(Minghui.org) I was in middle school when I encountered Falun Dafa in 1995. A classmate of mine introduced the practice to me. During our afternoon lunch breaks, we would attend the group practice site at Northeast Normal University. Many of the practitioners were university students and professors who were highly educated.
Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Embedded in My Heart at Age 13
I met the local coordinator who was an older girl named Yue. She briefly introduced me to the basics of Falun Dafa. While other older brothers and sisters practiced the exercises in the woods, the melodious practice music sounded very calm and peaceful. Yue told me that Falun Dafa has five sets of exercises and most importantly, we need to abide by the universe’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and cultivate the inner self. We need to look inward at all times and think of others before we act.
I was deeply drawn into the principles of the Fa and the demand for higher moral standards. The three characters of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance were deeply embedded in my heart at 13 years old. I really liked these three words and how Falun Dafa teaches people to cultivate compassion. My true and kind nature resonated with these three words; this was what I had been looking for, and this was what I truly wanted.
I wanted to learn the practice on the spot and also inquired more about the exercises. Yue told me that everything was free of charge and that I could join them anytime. When I bought the book Zhuan Falun, Yue only charged me the material cost of 10 yuan instead of the 12 yuan retail price listed on the back of the book. Yue charged everyone the same, at cost, price. It aligned with Falun Dafa’s teachings of not pursuing personal gain and being compassionate.
I came to learn that Yue was a graduate student and four of her roommates were Falun Dafa practitioners as well. Falun Dafa is very popular among high-level intellectuals. Everyone is an independent and logical thinker; no one could be swayed or blindly believe in something.
Truly Experiencing the Land of Purity
While constantly changing different schools during my high school years, it was hard to remain in contact with Yue and other practitioners from Northeast Normal University. I found Falun Dafa practice sites in Changchun when I did not know what else to do. People from all walks of life were practicing Falun Dafa. They would simply find a nice, quiet place and do the exercises. There weren't any special requirements, so long as the place was quiet, they would start doing the exercises.
I would encounter local practice sites while riding my bike to school every morning. It was the same melodious music but with different groups of people than the ones at Northeast Normal University. Though I didn’t know them, as long as they stood in that energy field, I would feel like they were friends I’d known for years. This was because everyone was abiding by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. People were compassionate to each other and there was no fighting for personal gain or profit; no jealousy nor suspicion. People were sharing and looking for their own shortcomings, discussing whether they’ve abided by principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance or if there’s something they can do better the next time.
Some would smile upon listening to other practitioners’ cultivation experiences while others would use the opportunity to examine how they’ve done. Everyone looked very calm and serene. Being in that environment made me feel very comfortable and I attained inner peace.
Every Falun Dafa practice site was a land of purity. It did not matter who was there; everyone read Zhuan Falun and regardless of who’d done well or poorly, whose words are right or wrong, everyone aligned themselves with Zhuan Falun. There was no need for arguing. If one did well, everyone would be happy for him or her; if one did something wrong, everyone would encourage them to do better in the future. Thinking back to those times, I still feel very calm and peaceful.
Appealing for Falun Dafa at 17 and Witnessing Selfless Acts of Compassion
I met an older practitioner who had a Ph.D. degree from Jilin University. She was very nice to me and was very competent. When the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began a nationwide persecution of Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999, I started to wonder if the officials made a mistaken decision. I wanted to tell them that Falun Dafa is good and that it isn’t like what’s mentioned on television. With this thought in mind, I joined four other practitioners and went to Beijing when I was only 17 years old.
When we were on the train to Beijing, we met many other practitioners from rural areas who also wanted to go there to appeal. I only had around 200 to 300 yuan in my pocket and everyone was helping each other out on the train. Everyone’s determination, sincerity, and compassion were enough to move the heavens.
When we arrived in Beijing, we saw many fully armed officers at each corner of the street. I did not understand what they were guarding, as we were just men and women coming to tell the truth about the practice. Upon arriving, we saw even more practitioners from other regions in China. Many of them took care of me by buying me some daily essentials when they saw how young I was. They did not ask for money in return. In modern society these behaviors and actions are regarded as foolish. However, amongst a group of people who practiced Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, this kind of consideration was quite natural.
While staying at a practitioner’s house one time, the hot summer weather and the things I ate made me really uncomfortable. I vomited all over the place before making it to the bathroom. I told everyone: “Please don’t come in yet. I vomited all over the place and it does not look too pleasant.” I did not want to bother them and cause trouble, however, practitioners all told me that it was okay. Some helped me clean up the mess, while others walked me back to my room.
These people, whom I’d never met before, treated me so kindly when I was in Beijing. Although I don’t know their names, we were able to treat each other so compassionately. This is all because we cultivate this Fa. This scenario rarely comes about in today’s Chinese society.
Losing Freedom to Freely Practice the Exercises Under the Evil Persecution
The persecution has deprived us of our time to cultivate together. We were no longer able to practice the exercises or share our cultivation experiences freely. Due to the horrible and cruel persecution methods such as kidnapping, arresting, home ransacking, sending practitioners to labor camps, sentencing practitioners and killing practitioners for their organs, the normal communication we once had is now impossible.
With constant reports of practitioners subjected to live organ harvesting, I’m not even sure that the four practitioners I went to Beijing with are still alive. Even with the practitioners that I still keep in contact with, they’ll hear about other practitioners being kidnapped from time to time, homes being ransacked and even those persecuted in labor camps. Ironically, they are treated this way despite not breaking any law.
Though I haven’t endured any physical persecution, my mental state has been on edge for over a dozen years. The normal life that I once had is gone and what’s replaced it is constant fear and terror.
The Persecution of a Practitioner Who Once Obtained a New Life After Cultivation
My elementary school classmate and her mother, Ms. Liu, are Falun Dafa practitioners. Ms. Liu was the head teacher of my grade level in middle school. Ms. Liu was an excellent Chinese teacher and well-liked by both her students and their parents. However, she fell ill and was hospitalized in 1995 for a rare disease. Not long after, the doctors announced that she did not have much time to live. Many of the students she once taught were transferred to other classes; some of them joined my class.
We all thought that Ms. Liu would not live long. However, one day, Ms. Liu came back as healthy as before; we all thought it was a miracle. After asking around, we learned that a parent introduced her to Falun Dafa. Through practicing the exercises, she regained her health and ultimately a new life.
After July 20, 1999, Ms. Liu and her daughter were being constantly persecuted. Their home was ransacked and they were sent to forced labor camps. Ms. Liu was tortured and her salary was cut. Her daughter wasn’t even allowed to go to school for a year. Both Ms. Liu and her daughter suffered greatly both physically and psychologically. One time, I received a phone call from Ms. Liu’s daughter, saying that her mom had been illegally arrested. I rushed to her house and learned that a dozen policemen came to her house three days after the Chinese New Year to arrest Ms. Liu. How could they do this to Ms. Liu and her daughter and at Chinese New Year, a time when families are supposed to celebrate together?
Requesting to Release the Innocent at the Police Department
I had a lot of anxiety upon deciding to go to the police department. This anxiety slowly evolved into fear because we didn’t know what to expect. What would they do to us?! What have they done to Ms. Liu?! Detaining Ms. Liu is completely illegal since she did not break any law and it is a waste of time trying to reason with them.
When we stepped into Chaoyang District Police Department, my fear increased. Every step on the stairs felt heavy and I felt so much pressure that I was unable to breathe properly. When we saw Ms. Liu handcuffed to a metal chair, I tried to take them off. However, they did not budge and we were stuck. We asked the policemen to release Ms. Liu, but to no avail. The only thing left to do was for us to go home. At that time, I was 21 years old and my classmate was 20 years old. Ms. Liu’s mother passed away 40 days later due to the mental trauma of the policemen ransacking her home and kidnapping her daughter.
These are all my personal experiences. During these 21 years of persecution, my once innocent and pure heart has become heavy-laden. I don’t understand why Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is forbidden in the place where I was born and raised. Furthermore, I don’t understand why our “Constitution” states that we have freedom of religion and yet in reality people use their power to change my beliefs and even instigate state-sanctioned propaganda, trying to change my views. All the frightening things I’ve experienced were simply because I practice Falun Dafa and abide by Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Will a simple sentence of, “I will no longer practice Falun Dafa,” put an end to my fears? This society is too degenerate!
Anybody with a sane mind will probably not understand the nationwide persecution of Falun Dafa. How can the simple principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance cross the line? How is it that the former head of the CCP can call for Falun Dafa to be eradicated? Though I am unable to understand him, I know exactly who he is. He is Jiang Zemin. He was the one who started the persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in 1999. Not only did he make up lies about practitioners committing suicide, he also was behind the Tiananmen self-immolation hoax. He has instilled hatred in Chinese people for Falun Dafa practitioners. This hatred continues to play its role in the slandering of Falun Dafa and creating fear.
I want to write down my personal experiences with the hope that people will understand the injustices Falun Dafa practitioners have endured. I hope that people will be able to distinguish good and evil, right from wrong, and stop being used by the evil CCP. If people understand the facts of the persecution and side against it, they will not have regrets when it ends. The Fa is magnificent, and good will be rewarded and evil will receive retribution.
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