PureInsight | September 15, 2012
Experience Sharing at the 2012 International Fa Conference at the U.S. Capitol
[PureInsight.org] Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I am a practitioner who just came to the United States this year from Mainland China. I am 66 years old and I obtained the Fa in December 1998. In the past 13 years of cultivation, under the care of the compassionate Master, I have walked my path until today and have a lot to share. Now I am going to report it to Master and share with fellow practitioners.
Studying the Fa solidly, be immersed in the Fa, and live the mission
Master pointed out in “Fa-Lecture at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A.”: “No matter how difficult your environment is, no matter how busy you get, you cannot forget to study the Fa. You must study the Fa, because it is the absolute, most fundamental guarantee of your improvement.” My understanding is that righteous actions come from righteous thoughts, and righteous thoughts are from the Fa. As Dafa disciples, only if we study the Fa well, can we walk on the path of Fa-rectification cultivation arranged by Master; only if we study the Fa well, can we find out our human notions and attachments and get rid of them when undergoing ordeals and tests, and show our harmony and compassion to the sentient beings that are awaiting our salvation.
Master wants us to study the Fa in groups; therefore no matter how severe our environment, our group Fa-study has never stopped. The more we studied the Fa, the more we enjoyed the studying, the stronger the righteous thoughts we had, and the more we felt that the responsibility on us is great. We also shared our experiences, focused on how we studied and cultivated, and improved together.
There was an 82-year-old practitioner in our Fa-study group. She studied the Fa in the afternoon, and then went to big supermarkets and department stores to save sentient beings. Usually she sat on the lounge chairs for the customers and talked to the people around her and they would quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations after they heard the truth. She could persuade one or several dozen people to quit every day, and most of them used their real names. When she shared her experiences lots of fellow practitioners were moved to tears by her compassion.
When we went outside, no matter when we were waiting for or riding the bus, or shopping at the store, anyone we met had the predestined relationship to be saved. Wherever we went, we would clarify the truth and save the sentient beings there.
We are Dafa disciples with both compassion and solemn dignity
1. Look inward and take the Fa as our teacher
In 2007 I was abducted and put in a detention center. I remembered Master’s poem, “Don’t be Sad:”
“Imprisoned as you are, don’t be sorrowful or sad
Carry on with righteous thoughts and actions, and the Fa is with you
Calmly reflect on the attachments you have
Remove your human thoughts, and evil will naturally die out”
(Hong Yin Volume II).
I looked inward and found my own attachments. My home was a truth clarification material site and the practitioners nearby all used the materials that I made. If others had time they would help me to make more. But as more materials were needed, I had less time to study the Fa. Other practitioners also depended on me. I developed some attachments of doing things, copying others, being too engrossed, showing off, and validating myself. Cultivation is serious and the evil took advantage of my loophole.
Master says, “As a Dafa disciple in this society, no matter what kind of setting or corner of society you find yourself in, you are playing a positive role. Regardless of whether you are clarifying the truth and validating the Fa or doing things not so directly connected to Dafa, you are nonetheless saving sentient beings and are playing huge roles (applause), and that is because your righteous thoughts and compassionate field are having a positive effect.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference at the U.S. Capital”)
Measured against the Fa, I had more righteous thoughts and found my fundamental attachment. I thought, I have to get up immediately after falling down; I am a Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple and I shoulder the sacred mission. I can’t forget my responsibility no matter what environment I am in. I will listen to Master and do whatever Master wants. From that moment until I was released, I measured my every thought against the Fa and looked inward to find any thought that was not righteous. I would decide whether my action was to validate Fa or mixed with an intention to validate myself. If I found any unrighteous thoughts, I would eliminate them immediately and correct myself. If it was based on Fa, I would walk the path with determination.
2. Validating Dafa at the detention center shocked and awed the evil
Soon after I was sent to the detention center, I used my handcuffs to write on the wall of the hallway, “Falun Dafa is good,” “Falun Dafa is the righteous Fa,” and “the Fa rectifies the cosmos; the evil is completely eliminated.” Every time when I was interrogated I would double check the words on the wall and fix those that had been destroyed. During my 11 months’ detention there, I took good care of the words. Other inmates would say after being interrogated, “There is ‘Falun Dafa is good’ written on the wall.” There were always miracles when I was writing too. When I wanted someone to leave or turn away, they would leave or turn away or go to answer the phone.
At the detention center, I was also able to do the global sending forth righteous thoughts and do the five sets of exercises. All the inmates on the night shift would wake me up for mid-night righteous thoughts and the 3:50 a.m. morning exercises. During my 11 months in the detention center, I spent every day like this.
One morning, a new young policewoman saw me doing the exercises through the monitor. She used the speaker to shout at me, “Stop the exercises and go to bed!” I was not moved and finished my exercises. She reported me to the director later. But the director said, “This old woman has been like this since she first came here. You don’t need to worry about her in the future.”
The flow of inmates was relatively large at the detention center. If someone came, I would try to save her. Four of them obtained Dafa. Every day, they would send forth righteous thoughts and recite Hong Yin with me. If a new person came, they would voluntarily clarify the truth to that person because they experienced the miracles themselves. I deeply feel that as long as we practitioners have the will, Master will lay the foundation for us and everything is done by Master.
In our room, there was a young woman who had serious arthritis in her legs. The pain was unbearable. At night, she would wrap her legs with underpants and undershirts in order to keep them warm so that she could go to sleep. One day, early in the morning, a man’s voice told her [in her sleep]: “Someone will help you.” She opened her eyes and saw me doing the exercises. She blurted out: “Ah, this is the person who will help me.” She cried. I told her: “Master has given you a hint.” She said to me: “I really believe now. Please help me!” The next evening, she did not wrap her legs and they were not painful anymore. From then on, her arthritis was gone without a trace. So, whenever she met someone she would tell what happened to her. She was being very sincere to Dafa.
There was another elderly lady who used to sell counterfeit drugs. When the heating was first shut down in the spring, her body shivered because of the cold. She wore a sweater inside and a coat outside but she was still very cold. She cried day after day. I told her the truth. After she knew Dafa, she wanted to learn eagerly. Every day she would recite Master’s scriptures and Hong Yin with me. One day, she suddenly felt Falun rotating inside of her body, on her back, and her shoulder. Heat ran though her body. She became very hot, so she took off her coat. She told the people in the room: “Mastser is taking care of me. I’m not cold anymore.” With tears in her eyes, she said: “I sold counterfeit drugs, so I have accumulated a lot of karma. That’s why I was arrested. I was beaten badly. Bruises covered my body, but it’s all worth it because I obtained Dafa in here. I must diligently practice after I get out.” A few days later, she was released. I was very happy for her.
One day, some deaf and mute girls came in because they had committed theft. I clarified the truth to them by gestures and written language. After they understood me, they all quit the CCP and its related organizations. I also told them to ask their parents to quit after they were released. One of them did not have a case, so she was released about 20 days later. When the police notified her, she shouted to me: “Falun Dafa Hao.” Although she could not pronounce every word clearly, we could understand her. We looked at each other and smiled.
Every evening the people in my cell would sit in rows to sing Dafa songs such as “Be Saved,” “Looking for the Truth,” “Thank You, Master,” and “Coming for You.” Our loud singing could be heard in the whole hallway. Sometimes after we finished singing, we could hear some pop songs coming from other cells. Then we would sing again.
Before I was going to be transferred to the prison I thought: I will wrap up what I need to do here in the detention center without any regret. I will shout out the words from the bottom of my heart and encourage my fellow practitioners. Master knows disciples’ hearts and the miracle happened.
Every day at 8 a.m. the speaker would sound and then the inmates would start to stamp their feet and recite the prison rules. But on the day I was leaving it was already 8:30 a.m. and the speaker was still quiet. The police took me out of the cell and I ran to the end of the hallway and shouted loudly, “Falun Dafa is good!” “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance is good!” “Falun Dafa is good! The whole world knows!” “Falun Dafa is the righteous Fa!” and “Falun Dafa has been framed!” I was shouting nonstop and everyone from the cells looked out. The police didn’t know what to do. After I got in the car the team lead asked others, “Who is on duty today? How come the speaker made no sound?” Others said, “Right, what happened? Look, she was able to shout so loudly.”
3. Negate the old force’s arrangement fundamentally; walk my own path uprightly
In “Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference” Master says:
“We negate even the very emergence of the old forces and everything that they’ve arranged; we don’t even acknowledge their existence. We’re fundamentally negating all of their things, and all of, and only, the things you do while negating and getting rid of them is mighty-virtue. It’s not that you’re cultivating amidst the ordeals they created. Rather, you are to walk your own path well while not acknowledging them, not even acknowledging the elimination of their ordeals’ manifestations.”
I realized Master’s Fa and walked my own path down to earth. I was detained for three years, four months, and six days in total at the police station, detention center, court, and prison. During these days, I was able to negate the old forces and their arrangements, never cooperate with the evil and refuse to recite the prison rules, report to the guards, have my picture taken, stamp my thumbprint, sign my name, or do forced labor. All their rules for the criminals didn’t work on me. It’s not that I was walking my path amidst the old forces arrangements, but the old forces did not exist in my mind. I looked at them like nothing, and did not try to sense the feeling of being detained.
Wherever I was detained, I was upright and acted in a reasonable manner. I didn’t commit any crime. I was not afraid, and Master and Dafa were in my heart. I was so proud of the title “Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple.” I clarified the truth to everyone I met there and disclosed the persecution. I did this in order to save them, just like what Master says:
“Dafa disciples’ working against the persecution is what takes place on the surface, but the reality is that these are acts of saving people, saving sentient beings.” (“Clarification”)
I did not worry about my own safety or feel any grievance. I was smiling every day and it was not fake—it was the true reflection of my state of mind.
In the prison, when the inmates encounter any police, they have to step aside and face the wall. One day when the district director walked towards me, I was facing her and did not step aside. She turned to me and said, “You have a benign countenance and don’t look like a bad person.” She felt the beauty of Dafa that I showed to her.
In the Masanjia Labor Camp, one day the notorious team lead Wang wanted me to stamp my thumbprint and I refused. She grabbed my hand and asked another police officer to help. I warned her that it was no use because coercion cannot change people’s hearts. I also sent forth righteous thoughts and asked for Master’s help. Then the miracle happened. When I took my hand back, she almost fell down. She stepped back and hit the wall. Then she jumped up to grab my hand again. When I took my hand back, she almost fell down again. It happened three times like this. At last her mind was not clear and she gave up.
In prison, I was detained in the area that makes clothes. The first day the team lead let an inmate bring several items to me and a practitioner who had been “transformed”—her job was to monitor me. Our task was to cut loose threads on clothing. When the transformed practitioner was about to get the scissors I told her in front of the team lead, “You can get them for yourself. I am not going to do it.” The team lead said, “The job is not heavy and everyone has to work.” I answered confidently, “To work is to be re-educated. I didn’t commit any crime and don’t need to be re-educated. Therefore I don’t need to work. Although it’s not a hard job, I am not going to do it. This is a matter of principle. It’s a humiliation and I can’t condone it.”
One day, a director who was specifically in charge of “transforming” practitioners gave me a book slandering Dafa. I took it and dumped it into the trash can immediately. She was scared and picked it out of the trash can. She gave me three similar books and I tore them all. Once she wanted to get one of the books back from me to give to another practitioner. I told her I tore them up. She said to me madly, “If you don’t want to read it that’s fine. But why did you destroy it?” I answered, “It’s full of lies and reverses black and white. I can’t let those lies poison others.” I thought to myself, “This is my responsibility as a Dafa disciple.” Then she left bitterly.
Once, on their way to work, three inmates pushed a practitioner who was nearly 70 years old to the ground. I heard about it and learned that the practitioner was shouting, “Falun Dafa is good!” I was moved to tears. I measured it with Master’s Fa and knew what to do. I first talked to my team lead who was getting better and better because I often clarified the truth to her. She said, “Now it’s good for you that nobody monitors you. It’s none of your business.” I said, “No, her business is my business too. We are fellow practitioners. I can’t let inmates beat any of us. Please inform the director that I need to talk to her.” My team lead reported to the director but the director was afraid and refused to talk to me. At that time my son happened to drive five hours to the prison to visit me. So they threatened me that they wouldn’t let me see my son if I continued to speak up for the practitioner. I knew that Dafa has solemn dignity and Dafa disciples are one body. I was determined to help out even if they wouldn’t let me see my son. Finally I was unable to see my son and he left sadly. I protested and went on a hunger strike. Before I started I asked myself whether I was determined to do it. My answer was, my life was given by Dafa, I wouldn’t feel any pity if I had to lose my life for Dafa. My hunger strike lasted for three days and under Master’s care, I didn’t feel hungry. A big black mark on my face that had been there for over 40 years also disappeared. I knew it was encouragement from Master. On the fourth day, the director worried that the incident would become worse so she came to see me. She punished the three inmates who abused the practitioner. Again I safeguarded Dafa and shocked and awed the bad people. As long as I see it, I won’t let anyone bully practitioners!
One day that director called me to her office. I walked in with my chin up and a smile on my face. She said, “You are such an outlaw that you walked into my office like passing a township gate and you didn’t even report to me.” I said, “Director, it has been such a long time, how come you still don’t understand that I am not a criminal. So you can’t manage me like a criminal.” She turned to the other two police in the office and said, “I’m mad today. Our district lost points because of her and we will have fewer bonuses this year. There are more than 50 Falun Gong practitioners and she is the only one that doesn’t work at all.” Then she turned to me, “Aren’t you cultivating compassion? Why don’t you think uprightly for everybody else? We have worked hard for a whole year.” I said, “Director, this is the fault of the Communist Party and not mine. It’s they who are harmful to both you and me. Now you are talking about being upright. You have known Falun Gong practitioners for so many years and you know they are good people and the most righteous. But only for your position and money, when your boss tells you to say we are evil you will say so; when they tell you to ‘transform’ us you would ‘transform’ us. If they tell you to say the charcoal is white you would say it’s white—are you being upright? But I’m truly being upright when I say ‘Falun Dafa is good’ while in danger of losing my life. I’m not afraid of the detention and I dare to say no—do you dare? Who is upright, you or me?” She was so mad that she didn’t say a word and left the room. The other police in the office said, “Look, you made her so mad that she was shaking.” Then the two police laughed. In fact no one likes those who persecute Falun Gong.
Before I was released, the team lead and the director said, “You never signed anything since you came. Today you have to sign the release notice yourself.” I smiled, “I was not supposed to be here in the first place. There is no concept of release or not, and I am not going to sign it.” The team lead had no choice and signed for me.
Lawyer saved caring for the kind-hearted
I asked my family to hire a lawyer for my case. I knew him before when I went to his law firm to clarify the truth. He is a righteous person and I helped him to quit the CCP. He was happy to work on my case. The more he knew about the case the more truth he learned. He said, “Auntie, I admire you so much. You are very kind-hearted and suffer for others without any regrets.”
At the court, he passionately defended me and kept appealing for acquittal. When the judge sentenced me to three years in prison I shouted out “Falun Dafa is good!” “Falun Dafa is the righteous Fa!” “Belief is not a crime!” and “Falun Dafa has been framed up!” My lawyer was moved to tears and he told others later, “I have been a lawyer for over 10 years and I have never been shocked or awed like this before. Her shouting made me feel immediately that the CCP is truly to be destroyed! It has to be destroyed. I had tears in my eyes.”
When I walked out of the court, there was a young policeman next to me who was shocked too. He almost shouted to me, “Auntie, go appeal! You must appeal!” I said, “Sure I will. Thank you.”
One day my lawyer brought the director of his law firm to visit me. I clarified the truth to him and he agreed. I asked him to quit the CCP. My lawyer said to him, “You should quit and listen to the auntie. She can’t be wrong.” Then the director also quit the CCP happily.
Someone from the Bureau of Justice threatened my lawyer but he was not afraid. He worked on another practitioner’s case later. It was a couple and the cultivation status of the wife was not very good at that time. But when she saw the lawyer defending them bravely in the court she was encouraged and got rid of her human attachments.
One month after my appeal to the intermediate court, my conviction was upheld. Although I knew appealing wouldn’t help much in my case, what I wanted was the process. I looked at the appeal as an opportunity to clarify the truth, validate the Fa, and save sentient beings. Many people who were involved in my appeal were saved. Before I was transferred to the prison, my lawyer visited me again at the detention center, which I could never forget. He reached his hands into the window behind the bars and held my cuffed hands and said, “Auntie, you have to take good care of yourself in the prison. The CCP can do any evil things.” I understood what he worried about and said, “Rest assured, I will be fine and they dare not!” Tears came out of both of our eyes. We held each other’s hands for a very long time—a saved life caring for the kind-hearted and building up his mighty virtue!
Master cares with compassion and a disciple cultivates diligently
Under Master’s care, during my detention, I helped over 100 people, including police officers, lawyers, and criminals, quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. And among them, nine people started to practice.
During the detention I was able to be upright and did not cooperate with the evil mainly because of my two understandings. First, I have to let go of life and death. When a practitioner lets go of life and death, life and death will be far away from you; when a practitioner lets go of being persecuted, the persecution will be far away from you. I had a deep understanding of
“If you can let go of life and death, you’re a God; if you can’t let go of life and death, you’re a human—this is the difference.” (“Lectures in the United States, Teaching the Fa in New York City”)
Second, do the three things that Master wants us to do well. To measure everything with Dafa and to look inward can help me see the truth of what was happening. Validating the Fa is such a sacred thing that I have to have a very pure heart and be unselfish and compassionate. I have to always think of others. When I was able to do it I could feel that Master was by me all the time. As long as I did things based on the Fa, everything was taken care of by Master.
I had lots of help from fellow practitioners while I was detained. They made truth clarification booklets and clarified the truth as one body, which shocked and awed the evil greatly. I sincerely thank fellow practitioners inside and outside of China, especially those in our area. They sent forth righteous thoughts together close by where I was detained and formed a righteous thoughts energy field. The rarest was that some practitioners overcame lots of difficulties and passed Master’s “Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference” to me. I was so happy and cherished it so much that I memorized the whole lecture.
Master said: “In this world, the ordeals that Master faces, as with the accompanying pressure, come in numbers greater than tens of thousands each day, yet no one has managed to make me waver, and that cannot be done. No one can alter what I want to do. No one can alter it, no matter what form the ordeals that I face take. The same holds true for your validating the Fa.”
Master’s Fa encouraged me and my righteous thoughts became stronger and stronger. Over three years have passed, and just like Master says:
“No matter what hardships or ups and downs Dafa disciples have gone through along the way, in retrospect, those were but a means of tempering you. It has made you more mature and helped you to remove your human attachments in the process, culminating in your progression towards Consummation. That is the path you have traveled. When you look back, you will find that to be the case.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference”)
During the over three years of detention, I could feel Master was caring for me at every moment. I would not have been able to pass it without Master or Dafa. I deeply appreciate Master and Dafa. Now I have come to a more relaxing environment that has no test for letting go of life and death, but there will be other forms of tests and hardships. Every minute I remind myself not to relax and think about everything based on Fa. I can only do better and better. I will cooperate with overseas fellow practitioners to help Master rectify the Fa and save more sentient beings. I will walk well the final leg of my journey and follow master to return to consummation. Thank you, Master. Thank you, fellow practitioners.
Chinese Version: http://www.zhengjian.org/node/111828
