(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, practitioners from all over the world!
I have practiced Falun Dafa for 22 years. Looking back over this journey, I see that I have changed a lot and am almost like a different person. No matter whether I'm at work, at home, or walking down the street, I naturally consider things from other people's perspectives and am genuinely nice to people. I am grateful to Master and Dafa from the bottom of my heart. Only Dafa could turn me from a selfish, narrow-minded person into someone who is generous and selfless.
I was kept in a detention center because of my belief. The conditions were terrible, and we slept packed in like sardines with our heads touching other people’s feet. The woman next to me was obese, and she often crushed me when she was asleep. To avoid disturbing her sleep, I chose to remain still. Since water was very limited, practitioners voluntarily used a very small amount. In an environment where inmates often quarreled with each other, practitioners were always considerate and polite. When the toilet was blocked, I would quietly dig out the filthy stuff so that it would run well again. The compassion, which is a natural manifestation of a practitioner, was very obvious in that complicated situation.
The head cellmate, who usually did not speak without swearing at others, was moved by my behavior. After I passed a letter about Falun Dafa to another cell, the guards punished our cell collectively and forbade the entire cell from going out for a break. Listening to my reasoning with the guards, the head cellmate was moved to tears. “That’s okay, we don’t really need to go out for a break,” she said, “You practitioners are so selfless and I would do anything for you, even if they chained my feet because of that.” As the guards had failed to instigate hatred from the inmates toward me, they ceased the punishment the following day.
A practitioner gave a box of cookies, the only good food she had, to an inmate who was facing the death penalty. After fighting his entire life and not flinching even when looking down the barrel of a gun, the inmate was in tears as he passed the division of female detainees. “People always took things from me and this is the first time someone has given me a gift,” he said, “Had I heard about Falun Dafa earlier, I would not have committed these crimes and ended up here. I will remember Falun Dafa is good. If reincarnation exists, I want to become a practitioner in my next incarnation.” The day he was sent to be executed, he was heard calling out “Falun Dafa is good” along the way.
I was later transferred to a black jail. To force practitioners to give up their belief, the guards assigned two inmates to stay with and watch each practitioner constantly. I explained how Falun Dafa elevated one's moral values and improved one's physical health to the two people who were supposed to watch me. I also helped them write letters to their families. Their good nature was awakened and we got along well.
But people do have selfish thoughts, especially in a place like a prison. To receive more points and be released early, one of the inmates often reported on me to the guards. I did not pay much attention to it. But one time, she told the guards where I kept Master Li’s (the founder) lectures. As a result, the guards tortured me by tying me to a bed while stretching all four of my limbs apart. I went on a hunger strike to protest the persecution and all the practitioners in the prison also helped me. They wrote letters to the prison director requesting that the guards stop abusing me, and they went on a hunger strike as a group.
After the guards found my copies of Master’s articles, they used it as an excuse to torture me, to force me to renounce my belief. “I will not do that. If you do not put me down, I will continue my hunger strike,” I told a guard with determination. Managers from the prison administration, criminal investigation units, and various other departments came to me, threatening me with serious consequences. With the help of Master Li and other practitioners’ righteous thoughts, I was steadfast and could let go of life and death. The torture stopped on the third day.
After I returned to the cell, an inmate gave me the thumbs up. She had been assigned to watch another practitioner, who had been on a hunger strike to support me. “She [that practitioner] is already very old and had difficulty walking during the hunger strike. But she still continued. You practitioners are great because you are all so selfless,” she said.
I went to the inmate who turned me in, and she cried as I held her hands. With a smile I said to her calmly that I did not blame her, but I had to tell her something. “I was able to survive the torture because many practitioners helped me. Had I died during the torture and it was caused by you, how would you live with this after you are released?” I told her she was a good person by nature and hoped she could stop doing silly things like that. And in fact, by helping innocent practitioners who are disciples of a righteous belief, one would be blessed.
She apologized for what she had done. I continued, “Master told us, ‘If you cannot love your enemy, then you cannot reach Consummation.’ (Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference in Australia) Although you did this to me, I will not treat you as an enemy. Isn’t Falun Dafa great?”
She was very thankful for my forgiveness and stopped reporting practitioners to the guards. She was later no longer assigned to watch practitioners.
I have five siblings and all of them live affluent lives. As the youngest member of my family, and because of the years of persecution due to my belief, my financial condition was not as good as them. With Master’s help, however, I found a job with a decent salary after being released from prison. With ample break time, I rented an apartment and stayed with another practitioner to produce Dafa materials.
My father suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and was later diagnosed with colon cancer. He left feces and urine everywhere and did not allow anyone to clean it up. One of my sisters used to take care of my parents and she was very annoyed. My father could not listen well, leaving the family frustrated, which in turn made it even harder for my father to understand others. Considering myself a practitioner, I always spoke to him gently, slowly, and clearly. He could catch some of my words and would listen to me. After my father created a big mess for my mother one time, the family decided I would pick up my father and take him to my place. The practitioner I lived with was not upset by my father’s untidiness and also treated him with patience and kindness. My father listened to her well as well. When I went to work, the practitioner would take care of my father, changing his clothes and cleaning him. This went on for two months.
This changed my family’s attitude toward Dafa. This had been something my father’s own children were not able to handle, but a non-family member was able to take good care of him without seeking anything in return. My brother, who used to forbid practitioners from visiting, now welcomes them. After some time, my sister told us she could not look after my parents anymore. Since all of our siblings were busy, my brother planned to send our father to a senior center. I was busy with work at the time and producing materials, and I was also responsible for technical support for several material production sites. Thinking about my father’s condition, I knew that poor communication in a senior center would lead to dire consequences. So I offered to keep both of our parents at my place, and everyone was happy.
I hired a third practitioner to share the workload of taking care of my parents. Whenever we encountered issues, I tried to resolve them without bothering my siblings. The three of us practitioners worked closely producing materials and maintaining equipment. Producing Falun Dafa calendars before the Chinese New Year involves a lot of work, but we did it well, while taking good care of my parents. My siblings came to visit every weekend, so we prepared good food for them. In the past, my siblings had ignored Dafa. Now they are all very supportive and respect Master Li. When they hire people to work for them, they now trust practitioners more than anyone else.
When father was severely ill, my mother—also a practitioner—experienced a serious tribulation. I reminded her to recite “Falun Dafa is good” and ask Master for help. As a result, my mother was released from the hospital within one week. But she was very weak and had difficulty even drinking water with a straw. In addition, she lost continence. With both parents bedridden and a full-time job, I could not handle it and several of my sisters took turns coming to help. Each of them was different: some said I did not do well here and others complained that the dishes I prepared were not good enough. They all had decent lives and were dissatisfied with my simple life. Feeling frustrated and wronged, I thought: are you coming to take care of our parents, or are you just here to enjoy life? I not only had to look after our parents, but I also needed to cook several additional dishes.
A practitioner reminded me to pay attention to my xinxing improvement. I knew this was required for solid cultivation, and I had to be able to accept criticism. “Master, please do not worry about it. I will do well, regardless of whether people say good or bad things about me,” I said in my mind.
I chose the sister who annoyed me the most as the benchmark to improve my mind nature. I cherished every day she was around and assumed she did not come to take care of our parents; rather, she was here for me to cultivate myself. After all, she came here by plane and only stayed for a few days. I should take good care of her and provide her with some good dishes. Plus, she is already old and is in poor health. To avoid making her exhausted, I prevented her from doing any physical labor. I also told her there was no need to sleep with our mother at night so that she could have a good rest. After my mindset improved, my sister changed and her sarcastic words disappeared. I began to feel progress and the happiness of solid cultivation.
My father passed away eight months after coming to my place. Since I often played Dafa music for him, he left in peace without any pain, despite his colon cancer.
After that my mother, who was already 86, regained her health. Due to her work in the past, she had suffered black lungs. In spite of her yolk-sized lungs, however, she could still breathe well. Doctors in the intensive care unit considered it a miracle. My entire family is also grateful for the blessings of Dafa. In undertaking the burdensome task of looking after our parents, my selfless behavior as a practitioner earned my siblings' respect. My brother praised me in front of all of our family members. I knew the gratitude and respect were directed toward Dafa, since they are impressed by practitioners who follow Dafa's principles.
During my family tribulations, I could feel Master’s arrangements one step after another. I was able to make it through the tests through solid cultivation. By going beyond my qing (sentimentality) toward my family, I could treat them with compassion and hoped they would benefit from Dafa.
Master extended my life for saving sentient beings because that is my mission. I knew that I needed more time to focus on this, and Master helped me again. The sister who used to take care of our parents was available again, and she was able to look after our mother. That allowed me to fully dedicate myself to validating the Fa.
Someone at work started to practice four months ago, and she is thrilled by how profound Dafa is. “A practitioner was on my team for many years, but she never mentioned Dafa to me," my coworker said. "How I wish she had. Then again, I probably would not have accepted it at first. But she could have always talked with me about it again and again, right?”
These words resonated with me for a long time, as if they were echoing the voices of sentient beings who have predestined relationships with me but have yet to be saved. Time is limited, and we have to do our best to fulfill our mission as Dafa disciples.