(Minghui.org) I am sharing my personal experiences to let more people know that Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) is good. During these troubled times, with pandemics, disasters, and man-made calamities occurring one after another, sincerely reciting “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” will bring safety and blessings.
My Workplace Took Me to a Brainwashing Center
In 2001, during the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) brutal persecution of Falun Dafa, I was arrested and taken to a brainwashing center. That morning, before work, a fierce wind blew and stirred up a sandstorm that darkened the sky. Around noon, as I was about to leave the building after work, the secretary of the disciplinary committee at work stopped me and said, “Don’t go home. You need to attend a meeting at the district office.”
I sensed something was wrong and replied, “It’s almost time to get off work. What meeting? I’m not going.” He snarled with a vicious look in his eyes and told me that I was going with him, whether I wanted to or not.
Three people from our workplace suddenly emerged—one man and two women. They lifted me up and carried me outside the building, where a car was waiting. I shouted, “What’s wrong with practicing Falun Gong? Falun Gong teaches people to be good. You can’t treat me this way. You are committing a crime!” Ignoring my struggle, they forced me into the car. I continued to clarify the truth to them as we drove. None of them said a word.
I was taken to a brainwashing center, where they tried to get me to renounce my belief, but I refused. After 20-plus days, I was transferred to a detention center, where several other practitioners were also illegally detained. My detention term was supposed to be 15 days, but they continually refused to release me after more than three months. To protest the persecution, I went on a hunger strike and demanded unconditional release.
My physical condition became critical. When the detention center director saw that I was barely alive, he finally called the emergency services. I told him, “I’m not going to the hospital. I want to go home!” The other practitioners strongly protested as well and demanded that I be released. In the end, I was unconditionally released. I later learned that the other practitioners were also released one after another within a few days.
Miracles Began to Occur After I Returned Home
My husband prepared a bowl of noodles with two poached eggs for me when I returned home. Normally, someone who has been on a hunger strike for a long time should not immediately eat solid food and should slowly recover with liquids first. My husband did not know this, and I was not concerned about it. I firmly believed in Dafa and felt that a Dafa disciple could eat normally. I quickly finished the noodles and eggs.
When I stood in front of the mirror, I was shocked by what I saw. Though I was only in my 30s, I was hunched over, and my eyes stared blankly ahead, with my eyes barely moving. I finally understood why my vision had felt so strange. No wonder the people at the detention center were so frightened and rushed me home. They were afraid I would die while in there.
After I resumed studying the Fa and doing the exercises, I experienced miraculous physical changes. I knew all of it came from Master and Dafa. I ate normally without following any of the precautions usually required after a hunger strike. In fact, the very next day, I was eating my favorite coarse-grain corn buns. My body improved day by day, with my condition noticeably changing from morning to afternoon.
Three days later, I was riding my bicycle around town. In just a few days, I went from being near death to fully recovering. These miracles came from my unwavering faith in Dafa and from Master’s protection.
After repeatedly requesting to return to work, I was finally allowed back more than three years later. I felt no hatred, only compassion, when I saw the people who had participated in detaining me and nearly caused my death. I am a Dafa disciple, and Master’s teachings are deeply rooted in my heart. Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance had already become part of my life. I warmly greeted the disciplinary committee secretary whenever I saw him. I treated the coworkers who helped detain me kindly, as if nothing had happened. The male coworker felt embarrassed whenever he saw me and avoided me at first, but after I took the initiative to speak with him, he gradually relaxed.
Yu and Me
One of the female coworkers who helped force me into the car was named Yu. I did not know her well because she came to our workplace when another organization merged with ours. She was tall and well-built, and she smoked and drank heavily. Divorced and raising a teenage son on her own, she lived in a shabby single-story unit provided by the workplace.
Coworkers who knew Yu before the merger said she had a habit of taking advantage of others. She would befriend people on the street, and after getting acquainted, she would one day suddenly ask, “Hey, do you have some cash? I’m short right now and urgently need it. I’ll pay you back soon.” People unfamiliar with her habit would lend her money, but afterward she would never mention repaying them. If people asked her to repay them, she’d keep delaying it. She usually borrowed small amounts: 10 yuan, or at most a few hundred yuan. Some people eventually gave up trying to collect it.
At the end of every year, Yu would take leave and disappear for a while. Strangers came to the office looking for her, and people sort of knew she was hiding from creditors again. As a result, she had a bad reputation among coworkers, who saw her as greedy and a swindler. They also said she had epilepsy and described how she looked when she had a seizure. Every spring, Yu became unusually restless and agitated, constantly wandering around. Her coworkers gossiped behind her back, saying, “Look, she’s getting hyper again. Her epilepsy must be acting up.”
I didn’t look down on Yu and treated her kindly. She felt my sincerity and compassion. One day, when I was alone in the office, Yu walked in and sat on the desk across from me. She said, “Back then [when she forced me into the car], I really don’t know what came over me. I must have lost my mind to do something like that. I really feel sorry for doing it.”
I interrupted her and said, “It’s all in the past. I never took it to heart, so don’t feel guilty. Master teaches me to be a good person without resentment or hatred. Don’t worry—I won’t hold it against you. If you ever need help, just let me know.” After that, we became much closer.
Life was not easy for Yu as a single mother raising her son alone. Although she was greedy and liked to cheat people out of money, I realized that she was actually kind-hearted. She genuinely felt guilty for participating in my arrest and nearly causing my death, unlike some other people who were truly malicious. We once attended the wedding of a young coworker whose father had died when he was little. Yu began to cry when the host spoke about how hard the young man’s mother had worked to raise him.
Yu was quick-witted and liked to curry favor with her superiors, but this eventually got her into trouble. Her scheming once backfired, and she offended a leader at work. Fearing the leader would retaliate, she became extremely stressed, and the leader did indeed start treating her coldly. I realized that beneath Yu’s loud and assertive demeanor, she was actually timid and fearful. Without a husband or anyone to rely on, she was afraid of being mistreated.
She trusted me deeply. During that time, she called me almost every evening after work, pouring out her regrets, helplessness, and fear. The emotional pressure was pushing her toward a breakdown. Seeing this, I wanted to speak with the leadership on her behalf, but Yu stopped me because she feared it would only make things worse. Each time we talked, I used Dafa’s principles to guide her. Finally, I said, “There’s no other solution. I suggest that you read some Dafa books. Read Zhuan Falun. It will help you.”
Yu agreed. I brought her Zhuan Falun, and she read it twice in a row. Her mood improved greatly, and she became much calmer and less fearful. Later, I also gave her Essentials for Further Advancement and Hong Yin to read.
One day at work, Yu burst into the office in her usual energetic manner and placed Essentials for Further Advancement on my desk. Excitedly, she said, “I finished it. I really don’t understand. Such a good book should be openly sold in the bookstores. You should be able to sell it proudly in public. What are you afraid of?” Her words deeply moved me, and I was happy for her awakening.
From then on, Yu and I, two people who seemed completely incompatible because of our different personalities and backgrounds, became close friends. She stopped cheating people out of money and no longer took advantage of others. She defended me when others spoke badly of me and constantly worried about my safety because of my steadfast practice of Dafa. Once, she called me and said emotionally, “If you’re ever arrested, I’ll definitely go visit you in prison. Even if nobody else dares to go, I will.” She said that we were friends who had been through thick and thin together.
Yu was blessed in return. Her epilepsy mysteriously disappeared. She moved into a new apartment building. Her son grew up and found a good job. She gained a thoughtful daughter-in-law and an adorable, intelligent granddaughter. After retiring, she still calls me from time to time and jokingly complains that I never call her first. I tell her, “Every time I think of you, your phone call comes right away. We really are connected at heart.” And it truly is that way.
