(Minghui.org) Before I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1998, my family environment was filled with grievances and conflicts for years. My marriage was also full of contradictions and resentment. I often wept and felt deeply hurt—I couldn’t understand why my life was so difficult and I never had a good day. I was physically and mentally exhausted.
After I obtained the precious book Zhuan Falun and listened to the recordings of Master’s lectures, I understood that peoples’ suffering is caused by their karma. The teachings of Falun Dafa resolved the confusion and puzzles in my life. The principles outlined in the book deeply attracted me, and the peaceful five sets of exercises improved my immunity and strengthened my health. I also learned to look inward, measuring everything with the principles of Falun Dafa—this changed my values and elevated my spiritual realm.
Persecuted by the CCP
Just a year into my practice when my life seemed to finally calm down and head in the right direction, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) led by Jiang Zemin launched the brutal persecution against Falun Dafa on July 20,1999. Even though I only practiced for a short time, I benefited so much and knew I was being a good person by following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.
After the April 25 peaceful appeal in 1999, local police began collecting information about practitioners at the various practice sites, and asked detailed questions about when they started practicing and who told them about Dafa. We thought the CCP was trying to understand us, so everyone answered honestly. Little did we know that this was a prelude to the persecution that began on July 20, 1999.
Three members of my family practiced Falun Dafa, my mom, my brother, and I. Our lives underwent great changes after we started practicing. We couldn’t understand why the CCP launched the persecution—Falun Dafa is a good practice that benefits society and families and harms no one. We decided to appeal in Beijing and tell the government about how we benefited from practicing Falun Dafa, hoping officials would realize this was an upright, and beneficial practice. During our first attempt to petition in Beijing, my brother and I were illegally arrested before we even reached the petition office, and we were taken back to our hometown. My brother was detained for eighteen months, and I was detained for forty-five days.
When my mom and I tried to appeal again in Beijing, the appeals office had become a place where people were arrested, and we could not voice our concerns. The atmosphere in Beijing was filled with fear.
Police in uniforms and plainclothes were everywhere—on the streets and at train stations. When we went to Tiananmen Square there were many police cars and armed policemen were everywhere, arresting practitioners. Those who displayed banners or said, “Falun Dafa is good,” were beaten and arrested. As soon as my mom and I unfolded a banner, we were knocked down and shoved into a military police car.
In the car, young armed policeman continuously beat a male practitioner and poured a can of white paint-like substance over his head, and the white liquid dripped down. Seeing this, I was filled with courage and loudly told the officer, “Stop! You are committing a crime because we are all good people.”
He stopped, but another armed officer behind me covered my mouth and pressed me down. I kept clarifying the truth about Falun Dafa and the persecution to the police in the car. We were taken to a place where hundreds of practitioners were already detained and then they were taken away in groups. My mother and I were taken to a local police station in Beijing. Two days later, we were brought back to our hometown. My mother was illegally detained for a month, even though she was over seventy years old at the time, and I was given three years of forced labor.
I was detained at the Shibalihe Women’s Forced Labor Camp in Zhengzhou, Henan Province, where I was forced to work for twelve even to fifteen hours a day, making export products such as hand-woven carpets, embroidered tablecloths with electric irons, and fake hairpieces. Some practitioners resisted the persecution, protested the detention and forced labor, and demanded to be released without charges. The labor camp deployed armed police to take the protesters away. They were handcuffed and tortured.
Another painful incident involved three young female practitioners who smiled at each other the day before, but the next day the labor camp suddenly announced that they committed suicide. One of them had just received her doctorate and was preparing to study abroad. It made no sense that they killed themselves, since it violates the tenets of Falun Dafa. The labor camp must have concealed the true cause of their deaths.
While I was detained, my brother was once again arrested and illegally sentenced to six years in prison. My mother, who suffered repeated mental torment, passed away before he was released. The prison didn’t allow my brother to attend her funeral. He passed away two years after he was released.
While in the labor camp, I was also forcibly subjected to blood tests for no reason. After I was released, I learned about the heinous crime of live organ harvesting from practitioners. I was frightened, and realized that those three female practitioners may have been victims of organ harvesting.
What pains me even more is that due to the CCP’s persecution, my family was repeatedly harassed, causing extreme fear that made them, in certain situations, afraid to acknowledge me. My children did not tell anyone that I practiced Falun Dafa.
Making Truth-clarification Materials
To escape the endless harassment from local police, I sold my house and my mother and I rented a place. Because the police destroyed one of our local material production sites, it was difficult for practitioners to obtain truth-clarification materials. So, I decided to set up a material production site at our rented place. With the help of practitioners who had technical knowledge, I learned how to use the Internet and print materials. I downloaded the latest materials from the Internet, and printed them, including the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. I also printed information about Falun Dafa on currency, which practitioners used when they purchased items. I did this for about four years, during which I encountered many difficulties and dangers.
To avoid being followed by plainclothes police, I did not directly go home after I purchased supplies—instead I circled around the neighborhood several times. To protect the few remaining material production sites in the area, practitioners maintained single-line contact. Every week, I deliver the prepared materials to a practitioner who did not know where I lived.
A practitioner was tracked by the police but managed to shake them off. She found me and stayed at my place for a few months, and helped me print materials. One day, a man wearing sunglasses knocked on the door. The practitioner looked through the peephole and thought that man was the one tracking her. We were so tense that we didn’t dare to make any noise or turn on the lights for two days. In the middle of the night, we took a taxi to another area. Local practitioners thought something happened and searched for us. We later learned it was a practitioner who knocked on our door that day. It turned out be a false alarm, but similar incidents happened frequently.
Another time, six fellow practitioners, both male and female, from both local and other areas, came to my place seeking help. At that time, I was renting an apartment, and our neighbors were ordinary people. To avoid drawing attention, these practitioners stayed indoors for days while only my mother and I left the apartment on errands. During those day, the practitioners intensified their Fa-study and sent righteous thoughts, looking inward for their loopholes. I also talked with them about the reason they were homeless and that everyone should walk his or her own path, as this was not a permanent solution.
Local practitioners came up with various solutions to help them find places to live and temporary work to resolve their financial issues. Once everyone settled down and was safe, the immense pressure I felt was gone.
As I wrote this article, I received messages from my hometown that some practitioners there were illegally arrested since last year, including those who worked with me over a decade ago. Two of them sentenced to ten years in prison. Knowing how difficult it is for practitioners in China, who risk their daily lives to tell the truth to everyday people, I think practitioners outside China have no excuse not to do their best.
Clarifying the Truth at the Chinese Consulate, Chinatown, and Parks
I moved to the U.S. in early 2015. I eventually moved to Houston and joined the newly established truth clarification site in Chinatown. We also began holding activities at the Chinese Consulate in Houston. From Monday to Friday, we distribute materials and talk to people who come to the consulate, and help them quit the CCP. We hold activities in Chinatown on weekends. We encounter all kinds of people—some are moved to tears and agree to quit the CCP on the spot. Others refuse to listen, and some even cursed at us. In the process our xinxing improved. Five years passed, and then in July 2020 the Chinese Consulate in Houston was closed.
A man in his thirties agreed to quit the CCP. I asked his surname, and he said it was Shi. I said, Let’s call you Shi Junjie (wise and outstanding).” He was very happy about the name and expressed his gratitude.
Another time, while I was traveling to attend a Fa conference, the person sitting next to me on the plane was a Chinese student. As we chatted, I learned he was a Party member. He readily agreed to quit the CCP. His surname was Gao, and since he was tall and handsome, I jokingly said, “Let’s call you Gao Fu shuai (tall, rich, and handsome).” He smiled and thanked me.
A man in his thirties who worked with visas and frequently visited the consulate, consistently avoided us whenever we tried to talk to him or give him materials. One day in October 2019, he brought an older man to the consulate for a visa. After he entered, I handed a truth-clarification material to the older man who followed him. I encouraged him to quit the CCP and he agreed. I also gave him a small booklet of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party which he quickly put in his pocket before going in for his visa.
After COVID began spreading in China, I saw the young man at the consulate again. I asked if his hometown had been affected by the virus, and he said it was very serious and under lockdown. I asked if he recently brought his father here for a visa, and he asked how I knew. I said, “Because you two look very much alike.” He laughed. I said, “Don’t worry, your father will be fine. I already helped him quit the CCP, and he will be safe.” The young man was surprised and thanked me. I urged him to quit quickly and not become one of the CCP’s victims. He said he would go online to quit.
Another time, a young man came from Dallas to the consulate for a visa. I encouraged him to quit the CCP. He said he already quit and knew everything, including the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. At that moment, two Chinese men suddenly appeared and stood on either side of us. The young man got a little nervous and quietly warned me that these two men seemed unfriendly. I raised my voice and said, “The CCP always treats those who work for it like disposable tools, but it does not end well. We stand here every day to let Chinese people understand the truth and quit the CCP to avoid being its victims.”
Seeing that I wasn’t afraid, the young man relaxed and smiled at me before going in for his visa.
The staff at the Chinese Consulate always regarded us as an unwelcome group. A senior official walked out of the building and told us to leave and we tried to clarify the truth to him. Seeing that we were unmoved, he eventually turned around and left.
Then, several staff members came out and started taking photos and videos of us. One practitioner covered her face and walked away, while I said we should not be photographed or filmed indiscriminately. They claimed they were filming the grass. I took out my own phone and started filming them.
Another time, a person in charge came out to speak with us, stating that we were not allowed to stand near the consulate. I told him to convey our demands to his superiors: When the CCP stops persecuting Falun Dafa and releases all detained practitioners, we’ll leave.
Another practitioner added that if it weren’t for the persecution of Falun Dafa, we wouldn’t stay here for even a minute. The person then called the police. We asked the police if we could stand on the concrete area outside the consulate, and they said yes. So, we continued with our activities near the consulate. This kind of difficulty and expulsion from the consulate happened several times.
During the COVID outbreak in the U.S. in 2020, fellow practitioners and I distributed truth clarification materials in front of supermarkets in Chinatown in Houston, asking people to quit the CCP organizations and say: Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance is good,” to keep away from disaster. Many people chose to quit the CCP organizations, and some told us they would say the words every day.
After the closure of Chinese Consulate in Houston, we found that Hermann Park, a popular tourist spot with many daily visitors, was an excellent place for truth-clarification. We decided to make this park our primary site to distribute Falun Dafa materials, clarify the truth, and collect signatures on petitions.
The Houston Museum of Natural Science next to the park hosted a human body specimen exhibition which reminded us of the CCP’s crime of organ harvesting and using practitioners’ bodies as specimens. We distributed truth-clarification materials in front of the museum, collected signatures on a petition to condemn the persecution, and exposed the CCP’s organ harvesting from practitioners.
We also told visitors that some of the bodies in the exhibit might be Falun Dafa practitioners or other prisoners of conscience.
After people signed, we gave them small handmade lotus flowers which had the words, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” The response was very enthusiastic; and some families recorded themselves saying the words.
We witnessed their excitement when they heard about Falun Dafa, which seemed to be a long-awaited moment in their lives. I feel that collecting signatures also tests whether each life still retains a baseline of goodness.
We also established a long-term practice site in Hermann Park. Through this, many people came to learn about Falun Dafa and some began practicing.
Overcoming Tribulations by Looking Inward
Two years ago, I experienced a significant physical tribulation. One morning, right after I did the five sets of exercises in the park, I suddenly had a severe nosebleed, and large blood clots poured out. It stopped after a few minutes. I thought Master was purifying my body. I had frequent nosebleeds as a child, so I didn’t think much of it. However, while taking a shower that evening, I tasted blood in my mouth and realized my nose was bleeding again. I sat in the bathtub and let it flow until it stopped after a few minutes.
The next morning, as I was about to get up, the nosebleed started again. I tried plugging one nostril with cotton, but the blood flowed from the other one. When both nostrils were plugged, the blood gushed into my mouth like an open faucet. With my nose stuffed with cotton, I couldn’t go out to practice or clarify the truth.
This alerted me. I thoroughly examined myself and found many issues. I had a bad temper at home—I always seemed to be looking for trouble and I spoke with resentment. If I had a prejudice against a fellow practitioner, I continually thought about their faults. Although I didn’t show it outwardly, I avoided them. This mindset persisted for a long time. I also had vanity, zealotry, competitiveness, and jealousy.
Once I realized these attachments were not my true self, I calmed down and focused on sending righteous thoughts to eliminate them, and I asked Master to strengthen my righteous thoughts. My husband and several practitioners also helped me by sending righteous thoughts.
I had two more nosebleeds on the third day, and on the fourth afternoon, it started again. I stood by the sink, washing away the blood, feeling a bit helpless. My husband sent forth righteous thoughts. I said, “What should I do?” He said, “You shouldn’t say that. Master is in charge, it’s nothing.” I then sent forth powerful righteous thoughts: “I am Master’s disciple. Master gave us the ability to save ourselves. Stop this interference and persecution immediately! I will correct myself in Dafa and will not allow other beings to test me.” As soon as I said this, the bleeding stopped. I wept and bowed before Master’s portrait to express my gratitude.
After studying Master’s teaching, I understood that ordinary people are also related to Master. As disciples, aren’t we all also related? We should cherish our connections in this lifetime, focus on each other’s strengths, and let go of our prejudices.
These are some of my cultivation insights. Please kindly point out any shortcomings.
(Presented at the 2024 Southern US Fa Conference)
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