(Minghui.org) I am a teacher who started to cultivate Falun Dafa in 1998. Growing up as the only child in the family I was very spoiled. However, through cultivation, I’ve learned to think of the needs of others and be compassionate.
Recalling my cultivation path, there are some precious moments I will always remember that motivate and comfort me.
My First Morning Practice at The Exercise Site
I started cultivating with my mother in August of 1998. I did the five sets of exercises every day. During the winter of 1998, the Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong) coordinator in our village, Ms. Lan, arranged for practitioners to do the exercises at her house every morning at 6 a.m. My mother encouraged me to join in.
I was curious and also very nervous in the beginning because I was afraid that practitioners would laugh at my incorrect positions when doing the second standing exercise. In addition, I found it hard to get out of bed early in the morning. Seeing my mother waking up early every morning to go to the practice site, I felt like I should go too but it wasn’t until a winter morning in December that I finally went along to do the exercises.
The winter months in Northern China are very cold and dark. My mother and I walked to the practice site and by the time we got there, there were already dozens of practitioners. They were very quiet and stood neatly in line. Although it was my first time at the exercise site, practitioners treated me with compassion and smiled at me, making me feel just like what Master said:
“As you all know, our practitioners of this righteous way have this feeling: Because it comes from the cultivation of a righteous way, it is benevolent and assimilated to Zhen-Shan-Ren, the characteristic of the universe. Therefore, all of our practitioners can feel it while sitting here in this field, and their minds are free of bad thoughts. In addition, while sitting here many practitioners do not even think of smoking. They feel an atmosphere of serenity and peace, which is very comfortable. This is the energy carried by a practitioner of a righteous way, and that is what it does within the scope of this field.” (Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun)
I stood next to my mother in the courtyard and got ready to do the exercises. During the winter months, Ms. Lan would prepare a heated room so practitioners had the choice of practicing outside or indoors. I did not have mittens on so my hands were freezing after a short while. I managed to get through the first standing exercise, and when I was getting ready for the second standing exercise, Ms. Lan told me, “It is too cold out here, and this is also your first time. Come indoors to practice the exercises.”
Inside the room, I saw many older practitioners as well as some new practitioners. There were already many people and there was no space for me. As soon as they saw me coming into the room, they voluntarily made space for me so I could stand close to the heater. One lady decided to go outside to practice the exercises when she realized there wasn’t enough space for everyone. After practicing the second standing exercise, that same lady hurried in to warm her hands and face before going back to finish the exercises outside. I felt really bad because she left to practice the exercises outside after I came into the room. When everybody finished practicing the exercises, many practitioners including that same lady praised me for doing the exercises very well. I was very happy and gained a lot of confidence.
A Special Gift
Given his jealously, Jiang Zemin, the former head of the Chinese communist regime, used despicable methods to slander Falun Gong after starting the persecution in 1999. Many practitioners were inhumanely persecuted. My mother was fired by her work because of her belief in Dafa. We met with financial difficulties, as my father became the only source of income.
When I entered high school there were many expenses, such as school tuition, dormitory fees, and meal plans. All these expenses added more financial hardships to our family. In order to lessen the financial burden on my family, I would only buy daily essentials and nothing else.
My headteacher called several of our class leaders for a meeting in the fall of 2000. When the class leaders came back they looked very happy and excited saying, “Hurry, the headteacher is looking for you.” I stood up immediately and asked, “What’s the matter?” One of our class leaders said, “It’s something good. Hurry up and go!”
I hurried to my headteacher’s office. There was an envelope on her desk and she said, “We have been studying together for more than a year, and you did quite a lot as a student life committee member. Many of your classmates have seen that your school supplies are worn out, even your pencil case is all rusted. Are you experiencing financial difficulties at home?” I held my head low and did not reply.
My headteacher held up the envelope on her desk and said, “The district gave our class some assistance this semester. Your classmates suggested to give it to you, so you can purchase school supplies. This might lessen the financial burden for your family.”
Tears started to roll down my cheeks, as I politely rejected the money. I said, “I am grateful to you and my classmates but I do not need it. Please give this to other students who are more in need of this.” After rejecting this money several times, my headteacher insisted, “You are a good child and your classmates have voted for you to get this assistance. Please take it.” I gratefully accepted the envelope. When I returned to class, tears started to roll down my cheeks once again when I saw the kind faces of my classmates.
Twenty years have passed, but I am still touched by the generosity of my classmates.
Many Compassionate People Around Me
My mother still persisted in cultivating Falun Dafa. She decided to go to Beijing to appeal for Dafa, as well as to Tiananmen Square to peacefully appeal for the right to practice her faith. We have been harassed and threatened numerous times by the 610 Office, police, and village security members.
My mother was illegally arrested and was taken to a brainwashing center in the spring of 2001. The brainwashing center was secretly established in the mountains. My mother and other practitioners were detained in a small building. In the brainwashing center, members of the 610 Office were constantly monitoring Dafa practitioners and threatening them if they did not renounce their faith.
My father, who is not a practitioner, was often summoned to the village office for a “talk”. They would exert pressure on him by telling him how my mother was doing in the brainwashing center. My father was also taken to the brainwashing center. While there, the police threatened him with dire consequences if my mother did not give up her belief. They said, “If she does not give up her belief, she will be sent to a labor camp for three years.” My father was very stressed and would often cry. I would also feel the pressure and was constantly living in fear.
On the weekends when I returned home, villagers would come to my house and tell me my mother should not have gone to Beijing to appeal. I told them, “My mother was right,” and they left. At night, I would wait for my father and reheat the leftovers and Chinese buns that my mother had made before she left. However, as soon as my father got home, he was summoned once again to the village hall for a “talk”.
At 10 p.m, while I was in my bedroom by myself, I got scared because the wind was howling and I was worried about my mother. I was unable to fall asleep for a long time and thought, ‘If only someone would sleep beside me.’ I suddenly thought of my friend and classmate Xiao Jing. I got dressed and ran to her house.
When I got to her house, I saw that the lights were still on. I called her name and someone opened the door. I saw that both Xiao Jing and her mom were getting ready for bed. I said to Xiao Jing, “My mother is not home, I am scared sleeping by myself. Let me sleep with you.” Xiao Jing’s mother asked, “Where did your mother go?” I said: “My mother practices Falun Dafa, and she was taken away by the police.” She sighed and said to Xiao Jing, “You can go to her house.”
On the way home Xiao Jing asked, “Your mother is a good person, why was she taken away by the police?” I told her the police arrested her because she never gave up cultivating Falun Dafa. She listened attentively and felt very empathetic for her. She encouraged me, and I was deeply touched. That night, I slept very well.
Years later in 2018, Xiao Jing was now married and came to visit her mother. I visited her and talked to her about Dafa. Xiao Jing said firmly, “Falun Dafa teaches people to be a better person!” I also helped her quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Now, Xiao Jing lives in harmony and has a good job. I guess this was a reward for treating Dafa practitioners compassionately and knowing the truth about Dafa.
During my cultivation, I have met many kind people. Their words and actions were like a ray of sunshine that gave me warmth. I will always remember them and be grateful. I know that Master has arranged this path for me, and is encouraging me to be diligent.
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