(Minghui.org) Nicole said that she found inner peace and joy after she started practicing Falun Dafa 27 years ago.

Nicole, 77, lives in Quebec City, Canada, and ran a notary office before retiring.

One morning in 1997, Nicole’s husband woke up hearing the French word “cinabre” (“cinnabar” in English). He looked up the word on his computer and found a link to Mr. Li Hongzhi’s book, Falun Gong, which contained the term. At the time, only three chapters of the book had been translated into French. He printed them out and showed them to Nicole.

Nicole was taken aback after reading them and excitedly asked her husband, “Who wrote this book? I must meet him!” When he told her that the author lived in China, Nicole dejectedly said, “It’s too far away.” Her husband told her there was a group in Montreal that practiced Falun Dafa, and Nicole instantly expressed her wish to meet them. This marked the beginning of her Falun Dafa practice.

Nicole participates in group exercise practice despite the light rain.

Nicole said she gained newfound calm after learning the practice. “I used to follow my emotions, swinging between guilt, and sadness over trivial matters. Dafa’s compassionate teachings taught me to deal with my emotions calmly. My heart is now filled with peace and joy. This change wasn’t deliberate, and just happened naturally over time as I practiced.”

High-Speed Shock and Near Accident

Nicole was driving on the highway one evening to pick her daughter up from college. Her daughter’s boyfriend was with her. Two large trucks were approaching in the opposite lane, when a small car traveling behind them decided to overtake them. The car drove into Nicole’s lane and headed directly towards her car. “The oncoming car’s glaring headlights blinded my eyes. We were both driving so fast that I had no time to react. I knew a fatal head-on collision was unavoidable.

“Then, the bright light zipped past the right side of my car. But that was impossible because there was no road on my right! I gripped the steering wheel, speechless and terrified. My daughter’s boyfriend woke up and asked what happened. My car was stalled on the highway. I knew in my heart that Master had protected us.”

Nicole

The Man Who Stole Falun Gong Books

Nicole subsequently established a Falun Dafa practice site in Quebec City, and residents began coming to the site and learning how to practice. One man told Nicole how he loved the book Falun Gong so much that he stole a copy from the library. Nicole explained that this was not in line with Falun Dafa’s teachings of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, since library books were meant for the community and not for personal use. She donated copies of Falun Gong and other Falun Dafa books to the library. While his actions were wrong, his enthusiasm encouraged Nicole to share the beauty of Falun Dafa with others.

Nicole hopes more Chinese and Westerners seize the opportunity to learn about Falun Dafa.

China Trip Makes International Headlines

Nicole happened read an article on the Minghui.org website in 2002 which described the brutal persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). She was deeply saddened. “I wanted to do something, so I decided to visit Tiananmen Square in Beijing and display a banner with the words ‘Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance’ to express my support for Falun Dafa. A Montreal practitioner helped me write ‘China Needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance’ in Chinese on a yellow cloth. I hid the banner in my clothes, ready to unfurl it in Tiananmen Square.”

A practitioner contacted a practitioner who lived in Beijing and gave Nicole the address. After arriving in Beijing, Nicole spent her first day at the practitioner’s home, before venturing out the next day with her host. The practitioner brought Nicole to Tiananmen Square where she familiarized herself with the place, before visiting a nearby park to view some Peking Opera performances. On the third day, Nicole went to Tiananmen Square alone to unfurl her banner.

Nicole did not realize that security checks had been set up at Tiananmen Square, because of the large number of Falun Dafa practitioners who came there to protest. During the security check a police officer opened Nicole’s backpack. While flipping through her French copy of Zhuan Falun, he came across the Chinese index at the back which revealed this to be a Falun Dafa book. Police officers surrounded Nicole and arrested her.

Nicole was taken to a police station and placed in a filthy cell with a gray bed. A police officer handed her a blanket, but instead of sleeping, she placed the blanket on the floor and meditated to calm her mind. “Despite my nervousness and difficult living conditions, I wasn’t afraid because I knew Master would protect me. A female officer saw my passport and gave the others a warning look that implied ‘don’t touch her,’ so the officers refrained from using forceful measures. I guess they were concerned about maintaining diplomatic relations with Canada.”

Despite the officers’ displeasure, Nicole refused to eat any of the prison food offered, as she had committed no crime. Feeling sorry for the young officers who were participating in the persecution without realizing the truth, Nicole urged them, “Please don’t harm Falun Dafa practitioners.” When she noticed a guard smoking, she advised him, “Smoking is bad for your health and for others. Please don’t smoke.” The officer stamped out his cigarette and even reminded the others not to smoke.

Nicole was deported by the Chinese Communist government the following day, and was greeted at the airport when she landed in Canada by her husband and seven media reporters. The story of a Canadian citizen wrongfully imprisoned in Beijing subsequently made international news.

Constantly Reflecting Internally to Resolve Conflicts

That summer Nicole’s brother offered to help her do some renovations. He soon spotted problems, forcefully expressed his opinions, and criticized Nicole’s decisions. She insisted on having her way, thinking, “After all, this is my home, my project, and my money.”

Her brother’s harsh words irritated her and the atmosphere became tense. As they argued, Nicole forgot she was a Falun Dafa practitioner and the cultivation standards she should uphold.

While studying Falun Dafa’s teachings, Nicole realized that she needed to stop striving to “win,” and should listen to her brother’s advice. “Once I let go of my attachment and stopped trying to prove myself, my brother’s attitude changed. He began asking me what I really wanted.”

After the renovations were finished Nicole and her brother had dinner together, and reminisced about their shared past before parting amicably.

“When I’m lost, Falun Dafa helps me see the light. I hope more people can experience the power of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The world is filled with fear and chaos, but as long as we strive to be kind and upright, there will be light amidst the darkness.”