Persisting in Cultivation After the Dark Period of July 20, 1999

(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1993 and I’m now 83 years old. Before I began practicing, I was plagued with numerous illnesses such as colitis, heart disease and rheumatism. My blood platelet and hemoglobin counts were not even half of a normal person’s. I took medication every day and could not work.

In 1993, I listened to Master’s two-hour lecture. After returning home, I threw away all my Chinese and Western medicines. After that, I attended three of Master’s lectures and all my illnesses disappeared. For the first time in my life I experienced the wonderful feeling of being illness-free! I never went to the hospital again.

The First Tribulation

After July 20, 1999, former CCP (Chinese Communist Party) leader Jiang Zemin started to persecute Falun Dafa. Many practitioners that looked after the practice sites went missing, got arrested or got detained. I was the assistant coordinator of a local practice site. Without any warning, I met with three big tribulations from July 19 to 27, 1999.

On July 19, 1999, at 2 p.m., six police officers broke into my home and told me to accompany them to the police department. I was in my 60s. My life up to that point was easy and I never interacted with rough people, especially policemen. My heart was racing. I could only follow their orders.

When we got to the building, two female police officers came and all eight officers sat around me. First, they asked me to read the form they had already filled out, which had information about me. I was shocked, as it seemed they knew so much about me! They pointed to the form and asked me if the details were correct. I said yes and that it seemed they knew even more about me than I did.

They took out a piece of paper and slammed it on the table, shouting, “Where did this come from?” The document contained sensitive information about how practitioners could stay in contact after the CCP began persecuting Falun Dafa. The paper was on the table in my home. I realized they had stolen it.

I grabbed the paper and asked them, “Are you thieves? What right do you have to question me? What else have you stolen from me? To think you all are police officers!” I was about to leave when the two female officers grabbed me. No one said anything.

They then took out Master’s lecture “Further Comments on “Superstition.” I was reading this lecture when they barged into my house. They said, “You have this at your house, we also have it.” Their tone of voice was not as aggressive. I realized they wanted to trick me into telling them the information they wanted. I thought to myself that I would not tell them. They asked me where the recordings and Dafa books came from. I said that I attended Master’s lectures before, so the recording was given by Master and I bought the books from a bookstore.

They asked me if I was a coordinator and why I practiced Falun Dafa. I told them that I used to be sick and could not work. After I began practicing Falun Dafa my illnesses disappeared.

They questioned me until midnight. My husband (a fellow practitioner) came a few times and asked them to release me, but they ignored him. Hours later they finally let me go home. I did not provide them with any of the information that they wanted. I didn’t think I was courageous, I just felt I was defending the Fa.

Second Tribulation

In the early hours of July 24, 1999, 11 people from the police department broke into my house again. They did not show us any documents or IDs. As soon as they entered they ransacked the home, looking for Dafa books and materials.

When they broke in, I was sitting on the bed reading Zhuan Falun. They suddenly barged in, so I quickly opened the compartment in the bed’s headboard and put the book inside. One of them came over and asked me to open the compartment, but I did not move. Then they ordered my husband to open it, but my husband also did not move. So they did it themselves. When they opened the compartment, there was nothing inside. They could not see Zhuan Falun!

The intruders ransacked every corner of my house. I noticed that one was holding a booklet that contained the contact numbers of Falun Dafa practitioners all over China. I snatched it from his hand, saying, “I am from Xiajiang and this is my Shaoxing opera script!” They even searched every pocket of every piece of clothing, but only found a manually copied Hong Yin.

As they left, they grabbed the meditation mats. I ran up to them and snatched them back. They did not let go and said that we were not allowed to practice the exercises. I said, “We can meditate anywhere, even on the floor. Will you destroy our floor?” In the end, I managed to snatch back the meditation mats.

After they left, we let out a long sigh of relief. Under Master’s protection, all of our Dafa books, practice site information, and materials were safe!

The Third Tribulation

Around 1 p.m. on July 27, 1999, the local police station phoned and told me to go to the district auditorium. I refused and said that I had no time. They said that they would come to my home. I did not want them to come to my house again, so I felt I had no choice but to go.

When I reached the district auditorium, I noticed all sorts of slogans that slandered Dafa and Master were hung around the place. I started getting nervous and wanted to leave. In my heart I told Master that I wanted to go home and I recited:

“In life, nothing sought,In death, regretting naught;Washing away all wrong thought,Buddhahood, with less adversity, is wrought.”(“Nothing Kept,” Hong Yin)

When the meeting started, they introduced the personnel. I walked up to the director of the police station and quietly said, “You attended Master’s lecture classes before.” This man detained me for one night when I went to the Provincial CCP Committee with fellow practitioners to validate the Fa. That night, I clarified the truth to him and the other people at the police station. He agreed to what I said and he understood the truth.

I quietly told him that I would never cooperate with him and what he was doing was wrong. I said I was going home. I turned around and walked out of the building.

I knew my courage and wisdom came from Master!

Having overcome these three tribulations, I felt that my mind and body were transformed.

Clarifying the Truth at the Brainwashing Center

The CCP began persecuting Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999. Practitioners’ cultivation changed from personal cultivation to cultivating during Fa-rectification. Ending the persecution, clarifying the truth, and saving people became our sacred missions.

In 2001, many practitioners in our area went to Beijing to submit their petitions and validate the Fa. I went to Beijing and was stopped three times. My third experience was amazing.

I bought 17 train tickets to Beijing and distributed them to the practitioners who were going there. When we entered the station, nine of us were stopped. I was one of them. In order to find out who organized the trip, the police searched for fingerprints on the train tickets. None of them contained my fingerprints. I knew Master had protected me again.

I was taken to a brainwashing center. I was beaten and not allowed to sleep for 13 nights. I was exposed to the hot sun, and forced to watch brainwashing videos. They used all sorts of methods, but I kept reminding myself that I was a practitioner. I was there to clarify the truth and save people. Although I did not make it to Beijing, I could still clarify the truth at the brainwashing center.

Two incidents left a deep impression on me.

Everyone said that a certain brainwashing center head was evil and refused to listen when practitioners tried to clarify the truth to him. I asked to talk to him. He said that he wanted to set some conditions before speaking to me. His conditions included my not being allowed to criticize Jiang Zemin (the former CCP leader who ordered the persecution), and if I did he would swear at Master.

I was not moved, but instead I pitied him. I said calmly, “We cultivate Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. We are all good people so we do not criticize people.” Hearing that, he calmed down. I described the positive changes I experienced in both mind and body after I began practicing Falun Dafa. I told him that Falun Dafa is a cultivation practice that is rooted in Buddhist tradition. I explained why people are on earth and what happens to those who persecute good people.

What I did not expect was that he completely agreed with everything I said and he even shook hands with me. Seeing his kind demeanor, I suggested he transfer to another department and he nodded.

Later, someone told me that he really did transfer elsewhere.

One guard routinely beat practitioners and everyone was afraid of him. I decided to clarify the truth to him. After our conversation ended, he said something which I still remember, “I have memorized what you told me today. I know that the CCP only uses people.” I praised him, saying, “What you said is correct. Stop being used by it.”

He stopped beating practitioners. Clarifying the truth is very powerful.

Maintaining a Group Fa Study Site

Studying the Fa in a group is a form of cultivation that Master left for us. No matter how serious the persecution became, the small Fa study group at my house never stopped, except for the few years when I was imprisoned.

From 2003 to 2007, I stayed at a large house that my daughter owned. One of the neighbors was a police officer. The number of practitioners who came to my house for Fa study ranged from more than ten to more than twenty. As the persecution was very serious, it was hard to organize and maintain a Fa study site, so everyone really cherished it.

We hold a group Fa study session every week that starts at 9 a.m. and ends at 5 p.m. Practitioners arrive separately and quietly. My husband cooks two big pots of porridge. In order not to attract people’s attention, we purchase steamed buns in two separate trips and use opaque plastic bags to carry them home, and then prepare some salted vegetables. After a simple lunch, we continue our Fa study. Later, we changed to everyone bringing their own lunch. This saves trouble and is safer too.

At the end of our meeting, everyone leaves one by one. This Fa study site persisted for five years and has never met with any disturbance or trouble. Under the serious persecution, this would not have been possible without Master’s constant protection!

Some time later, I moved out of the big house. Although my new house is smaller and the practitioners who attend our group Fa study keep changing, I persisted in maintaining the group Fa study.

Over the years, the group Fa study at my house never stopped, even during the CCP’s “Door Knocking Campaign” or the “Zero Out Campaign.” When the COVID pandemic was rampant and the streets were sealed off, six or seven practitioners still attended.

I recently managed to contact some practitioners who do not have anyone to read the Fa with. Some were young practitioners who began practicing in the early years, while others had nearly stopped practicing due to fear. Some do not have a group cultivation environment, so their cultivation states are not good.

They even had difficulty keeping their palms erect when they sent righteous thoughts. How can they do the three things well? I felt it was my responsibility to provide a stable Fa study environment for them. Due to the large number of practitioners and limited space, we formed two Fa study groups.

Everyone really cherishes this environment, which did not come easily. Therefore, rain or shine, no matter how far the distance, everyone arrived on time, eager to maintain our group environment.

They have all experienced obvious improvements in their cultivation.

Master said,

“The Fa can break all attachments; the Fa can destroy all evil; the Fa can shatter all lies; and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts.” (“Drive Out Interference,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress II)

Everything is done by Master. Helping others amounts to helping myself. A stable Fa study environment is the guarantee for practitioners’ improvement. I also benefited greatly from our group Fa study.

All that I have done is still far away from what those diligent practitioners have done. I want to be more diligent in my cultivation, and live up to my mission. I want to do well with every step that I take on my path of cultivation.