(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!

I become emotional when thinking about my 32 years of Falun Dafa cultivation practice. For the past 26 years, as we assisted Master in Fa-rectification, we’ve endured intense pressure from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).

There were countless hardships and joys throughout this remarkable journey. Protected by revered Master Li Hongzhi, I managed to make it through despite all the ups and downs. I will forever be grateful and respect my dearest Master, as well as all my kind and selfless fellow practitioners. On this special occasion of the 22nd China Fahui, I’d like to share some of my cultivation experiences.

Finding Master After Searching My Whole Life

Throughout my childhood, life was harsher and bitter for me as compared to my friends. My parents were nice to us kids, but my mom had a very bad temper and frequent conflicts with other family members. She sometimes became so angry that she would faint. When I was in middle school, my dad often beat her and they almost divorced.

When I was 15 years old, my grandmother suffered a mental breakdown after encountering a horrifying experience while out walking at night and passed away shortly thereafter. My grandfather was working in another city and was almost starved to death during the Great Leap Forward Movement (an industrialization campaign within China from 1958 to 1962, led by the CCP. Life was very hard for him and the tense relationship with other family members brought him a lot of distress. The final straw occurred when the house that he had lovingly built collapsed during the Great Tangshan Earthquake. He couldn’t bear it anymore and died.

I was the oldest child in my family. As I always excelled in my studies, my family all supported me in pursuing higher education. Since middle school, it was my grandfather who took out loans to pay for my tuition. I eventually became the first college student in my village.

When I was in the third grade, I contracted pneumonia. After that, I had tracheitis every year and required frequent medication. I also had a liver problem, which always affected my appetite. I developed depression in junior high school and lost significant ground in my academic performance. On top of that, I was bullied at school for two years! Strangely enough, the bullying later stopped suddenly. I guess it’s because I paid off the karma.

In high school, I was under a lot of pressure to catch up. If I couldn’t get myself admitted to a college, I might get stuck in our small village for the rest of my life and be a farmer. I saved money from my meal budget and bought many study materials. Fortunately, with hard work, I scored the highest in the college entrance exam in my school and ranked second in the entire county. This was such an important achievement for my family and me. After I started to practice Falun Dafa later on, I realized that this was likely arranged by Master Li. It boosted my confidence and gave me strength when facing the evil regime during the persecution.

Meanwhile, I still struggled to recover from two chronic diseases. I tried many treatments in both Western and Chinese medicine, but didn’t have any improvement. I often thought, “What’s the purpose of life?” During the qigong mania, I tried many different schools, still to no avail, and almost fell for a wicked practice. I gradually understood that there were righteous and evil qigong schools, as well as animal or spiritual possession. I was scared and stopped practicing in any of the schools. But I was still intrigued by books about energy practices or Buddhism, as if I were longing for something.

One day, my opportunity came! Master arranged for me to work in a different city, and I met someone who asked me if I wanted to practice Falun Dafa. Without hesitation, I said, “Yes!” I was even puzzled myself as to why I agreed to it so quickly.

I went to a park to sign up for the upcoming Falun Dafa seminar, but was told that no spots were available. I asked to be added to the waiting list and eventually secured a ticket.

Just before the seminar began, my manager called asking me to go to another city for something. He said if I didn’t leave now, I might lose my job. I told him about the qigong class and that I couldn’t leave until it finished. He went silent for a few seconds and then agreed that I could attend the class. On the second day of the seminar, I almost missed 30 minutes of the class. But miraculously, things all worked out later on, and I didn’t miss anything!

I was so fortunate to see Master close up during the class. He was very young and looked like someone in his 20s. He was tall, peaceful, and compassionate. My heart was filled with joy! That scene is still so vivid in my mind, even after 32 years have passed.

Master said in Lecture One, Zhuan Falun:

“I think that those who can listen to my lectures in person, I would say, honestly... you will realize in the future that this period of time is extremely precious.”

It was indeed so!

Dafa is so powerful! After only one year of practicing Dafa, the chronic diseases that had been tormenting me for a decade were completely gone. I was very happy. The profound teaching of Dafa also helped me understand why I had so many misfortunes in my early life. It was my karma that needed to be paid off, and it was also laying the foundation for me to obtain Dafa later on. I feel my mind has broadened, and I no longer stubbornly cling to my own opinion and limited understanding.

During the big flood in 1998, after donating 50 yuan at my workplace, I also went to the Civil Affairs Bureau and donated another 50 yuan. I heard on TV that a local Falun Dafa practitioner donated 1,000 yuan, when most of us were making just 600 to 700 yuan each month.

I tried my best to follow Dafa’s principles and be a good person. There are always people who live an even harder life than me. While displaced from my home to avoid persecution, I gave 61 yuan out of the 200 yuan I had left to a boy who was begging for money so he could return home. No one helped him out when he walked around in a popular shopping district in Beijing. He was very excited when I offered the money to him, and he shouted on the street, “Falun Dafa is good!”

One’s cultivation path is always full of challenges and tests. Shortly after I obtained the Fa, my child was born, and I returned home. There wasn’t any practitioner in my area, and I was interfered with by the qigong practices I learned before. After two or three years, I finally made up my mind to practice Dafa and promptly sold the qigong books I had collected. I met a practitioner in 1996 and joined the activities in promoting the Fa to the public. Only then did I become a little bit more diligent in my cultivation.

On one occasion, because I had made a mistake, I thought that my Falun (law wheel) was deformed and I could no longer practice Falun Dafa. I sat on the ground at our exercise site and remained silent. No one knew how sad I felt. But it was Master who saved me by arranging for a practitioner to kindly talk with me. He encouraged me to stand up and continue to do the exercises, eventually helping me to pass this test.

Master always arranged for practitioners to inform me when new Dafa lectures were published so I could remain diligent in studying the Fa. One day my workplace organized a tour to the Qing East Imperial Tombs. I didn’t want to go, but I didn’t have a good excuse to ask for time off. After I went, I was surprised by how solemn and sacred it was. A few days later, Master published the poem “A Tour of the Qing East Imperial Tombs.” I felt fortunate that I was able to visit this special place. I often remembered this incident years later and felt that as a Dafa practitioner, we have huge responsibilities on our shoulders.

Going to Beijing to Safeguard the Fa

On July 20, 1999, the former communist regime dictator Jiang Zemin ordered the persecution of Falun Dafa and mobilized the resources of the entire country to demonize and slander Dafa. Terror filled the air, and people’s faces turned pale when Falun Dafa was brought up.

As a practice site assistant and government employee, I became the key target to be monitored. I also noticed that many female practitioners went to Beijing to appeal and speak up for Dafa, but very few male practitioners went. I thought fear prevented some practitioners from going, including myself. I was confused and didn’t know whether I should go. Then one day, while studying the Fa, I understood that it was the right thing to do. We as cultivators are doing extraordinary things, and we should safeguard Dafa.

I went to appeal twice. But because I still had fear, I was arrested and forced to write statements to renounce Falun Dafa against my will both times. When I was in the detention center, I recited Hong Yin with other practitioners. We remembered 71 poems, but there was one last poem that we couldn’t remember, no matter how hard we tried. After we were released, I realized that it was “Real Cultivation” that we had forgotten. We realized that Master was reminding us to truly cultivate ourselves.

It was very painful to write the renouncing statement, even though I didn’t really mean it. I knew I was lacking in cultivation, so I spent nearly two months reciting the last section in Zhuan Falun, “People with Great Inborn Quality”.

When I was about to leave for the third time to appeal, I had mixed feelings looking at my seven-year-old daughter. I didn’t know what the result would be this time. I sent her to her great aunt and then boarded the bus to Beijing. There were police searching for Falun Dafa practitioners all the way there, and I managed to arrive at Tiananmen Square, where I shouted from the bottom of my heart, “Falun Dafa is good! Falun Dafa is a righteous Fa!”

This time, I was arrested once again. My workplace was planning to fire me. My wife was very worried and asked her manager, the director of the county organization department, to persuade me to write another statement. I understood they all cared about me, but I knew this is something I should not write again.

Later, my wife used her workplace connection to come to the detention center to talk to me. She knelt in front of me, crying terribly hard. She asked me to write the statement for her and our daughter. I still had strong family sentimentality, and I agreed with tears.

A police officer watching us was moved. He asked me, “Do you know why the government launched the persecution of Falun Dafa? It’s because you have 100 million people practicing! I was shocked. I was just discussing with another practitioner not long ago whether there were indeed 100 million Dafa practitioners. We tried to do some calculations, but we just couldn’t get to that number.

Upon hearing the police officer’s words, I became ashamed of myself – I didn’t fully believe in Master. I made up my mind: I will not write the renouncing statement! When I told them that I had changed my mind, the officer was shocked, and my wife was devastated. She felt I had deceived her and developed strong resentment towards me. Before we got married, I spent much effort to court her, and I have deep love for her. The old forces took advantage of my emotions and created many tribulations for me for many years.

Cultivation is serious. If my xinxing (moral character) isn’t up to par, there is no way for me to pass critical tests. After just 19 days of detention, I began to feel very lonely and pressured. I wrote another renouncing statement and was released.

I became very frustrated with myself and felt unqualified to practice the sacred Dafa. When my wife picked me up, she didn’t say a single word. She didn’t go home with me, but took me to a relative’s place. That relative is very influential, and he had also talked to the authorities to get me released. Arrangements were made for me to start working at his factory.

One day while working, I thought that cultivation is so hard, and maybe I would lower the requirement for myself and just be a good person. As I was thinking about this, a 300-pound tool fell onto my toe. If the other end wasn’t connected to a flange, maybe my arm and leg would have been broken. It dawned on me that I still have karma to repay. This is something I cannot run away from, no matter what; there is still no way out, even if I stopped practicing cultivation.

I felt encouraged after reading a Minghui article with Master’s teachings, and my thoughts became righteous again. I was really grateful for Master’s arrangement.

After another month, my relative told me that as long as I write another statement denouncing Dafa, I could return to my workplace. I thanked him for all the help he offered to my family and me over the past two decades. But I told him that I couldn’t write any further statements. He cried and said that if my grandfather were still alive, he wouldn’t approve of what I’ve done. I couldn’t persuade him and felt so sorry for all the sentient beings who were poisoned by the old forces and the persecution.

Local practitioners planned to go to Beijing again to appeal. Over 120 of them signed up. The information was later leaked to the police, and we decided to leave one week earlier. While about 40 practitioners were intercepted on the way, another 80 made it to Tiananmen Square and shouted out, “Falun Dafa is good!”

While in the detention center, I no longer had any hope of being released. My wife had used all the connections available to us, and each time it was extremely difficult to secure a release. A friend once said it’s even harder than getting a murderer released. He asked me not to call him anymore, as Falun Dafa was now a major political issue.

One day, the guard suddenly asked me whether I wanted to hire a lawyer. I thought maybe they were planning to sentence me. I replied very calmly, “No, we couldn’t afford it.” To my surprise, I was released shortly after, without writing anything! And my arrest was “approved,” as not “on bail” anymore.

Reflecting on this part of my cultivation path, it was so winding and challenging. While the persecution was indeed very evil, it was mainly my own karma and lack of solid cultivation that led to tribulations. As my tests became more difficult, my heart became unstable, and I tried to use human tactics to overcome tribulations, instead of seeking the answer from the Fa. In addition, my intent to appeal wasn’t completely pure, as I was afraid of falling behind in the progress of Fa-rectification, and I was pursuing mighty virtue to reach consummation. I also found my attachments to competitiveness and strong human sentimentality. All of my attachments were loopholes that were taken advantage of by the old forces to persecute me.

Passing these tests this time led to huge breakthroughs in dissolving the old forces’ arrangements. It also developed a strong xinxing foundation so as to pass more tests later on.

Escaping Six Police Arrests While in Displacement

Since I thought myself removed from any possibility of further persecution, it shocked me when my great aunt said she heard about someone who was sentenced to prison recently. She didn’t specifically mention me or the specific situation about the case. But for me, I automatically thought it was about me and blurted out, “Why do they want to persecute me again? What did I do?” When I thought about it later on, I realized that nothing happens without a reason, and Master was giving me a hint through her.

Shortly after the Chinese New Year, three local police officers showed up at my home and brought me to the police station, with the excuse of needing my help with an investigation. I told them I had not violated any law and that it was illegal for them to take me to the police station. The officer said I was still on bail, and I denied it. I also tried to argue with the police chief upon arriving at the police station. He didn’t want to talk to me, but said I could argue with members of the Legal Affairs Department the next day. I now realized the seriousness of it: the evil was planning to give me a labor camp term. I asked Master for help.

As an officer escorted me to a cell, I saw that the gate was wide open. I ran away, and the police failed to catch me. After this incident, I lived in displacement for two years to hide from the police. While staying at different practitioners’ homes, I learned how to use a computer, download materials from Minghui.org, and print the materials for distribution.

Then another huge test came. My wife couldn’t cope with the situation any longer and demanded to divorce. She asked for custody of our daughter. As for our only asset (an old house worth about 40,000 yuan), she asked to also keep my share, as my contribution to raising our child. This meant that I would lose everything and become truly homeless now.

I didn’t agree to her demands, but she was firm on her decisions. Considering the pressure and discrimination she faced at work because of me, and that I shouldn’t be attached to anything in the human world, I agreed to sign the divorce document.

I also felt guilty for not fulfilling my responsibilities as a father. So I let my wife have complete ownership of the house. I also agreed to provide child support until my daughter reached the age of 18. My wife was surprisingly touched. She held me and burst into tears. She never brought up divorce again.

During a holiday, I went to visit my wife and daughter at my mother-in-law’s home. My brother-in-law was scared and didn’t dare to keep me there overnight. Despite knowing that I had no other place to go, my wife remained silent. While walking on the street in the middle of the night, I felt lonely and sad. Then I remembered that there was a practitioner not far away. So I went to his place and he happily offered shelter to me.

Another time, I was at a coordinator’s home when the police surrounded her neighborhood. As they couldn’t pry open the security door, they found a welder to cut it open. Just as they were about to enter, I jumped out of the second-floor window. Although I sprained my ankle, I had no time to deal with that and ran for my life. I quickly scaled a fence, only to find myself on a military base. Four or five people ran after me. I kept running and finally escaped.

I once put up a poster about Dafa while waiting for a bus. A crowd gathered around it to take a look. One person was a plainclothes police officer. He ran after me and arrested me. After taking me to the nearby police station, I remained silent when they asked for my name and address. They beat me as a result. One officer also beat me with an electric baton. But surprisingly, it actually helped me overcome the fear of the electric baton.

After they came back from dinner, they pressed the leg of a chair upon my foot and shocked me with an electric baton from my feet all the way up to my neck. I wasn’t afraid of them and kept reciting poems from Hong Yin. Then a miracle happened. I no longer felt the pain and thought that the electric baton was broken. But as I got excited, I felt the pain again when they shocked me the next round. They shocked me until the baton ran out of battery power. They chained me to a metal chair and slept near me.

During the interrogation, one officer recognized me. I worried whether he would send me to the labor camp. I asked Master for help. One of the handcuffs was opened, but I struggled to open the other one. I thought to myself, if Master wasn’t intending for me to leave here, the first handcuff would not have opened on its own. I spent a little more time and pulled the other handcuff off as well.

I rushed to open the door, but couldn’t turn the handle. I worried that it might be locked from the other side. Then I thought to myself again, if I can’t leave, then I wouldn’t be able to break free from the handcuffs. I calmed down and found a way to turn the latch. The guards remained asleep during the entire time.

I walked downstairs as quietly as possible. Just as I was thinking about how to deal with the security guard, I found that no one was there, although the light was on. I walked out the door and hid behind the corner to catch my breath. I turned around and confirmed that no one was following me. Then I ran as fast asI could to leave that place.

I walked a few miles, trying to seek help from a fellow practitioner. But because I had only been to his place once, I couldn’t remember the address. I ended up knocking on the wrong door. Next, I tried to get to a high school classmate’s clinic that was somewhere in the east. By then, I had become completely exhausted. So I headed to a gas station near the highway, trying to ask around if anyone knew where his clinic was.

A car suddenly rushed past me and pulled into the gas station. I didn’t pay attention at first, but then it stopped abruptly, and I looked up. Six police officers were rushing toward me. I had no idea where I got the strength, but I turned around and ran toward the south. When I looked back, the car was driving east. I then ran west.

I found a deserted factory and went inside to look for a place to hide. But it was completely empty, and I had no place to hide. If I stayed there, I was like “a turtle in a jar” – the police could catch me without any effort. But then I thought again, if I couldn’t escape, Master would not have helped me leave the police station in the first place. I became a lot more confident and kept running. Then I saw a big empty sewer pipe. I went inside and kept going forward. After scaling a metal fence, I saw a big pond. Anyhow, I escaped in the end.

I later heard that the police did search the pond, but one officer (who listened carefully when I tried to clarify the facts to them previously) said, “There is no need to continue the search. He can even escape from handcuffs. We won’t be able to find him. Let’s go back.” That was a close call! Thank you, Master, for protecting me!

The local police department was shocked by my escape. Some officers commented that I had supernormal abilities. But I was betrayed by a coordinator who led the police to arrest me. I was taken to the brainwashing center. The deputy police chief who was responsible to transform me said, “You are pretty capable. I heard you have some supernormal ability. Show me!” Each brainwashing session lasted for 15 days, and then I would be sent to the labor camp if I didn’t transform. I guess the chief didn’t expect that I would be able to escape from such a heavily guarded brainwashing center. However, after two previous failed attempts, I successfully escaped on the 13th day of my confinement.

This escape was also quite an experience. But given the length of the article, I’d like to summarize it in three points: 1) the first two failed attempts to escape were because I had a strong fear. I asked myself, What exactly am I afraid of? Then I gradually calmed down. 2) I finally let go of my fear of the torture in the labor camp. I was no longer worried that I might transform if I couldn’t bear the torture anymore, and I made up my mind that I wouldn’t write the renouncing statement. 3) I didn’t bear resentment toward the practitioner who betrayed me, thinking maybe I owed her something from past lives. But I did feel very sorry for her and hope that she could realize her mistake. I heard that she regretted what she did one week after she was released.

On one occasion, I missed home so much during the Chinese New Year that I sneaked back home to see my wife and daughter. Maybe the police had arranged for someone to monitor them. As we were having a meal together, someone knocked on the door. I didn’t pay attention, but my wife reminded me that it could be the police. I was startled and ran away immediately.

I was almost arrested again while visiting a practitioner, and the police appeared unexpectedly. I managed to escape one more time. I attributed this escape to a dream I had not long before. In the dream, I was arrested by two police officers, with one of them being my high school classmate, who I begged to let me go, but to no avail. He brought me in front of a county government official, where one officer stomped on my chest. At that very moment, I let go of my fear. I shouted out loud the Fa-rectification verses and eliminated the evil factors in the other dimension that were persecuting me.

During my two years of displacement, I stayed with many practitioners. I mainly relied on the financial support of practitioners and a few relatives. While I was living in constant fear and accompanied by strong loneliness, fellow practitioners took good care of me, and we could talk about anything. We often shared our understanding of the Fa and worked together in raising awareness about the persecution. They were even closer to me than my family. Through them, I felt Dafa’s power and Master’s compassion. With their help, my xinxing improved significantly. I’d like to extend my deep and sincere gratitude to fellow practitioners who selflessly helped me.

I stayed with an elderly practitioner, who was a friend of my father, for several months. There was one incident that left me with a deep impression. He had a very old desktop computer, and the internet speed was extremely slow. I often felt anxious about it. But during this time, maybe we all improved our xinxing, and a miracle happened – the internet speed suddenly became six times as fast!

One night, I downloaded Master’s book Teachings From a Tour of North America. As I read the Fa, a great sense of enlightenment occurred inside of me. I experienced an incredible and profound understanding from the teaching. Everything seemed so serene, and I felt as if time had stood still as I was immersed in the Fa. I was very touched, and tears fell down my cheeks.

Passing a Life-or-Death Test

The biggest life-or-death test arranged by the old forces came at me without any warning. This happened because I still had too many attachments to let go, couldn’t take the Fa to heart while studying it, took doing things as cultivation, and couldn’t actively look inward but passively worked on my attachments when conflicts happened.

While taking the bus one day, I talked to the man sitting next to me about Dafa. It turned out he was a plainclothes officer, and there were four more of them on the bus. After arresting me, they first took me to the police station and then held me at a brainwashing center. The nine months I spent there were the most difficult period of my life. I was on the verge of a breakdown several times. It was indeed a den of dark demons. But again, it was the Fa that gave me strength.

Master said,

“Why are Dafa disciples ruthlessly tortured by the evil? Because they persist in their righteous faith in Dafa, and because they are particles of Dafa.” (“Dafa Is Indestructible,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress II)

Because I held a hunger strike to protest the persecution, the guards tied me to a “death bed” (a horrifying torture method), and I couldn’t move. A female guard surnamed Zhang repeated the propaganda demonizing Dafa every day. I kept arguing with her, and neither of us was able to convince the other. I felt sorry for her as they were brainwashed by the communist regime, yet had no idea about it, and still firmly followed it in doing evil, even when knowing it might be wrong.

When they gave me intravenous fluids, I had to repeatedly demand to go to the restroom. They refused to let me off the bed and arranged for a young officer to provide me with a urinal. Sometimes I couldn’t hold it anymore and wet the bed. In the early spring when the weather was still cold, I couldn’t fall asleep under the wet blanket. I couldn’t stand it anymore after two weeks and agreed to consume foods pureed into liquids. I was finally released from the deathbed.

Before I was admitted, I thought that as long as they didn’t release me, I would continue the hunger strike. I thought that I would be released after two or three months of a hunger strike. But when three months passed, and I still didn’t see any hope of being released, I began to feel confused. It wasn’t a pleasant experience being tied to a metal chair and force-fed through a nasal tube every day. The guards also tortured me by restricting my restroom use. I also suffered from severe constipation because they only gave me five minutes when I needed to have bowel movements.

I didn’t know if I should persist. One day, a guard asked me, “Are you a cultivator?” I was surprised by the question. I thought about it carefully and believed that Master was giving me a hint through him. So I made up my mind to continue the hunger strike. Then in the afternoon, a guard came over and told me that he had dreamed about me jumping out of a third-floor window, and he also jumped after me to chase me down and capture me. I realized that a hunger strike wasn’t a simple matter.

To make me eat, they tried all kinds of methods. I was so skinny that one could wrap their hand around the thickest point of my arm, and my calves were quite swollen. Once, the female guard surnamed Zhang even cried when she tried to persuade me to eat. I was very touched by what she said and I almost said yes to her, had I not experienced the evil methods she used to torture me. My rational mind told me that I couldn’t stop the hunger strike. I thanked her and said I couldn’t agree with her. Her tone immediately changed, and she then left.

Different people kept coming to work on me. A female guard pretended to be a college professor. She placed an egg and a bowl of millet porridge next to my pillow every day. I thought that she couldn’t persist in doing so for as long as two weeks. Then on the 13th day, she revealed her true face and kicked my swollen calves with her shoes. My calves were covered with bloody wounds, and the skin peeled off. It took more than ten years for the scars to go away.

They held me in solitary confinement and forced me to stand or squat for long periods of time. They also force-fed me with alcohol, vinegar, bitter tea or large bottles of cold water. I was tied up in a metal chair every day for six months. At night, they didn’t allow me to sleep, but tried to transform me. My restroom use was again restricted. On top of that, I endured constant beatings and verbal abuse. My arms were full of scars from being stabbed by needles.

Once they stripped me and put me in an extra-large trash bag. Then they force-fed me with a half bucket of water. I urinated so much that my feet were soaked. Then they made fun of me being incontinent when I was only in my 30s. They also accused me of not taking care of my parents or children, labeling me as “anti-CCP and unpatriotic” and “obsessed” with my faith. It hurt me the most when they smeared Dafa and forced me to read their propaganda, specifically “confessions” from former practitioners who renounced Dafa during persecution.

Once, the guards pretended to be judges and held a “hearing” for me, threatening to give me a heavy prison term. Four of them were “experts” in transforming practitioners. Several former practitioners who had gone to the dark side also took turns talking to me. I was under extreme tension and anxiety. I felt like dying rather than living. I was in despair. I dreamed of my grandfather and other deceased relatives several times. I contemplated suicide. But the walls in the cell were all padded, and I had no way to even kill myself, not to mention that I was monitored around the clock. I truly experienced what it means that “Every day feels like a year.”

After six months, the guards decided to stop my hunger strike at all costs, even if it meant killing me. They prepared a big basin of pureed food and four large loaves of corn bread, which were enough to feed six people. A doctor was outside on standby. They planned to keep force-feeding me, until I gave in. Fearing that I might truly die from this, I gave up the hunger strike.

Among all the torture methods, the most painful episode was being deprived of sleep for 18 days. I almost suffered a mental breakdown. The guard said that sleep deprivation, in addition to my hunger strike, would cut off all of my human needs. I was always watched by four guards and the shift changed every six hours. After a few days, I became extremely sleepy. If they were in a good mood, they would be friendly with me and talk to keep me awake. But if they were in a bad mood, they would beat me or kick me. Sometimes two guards held me against the wall and poured cold water over me if I closed my eyes.

After two weeks, I began to develop delusions. I couldn’t recognize people and talked nonsense. Things I saw had double images. The bed, in my eyes, became vertical, and I wondered why the water bottle on it didn’t fall to the ground. Even then, the guards still didn’t allow me to sleep. Then one day, I passed out. When I came to, I saw a doctor standing next to me, and he said to the guard, “Let him sleep for a while.” Then I was finally allowed to sleep for a time.

After that, they tied me up in a chair and allowed me to sleep for four hours a day. They also placed my swollen legs up on a table during sleep. Such torture lasted for two full months.

There were so many evil beings in that place. Once, a guard came to transform m,e and I kept sending forth righteous thoughts in my heart. Then his facial expression and tone suddenly changed (I think he was possessed by evil spirit). He said to me viciously, “Why are you eliminating the evil? The demons are also lives!” Then he stomped on me from behind. I wasn’t prepared and fell to the ground. Then he returned to normal and helped me stand up and asked me if I was injured. I was so shocked. How could he know what I was thinking? How can the evil in the other dimension be so rampant!

During these nine months of confinement, in order to withstand the mounting pressure, I used all of my wisdom, courage, strength, and resilience, with everything I could remember and understand from the Fa. I kept reciting the Fa and sent righteous thoughts as much as possible. I later learned that fellow practitioners outside were also sending righteous thoughts for me, and I really appreciated their efforts.

I was kind to every guard, but I still withstood their repeated requests for me to write statements to renounce and denounce Dafa. Exhausted physically and mentally, I became weaker by the day. I would shiver in fear if a vicious guard came near me. Once, during extreme suffering, I said that I pleaded guilty to the CCP and the Chinese people, and I wrote a statement promising not to practice Dafa anymore. I regretted that I still hadn’t reached the standard of a Dafa practitioner who was indestructible.

Finally, one day, my local police came and took me to serve a three-year labor camp term. I was finally about to leave the devil’s den that had almost tortured me to death and nearly driven me crazy. I took a deep breath and felt happy for myself. I knew that when I failed to pass one test, the next one would be harder, but I didn’t waver in my determination to continue practicing Falun Dafa. Compassionate Master also didn’t give up on me and gave me more opportunities to improve.

I gradually recovered after six months at the labor camp. Then I decided to start a hunger strike with fellow practitioners once again. When we heard that a practitioner was tortured to death, we protested by shouting “Falun Dafa is good” together. That night, the thunder lasted for half an hour. We took it as a sign of mourning for the deceased practitioner. It was World Falun Dafa Day the following day, and the sky cleared up. We even saw a video of a parade in Hong Kong, where practitioners were holding banners that said “Falun Dafa is good.” (The guard received the disk at home, and he forgot to take it out of the VCD after watching it in the labor camp.)

I wrote a letter that exposed the persecution in the labor camp, and it was delivered to the intended recipient. A practitioner’s family member sent us Master’s new lectures. I brought it with me when I was transferred to a different labor camp. The guards didn’t find it when they searched me, and I shared it with the practitioners there.

After two months of a hunger strike this time, I was taken back home by my sister and wife. I was detained for a total of 16 months. The evil’s plan to detain me for three years failed. I was happy that I was free again, and I didn’t have any resentment toward the guards who tortured me. I was also happy that I upheld my faith in Dafa, despite the torture I suffered and the mistakes I made.

As an insignificant being in the universe, I am honored to be a Dafa practitioner and saved by Master Li. I would never have been able to withstand such egregious abuse and stay alive without any physical sequela or mental trauma without Master’s protection, the guidance of Dafa, and without fellow practitioners’ righteous support,

On my way home, my sister bought some food for me. I had not eaten for two months, and it tasted extremely delicious. I thought that I had never had something so delicious before!

The Power of Dafa Manifests When Practitioners Work Together as One Body

When I was in the labor camp, I was very distressed when I was unable to study the Fa or do the exercises. I hoped to spend more time on it after I was released. But once I got home, my life was occupied by everyday things. And I was also interfered with by many attachments, such as a show-off mentality, pursuit of comfort, competitiveness, resentment, anxiety, and lust. Even when I realized that I had these attachments, it was very hard for me to remove them.

I was still doing the three things, but I wasn’t diligent at all, behaving like “an average man who hears the Way”. I fell three times while cleaning the house. The third time, I hurt my wrist, and it took more than a year to recover. Another time, I fell while riding a motorcycle and broke six ribs. With Dafa’s miraculous healing power, I recovered in just a month. I was also arrested a few more times. Once, the municipal police specifically issued a document to the local police to investigate me, and I was almost sentenced to prison.

But there were a few very positive things that I’d like to share here as well. I noticed, as we worked together to rescue detained practitioners, that we all had various xinxing problems and inadequacies. However, we devoted our hearts to this endeavor, worked well with each other, kindly pointed out any problems and also worked on our own xinxing. Several miracles happened with our seamless collaboration.

Four local practitioners were indicted for clarifying the facts to people. The police department watched their cases very closely. One elderly practitioner struggled with mental trauma from repeated arrests and detention in the past. The coordinator also found that her phone was being monitored. We all wanted to do something to rescue them, but didn’t know what to do.

Then Master arranged for a female practitioner with strong righteous thoughts, who had never suffered persecution, to join us. She was very brave and paid attention to details. She kept contacting us to discuss the rescue plan. I thought that this was arranged by Master, and I worked with her to hire lawyers for the practitioners and encouraged the practitioners’ families to seek their release at the police station. We also sent righteous thoughts to support the lawyers’ work, as well as collecting petitions among locals to demand the practitioners’ release.

The petition went very well. The first time we collected over 300 signatures. After a few more times, over 1,000 people signed the letter. When the two lawyers went to the brainwashing center to demand the practitioners’ release, nearly 60 practitioners sent righteous thoughts for them nearby. The over ten guards were very vicious at the beginning, but they softened up in less than two minutes and treated the lawyers very friendly.

Several practitioners even went directly to the presiding judge’s home to clarify the facts. The judge was very scared and didn’t dare to open the door. Others mailed many letters to the wives of the judge and the police chief.

One practitioner who was facing prosecution clarified the facts to the prosecutor, and she was deeply touched. The wife of another practitioner facing prosecution distributed articles about his past persecution to every teacher’s room at a school; the principal wasn’t mad and praised her good writing skills. Many overseas practitioners also called more staff of the court and procuratorate, helping them understand that practicing Falun Dafa didn’t violate the law.

Before the practitioners’ hearing, we distributed information to the public and invited them to attend, as the hearing was supposed to be open to the public. The evil was very scared. During the first hearing, over 300 officers and armed SWAT members drove away all nearby street vendors and surrounded the court. We all had strong, righteous thoughts, and one practitioner stood nearby wearing a vest with the words “Falun Dafa is good.” We also had nearly 200 practitioners who sat near the court and sent forth righteous thoughts. We refused to leave, no matter how they threatened us. Only a few practitioners departed after being ordered back to their workplaces.

That night, one practitioner dreamed that little demons had lined up near the court. The sky above the north side of the court was full of dark clouds, but on the south side, it was bright and sunny.

Before the hearing started the next day, the deputy police chief intimidated the lawyers and yelled at them. The lawyers weren’t deterred and entered a not guilty plea for the practitioners. They argued that the practitioners didn’t violate any law in practicing their faith or telling people about it. They also exposed how the police violated the law in handling the practitioners’ cases. The judge adjourned the hearing several times. During the last hearing, the practitioners testified in their own defense and recounted the benefits they had received from practicing Falun Dafa.

After the hearing, the police attempted to take photos of the practitioners. They weren’t afraid, but tried to photograph the police instead. The 16 officers all turned around and ran away. It’s indeed true that “Evil cannot prevail over good.”

There were also many opportunities for us to improve our xinxing. One practitioner made painstaking efforts in writing an article exposing how the director of the domestic security office had persecuted Falun Dafa during the past two decades. But practitioners had mixed reactions after reading this article. Practitioners had different opinions about what should and should not be written. There were disagreements regarding the accuracy of facts also. A female practitioner quietly came forth with information that contributed to the correction of information in the article. Other practitioners strongly opposed the distribution of this article.

After five or six revisions, there were still more practitioners giving all kinds of feedback. The author was annoyed. But he soon rectified himself with the Fa and understood that this was an opportunity arranged by Master to help him improve. He also understood that the process of revising the article was like sharpening a knife. The sharper it gets, the more evil it can eliminate. So he wasn’t bothered when others raised feedback again and patiently worked on the article. It was finalized after over 20 rounds of changes.

The director of the domestic security office originally had a good reputation as he built a road for the villagers to earn their support. But after we distributed the article about him, the villagers all realized how evil he was. He also received the article himself. And he found the brother-in-law of a practitioner and said many of the things mentioned in it had nothing to do with him. He felt he was wronged, and he no longer actively participated in the persecution.

Back to the lawsuit of the four above-mentioned practitioners. It took the judge two years to announce the verdicts. Two practitioners received five and six years, respectively. The third one was allowed to serve time at home, and the fourth one was sentenced to three years with a three-year probation.

In retaliation for our rescue efforts, the local police arrested eight practitioners, including me. When I was taken to the basement of the police department, I saw many small rooms, and each of them was full of torture instruments. I was a little nervous in the beginning, but soon overcame the fear. Then in the evening, the eight of us were all released!

Through our collaboration, we helped many judicial officials understand the facts, and there was no severe persecution in our region for a few years. When over 350 of us filed criminal complaints against Jiang Zemin in 2015, only a few practitioners were harassed.

There were more miraculous things in my cultivation, and I could go on forever. Once, we worked together diligently to clarify the facts about Dafa, and we not only saved a few police officers, but a practitioner was also released from custody. Overseas practitioners also called the presiding judge and his family members. They didn’t want to participate in the persecution anymore and only gave the practitioner a light term of one year. The practitioner had already been detained for ten months, and he would finish serving the remaining two months in the detention center, without being transferred to prison.

My path of cultivation has been long, but I never regretted the path I chose. Every time I thought of Master, I wanted to cry. Without the grand compassion and protection of my Teacher, how could I have continued to walk my path. Although I have suffered tribulations during persecution, it’s nothing compared to what Master has endured for us. I can only repay Master by diligently cultivating myself and doing the Three Things well.

If there is anything not in line with the Fa, please kindly point this out.

Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!

(Selected submission for the 22nd China Fa Conference on Minghui.org)