(Minghui.org)
Greetings revered Master! Greetings fellow practitioners!
Last fall, my sister-in-law was illegally arrested after filing a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin. Police ransacked her home and took away Dafa books and hundreds of copies of Minghui journals as well as informational DVDs and booklets. I hired a lawyer for her.
Here, I would like to share what I learned during the entire process of working to get my sister-in-law released.
1. Letting Go of Human Emotion
My sister-in-law was very busy with farm work and sometimes did not study the Fa. After being arrested, she was so frightened that she signed a letter stating she would not continue practicing Falun Dafa.
My sister-in-law is my family member as well as my fellow practitioner. So I knew that I must help her. Master does not acknowledge the persecution, nor should I. I thus hired a lawyer.
After meeting with my sister-in-law for the first time, the lawyer seemed very unhappy. He said to me, "Your sister-in-law does not really practice—she is not truthful."
The lawyer also represented several other local detained practitioners. One day, he called me to pick him up at the train station. He said he would meet my sister-in-law and another practitioner who was scheduled for a court appearance the next day. I drove him to the detention center. Two hours later, he came out and told me that he did not have time to meet with my sister-in-law.
"The other practitioner has strong righteous thoughts so I had a longer conversation with her," he explained.
I felt uncomfortable. This was the third time the lawyer had come to the detention center, but had not met with my sister-in-law. Two hours should have been long enough to meet with both of them, I thought, and the lawyer's unhappy face after his first meeting with my sister-in-law still stuck in my head.
Why didn't the lawyer want to meet my sister-in-law? I tried to look inward. Whenever the lawyer came to my city, I always drove him around. I tried to make his job easier and more efficient, whether it was for my sister-in-law or for other practitioners (some of whom I had never met). I spent a lot of time and money doing these things. Sometimes I had no time even for my own lunch. I knew other practitioners' families were going through hard times, so I tried to lift some of the burden for them.
Suddenly, I caught myself: In my deepest heart, I thought that because I contributed so much, the lawyer should pay more attention and give more care to my sister-in-law. I found my selfishness and human sentiments toward my sister-in-law. Master used this opportunity to expose these attachments of mine.
Thinking deeper, I realized: The reason I hired a lawyer was not only to rescue my family member, but also to clarify the truth to those working in the judicial system. The arrest of fellow practitioners is a bad thing. But we will make something good out of this bad thing!
I decided to no longer think about whom I was helping. It didn't matter if it was my sister-in-law or other practitioners. The only thing I'm supposed to do is save people. I should help unconditionally.
A few days after I came to this understanding, I received a phone call from the lawyer, who said he was meeting with my sister-in-law in the detention center. He said he arrived in the city the night before and took a taxi there himself.
I witnessed the powerful result of looking within.
2. All Practitioners Are My Family Members
One morning, I picked up the lawyer and the daughter of another detained practitioner (whom I did not know) and drove them to the detention center. The lawyer met with my sister-in-law and the other practitioner separately. The other practitioner was scheduled for a court appearance that afternoon.
The practitioner's daughter asked if I would go to the court with her. She said, "I am the only family member here." The lawyer also invited me to go inside. I thought, all practitioners are my family members, so I agreed and went into the courtroom.
I sat in a seat designated for family members. The detained practitioner was brought in by two officers through an entrance directly facing me. I had never met her before, but somehow she looked familiar. I smiled at her, and she noticed me and smiled back. I was sending righteous thoughts during the entire court procedure. I felt a very strong energy field. I knew Master was encouraging me!
During the proceedings the lawyer refuted the prosecutor's accusations and pointed out that it was in fact illegal to persecute Dafa practitioners. Freedom of belief is guaranteed by China's constitution, he said. The lawyer also gave many examples of Chinese lawyers pleading not guilty on behalf of their Falun Dafa practitioner clients, and how more and more procuratorial organs and courts have withdrawn Falun Dafa cases. The statement from the practitioner's daughter was also very powerful.
I felt that the courtroom was full of righteous energy. The judge, two jurors, three clerks, and three prosecutors all listened quietly, like students listening to their teacher in a classroom.
The hearing lasted three hours. In the end, the judge gave the practitioner a one-year sentence. However, because she had been detained for nearly a year already, she was released very soon.
During the time I coordinated with the lawyer, five practitioners went through the courts. The judge sentenced them to one year, ten months, or six months respectively, according to how long the practitioner had been detained. All of them were soon released from the detention centers.
Initially, I hired the lawyer to help my sister-in-law. In the end, we helped more practitioners and clarified the truth to the court over and over. I am so grateful for Master's arrangement!
3. The Power of Righteous Thoughts
We received an urgent notice that my sister-in-law was scheduled for a court appearance in two days. I immediately contacted my lawyer, but he was outside of the country and unable to return until three days later. He said the court was supposed to send a notice to the lawyer's office at least three days in advance. But they did not comply with the legal process. He said he would contact the judge to change the court time, and he asked me to do the same.
I called the judge's office repeatedly, but no one answered. The court date was the next day. What should I do?
At the same time, I received two phone calls from a lawyer in Beijing and another lawyer from Chongqing. They told me that my lawyer asked them to contact the judge, but their calls would not go through. They both suggested that I immediately go to the court and request the judge to postpone the date.
I thought of asking some practitioners to go with me, or asking them to help by sending righteous thoughts. On second thought, I knew all of them were extremely busy with various Dafa projects, so I did not want to distract them.
Then I thought that nothing is accidental. Master is always here with me. I asked Master in my heart to give me strength and enforce my righteous thoughts. I felt my righteous thoughts grow stronger, and I was ready to face whatever happened.
On the way to courthouse, the lawyer from Chongqing called me again. He was very concerned, and he suggested I ask for a local lawyer to meet with my sister-in-law and tell her not to make the court appearance without a lawyer present.
I was very touched by these lawyers who showed real concern. I thought of all lives coming to the earth for the Fa. I thought of Master's mercy. I thought of how the judges are also here for the Fa after millions of years of reincarnation. They are waiting to be saved by Dafa practitioners. Unfortunately, some of us did not cultivate well, and the evil forces used our loopholes. They controlled the judges and really harmed them. "I'm so sorry, judge," I thought, as tears rolled down my face.
When I arrived at the courthouse I explained to the clerk why I was there. The clerk called the judge who soon arrived. The judge was friendly and agreed to postpone the court date.
In the past, I requested to be a family defender for my sister-in-law's case, but the judge rejected my request because I was not considered an immediate family member. This time I used the opportunity to tell the judge why my sister-in-law filed a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin and how she benefited both mentally and physically from practicing Falun Dafa. The judge listened carefully and then said kindly, "You have told me her situation and the reason for the lawsuit. I know what you want to say."
With Master's help, an impossible situation was resolved. I am so grateful to Master!
I remembered that Master said:
"Cultivation practice itself is not difficult, and neither is upgrading one’s level itself difficult. It is because they cannot give up the human mind that they call it difficult." (Zhuan Falun)
A month later, we received the rescheduled court date. Unfortunately, the date clashed with the date of the lawyer's defense of another practitioner in another city. The lawyer asked both sides to change the dates, but without success.
I kept one thought: I will only follow Master's arrangements. I just knew the lawyer had to be present for both cases.
One morning after Fa study, I asked myself, “Why do we keep having trouble with the court dates? Did I do something wrong when I hired the lawyer? Did I depend on him too much?” I asked Master to give me a hint.
I realized that hiring a lawyer helps to cover the gaps we’ve had in clarifying the truth to related departments. My sister-in-law's case was the fourth case involving practitioners, and it was the first time a lawyer tried to plead innocent. We hired a lawyer in order to wake up the judicial personnel's consciences. I felt there was nothing wrong in hiring the lawyer, and that the old forces had no reason to sabotage this.
I sat down and began to send righteous thoughts. I asked Master to strengthen me —no evil should be able to stop the lawyer from coming to court.
The next day, the lawyer told me the issue with dates was solved. "It's a miracle!” he said. “I kept asking them to change a date and they kept refusing. Then suddenly they called me and asked me when I wanted the court date. I have never heard of any court asking a lawyer when he'd like to have the hearing! So I set the date for two days later."
4. Clarify the Truth and Save People
For a period of time, several sentences kept repeating themselves in my head. I thus knew it was time to tell the judicial personnel that they would be blessed if they did not persecute good people. It was time for me to write letters to them and tell them.
There are surveillance cameras everywhere near the court houses, so it's difficult to talk to the people who work there. If you talk to them, they immediately stop you or even shout. Under constant surveillance, they are too scared to listen to the truth. Therefore, mailing letters to them is a good method.
I used my real name and sent them letters via express delivery. I composed the letter on a computer, and then I hand copied each letter. I felt that handwritten letters were more personal.
My first letter was to the director of the Domestic Security Division. I remembered when I met him before, and how he refused to listen to me. He was shouting, "Out! Out!" I felt then that he was an evil person.
As I wrote to him, I felt that he shouted because he was controlled by evil forces, but he was also voicing his despair because we had talked to him. I felt my compassion reach out to his knowing side and dissolve the evil elements behind him.
Before I began writing the letter, I kept asking Master to strengthen me. I wanted every character to carry a Dafa practitioner's compassion and energy. I kept reciting Master's Fa:
"...you will leave energy on whatever you touch, and it will all be shining brightly." (Zhuan Falun)
Writing down every character was a test for my xinxing, and it was a process of eliminating demon nature. If I did not concentrate, I might have made mistakes. Sometimes I made mistakes when I wrote the very first character. I would change to a new piece of paper and start over. Sometimes I made mistakes in the middle the page, so I started again. Sometimes, when I finished a page, I noticed the space between lines was not even; then I redid it. Sometimes I paused, put down my pen, and sent righteous thoughts, before continuing. After many rewrites, I finished the first letter.
When I was copying the second letter, my mistakes were reduced significantly. During the third and fourth letters, I often saw the characters shining. I knew it was Master's encouragement.
I sent the letters to the judges and the president of the court.
When we arrived on my sister-in-law's court day, the president of the court greeted the family warmly. He even said the current central leadership is not against freedom of belief and has not said anything about Falun Dafa.
Some of my sister-in-law's relatives and neighbors also came. Due to the limited space, I did not go inside. I wanted her close relatives and neighbors to have a chance to hear the lawyer's defense and know more about Falun Dafa.
During the court session, I heard a woman speaking very loudly, and the lawyer's voice was loud too. It sounded very intense. I kept sending righteous thoughts outside. I wondered who the woman was.
Afterward, the lawyer told me that she was the presiding judge. I regretted that I did not know the judicial system well enough, thus overlooking the presiding judge to whom I did not send a letter. I looked up her name, however, and sent her a letter afterward.
My sister-in-law was released a month later.
I saw the power of the truth through letters—as long as we write them with compassion and a pure heart to save people.
Above is my cultivation experience this year. Please kindly point out any shortcomings.
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