(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) in the spring of 1996, when I was about to graduate from high school.
I studied the Fa diligently and did the exercises every day.
Remaining Steadfast in Cultivation at the University
I was rather frail before I started practicing Falun Dafa, and had contracted some kind of illness that had me coughing for more than a dozen years. I had to take a lot of medicine, as well as injections. I was in a lot of pain and almost lost my confidence to take the university entrance exam.
However, all of my illnesses disappeared shortly after I started practicing Falun Dafa, and I was admitted to the university.
I figured that since I had started practicing Dafa and truly wanted to achieve consummation, I should strictly follow Dafa's requirements at the university to upgrade my xinxing and maintain a clear and clean mindset at all times.
When I went home during a holiday break, my grandfather urged me to look for a girlfriend. “I'm a Dafa practitioner,” I replied. “I’m too young for that. Wait until I start working, then we’ll talk about it.”
I never succumbed to any temptations of lust during my three years at the university, not even in my dreams.
At graduation, a friend wrote me these words:
“Let me tell you, my positive attitude towards Falun Gong originated from you. Your integrity, honesty, and principles led me to believe that a person like you would naturally practice this Gong, or rather, this gong can produce your type of people. Falun Gong must be a comprehensive and profound cultivation way.”
Guards Couldn't Do Anything With My Calm Heart
On my second day at home after graduating from the university, I received a phone call from my sister, telling us to turn on the TV right away.
There were all kinds of programs with outrageous lies defaming Falun Gong. My immediate thought was, “Is this a test, a test of some magnitude?”
I didn’t take the programs too much to heart, and continued to study the Fa and do the exercises. I also told people around me that the TV broadcasts were bogus. The date was July 20, 1999.
The following year, I fell victim to the persecution and was taken to a forced labor camp. I was made to work all day on tasks that exceeded my physical capability.
The guards constantly threatened me with remarks like, “You’ll be sent to Masanjia Forced Labor Camp if you don’t confess to your mistake and admit you’ve done wrong in practicing Falun Gong!”
I refused to be intimidated, because I knew that Master was always by my side to protect and support me.
For example, when I became too overwhelmed from doing hard labor, and my strength had practically failed me, the machines would somehow stop working, or the weather turned so bad that it was impossible to perform any work outside, or the camp guard would send for me, for “talks.”
These were all precious moments that Master granted me, so that I could rest and recuperate a bit. As long as my heart remained unmoved, I always saw the path Master was pointing out for me to follow.
By that time, practitioners in the camp were able to obtain Master’s teachings, so we could all read them and keep up with the progress of Fa rectification.
The authorities at the camp introduced new tactics in 2001, including harsh beatings and extreme uses of torture, in an attempt to get practitioners to renounce their belief. The atmosphere became intensely terrorizing.
The constant popping sound of electric batons, mixed with scornful bawling, vulgar cursing, and gut-wrenching screams, could be heard along the corridors and in many rooms every day.
I tried to remain calm and continued to recite Master’s Fa in my heart. “Just by staying unaffected you will be able to handle all situations.” (Teaching the Fa at the Conference in the Midwest-U.S.)
This gave me immense inner strength.
Several hundred practitioners were detained in the camp. Some were persecuted to death, and many more were left badly injured or disabled as a result of torture. Only a few had not been touched or harmed.
I firmly held on to Master's every word. My heart remained unmoved, and the guards left me alone.
A guard appeared at the entrance of our cell one day, bellowing, “You all listen up. We require an absolute 100 percent “transformation,” but we don’t ask that everyone pass the test!”
I somehow knew that the first two sentences had nothing to do with us, while the last sentence was meant for us to hold firm in our belief.
When summoned to the guards office one time, I was handed a sheet of paper. It was one of Master’s teachings, which read, “Studying the Fa with attachments is not true cultivation.” (“Towards Consummation” from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
I had been feeling anxious and tense for a few days. Even while reciting the Fa, my mind kept going around and around trying to figure out how to handle myself if the guards tried to “transform” me.
I had allowed my heart to be moved. I knew that I must calm down, but the old forces had already taken grip of my attachment. The guard said to me, “Explain what your Master wrote. Let’s see if you understood it correctly.”
Master’s words gave me the feeling of both joy and trepidation. Joy, because I was holding and reading Master’s words. Trepidation, because I realized from the guard's mannerism, that he was ready to start playing tricks, and could become nasty.
There was clarity in my heart. I knew that it would be wrong of me to cooperate with him in any way, especially in trying to explain the Fa under these circumstances. I would be committing a sin.
“This is too profound,” I replied. “I don’t understand it.” He pointed his finger at me, and told me to go away and think about it carefully.
Taking Medicine Only Made Things Worse
I came down with a high fever and diarrhea one day. The guard on duty tried to coerce me into taking some pills to get well, and said that if I did, I could be excused from working that day.
The thought of doing hard labor was too much to bear, so I swallowed the pills right in front of him. But I didn’t get well the next day. In fact, my diarrhea got worse. I was really miserable.
I realized that I had done wrong, had succumbed to my human attachments, and I refused to take any more medication.
I was told that I had chronic enteritis, and that I wouldn't get better if I didn't take the medicine. I made a guarantee to everyone around that I would get well, and quickly.
In about a week’s time, I had completely recovered.
My Cousin Congratulates Me for Passing a Grueling Test
With Master's protection I was able leave the labor camp relatively unscathed.
I stayed with my relatives for a few days after my release. My cousin then drove me home.
After lunch at our house, he suggested that we to go to the police station to get my residency registered. My father also came along.
I felt that something wasn't right on the way there. The residency registration can be done any time, so what’s the big hurry?
When I informed my cousin about this, he told me that he had signed an agreement with the police to take me there, and that it was no big deal, as everybody released from police custody has to check in. “What check in?” I demanded to know. “I haven’t committed any crime or broken any law.”
My cousin ignored me and kept driving. I couldn't do anything but send forth righteous thoughts.
When we arrived there, my father and cousin practically pushed me up the stairs of the entrance to the police station. My cousin then told the police why we were there.
An officer instructed me to write a report on what I had done wrong, and said that they would keep it for their records. “I’m not writing anything,” I exclaimed. “I have just been released. According to the law, I'm a free citizen.”
My heart was pounding a mile a minute as I said these words, but I was determined not to cooperate with them. If I backed down, if I failed to disintegrate the old forces with my righteous thoughts, it would lead to the next step of persecution.
My father suddenly pushed me against the wall and ordered me to write. I was shocked. I couldn’t believe my own father would actually side with the police. I realized that I was alone in this, and must focus on sending forth strong righteous thoughts.
I snapped back at him, “I've been locked up for so many years. I just came home and you treat me like this?”
Just then, the police chief arrived and wanted to know what the commotion was all about.
An officer told him that I was refusing to write a statement for them. The police chief replied, “If he doesn’t want to write it, then he doesn’t have to write it.”
As my father loosened his grip on me, I pushed him away, ran down the stairs and out of the building.
My cousin ran after me. I ran quite a ways before flopping down by the roadside, exhausted.
My cousin finally caught up with me and collapsed beside me, panting and cursing.
He demanded to know why I was running. I told him, “They're being completely unreasonable. Which law demands a citizen must leave a statement for the police records? I am a free citizen. I haven't broken any laws or committed a crime. Why do I have to listen to and obey their unreasonable demands?”
“Then why didn’t you reason with them?” my cousin inquired.
I realized that I was not being rational, but still argued, “All these years, they have been bullying people. The only thing I could do was to run away.”
My cousin thought for a moment, then told me to wait there. He went off in the direction of the police station.
I waited and waited, but he didn’t return. I couldn't wait any longer, so I got up. I barely made a few steps when he drove up in his car, and told me to get in.
He had gone to the police station and asked the police chief to return the agreement he had signed. The police chief didn’t say much. He just took out the written agreement and ripped it up in front of my cousin.
On the way home, my cousin turned to me and said, “Congratulations! You have passed another grueling test.”
I knew that Master was using my cousin's mouth to encourage me.
Our Thoughts Must Be Righteous
I was at a practitioner’s house one morning in 2009, when I urgently needed to use the bathroom. I vomited, had diarrhea, and urinated blood. My stomach was in severe pain.
I immediately put on my earphones to listen to Master’s Fa on my cassette player, and sent forth righteous thoughts.
The pain didn't subside, and I started having the desire to seek relief through medical means.
I quickly rejected this thought, and kept reminding myself, “I'm a practitioner. I won’t walk an ordinary person’s path to sort out my problems.”
Master said:
“…completely let go of everything, behave like an upstanding and noble Dafa disciple who has no resentment or attachments, and leave it to Master to arrange whether you stay or go.” (Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles)
I recited these words over and over in my mind.
Fellow practitioners later came to join me in sending forth righteous thoughts. However, I still didn’t feel any better after more than two hours of doing this.
We decided to stop and take a break. I asked them to turn on the DVD of Master’s lectures. I calmed myself down to watch and listen, paying full attention.
My pain disappeared within half an hour. I soon completely recovered.
Saving People is a Huge Responsibility
My mother had gallstones in the summer of 2013, and was taken to the local hospital.
I watched her expression of pain and knew that the old forces were trying to persecute me through my family member, because I had not cultivated well enough. I quickly looked inward to search for my attachments while sending forth righteous thoughts.
I pleaded for Master’s help, and whispered to my mother to recite “Falun Dafa is good” in her heart. She nodded, but her pain continued.
I put an earphone to her ear so she could listen to Master’s lectures. After a while, she calmed down and fell asleep.
When she woke, she looked around in surprise. Her pain had greatly subsided, and she wanted to continue listening to Master’s lectures.
Her pain had practically disappeared after about three days. But the doctor said that she still needed surgery, at a larger hospital with better equipment.
We took her to several large hospitals, but none of the doctors wanted to operate on her, as they were afraid she would not survive.
I suggested that she practice Falun Gong with me instead. She agreed.
I seriously looked inward, and discovered that I had been slacking off in my cultivation. I took action right away to rectify the situation. I intensified the time for studying the Fa, doing the exercises, and improving my xinxing.
At the same time, I taught my mother the exercises and read Master’s Fa with her. She also recited “Falun Dafa is good” diligently by herself.
My mother got better within two weeks. Her stomach stopped hurting, and the swelling subsided. More importantly, she made up her mind to enter into Dafa cultivation practice.
She is now healthy and full of energy, and often goes to the farms nearby to work and make some extra money for the family.
When my family and relatives witnessed the miracle that happened to my mother, they stopped having a negative attitude towards Dafa.
Our Mission is to Save Sentient Beings
I constantly remind myself that a practitioner's mission is to save sentient beings. It is my life’s goal, and the real reason for being born into this world. Therefore, I try my best to grasp every opportunity to save people.
Illusions of sickness tested my faith many times. I knew that if I relaxed and allowed myself the luxury of lying down to rest and recover, I would feel uneasy, as I would be taking time away from saving sentient beings.
So, very often, when I feel under the weather, I still pick up Dafa informational materials, and go out to distribute them. I feel comforted and my physical problems disappear quickly whenever I do things for the salvation of sentient beings.
Whenever I am proactive in saving people, it is reflected positively in my job performance - I work in sales. However, when I slack off, I fail to achieve much.
A few nights ago, I dreamed there was of flying object that had fallen to earth, right in the middle of a populated area. People were running around, not knowing what to do. I knew it was telling me that a disaster is looming, and I have to speed up in saving people.
I made a solemn resolve to study the Fa more and cultivate more diligently from now on.
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Category: Improving Oneself
