(Clearwisdom.net) From Falun Dafa cultivation, I have clearly seen Master's mercy and his uninterrupted protection of Dafa disciples. I have witnessed the power of Dafa, such as the curing of diseases, the resolving of tribulations, and many other miracles. Dafa has left many divine occurrences in the human world. My experiences in 2000 were clearly the manifestation of the mighty Dafa.
Going to the National Appeals Office
In May 2000, I decided to go to the National Appeals Office in Beijing. I wanted to tell the government that Falun Dafa was good and that it was wrong to suppress Falun Gong. The gate to the office was usually guarded by hordes of plainclothes police assigned from the different provinces. Most petitioners would be stopped at the gate and taken away by officers from his or her home province. Knowing the possibility of being sent back before arriving at the gate, I was hesitant to proceed at first. But, as a Dafa practitioner, I had to protect Dafa, because it was the right thing to do. I believed that Master would make arrangements for me and that no ordinary person could stop me. I would be able to walk into the Appeals Office in a noble and dignified way.
I walked toward the office calmly. Surprisingly, I was able to walk directly into the office without interference. The guards didn't appear to see me at all. Inside the office, the police gave me a form to fill in stating the reason for my visit.
Coming Home Safely after the Protest at Tiananmen Square
The vicious persecution was almost at its peak in 2000. To safeguard Dafa and clarify the truth, fellow practitioners from our area outside Beijing have frequently appealed to the National Appeals Office and gathered at Tiananmen Square. Many of them had been illegally detained at least twice for the petitions.
Although the environment created by the persecution was very severe, many practitioners from other areas came to petition. We often shared experiences with them. A problem arose after many gatherings. We developed a wrong perception that petitions in Beijing were the responsibility of those who did not step forward before. This issue was also discussed on the Minghui website (Chinese version of Clearwisdom). This problem persisted until October 2000, when many practitioners from different areas came to validate the Fa at Tiananmen Square. Our local practitioners finally realized: “Dafa is still being persecuted. Master is still being slandered by hate propaganda. Sentient beings are still being deceived. Many local practitioners haven't stepped forward yet.” We could not stop on the path of Fa-validation, and we needed to continue to tell people in Beijing the facts.
I was illegally arrested twice. My family and colleagues warned me that I would be sentenced to a forced labor camp if I were arrested again. I didn't promptly ignore their warnings, and the fear of being arrested crept into my mind. I could not calm down after I made my decision. Checking my xinxing, I found that I did not have the righteous thoughts of a steadfast belief in Dafa. Worse, I had attachments to fear and misgivings.
I had been busy with many things, including establishing a Dafa material information center and distributing truth-clarification materials. I mistakenly thought I was in the Fa just by doing these things. I found after looking inwards that I didn't study the Fa diligently and just muddled through with reading. At this critical moment when I was going to go to Beijing, I realized that I could not overcome this barrier of fear. It was obvious that my xinxing was not uplifted at all. This was the first time I learned that doing Dafa-related things is not considered practicing cultivation. True cultivation has to start from the heart.
I told local practitioners about my cultivation state, hoping to get their help. I didn’t expect that many practitioners in our region felt nervous about going back to Beijing to validate the Fa. They were fearful of being sent to labor camps. Several practitioners had already been sent to serve forced labor and most of them were “transformed.” So as a group we were scared of not being able to endure the persecution and also of ending up being “transformed.” If more than one or two practitioners thought this way, the field resulting from this attachment might be difficult to break through. Some practitioners said, “Let's not go to Beijing. We can just distribute truth-clarifying material here. We have been there, and if we are ‘transformed’ in a forced labor camp, we will be moving downward.” I was sad to hear this. They were thinking about this from the perspective of an ordinary person making the most of a situation. Was this cultivation?
I calmed down and decided to start studying the Fa more diligently. I was in no hurry to go to Beijing. I spent a lot of time studying the Fa every day and finding my own attachments. There were only a few Minghui articles available at the time that I read over and over again, and I shared with practitioners in other areas. I enlightened to Fa principles from Teacher's hints constantly. My xinxing improved and my fear was disintegrated. When practitioners from other areas returned from Beijing and shared their experiences with us, their unshakable resolve and their letting go of the thought of life and death shocked me. I saw what “having no fear” and “walking a divine path” really meant. I changed my selfish way of looking at things and broke through the shackles of various factors. I let go of the thought of life and death and conducted myself as a genuine Dafa disciple. I was awakening and improving. I understood my mission and responsibility and what I had to do at that moment. My true nature became stronger and finally totally revealed itself. No one could stop me now.
After one month of diligent cultivation, I really felt like a divine being. I had no fear and had no distracting thoughts. Although at the time I didn’t know how to completely negate the old forces' arrangements, I knew clearly that, as a Dafa disciple, I had to listen to Teacher and walk on the path arranged by Him. As long as it was the path arranged by Teacher, I would go even if it were a mountain of swords or a sea of fire. I couldn’t be afraid of hardship and make a detour. Making a detour is not the path arranged by Teacher. Should we go to Beijing to validate the Fa? We should. It is clearly stated in the Fa. Are there limits on the number of times we should go? No. Why did so many Dafa disciples travel a great distance to Beijing? It is because Beijing is the hub of the evil. It is also where the directives of persecution originated. As a Dafa disciple, I had to be ready to safeguard the Fa and I needed to continue to clarify the truth to the government officials and the people there. I didn’t think about forced labor and how police were going to deal with me if I was arrested and what the consequences would be. I just wanted to do what I had to do and took the path arranged by Teacher. I continued to rectify myself in the Fa steadfastly. Teacher continued to endow my righteous thoughts with positive factors, occupying my whole body and my every cell.
After these 30 days of diligent cultivation, I was well prepared. I decided to unfurl banners at Tiananmen Square. I prepared two banners: “Falun Dafa Is Good” and “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Is Good.” I couldn’t hold back my happiness when I thought of going to Tiananmen Square to unfurl banners and shout my heartfelt words to the lives of the universe: “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!” I cried from excitement.
I originally planned to go on November 19, but fellow practitioners asked me to delay going until the 20th. I said I could hardly stay at home any longer and my heart had already gone to Tiananmen Square. A fellow practitioner said, “Don't be selfish, let's go with practitioners from other areas.” On the morning of the 20th, a dozen of us went to Tiananmen Square and got ready to display banners at Jinshui Bridge, as there were more tourists there. I carried two banners in a sleeve. That day, I felt as if I was on a holiday, and I was without any human thinking. Even though there were more undercover officers and police at Tiananmen Square and Jinshui Bridge than there were visitors, I just ignored their existence. At 11 o'clock, I displayed a “Falun Dafa Is Good” banner. Visitors were shocked, and plainclothes police surrounded me in a panic. They took away the banner and dragged me toward a police vehicle.
As the policeman hauled me along, I pulled out another banner from my sleeve and thought to myself that I had to display this banner. As I thought of this, the policeman who was dragging me disappeared. At this time, all of the other practitioners had been arrested and were being put in a police vehicle. I stood at a good spot and quickly displayed the second banner: “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Is Good” I was in a god's state of mind. I thought of not allowing them to take it away immediately--I wanted to display the banner as long as possible. I carried the banner and ran back and forth among the visitors, shouting, “Falun Dafa is good! Falun Dafa is good!” I did not know how much time passed. I did not have any thought. I seemed to be in a different dimension. Finally, I was knocked down and a policeman dragged me and took away the banner by force. He grabbed my neck and started to walk out of the crowd. I breathed heavily, as if I had just finished running a 100-meter race. As I walked along, the officer loosened his grip. I did not pay attention and continued to walk. After a while, I looked back and didn't see any police. No one was paying any attention to me. I saw a police car driving up with the other practitioners inside and then it drove off. I froze for a moment and then my thoughts came back.
I returned home safely. Unfurling banners at Tiananmen Square without being arrested created a shock locally. Fellow practitioners felt the incredible power of Dafa, and it was an affirmation of the greatness of Dafa. The families of non-practitioners couldn't help saying, “You are really brave.” The fear I used to have was gone. This experience helped to rid the concept among practitioners that if you validate the Fa, you will be arrested. Since then, practitioners from our area who have gone to Beijing to validate the Fa have all come back safely.
This is a result of Teacher's blessing and care. Teacher did it all. I just cultivated my xinxing and listened to Teacher's words. Teacher has given his disciples a lot and it cannot be expressed in words. I felt that it was a big breakthrough and an elevation. I now recognized that cultivation during the Fa-rectification is different from personal cultivation in the past. For the first time, I realized that Dafa disciples who validate the Fa should not be persecuted. At the same time, I understood better that Dafa cultivation directly targets one's mind. One cannot validate Dafa with a human mindset. Validating Dafa can cultivate away the human mindset and one can assimilate to Dafa. When we are really validating Dafa, the power of Dafa will unfold before one's eyes. It is a divine state, and miracles will emerge.
Selected from “Call for Articles about Divine Occurrences in the Human World”
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