted loudly, "Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!" The police hurriedly took me away. I was held at the Pinggu County Detention Center. I held a hunger strike for seven days and didn't cooperate with the evildoers. Finally, I walked out of there with the power of righteous thoughts.
Local police department officials heard of my appeals trip to Beijing. They subsequently arrested me and held me at a detention center for four months, where I was forced to sit on a metal chair. They ordered former practitioners who had embraced an evil path to "reform" me. I said to them, "Do you guys know who Judas is?" They didn't say a word and left me alone. I was unconditionally released on May 19, 2000.
A year later, on May 1, 2001, the police launched a massive manhunt. More than seventy practitioners were arrested. I was one of them. I was meditating in the morning when the persecutors broke into my house. They made a mess and confiscated my recorder, exercise tapes and pictures of Master. Four policemen forced me to get into a car and took me to a detention center. Once there I refused to eat. The prison doctor tried to force-feed me, which caused my gums to bleed. The doctor was afraid to take responsibility for what could happen to me, so he stopped. I was lying on the floor and didn't say a word. Physical weakness prevented me from standing upright. I kept sending righteous thoughts and reciting the Fa. On the tenth day my family members arrived and took me home.
Walking On a Righteous Path
After the persecution began, my family was persecuted to varying degrees. My son was dispatched to work at the post office. His boss recognized him for his excellent workplace conduct. Following college graduation, my son witnessed the wonders of Dafa and began to cultivate. When the persecution began he went to Beijing to appeal. In the end he was forced to flee his home to avoid further persecution. He eventually returned home and set up a truth-clarification materials production site. Nevertheless, while moving the site, he was arrested and sentenced to five years of imprisonment, to be served at the Mudanjiang Prison. There he became sick and was hospitalized, which cost over 20,000 yuan. His lungs deteriorated and became perforated. Moreover, he experienced excessive collection of fluid in his chest. When this became worse, the prison officials were afraid to take responsibility. The family was informed that he would be released on medical parole. When I saw him he was emaciated and weak. It was no problem for me, a seventy-year-old woman, to carry him into a vehicle. He was on oxygen all the way back, but two policemen monitored him the whole time. After several months at home, he died, not cleared of a falsified charge. He was only 31 years old. His four-year-old son was left for me to care for, as his wife had been sentenced to a nine-year prison term for clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings. She is still in the Harbin Prison.
Following my younger son's death and looking at his remains, I didn't cry. My non-practitioner older son said, "Mom, I will no longer berate you. Do whatever you want to do. Although your precious loved one passed away, you don't cry." My son died. Why didn't I feel bad? I knew that I must pass this test, and I shouldn't break down. All everyday people were watching me, and my conduct should validate the Fa. So I felt I should behave well and help them learn about the persecution and the truth of Dafa. In the process, I didn't let others, including practitioners, know of my adverse physical and mental changes. One night I wanted to have a drink of water but just couldn't move my legs. I told myself, "They [the old forces] don't want me to move, but I must do it! I do not acknowledge them." I persisted. It took me forty minutes to get to the window, which was 1 meter away, to pour a glass of water. I knew that I could have called anyone to help, but I didn't. If I had done so, perhaps I could not have gotten up the next morning. We should not acknowledge the old forces' arrangements. I sent righteous thoughts to firmly eliminate the evil elements. I believe in Master and Dafa and knew that I must pass this test. The next morning when I got up I continued to do what I should do. With Master's help I got over it.
My other son and his wife took over the work of delivering truth-clarifying materials. They offered practitioners materials every week. Since my son and his wife's phone was being monitored, he was arrested while delivering materials. He was sent to the Suihua Forced Labor Camp for three years. Shortly after that, when my daughter-in-law was producing truth-clarifying materials, she was taken to the Xigemu Forced Labor Camp in Jiamusi, and mistreated there for a year and a half.
I had to now look after two young children. One was eight, and the other was four. On a trip to the city I carried my grandson and took my granddaughter and shouted, "Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good! The police illegally arrest good people. Falun Dafa is wonderful!" We went all the way to the center of the city and to the police department. The pedestrians listened to us quietly. One everyday person followed us and shouted with us. We arrived home at 11:00 p.m. I spent difficult times with two little kids. We studied the Fa and did the exercises every day. I knew that only by studying the Fa well would I able to lead them on a righteous path.
My first-grade elementary school-age granddaughter's school was quite far from home. I took her to school and picked her up every day. I had to make this round-trip four times a day.
The police often came to my house to harass us. One time I wasn't at home, and they inquired of my neighbor who said angrily, "Why do you always monitor the old lady? Her family members are all good people! She is simply practicing Falun Gong." The police left dejected. If it was not for Master and Dafa, how could an older lady take good care of two kids?
One day I went to pick up my granddaughter after she was dismissed from school. Her legs hurt so much that she was crying a lot. I felt this to be odd. She did the meditation and studied the Fa every day. What had she done wrong? She was fine when she went to school in the morning. I asked her what was going on. She said, "The dean frightened me by asking me whether I practiced Falun Gong. I said yes. She threatened that if I practiced Falun Gong, I would be expelled from school. I was so afraid that I said I would no longer practice Dafa." The evil would not even leave such a little girl alone. Once at home I asked her to sign a solemn statement. After that, her legs did not hurt again. The next morning, I took her to school and spoke with the dean about the persecution and Falun Dafa. From then on everyone knew that my granddaughter practices Falun Gong, and no one gave her any trouble.
I took the grandchildren to the Suihua Forced Labor Camp, to the Harbin Prison, and to the Jiamusi Forced Labor Camp to visit my son and two daughters-in-law. I told them what happened, and of Master's lectures to help them strengthen their righteous thoughts. My grandson was very sad every time he saw his mother. I asked him to study the Fa and recite Hongyin every day. He was also very smart, and he could read Zhuan Falun fluently before going to school. While their parents were detained, we relied on my monthly income of several hundred yuan. The local practitioners often visited us, studied the Fa with me and shared experiences. They really helped me a lot, mentally and financially. Taking this opportunity I want to thank them!
Saving More Sentient Beings
Studying the Fa is the most fundamental factor in doing the three things. We formed study groups in our areas. Few practitioners initially joined us, due to fear. I began to exchange ideas with practitioners. Master taught us to study the Fa in groups. The evil was afraid we would become one body. It is important that we cooperate well to form one body. Master was right beside us, so what were we afraid of? We studied the Fa every afternoon and finished reading the entire book Zhuan Falun in a week. When someone was facing a xinxing test, we helped him solve his problems.
I became actively involved in rescuing persecuted practitioners, and I sent righteous thoughts for them at a fixed time. Whenever an illegal court session was scheduled, I always went there. If the police forbade me from entering I quietly stayed outside and sent righteous thoughts.
I persisted in speaking with people about the persecution and Falun Dafa, and gave them Shen Yun DVDs, truth-clarifying booklets explaining the facts, and copies of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. One day, as I distributed the Nine Commentaries, I found a door open and no one home. As I put the booklet in the room, someone returned and asked me who I was looking for. I said I found a booklet but was unable to read it. I asked him to keep it. I had no fear and only wanted to save him. He said, "Leave it there, and I will take a look at it."
This is my first time submitting my experiences. Since I have scant knowledge, I asked a fellow practitioner to help me write this. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
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