(Minghui.org) Several Falun Dafa practitioners were arrested for distributing Falun Dafa informational materials in the spring of 2019. My husband was one of them.
When my husband left home that day he didn’t tell me where he was going and just said that he would be back in the afternoon. When he hadn’t returned by 8 p.m. I began to get anxious and tried to call him. I kept sending forth righteous thoughts and tried to call him over 20 times but got no answer.
I went out to look for him early the next morning, but where? I walked everywhere with my heart full of anxiety. I felt lost and helpless, then a car pulled up in front of me, the door opened, and the practitioners inside shouted, “Come on! We've been looking for you.”
Most of the practitioners in the car were family members of those who had also lost contact with their loved ones. We kept on calling and asking, and as night fell, we finally found out where they were.
Fear of Being Arrested
The police searched the homes of two of the arrested practitioners, who were involved in many Dafa projects. We also heard from police insiders that dozens of practitioners in our city were on the blacklist and many were being monitored. Fear struck the hearts of many of us.
Practitioner Wei (alias) had been responsible for hiring lawyers to defend practitioners in court. He had done this on his own for several years. After he was arrested, none of us knew how to go about hiring lawyers.
Practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts and worked with their family members to request the release of the arrested practitioners. They went to the police station and related government departments.
We didn’t really know if what we were doing was right. Our righteous thoughts weren't strong enough, and the results weren't good.
We continued to get word from police insiders and heard that the police were planning to arrest more practitioners. We were afraid to call each other, and many of us gave up with the rescue efforts. Only the family members of the arrested practitioners who were also practitioners insisted on continuing, although some of them also thought of giving up from time to time.
Forming “One Body”
After a lot of setbacks, a family member of an arrested practitioner managed to hire a lawyer from Beijing. Master gave us a hint through the lawyer that we should take the chance to save more people, especially those who worked in public security, the procuratorate, and the court.
We managed to convince other practitioners to help, and Fang (alias) organized some to work with the arrested practitioners' family members to clarify the truth to those in the police departments, procuratorate, court, and petitions office that participated in the persecution.
Fang even went to the homes of two Domestic Security Division (DSD) officers who were in charge of the case and escaped from those who followed him on his way home.
When people heard that a Falun Dafa practitioner went to the homes of DSD officers to clarify the truth, they thought it was a joke. But this incident really shocked the police in the local area.
Fang and a few other practitioners also went to the home of the local Political and Legal Affairs Committee Party secretary to clarify the truth.
Practitioners participated in the rescue efforts on a large scale and in many ways, by talking to people face-to-face, sending letters, hanging up posters, etc.
One of the DSD officers clearly stated that he would not get involved in the persecution anymore and even changed his job. Another DSD officer changed his attitude about Dafa practitioners.
The local government expedited the cases of the arrested practitioners. The arrests were approved a month after the arrests, and their cases were transferred to the court a week after being submitted to the procuratorate.
As a result of the rescue efforts, the police now sought the family members of the arrested practitioners. They were blacklisted, followed, and prevented from traveling. The family members repeatedly went to the police department to ask why they were being treated this way, but they never got a straight answer. They still used the opportunity to clarify the truth to them.
Due to the rescue efforts, some police officers received over 1000 letters and many of them understood the truth about Falun Dafa and the persecution.
During this process, all of the participating practitioners gained more experience and knowledge of the law, which made us wiser and more confident about moving forward. We felt the power of righteous thoughts and the overall collaboration of one body. We also improved our xinxing.
Working with Lawyers
We couldn’t hire a lawyer from Beijing due to financial constraints and other issues and were only able to find a local lawyer half a month after the arrests. When the lawyer visited the arrested practitioners, he didn’t dare pass our letters to them and only passed information verbally. My heart was full of anxiety and sadness. I complained to myself about the practitioner who hired the lawyer.
Practitioners introduced me to another lawyer to represent my husband. However, he was always late for appointments, which wasted a lot of my time. For instance, we once drove over three hours to the detention center but sometimes I could only see my husband for about 10 minutes because the lawyer got a late start. His fees were also very high.
One time, I made an appointment to meet the lawyer at 6:30 a.m. I had to leave my home at 5 a.m. to get there on time, but the lawyer didn't arrive until nearly 8 a.m. and didn’t call to warn me that he would be late. He hadn't read the files before the meeting and we didn't have a chance to talk beforehand either. He seemed to be in a bad mood. I was very angry.
Master said,
““When it’s difficult to endure, you can endure it. When it’s impossible to do, you can do it.” In fact, that is how it is. Why don’t you give it a try when you return home? When you are overcoming a real hardship or tribulation, you try it. When it is difficult to endure, try to endure it. When it looks impossible and is said to be impossible, give it a try and see if it is possible. If you can actually do it, you will indeed find, “After passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead!”” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
I was determined to walk the path arranged by Master and gradually let go of the negative thoughts.
I began to reflect on the situation after I returned home. Why was my relationship with the lawyer so bad? I thought of what Master said:
“You must go through trials and tribulations in the midst of actual cultivation and in practical society, get rid of that attachment of yours among ordinary people, and let go of the attachments that humans can’t let go of. Of course, some better educated people or elderly people can do a little better; they are able to keep calm and, unlike others, refrain from arguing or fighting with people when conflicts come up or when they encounter difficulties.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Houston”)
“Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
I called the lawyer a month later so we could visit the detention center again. He found an excuse to push it back to the following week. I waited until the next week and he pushed it back another week. I kept calm and persisted with my efforts. Six weeks later, he finally made the appointment.
The lawyer was still nearly two hours late, but I didn’t get angry and greeted him warmly. We weren't far into the journey when he said that he needed to use the restroom. He was in there for over half an hour. I remained unaffected.
Later into the journey he said that he needed to have breakfast. I ordered food at a cafe, while he talked on the phone for a long time. I finished my breakfast and used the time to clarify the truth to the cafe owner's wife and helped her quit the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated organizations. The lawyer then finished his breakfast and we continued our journey.
When we arrived at the detention center, the lawyer told me that he needed to take a nap. He said, “We can visit your husband this afternoon.”
He slept for nearly three hours. I took the time to read the files and learn more about the case.
This time, the lawyer visited my husband for a long time and looked very happy afterward. I said, “You don’t need to take me home I can get a taxi.” He said, “You don’t need to call a taxi. Let me drive you.”
On the way back, we talked about many issues.
This experience helped me realize that a practitioner's frame of mind can determine how things go and the outcome will be a reflection of that. When I changed, the lawyer changed as well. Therefore, the most important thing is to cultivate ourselves well.
When my husband's case was submitted to the court, I suggested that I would take the lead and the lawyer would support me. He was moved and agreed.
His confidence grew as I kept clarifying the truth to him. He also took on other practitioners’ cases. One time, the judge called and threatened him, “So you want to defend them until the end?”
The lawyer calmly replied, “Yes, I will defend them until the end.” I was very happy for him when I heard this. He really changed a lot.
Latest Situation
The judiciary wanted all pending and ongoing cases to be completed by the end of 2019. All were done except ours. Because we kept reporting on the situation and exposing those involved, nobody dared to get involved.
The judge called the lawyer after the 2020 Chinese New Year and told him that the trial had been suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.
The arrested practitioners are still being detained, and there is a long way to go in getting them released. We still need to eliminate a lot of attachments such as resentment, selfishness, fear, showing off, and competitiveness. However, we are determined that no matter what difficulties we may encounter, we will react with righteous thoughts and do well with what we should do!
Our heartfelt gratitude goes out to Master for his benevolent compassion and protection!
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Category: Improving Oneself
