(Minghui.org) During my childhood, I experienced the famine and extreme poverty during The Great Leap Forward. In my teenage years, the cruel Cultural Revolution broke out. The endless political movements left me mentally scarred. After my passionate “fight for truth” and vowing to give my life to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) struggle, I was left with nothing but fraud and lies. Every day I worked so hard but could not feed myself or my family. I couldn’t help but wonder what the purpose of my life was.
Turning Point
In May 1997 a friend gave me a copy of Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Dafa. I spent two days reading the entire book and was overwhelmed by its teachings. I told my wife that this would be the book that I would read for the rest of my life.
I didn’t practice Falun Dafa to gain health, since I was already in good health before I picked up the practice. I practiced because of Dafa’s principles. My thought after I read Zhuan Falun was, “I want to follow this Master and be a better person.”
I was a carpenter, socialized a lot, and consequently drank a lot. When my wife heard that I was going to quit drinking, she didn’t believe me and made fun of me. She told me that if I quit drinking, she would quit eating. I felt awful for a few days and quit drinking and smoking all at once. She gave me a thumbs up and said, “It looks like you are really cultivating.”
Master said,
“No loss, no gain.” (Zhuan Falun)
“Accomplishing is Cultivating.” (“Solid Cultivation” from Hong Yin)
Refusing Kickbacks
Before I was a practitioner, I often took home things from the company for personal use. For example, the four little sheds I built contained all kinds of building materials from the company. I stopped doing that after I became a practitioner. I also stopped taking kickbacks for the purchases I made and the work I did. My kickbacks totaled around 10,000 yuan each year, which was a lot of money for me. Then I refused to take anything and told the companies I worked with that it was because I practiced Falun Dafa.
I worked carefully and paid attention to detail. I never wasted materials. I did my best work no matter how my customers treated me. When a customer overpaid me by 1,000 yuan, I returned it to her as soon as I discovered it. Her family and friends were amazed and expressed their admiration for Falun Dafa.
Everyone I worked for or made purchases from knew that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner and that I was a decent person who did quality work. They would recommend me to their families and friends. Eventually, I didn’t have to look for work; I just needed to wait for phone calls.
When a salesperson gave me too much change for the things I bought, I always made sure that I returned the difference and told them the principles of Falun Dafa. Pleasantly surprised by my actions, many people eagerly listened to me explain the persecution of Falun Dafa by the communist government–a perspective that starkly contrasted with the propaganda they had heard from the state.
In recent years, candidates running for village chief have bribed local residents for votes. The five people in my family have received thousands of yuan in cash, which is a large sum for us. However, because I was a practitioner, I stopped taking the money. To avoid causing misunderstandings, I’d accept the money when they handed it to me, but I would return it after the election whether or not the candidate was successful. I also told them to treat Falun Dafa practitioners kindly if they became officials one day. Some of them renounced their memberships in the Communist Party as a result.
Not Fighting Over Compensation
One Chinese New Year, my neighbor was playing with firecrackers and set my front yard on fire. Before I did anything, the neighbor called the police and claimed that his property had caught on fire. When the official came to investigate, my neighbor insisted that he suffered loss from the fire and demanded compensation. It was obvious that my house was the only place that was burned, but my neighbor was so insistent that the official gave him half of my compensation. I didn’t argue in the process, thinking that his wife was ill and he was in a dire financial situation.
Settling a Fight with Compassion
We raised a lot of ducks one year, and so did my neighbors. The ducks played in the river together during the day. One afternoon, all my ducks came home, but a neighbor told us one of her ducks was missing. She looked carefully at mine and took one of them, claiming it was hers. My wife stopped her and said that the duck she took was ours, since she recognized all of our ducks. The two began to argue. I knew that my wife did know all the ducks and she wouldn’t take it if it wasn’t ours. However, if I took my wife’s side, it would make the situation worse.
As a practitioner, I knew that I needed to be compassionate. I suddenly had an idea and said to the neighbor, “It’s still bright out. Why don’t we lead our ducks back to the river and let them find their way home again?” She agreed immediately and let go of the one in her hands.
After all the ducks were back in the river, I told my wife to go home and leave them alone. An hour later, the neighbor came to us looking embarrassed and said, “My duck went to another neighbor’s, and it just came back. I must have offended you terribly.” She repeatedly apologized.
Treating My Harassers Kindly
During the 19 years of persecution, local officials and police constantly monitored and harassed me. Many of them had been misled by the Communist Party’s indoctrination and were financially motivated. I treated them all with the same compassion, because Dafa teaches us that practitioners do not have enemies, that all we have is compassion.
I asked the police to come to my home, where I told them the facts about Dafa and the persecution, as well as why they should treat practitioners with kindness. I gave them evidence of crimes committed by former Communist Party leader Jiang Zemin, who initiated the persecution of Dafa. I sent the same to judges, court officials, police, village officials, and people I knew. After that, the well-informed officers would come to my house only as a formality.
Clarifying the Facts at the Police Station
I was out putting up posters to tell people about the persecution when an officer saw the plate number on my scooter. A few days later, the police arrested me. On my way to the station, I kept reciting Master’s poem in my mind:
“Dafa does not leave the body,The heart harbors Zhen-Shan-Ren;In the world is a great Arhat,Spirits and ghosts fear greatly.” (“Mighty Virtue” from Hong Yin)
An officer told me to confess and “tell things as they are.” He then told me not to talk about Falun Dafa because he wouldn’t understand. I told him that if he didn’t understand it, then he shouldn’t be in charge of arresting practitioners. I then refused to talk to him. He gave in and let me talk. I told him everything about Dafa and the persecution before I got back to “telling things as they are,” per his request.
I told him how Qiao Shi, former chairman of the National People's Congress Standing Committee, conducted a thorough investigation of Falun Dafa for six months and submitted a report to the central government. Qiao said in the report, “Falun Dafa has 100 percent positive influence on the nation.” This was how Qiao told things as they actually are.
The officer listened carefully and quietly. He asked about my education. I told him I had little education but that the cultivation practice of Falun Dafa gave me the wisdom I needed. He asked if I had done anything illegal. I said no, and he released me.
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