(Minghui.org) When the persecution of Falun Gong had just begun, my big brother, worried for my safety, advised me, "When people ask you, don’t say Falun Gong is good. If you speak the truth to outsiders, you might get into trouble."
I replied, "Falun Gong’s founder teaches us to behave according to truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, to be good people, to tell the truth, to do the right things, and to treat people with kindness. We cannot live a lie!”
My brother said to me with deep concern, "Then you should just stay home and practice in secret. Be careful what you say when you go outside."
Brother’s Worries Deepened
On January 23, 2001, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) staged a self-immolation hoax on Tiananmen Square to turn public opinion against Falun Gong.
Falun Gong practitioners, on a large scale, began to clarify the truth behind the widely-broadcast spectacle–that the people who had set themselves on fire were not practitioners at all.
To speak up for Falun Gong, I would talk to my family, relatives, and friends. I mentioned how my incurable tuberculous, asthma, tinnitus, and other illnesses all disappeared after I began practicing Falun Gong.
I also told them Falun Gong forbids killing or taking of life in any shape or form. Since the act of suicide is that of killing or taking one’s own life, to commit suicide by self-immolation is committing a sin and generating karma. I explained that it is not an action by a true Falun Gong practitioner.
When my words to family members reached my big brother’s ears, he yelled at me, "I told you not to say anything to people outside, and you’re making statements all over the place. The Party pays you a salary. Do you want to lose your job? If you keep talking like this, your work unit will fire you sooner or later.”
I told him calmly, “It’s not the Party that pays my salary. It does no work and produces nothing. How does it pay my salary? What I get paid is what I should get paid for my labor. It is the people's tax money that supports the Party.”
I also pointed out to him, “Take a look at those people who get laid off or are unemployed. Why is the Party not taking care of them or paying them any money?”
Nevertheless, he continued trying to persuade me every time we ran into each other.
In 2009, I was sent to a forced labor camp for a year and a half. When I was released, my big brother was more worried than ever.
"Don’t practice Falun Gong anymore,” he pleaded. “If you do, our whole family will be ruined.”
Big Brother Blessed
In the spring of 2012, my brother was diagnosed with stomach cancer and had surgery. I often went to the hospital to take care of him.
After being discharged, he had undergo chemotherapy. Afterwards, he turned to traditional Chinese medicine, but the result was not good: his complexion turned yellow, he grew weak and thin, and he spoke with much effort.
I told my wife, "I'm not optimistic about his recovery. If only he would put his faith in Falun Gong, maybe a miracle will happen."
One day, I went to see my brother and told him what happened after I learned Falun Gong.
“I’m the youngest in the family. I had always been sickly, with constant colds and fevers. You always had to help take care of me and buy me medicines, but nothing could cure my asthma or tinnitus.”
“After I got married, I had tuberculous pleurisy, with pain so bad I thought death would be more bearable. I took Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. Nothing helped.”
“I was tormented by diseases. My spirit was so overburdened. I felt hopeless with life…"
Big brother listened and nodded frequently.
"When I started to practice Falun Gong, I followed its principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance to be a good person. When others would be spending their time playing mahjong, drinking, chitchatting, dancing, or singing, I dedicated my time to studying the Falun Gong books and doing the exercises.”
“Over time, without my being fully aware of anything happening, all my diseases somehow disappeared one after another. I began to enjoy the beautiful feeling of being disease-free.”
“So, big brother, would you say Falun Gong’s founder did a good deed or a bad deed? How can it be wrong to teach people to look to the heart and turn to doing good? How can it be wrong to help people get rid of illnesses and become healthy? Isn’t this good for the whole country and all its citizens?”
He said, "I witnessed you doing the exercises and becoming healthy. I'm just afraid you would be persecuted, that your life would be difficult, and your child would be negatively affected."
I said, "I appreciate your feelings and your worries, but you have to understand Falun Gong. It's a practice of healing and fitness. What do we average citizens ask for? Isn’t it just to have healthy bodies and to live their lives in peace and safety?”
“The Communist Party says Falun Gong commits murders, self-immolation, and aims to overthrow the government, and so on. Those are all lies.”
“Look at those government officials. Who has faith in the Communist Party? They all turned to corruption and debauchery, feasting, drinking, whoring, gambling, transferring their dirty money overseas, and sending their wives and children abroad to enjoy undeserved lives of luxury and comfort."
My sister-in-law interjected, "You see those corrupt officials being arrested, like Zhou Yongkang and Bo Xilai. They've all accumulated hundreds of millions in fraudulent wealth. They have no regard for the common people."
I told them that they would be blessed if they remember the phrases "Falun Dafa is good” and “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good."
The next time I saw my brother, he had really changed for the better. His face turned ruddy. He gained weight. His voice became more sonorous. His left hand stopped shaking so much.
He said, “I feel very good. I can eat and sleep. I feel strong. Dafa has truly blessed me!”
Second Brother Reads Zhuan Falun
It was spring 2014 when I learned that my second brother had surgery for lung cancer.
While visiting him at the hospital, I talked with him about Falun Gong. He warned me to be careful and worried that I would be hurt if I continued practicing Falun Gong.
When we talked about the corruption within the Communist Party and how its past political movements turned Chinese people against one another, he and his wife kept nodding in agreement.
“The CCP had already killed 80 million innocent Chinese people during its past political movements. Its days are numbered.”
Second brother agreed to withdraw his membership in the Party.
I decided to give him Falun Gong’s main text, Zhuan Falun, and said, “It's a good book, a treasure. I'll get you a copy. Take a look at it. Maybe a miracle will happen.”
Second brother said, “Sure, sure. Bring me a copy when I’m discharged. I promise you I’ll read it.”
Last November, I noticed second brother had changed for the better. He had gotten stronger and put on some fat.
He told me he has been reading Zhuan Falun whenever he found time.
He proudly announced, “Now, I feel much healthier. I can eat, drink, help out with chores, and even look after my grandchildren. I don’t have to take medicine anymore.”
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Category: Good is Rewarded