(Minghui.org) Tribulations often arise when one has slacked off in cultivation, allowing evil beings to take advantage of one's loopholes and make trouble for him or her. When tribulations surface unexpectedly, it is a test to see whether one can do well, which depends on one’s cultivation state, if he/she has studied the Fa and put it into practice.
Tribulation Suddenly Appears
Early one morning, several police officers who claimed to be from the 610 Office broke into my home. One of them said that I had to go to the police station to answer some questions, while the others rummaged through my bags, desks and the Dafa books on the bookshelf. I was unprepared for sudden intrusion. Although I sent forth righteous thoughts, it was obvious that my righteous thoughts were not strong.
Master's words came into my mind:
“Of course, you will not be informed of a tribulation or conflict ahead of time. How could you cultivate if you were told everything? It wouldn’t have any effect, then. They usually occur unexpectedly so that they can test your xinxing and allow your xinxing to truly improve. Only then can it be seen whether you can guard your xinxing well. Therefore, when a conflict arises, it does not occur accidentally.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
I always held resentment toward police officers after I had been incarcerated and persecuted. When I saw the smug look on a young officer's face, I felt that these officers were very pitiful: they were poisoned by the CCP's lies and propaganda, and were being controlled by the evil, but they didn’t know it.
I silently recited the Fa on the way to the police station and sent forth righteous thoughts. I gradually calmed down. In a peaceful tone, I told the officers in the car the facts about Falun Dafa. I told them that Zhou Yongkang and Li Dongsheng, the former heads of the central 610 Office, are both in prison, and that the persecution of Falun Gong was unsustainable and that the 610 Office would soon be dissolved. I asked them to choose a bright future for themselves.
What I said seemed to touch their hearts, and they looked embarrassed. I could tell that they had thought about it, and they felt uncomfortable deep in their hearts.
Although some of the evil factors controlling them were eliminated when I clarified the truth to them, I was unable to completely negate the persecution and was detained for 15 days.
Countering the Persecution Using the Law
After returning home from the detention center, I shared my views with practitioners about defending myself using the Regulation on Administrative Reconsideration Law.
There were many problems with the so-called “evidence” used to have me detained. The location where the person reported me was not the same as where I was photographed by surveillance cameras. They were far away from each other and the times didn't match.
I took advantage of the Administrative Reconsideration Law to further clarify the truth. However, my point was not whether the “evidence” used against me was wrong, but rather to emphasize that it was illegal to arrest me just because they suspected that I had distributed Dafa informational materials.
Some practitioners supported me, while others were opposed to my approach. The practitioners who disagreed with me thought that the Administrative Reconsideration Law would lead to nothing more than two results: either they would arrest me or refuse to accept my case.
After studying the Fa, I realized that the Administrative Reconsideration Law was just another way for me to clarify the truth and try to put a stop to the persecution. The purpose was to save police officers, prosecutors and others working in the judicial system. As long as my intention was good, things would go well.
I finished drafting the administrative reconsideration form with practitioners’ help. The focus was on emphasizing that the persecution of Falun Gong was illegal, rather than the “evidence” used against me being wrong.
We Should Save Police Officers, Prosecutors and Those Working in the Courts
We have to be compassionate to save people and remove our human notions.
“Compassion can harmonize Heaven and Earth, ushering in spring...” (“The Fa Rectifies the Cosmos” in Hong Yin Vol. II).
Dafa practitioners have no enemies. It is a crime to persecute practitioners. The police who participate in the persecution are the most pitiful, as they are deceived by the CCP’s lies. We have to save them. To tell them the facts is to try and stop them from committing more crimes.
I went to the police department and handed the administrative reconsideration form to the person at the front desk. When he saw that it was about Falun Gong, he raised his eyebrows and spoke harshly to me. I was not surprised, and calmly asked him to read what was written on the paper. He reluctantly picked it up and read it. His facial expression underwent subtle changes, and he became calmer while I was silently sending forth righteous thoughts to remove the old force factors controlling him.
I told him, “I have been to the reception desk to hand in the administrative reconsideration form, but they told me that I had to show a detention notice before they could accept my case. Neither my family nor I received a detention notice. I know this notice has to be issued from here.”
He called the Domestic Security Division, and said over the phone: “If you don't issue an administrative detention notice, how can he file for administrative reconsideration?” After hanging up the phone, he told me that I would have to wait a few days to collect the notice.
The police department sent the administrative detention notice to the police station where I lived. When I went there to pick it up, the officer responsible for household registration asked me about the details of this incident. I took the opportunity to clarify the truth to him. Other officers gathered around and listened. After they knew that I was pursuing administrative reconsideration and needed an administrative detention notice, they immediately made a copy of the notice, stamped a seal on it, and handed it to me.
After I was fully prepared I sent righteous thoughts, and went to the district government building to submit the administrative reconsideration form. The clerk at the reception desk carefully read it and said abruptly, “I cannot accept this.” When I asked why, he replied: “You talked about compensation but didn’t mention the amount you are looking for.”
I knew he was looking for an excuse to reject it. I thought I could not get stuck in some minor details, and immediately replied: “I can delete that part.”
He couldn't find any other reason to reject it, and reluctantly accepted it. I told him about my experience of being wronged and persecuted due to my faith. I said, “I hope you can be fair and just.” He seemed to have changed from his original hostile attitude, saying: “Don't worry! We will handle it in accordance with the relevant laws and regulations. You can go home and wait for notification.”
A week later, I received a notice saying that I could proceed with “checking” part of the reconsideration files.
Although the checking process was relatively procedural, it was a precious opportunity for me to clarify the truth face-to-face with government officials. My focus was not whether the “evidence” was sufficient, nor to change the previous ruling. My intention was to show that the persecution of Falun Dafa was wrong and the persecution was illegal.
Through this process I noticed a gradual change in attitude. In the beginning, they only agreed that I could hand-copy part of the content in the file. Later, they told me that I could take pictures of the files using my phone. It was obvious that they had become nicer to me. In the end, one of them said: “If the current evidence can prove that they were wrong, we will ask them to provide more evidence.”
After sorting out the photos, I got a complete and detailed record of the whole process of the persecution against me, which later enabled me to write a letter detailing everything to the relevant departments and personnel.
As I reflected on the persecution of me this time, I realized that I did not pay attention to safety, and that I still had a lot of attachments, such as a competitive mentality, attachment to doing things, resentment, etc. It also showed that I was not diligent in Fa study, and didn’t completely negate the persecution.
Improve Myself Through Writing Letters to the Relevant People
Writing letters to the relevant personnel was also an opportunity to improve in my cultivation, especially when writing a benevolent letter to the person who reported me to the police. When I revised the letter, I found that resentment was still there. I was shocked to find that I still harbored resentment after so many years of cultivation.
Now that I found it, I should get rid of it. I decided to rewrite the letter. While rewriting it, I felt sad for those who were poisoned by the CCP’s lies and propaganda. I told myself that they were waiting for me to tell them the facts. They could only be saved after they learned the truth and got rid of the evil thoughts in their minds. I felt an urgency to let them know the truth. After I finished rewriting the letter, I found that it was more sincere.
The police officers who arrested me were from another district, far away from where I lived, and the Dafa books they had confiscated from me were kept in that police station. That made it quite difficult for me to get them back.
It took me a long time to get there, and when I arrived, I wasn't able to see the officer that I needed to. Even when I did finally meet him, he didn't want to talk to me. He either passed me on to other departments, or just told me that his boss had commanded him not to return the books to me. In this process, I tried my best to tell them as much about Dafa as possible to make each of my trips worthwhile.
However, I felt hopeless after visiting them several times without getting any items back, and I wanted to give up.
Master said:
“In cultivation, hardship is not the greatest challenge. Hardship passes after a brief spell, and if it’s not handled well one will nevertheless be clear about things afterwards. What is hardest is to remain consistently disciplined when there is seemingly no hope—that’s the most difficult.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the NTDTV Meeting”)
It was not that difficult for me when I thought back about it. It did take me a few trips, but the police officers would listen to me each trip I made, which made it worthwhile.
The officer I mainly spoke to became more understanding, and his attitude gradually changed. He promised to talk to his supervisor again. He later told me to visit his office. After I arrived, he took me to the head's office. The head politely asked me to sit down.
I knew he wanted to hear the truth, so I told him about the peaceful petition on April 25, 1999, and the beginning of the persecution on July 20 that year. He listened attentively.
He told me that he also had faith, and that he believed in Marxism. I asked him: “How much do you know about Marx?” Then, I started to tell him, “The Communist Manifesto said at the very beginning, ‘A spectre is haunting Europe—the spectre of communism.'” He didn't interrupt me and listened carefully. It might be that he had never heard of such a fact. I felt at that time I was full of righteous thoughts, and I spoke naturally and methodically, so he didn’t feel offended.
I didn't know how much time had passed, then the head got up and went to the police officer who was taking care of my case, and whispered in his ear. The officer then returned all of my confiscated Dafa books and other items.
I know that these two people have made the right choice after they understood the facts about Dafa. I am very happy for the bright future that they have chosen for themselves.
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Category: Improving Oneself
