(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1996. Throughout the years, rain or shine, many practitioners and I have been holding the local group Fa study in the morning and doing truth clarification in the afternoon. We made phone calls to talk to people about Dafa, distributed Dafa materials, and posted Dafa stickers.
Saving People While Facing Persecution
The local police arrested me on November 10, 2015 for filing a criminal lawsuit against Jiang Zemin, the former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader who is responsible for launching the brutal persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners.
During my interrogation at the police station, the authorities asked why I had filed the lawsuit. I said, “The ongoing persecution that Jiang launched 16 years ago has caused countless deaths and has broken and displaced families.
“Suing Jiang also benefits you. Dafa practitioners hold no grudge against you, as you are a victim as well. You are part of the CCP's law enforcement system. We want to stop the persecution and your participation in it at the same time.”
The police tried to force me to sign a statement to give up my practice of Falun Dafa. “I will continue to practice as long as I am alive,” I said. “Dafa gave me a healthy body and a new life. How can I go against my conscience and betray Dafa and Master?”
Later I was told that I would be detained for 15 days. I refused to cooperate or sign the detention paperwork, as I did not violate the law in any way. The police drove me to the hospital for a medical checkup prior to the detention. On my way to the hospital, I chatted with the police officers and successfully persuaded four of them to quit their CCP memberships. At the hospital, I also convinced several doctors to use aliases to quit the CCP.
At the detention center, I and nine other detained Dafa practitioners kept up our daily group practice, reciting the Fa, sending righteous thoughts, and truth clarification to others.
One night the detention center took in over 50 arrested gamblers. Among them were 17 women, who were placed in the same cell as us practitioners. They came in late that day and were not given any food or bedding for the night. They started to cry and curse, and made a big commotion in the cell.
The Dafa practitioners offered them food that our families and friends bought in the detention center for us, such as boiled eggs and sausages. To fight off the cold at night, ten of us practitioners shared a single quilt, and gave the remaining nine quilts to the other women.
The women were very moved by our generosity. We talked with them about Falun Dafa and the brutal persecution, and all 17 of them happily quit the CCP and its associated organizations.
Remaining Steadfast Despite Family Pressure
On the seventh day of my detention, my son, who had a job out of town, learned about my situation and drove four hours to visit me. He had been supportive of my practicing Dafa, but did not agree with my suing Jiang Zemin.
I reminded him about my health before I practiced. “I used to suffer from severe heart disease and other illnesses. Dafa gave me a second life. Jiang is responsible for persecuting Dafa and its practitioners. Why shouldn't I try to bring him to justice?”
“You are no longer the mom I knew,” he said. “You are so preoccupied with Falun Dafa. Do you understand my feelings when my own mother is arrested and detained?” I told him that his suffering was also caused by Jiang Zemin and the CCP.
“I know I cannot win this argument with you,” he said. “I will give up everything I have—my job, my car, my plans to buy a house and get married—so that I can stay home to watch you every minute and make sure you won't do silly things.”
I said, “Even Jiang and his persecution could not change me. How can you expect to do so?”
This made him angrier. “So you don't care about me at all now? I wish I would die in a car accident in a few minutes so that you could do whatever you want without me interfering.”
“The matter of life and death is out of anyone's control. It was predetermined in one's destiny,” I said.
Master said,
“......just by remaining unmoved you could handle all situations.” (Teaching the Fa at the 2005 Canada Fa Conference)
I knew that I was not moved by family affection despite what the old forces had hoped for. I told the old forces in my heart, “I firmly believe in Master and Dafa. Nobody can block my path to return home.”
At the end of my 15-day detention, my son and daughter both came to take me home. My daughter said, “Mom, please don't make me and my brother worry about you. We can't keep doing this. We know that Falun Dafa and Master are good, but we also know you have not cultivated yourself well.”
My son said, “Don't expect me to take your phone calls any more. Also, I won't come home for the Chinese New Year.” Then they both left.
Searching Within
I knew that nobody could shake my determination to continue my practice of Dafa, but I did not remain very calm after they left. I thought the ordeal would be over after the detention, and did not expect even more tests to follow.
The next day I went to the group study. A practitioner said to me, “You should look inside for loopholes as you are the only practitioner in our region who was detained for filing the lawsuit. How shameful!”
If an ordinary person had said that, I would have no problem putting forward my best response to clarify the truth. But when a fellow practitioner said it, I was flabbergasted and my heart bled.
On my way home, I had a lot of thoughts. Before my arrest and detention, all the practitioners were very supportive and complimented my righteous thoughts. Whenever they had problems, I would always do my best to help. Especially for suing Jiang, when some practitioners worried about how to write their legal statements, I spent sleepless nights helping them.
The practitioner who scolded me had not stepped up to join any Dafa activities until she recently joined the suing Jiang effort. I also helped her through the process. I felt terribly wronged.
Shortly afterwards, I began to have health issues. I felt very weak in my limbs and had to make a painstaking effort to walk to the local group study. I was puzzled: why were so many tribulations coming up?
Master said,
“Those ordeals and the suffering, no matter how great or harsh you find them to be, are good things, because they take place solely on account of your cultivation. A person can eliminate karma and shed human attachments when he goes through ordeals, and through ordeals he can improve.” (Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference)
Master also told us,
“For a cultivator, looking within is a magical tool.” (Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference)
My children told me that I did not cultivate well and a practitioner said I had loopholes, so I decided to search within. Over the years, the CCP's party culture had left deep marks on me, including many bad habits—being overly opinionated, arrogant, stubborn, quick tempered, seeking compliments, speaking loudly, interrupting practitioners while they were speaking, and looking down upon practitioners who I deemed not diligent in their cultivation.
I raised my voice and scolded other practitioners whenever I did not agree with their opinions or actions. Soon they did not dare to voice a different opinion and a lot of communicative gaps were created among practitioners.
Yet I still thought my cultivation was going well and became even more arrogant when people complimented me. I realized the old forces had taken advantage of the influence of the CCP's party culture on me and were taking me down a dangerous path.
At the next group Fa study, I shared my understanding and exposed all the attachments I had realized, hoping that it would help eliminate them. I was in tears and said to fellow practitioners, “I was wrong and let you down. I was arrogant and had hurt practitioners. I want to thank those who criticized and helped me.”
Many were very glad to hear my sharing. Some said, “That is exactly what a true practitioner is supposed to do.” I could sense the joy among practitioners and within myself after I truly searched within.
After that, whenever I had contention with other practitioners, I would recite the Fa and treat them with compassion.
“Don't argue when people argue with youCultivation is looking within for the causeWanting to explain just feeds the attachmentBreadth of mind, unattached, brings true insight”(Don't Argue, Hong Yin III)
Practitioners told me that I was a totally changed person. “The old me belonged to the past,” I said. “The new me has a new standard, which is required of beings in the new universe. It is Master and Dafa that changed me. It is searching within that changed me.”
My children and I have returned to normal as well. We have regular contact and they come back for family gatherings as before. They also support me and my cultivation as before.
Master said,
“It is necessary for a Dafa disciple to ensure his cultivation on a daily basis, and it is the mission of a Dafa disciple to clarify the facts and save people. You cannot go without either of these as you journey toward consummation.” (A Reminder)
Fellow practitioners and I have been following this teaching over the years on our paths to consummation. In addition to cultivating myself well, I will coordinate well with other practitioners, do the three things well, and fulfill a disciple's solemn mission.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
