(Minghui.org) I’ve been practicing Falun Dafa for 27 years. Looking back on my cultivation journey, I feel both joy and sadness. Master’s protection and my firm belief in Dafa helped me to overcome tribulations. I can’t express my gratitude enough to Master.
Sacred Bond
My wife was introduced to Falun Dafa in 1998 when it spread to our village. At the time, I smoked heavily. My wife suggested that I quit smoking and join her in learning Falun Dafa. I took her advice and joined everyone in studying the Fa and practicing the exercises. I was able to sit in meditation for 45 minutes straight away.
When I first started to learn Dafa, I couldn’t smoke anymore. The taste I got from smoking was off; it left a fishy taste in my mouth. I haven’t smoked again since then.
Falun Dafa quickly gained popularity in our village. Within a short time, dozens of people were practicing Falun Dafa. Everyone benefited greatly from it and was able to strictly adhere to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. We studied the Fa and practiced the exercises together, comparing ourselves while we were studying and cultivating. Decade-long illnesses were cured, family conflicts were resolved, and people witnessed the beauty of Falun Dafa as practitioners’ minds and bodies were transformed.
At the end of 1998, I heard news that the Liaoning Qigong Association was attacking Falun Dafa. On December 30, my fellow practitioners and I went to the provincial capital. At that time, thousands of Dafa practitioners from all over Liaoning Province had already begun a peaceful petition in front of the Liaoning Qigong Association in Shenyang, requesting that the Qigong Association retract its false accusations against Falun Dafa and restore Falun Dafa’s reputation. After two days of persistent righteous thoughts, the Qigong Association finally admitted its mistakes and agreed to restore Falun Dafa’s reputation. That day, I saw countless Faluns of varying sizes spinning in the sky. Many other practitioners witnessed this, and it was great encouragement to us all. At that moment, a belief rose in my heart: No matter what, I will cultivate Falun Dafa to the end.
Unwavering Belief in Dafa
On July 20, 1999, Jiang Zemin, the then leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), ordered the nationwide persecution of Falun Dafa, arresting coordinators from various regions. My fellow practitioners and I went to the county government. Dafa practitioners from the county’s townships and villages also spontaneously and peacefully petitioned to release the arrested practitioners. The county government used loudspeakers to demand that all town and village officials take the practitioners back to their respective towns and villages. My fellow practitioners and I were ordered back by the village head.
The persecution continued to escalate. In October 1999, during a visit to France, Jiang Zemin slandered Falun Dafa, calling it a “cult” (the CCP is the true cult). My fellow practitioners and I went to Beijing to appeal for Dafa and for Master. The local officials knew we had gone to Beijing, but they couldn’t find us. When we returned home, police from the local police station arrested and illegally detained me in a detention center. The local government fined me 2,400 yuan.
The CCP’s mouthpiece media launched a massive campaign to smear Falun Dafa, leading many people to be deceived and consequently misunderstand the practice. Since then, I and fellow practitioners have been distributing truth-clarification materials to the public and hanging banners to expose the CCP’s slanderous propaganda against Dafa. Once, when I was out of town picking up truth-clarification materials, I was arrested by police and illegally sentenced to two years of forced labor.
The persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in the forced labor camp was extremely severe. One day, a guard asked me to sit on a small stool. I refused to cooperate. He furiously lashed out at me with an electric baton that crackled loudly, but miraculously, I didn’t feel anything. He put me in solitary confinement for three days and three nights without sleep. None of their persecution tactics worked; I refused to “transform.”
Clarify the Truth and Save People
In 2006, I was regularly harassed at home, so I went to a fellow practitioner’s rented house in another city to validate the Fa. I was arrested by police, illegally detained, and sentenced to forced labor. While in the labor camp, they asked me to write the three statements, but I refused. The police then instructed the cell leader to torture me. He hit me on the head with a glass. The glass shattered, but my skin remained intact. I had Master’s protection; an ordinary person would have been left bleeding. I was subsequently illegally sentenced to many years in prison and sent to a prison in the provincial capital.
The prison section chief once called me in and told me to squat, but I refused. I said that persecuting Falun Dafa practitioners would bring retribution. He stuffed my mouth with a mop cloth, but I shouted, “Falun Dafa is good.” The guards put me in solitary confinement and persecuted me. I went on a hunger strike for 23 days. The guards force-fed me, and I vomited afterward. I told the guards, “Treating others well is treating yourself well. You can’t persecute me.” I was very weak at the time, and I thought, “I’m under Master’s care. If Master lets me go, I’ll go. If Master doesn’t let me go, I’ll resist the persecution.” Later, the Dafa power became apparent. The city inspector came to investigate the prison and sent the warden and several guards home. Ostensibly, they were being punished for violating discipline procedures and laws, but in reality, it was retribution for persecuting Falun Dafa practitioners. Hundreds of ordinary inmates were transferred to other prisons, and a major overhaul took place. A guard said to me, “Don’t go on hunger strike. I’ll give you two bottles of milk.” The prison specially approved rice for me, while the other prisoners ate steamed cornbread. I explained the truth about Falun Dafa to a team leader, and he understood and stopped persecuting Dafa practitioners. Some guards planned to torture me, but they were transferred the next day.
Whenever I had the chance, I clarified the truth about Dafa to prisoners, even while cutting their hair. They generally agreed. One prisoner who had been sentenced to ten years, was very receptive to the truth about Dafa. He ended up serving only five years. During my unjust imprisonment, two-thirds of the prisoners in my brigade understood the truth about Falun Dafa, withdrew from the CCP, and all of them came to understand that Falun Dafa is good. I had the thought: No matter where I am, I must clarify the truth to help people be saved, because it is my sacred vow.
After I was released from prison, I took a delivery job at a shopping mall. It allowed me to conveniently buy supplies for fellow practitioners and deliver them. In my spare time, I distributed truth-clarification materials related to the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and mailed truth clarification letters to sentient beings.
One time, while running errands on my electric scooter, a car came quickly from the side and hit me. The driver was on his phone, and I couldn’t get up. I thought, “I’m a Falun Dafa practitioner; nothing’s wrong.” The driver got out and approached me. I told him that he hit a good person today and he could leave as long as I can get back on my scooter. He pulled money out of his pocket and told me to go to the hospital. I said, “I’m a Falun Dafa practitioner. I won’t extort money from you.”
I was fine, but I couldn’t lift my legs up to ride the scooter. I asked the driver to take me to work. Then I clarified the truth to him and helped him quit the CCP. He readily agreed. He said, “You’re such a good student of Falun Dafa. I’ll definitely help you spread the word when I get home.” He wanted to thank me, but I told him to thank Master.
My leg seemed broken at the time. I didn’t go to the hospital or try any other treatments. I did the exercises and studied the Fa every day, and within a month, it miraculously healed. For an ordinary person, it would take at least six months to recover. I never entertained any negative thoughts. I believed that as long as I took my first step, I would be able to walk. The extraordinary power of Dafa was manifesting in my body.
Now, I have returned to my hometown and am reunited with the local practitioners. My daughters support my cultivation and know that Dafa is good.
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