(Minghui.org) From the title, everyone may have guessed how irresponsible I was prior to practicing Falun Dafa. I was born in the early 1960s, which overlapped with a time of an extreme shortage of food in China. I went to school during the Cultural Revolution when campaigns of “Criticizing Lin Biao, the once No. 2 Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader who turned into a conspirator, and Criticizing Confucius” and “Criticizing intellectuals” were underway across the country. School kids fought each other, but teachers dared not intervene. To be honest, I was still illiterate after completing middle school.
When I was only seven, I was already smoking and drinking. I was gambling before I finished middle school. After I was married, I remained incorrigible, and my wife was not able to change me. I was involved in a fight and had to pay the other party 35,000 yuan (about $4,922) for the injuries I inflicted. My wife borrowed money from her family to pay the fine. She persuaded me to quit fighting and gambling and to start living life peacefully. I made up my mind to quit my bad habits. However, I was still tempted to play when I encountered games involving bets. It was even harder to stop smoking and drinking. My health was declining, and I developed stomach cramps, a lumbar disc herniation, and enteritis.
One day, my schoolmates called me and asked me to have a drink with them. I was glad and immediately said yes. My wife said, “You՚re still going?” Upon hearing these few words, my demon nature emerged. I saw all kinds of demons filling the room. I always wanted to smash things and I had previously smashed something as big as a television set. I wanted to smash the phone in my hand. Just then, my wife put one of her earphones in my ear. She was listening to one of Master Li’s (Dafa’s founder) Fa lectures. The demons disappeared instantly. After I realized what had happened, I did not want to remove the earphone. The Fa that Master Li was teaching nurtured my heart, which had yearned for caring. In it I found the purpose of my life, which I had been living without throughout all these years.
I asked my wife, “Will Master still take me?” My wife excitedly said, “Yes. Master՚s compassion is boundless. Master can save anyone. As long as you want to cultivate, Master Li will definitely take you.” I was so glad. I finally had Master taking care of me. Someone like me, with such a belligerent, reckless past, was finally on the path of cultivating in Falun Dafa.
Once I started Falun Dafa cultivation, the first thing I needed to do was quit all my bad habits. After a period of cultivation, my illnesses were healed. At home, I became a good husband and a good father. In the neighborhood, I would willingly extend help to others whenever they ran into difficulties.
The road in front of my house was on a slope so when it snowed in the winter people could easily slip and fall down. I volunteered to clean the snow from the road. Neighbors praised me and indicated that my behavior amazed them. Praises came from those who did not know me very well. Most of them would say, “You are really kind. Thank you.” Amazement was also felt by those who knew my past. Most of them would ask, “Why have you become so good? Are you learning from Lei Feng (a soldier the communist leaders promoted as a role model in the 1960s)?” I would answer: “It՚s not that I am good, and it has nothing to do with Lei Feng either. It is my Master who is good. It is Falun Dafa that is good.” Not only have I turned into a good person, Master has purified my body, my body turned light, and I got rid of all my illnesses.
One day about six months after I obtained the Fa, I was heading out to sell goods. I was on my motorcycle when another motorcycle, with two people on it, suddenly rushed toward me at full speed as it cut across the road. Being unaware, I was hit and thrown to the ground. Later someone told me, you were so lucky. You flew really high before hitting the ground. At the time, all I had in my mind was I have Master, nothing will happen to me. It turned out indeed nothing happened to me at all. Master protected me from harm. I was grateful to Master deep in my heart. Thank you Master Li.
I walked over to the two people to check that they were alright. I was fortunate that Master had protected me in this disastrous accident. I asked how they were doing. They said, “We՚re okay. But you will have to pay for the damage to our motorcycle.” People who gathered around us could not help saying: “You two rushed from the opposite side of the road, hit him, and now you ask him to pay for your damages? His motorcycle was totally destroyed, and he has not asked you for anything. If it were in the past, you two together would be no match for him if this ended up in a fight.”
I waved my hand to the crowd and stepped up. I asked the two people how much they wanted. They said, “At least 2,000 yuan (about $281).” It was a large amount for my family, as we were received a subsidy, and it was equivalent to about six months of our income. Yet I was a Falun Dafa disciple, I had to listen to what Master taught me and be considerate of others. I went home, got the 2,000 yuan, brought it back, and gave it to them. People in the crowd asked me, “Why are you so easy going?” I smiled and did not say anything. I understood the principle of gain and loss.
When I saw fellow practitioners step forward to clarify the truth to people, I felt really anxious. To be honest, I even cried. First of all, I was illiterate. Secondly, I did not know how to talk with people about Falun Dafa. Fellow practitioner Aming learned about my situation, and brought me with him when he went out to talk with people. Gradually, I learned how to tell others the facts about Falun Dafa. I did not have much attachment to fear, and had come to know a lot of people from selling goods at the market. As a result, I told others about Falun Dafa regardless of their background, including those who staked out and patrolled the area, and monitored Falun Dafa practitioners.
When I initially approached people, I harbored resentment and competitiveness. I was not able to awaken people, and even scared some of them away. After exchanging thoughts about this with other practitioners, they told me that I had a strong attachment to resentment and competitiveness and I should save others using great compassion. They reminded me what Master said,
“Let me tell you, every person in the entire world was at one point part of my family ...” (“Teachings Given on Lantern Festival Day, 2003”)
The practitioners patiently explained to me: “If we are part of Master՚s family, aren՚t they our family members as well? When you save your family, do you harbor resentment or competitiveness? On the other hand, to clarify the truth, we have to build a bond with people by starting with topics about our daily life, and naturally, it will lead to the facts ...” I understood what they said.
One day, I was telling Falun Dafa facts to someone who was hired to continuously monitor me. When I started talking with him, he said, “I haven՚t had a meal yet.” I said, “ I have food at home. Just come over.” He was quite moved and said, “No, that՚s alright. But thank you.” I then told him that Falun Dafa is the Buddha Fa. How could anyone sabotage the Buddha Fa? The CCP is infamous for dumping anyone they used to do dirty work for them. Those who participated in persecuting Dafa practitioners had met with retribution. It is a heavenly principle that good deeds are rewarded, and evil acts meet retribution. After that day, I never saw that person staking me out.
An elderly auntie who lived next door was a decent lady. I was courteous to her and helped her out all the time. However, she was enticed by monetary gains and quietly kept an eye on me for the CCP. Whenever my door opened, she would come out to see what I was doing. Once I found out what she was doing I went to talk with her, and told her some facts. She did not change her mind about Falun Dafa and continued spying on me. During the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown she ran out of vegetables and meat one day. I cooked dishes and brought them to her home. She was greatly touched, and kept saying thank you. I again told her the facts about Falun Dafa, and helped her to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
The CCP secretary of our community called me one day and asked me to go to their office. I figured that this was an opportunity to tell them the facts about Falun Dafa to counteract the negative propaganda used to persecute Dafa and its adherents. I put down my phone and went to Master՚s picture, and said, “Master, I am going to the community office to clarify the truth. Please strengthen your disciple so that people in our community won’t commit any crimes against Dafa and will be awakened to the truth.”
When I arrived at the office, the secretary and several others spoke to me politely. She asked, “Did you file a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin (the former communist party leader)?” I answered, “Yes.” She said, “The officials higher up ask that you sign a statement guaranteeing to not practice Falun Dafa.” I said, “I absolutely won՚t sign it. You all know what kind of person I was. Take the income subsidy as an example. Without practicing Falun Dafa, how could I get rid of my illnesses and medical expenses? Who would be able to stop my subsidy when I was too sick to make a living? Now that I have cultivated Dafa, reaping mental and physical benefits, and supporting myself, there is no need for a subsidy. Am I not contributing to society? What is going on in today՚s world? Isn՚t it that things are turned upside down? Don՚t you think Jiang Zemin deserves the lawsuits? Because of his jealousy, Jiang was scared of the increasing number of good people. How many Falun Dafa practitioners has he killed, and even enabled some of their organs to be harvested and sold for transplant?”
When they heard about organ harvesting, they were shocked and scared, “There are indeed things like this?” I told them, “I cultivate Zhen-Shan-Ren (Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance), and I only tell you the facts.” I also told them about the staged Tiananmen Self-Immolation, the origins of the CCP, and the retribution many high-ranking CCP officials have met. I spent over an hour with them. They smiled, “You have brainwashed us.” I answered, “Everything I said is facts. I hope you have come to realize the truth, be blessed and reap rewards in life, and choose a bright future. Don՚t persecute Dafa disciples as it is a heavenly principle that good deeds are rewarded and evil acts meet retribution.”
In the end, I left the office amidst their laughter.
When I shared this experience with other practitioners after returning home, I could not recall everything I had said in the community office. Later, I realized it was Master who had done it all. What I did was follow Master՚s guidance with a righteous heart.
There is a lot more to share. Every step I have taken has been under Master՚s caring watch and protection. I have to cultivate better from now on to repay Master՚s blessings. Thank you, Master Li. Thank you practitioners who have kindly helped me.
(Selected Submission Celebrating the 24th World Falun Dafa Day on the Minghui website)