Clearwisdom.net, Sunday, November 27, 2005
Clearwisdom.net, Sunday, November 27, 2005
Facts of the Persecution
Dafa Practitioner Li Yequan Needs Immediate Rescue: He Is on the Verge of Death, His Esophagus Ruptured during Forced-Feeding
Three Falun Gong Practitioners in the Provinces of Hubei, Heilongjiang and Jilin Died As a Result of Persecution
My Personal Experience in Dabei Prison
Five Falun Gong Practitioners Attempted an Escape from the Brutal Persecution at the No. 2 Labor Camp of Shandong Province
News and Events from Around the World
Germany: Dafa Practitioners Rally to Condemn Persecution During Shandong Governor's Visit to Bavaria (Photo)
Denmark: Practitioners Read Falun Dafa Association Announcement in Front of Chinese Embassy (Photos)
Houston, Texas: Hundreds of Thousands View Dafa Practitioners' Procession in Thanksgiving Day Parade (Photos)
Russia: Introducing Falun Gong and Exposing the Persecution at the Fourth International Cultural Festival in Moscow (Photos)
Photo Report from France: Children from the Province of Nord-Pas-de-Calais Support Their Chinese Friends
Italy: "We really feel very good!" (Photos)
USA: Promoting Falun Dafa in a Small City in Alabama (Photos)
Germany: Exposing the Persecution to the Citizens of Kassel (Photo)
Open Forum
Victims of the Persecution Are Not Limited to Practitioners
Articles from the Second Mainland China Internet Experience Sharing Conference
Return to Your Original Self and Step Away from The Old Forces' Arrangements
Master's Words Are the Power Behind Our Righteous Thoughts
Adjusting the Starting Point, Breaking out of Constraints, and Redressing Myself
Practitioners Should Assist Each Other and Strive Forward Diligently
Practitioners Exchange Insights and Experiences
How Reciting the Fa Raised My Xinxing Level
Master Is Always Beside Us
Western Practitioner: Truly Following Teacher's Requirements by Doing All Three Things Well
Several Stories of Counseling People on Withdrawing from the CCP
Many Methods Succeed in Efforts to Save Sentient Beings
Media Reports
Pacific Magazine, CNMI: Falun Gong Practitioner Gets Refugee Status
News from China
Latest News from China - November 16, 2005
193 People Declare that their Words and Deeds Under Forced Brainwashing are Null and Void
Summary of Other Articles and News - November 18, 2005
Practitioners' Music
Music: A Predestined Relationship for the Next Life
Traditional Chinese Culture
Respecting a Person with High Virtue Keeps the Enemy Away
Story of an Ancient Cultivator: Words Spoken by an Ulcer with a Human Face
Facts of the Persecution
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Dafa Practitioner Li Yequan Needs Immediate Rescue: He Is on the Verge of Death, His Esophagus Ruptured during Forced-Feeding
(Clearwisdom.net) On September 23, 2005, Mr. Li Yequan, a Dafa practitioner from Daqing City, Heilongjiang Province was illegally arrested. Li Yequan immediately began a hunger strike, demanding to be released without any charges. However, he was brutally persecuted through forced-feeding. His esophagus was ruptured from repeated forced-feeding, and he frequently loses consciousness from the unbearable pain. His health is in a critical state.
On September 27, the Daqing City Public Security Bureau, the Judicial Bureau, the 610 Office and the forced labor camp held a joint meeting which lasted the whole night. They had Ruan Dianlong, the deputy secretary of the Daqing Municipal Party Committee, sign a warrant to send Li Yequan to the Daqing Forced Labor Camp.
Because the lab report on Mr. Li's blood showed that his white blood cell count was over 20,000, the Daqing Forced Labor Camp refused to take him. But under pressure from Cao Liwei, the chief of the Public Security Bureau, who claimed that Deputy Secretary Ruan Dianlong had already signed the warrant, the labor camp had no choice but to accept Li Yequan.
Li Yequan was imprisoned in the Second Section of Daqing Forced Labor Camp, which is specifically designated for the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners. The police handcuffed and shackled Li Yequan and force-fed him every night after 6:30 p.m. They force-fed Li with liquor many times and even spat their phlegm into his mouth.
Li Yequan's esophagus has been ruptured from frequent force-feeding. The pain that he has to endure is so unbearable that he has fainted many times. According to witnesses, the brutal force-feeding of Li Yequan by the police is a scene too horrible for description by any language. Li Yequan's health remains in precarious condition.
Falun Gong practitioners Wang Bin, He Huajiang, and Lu Bingshen were all persecuted to death in the same section of the labor camp. Swift action may save Li Yequan from a similar fate.
Telephone numbers of the persecutors:
Ruan Dianlong, Daqing Municipal Party Committee: 86-459-6186776, 86-459-6371988(Home)
Daqing Municipal Public Security Bureau:
Cao Liwei, chief of bureau: 86-459-6371699
Cao Zhenhe, commissar: 86-459-6373066, 86-459-6280888(Home) 86-13329500002(Cell)
Lin Guoli, deputy chief: 86-459-6375026, 86-459-6986708(Home), 86-13329500003(Cell)
Liang Ximing, deputy chief: 86-459-6390005, 86-459-6390988(Home), 86-13329500004(Cell)
Wei Chunhua, deputy chief: 86-459-6398889, 86-459-6381983(Home), 86-13329500005(Cell)
Hao Dejiang, deputy chief: 86-459-6375029, 86-459-6381516(Home), 86-13329500006(Cell)
Liu Yong, deputy chief: 86-459-6374899, 86-459-6292999(Home), 86-13329500007(Cell)
Lan Yingjie, deputy chief: 86-459-6688059, 86-459-6689098(Home), 86-13329500008(Cell)
Wang Chunru, director of the politics department: 86-459-6368499, 86-459-4688828(Home), 86-13329500009(Cell)
Gao Zhenbo, office director: 86-459-6683926(Home), 86-13329390299(Cell)
Daqing City Detention Center:
Du Zhenjiang, director: 86-459-4616098, 86-459-4667179(Home), 86-13936726888(Cell)
Bai Yunshan, instructor: 86-459-4616090, 86-459-6256942(Home), 86-13059043155(Cell)
Feng Haibo, deputy director: 86-459-4616162, 86-459-6211479(Home), 86-13089051888(Cell)
Yang Baomin, deputy director: 86-459-4616159, 86-459-6686076(Home), 86-13836720062(Cell)
Daqing City Public Security Bureau:
Lin Zhisheng: 86-459-6281231, 86-459-6688448(Home), 86-13604651999(Cell)
Wang Xiyan, secretary: 86-459-6181232, 86-459-4611878(Home), 86-13904591292 (Cell)
Daqing Forced Labor Camp:
Ying Chengli, director: 86-459-4326808, 86-459-6369698(Home), 86-13329390528(Cell)
Song Huidong, commissar: 86-459-4326800, 86-459-6378169(Home), 86-13329390559(Cell)
Wang Xijun, secretary: 86-459-4326766, 86-459-6378059(Home), 86-13936719220(Cell)
Wang Yongxiang, deputy director: 86-459-4680996, 86-459-4631816(Home), 86-13194599933(Cell)
Xing Mengchang, deputy director: 86-459-4602956, 86-459-5184456(Home), 86-13945949260(Cell)
Shao Tiemin, deputy director: 86-459-4326111, 86-459-6188998(Home), 86-13091660111(Cell)
Hao Shulin, deputy director: 86-459-4326909, 86-459-4661473(Home)
Sun Baihua, deputy director: 86-459-4326911, 86-459-5815009(Home), 86-13936955209(Cell)
Han Qingshan, chief of administration section: 86-459-4326508, 86-459-6366790(Home), 86-13945990055(Cell)
Yang Tao, deputy chief of administration section: 86-459-4326919, 86-459-6190964(Home), 86-13936997200(Cell)
Zhang Mingzhu, deputy chief of the Second Brigade: 86-459-6372188(Home), 86-13804679123(Cell) (Zhang Mingzhu's address: room 0-2-2-101 Dongfeng village. He was the prime culprit responsible for the deaths of Falun Gong practitioners He Huajiang and Lu Bingshen)
Daqing Politics and Law Committee:
Li Dong, deputy secretary: 86-459-6392011, 86-459-6387336(Home), 86-13904696199(Cell)
Wang Gui, deputy secretary: 86-459-6372469, 86-459-6381758(Home), 86-13904890661(Cell)
November 10, 2005
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Three Falun Gong Practitioners in the Provinces of Hubei, Heilongjiang and Jilin Died As a Result of Persecution
(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Gong Xinan, 66 years old, lived in Liuhe Village, Liuhe Town, Qichun County in Hebei Province. In October 1999, after the persecution started, he went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong. He was illegally arrested and held at the Wuzhuang Detention Center in Qichun County for six months. He was released after the authorities extorted 1,500 yuan from him. Late at night on January 25, 2001, police officers Chen Hanjiang and Zhang Sheng arrested him at home and tortured him savagely at the police department. They stripped him naked in the freezing winter. Then they forced him to take a cold shower and turned an electric fan on him. He was later sent to the county detention center and detained for another six months. The brutal persecution and abuse by the Chinese Communist Party mentally and physically traumatized Mr. Gong. He passed away on June 28, 2003.
Practitioner Ms. Zhang Yuzhi, 54 years old, lived in Dongguan Village, Dongguan Town, Shuangcheng City in Heilongjiang Province. She used to suffer from various illnesses. After she began to practice Falun Gong she was cured of her illnesses. On July 20, 1999, when the persecution started, the local police ransacked Ms. Zhang's home and imposed a huge fine on her. After constant harassment from the police, Ms. Zhang showed severe symptoms of illness. She passed away on October 9, 2005.
Practitioner Ms. Zhen Shuzhen was a teacher at the Liaoyuan City Vocational School in Jilin Province. Before she started practicing Falun Dafa practice in 1996 she had diabetes. She quickly recovered after she started Dafa practice. After July 20, 1999, officials from her workplace and from the police station coerced Ms. Zhen into writing a guarantee statement. Her old illnesses returned and she passed away on October 27, 2005.
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My Personal Experience in Dabei Prison
(Clearwisdom.net) I had an unsuccessful marriage. I also experienced the pain of being separated from my son. It was very hard for me to raise my daughter alone, especially in view of her eccentric and irritable personality. On top of all this, my body was tormented by numerous diseases, and I lost all hope toward life. Many times I thought of ending my life, but for the sake of my daughter, I felt I had to continue living in this human world.
April 20, 1996, was a day I will never forget. It was on this day that I learned Falun Dafa. Later, my daughter learned it as well. The two of us bathed in the wonders of Falun Dafa, and our minds and bodies experienced great changes. For the first time in our lives, we experienced the happiness of living free of any illnesses.
Jiang Zemin and the evil Chinese Communist Party (CCP), however, tried to destroy Falun Dafa and in 1999 started to persecute Falun Dafa practitioners. In 2001, when I went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Dafa, I was illegally arrested and held in a detention center. The abominable living environment there severely damaged my mind and body. At the same time, evil demons and rotten ghosts from other dimensions also tried to interfere with me, and my attachments all surfaced. Because of this, my spirit totally crumbled. I did something I should not have done, and I felt terribly sorry toward Teacher. However, other Falun Dafa disciples did not look down on me. Rather, they helped me in many ways and treated me with compassion.
I was sentenced to three years in prison and sent to the Dabei Prison in Liaoning Province. During this period of time, I had no righteous thoughts. I was sinking deeper and deeper into the mud pit of deviant thoughts. Each night I had one nightmare after another. One night, shortly after I had fallen asleep, I heard what seemed to be my mother's voice saying, "The consequence you're facing is being thrown into hell!" I was very frightened and realized that I was wrong to have given in to the evil and said bad things against Falun Dafa. So the next time I went outside to work at forced labor, I cried out loudly, "Falun Dafa is a righteous Fa!" Two male prison guards, Gao Jie and Li Guang, immediately started to kick and punch me, grabbing my head and smashing it into a wall. But every day I continued to cry out, "Falun Dafa is good!"
The prison guards did not allow me to go to bathroom; many times I soiled my pants. In the winter, they forced me to sit on the cement floor and tied me up with ropes every day. Whenever I cried out, male prisoners, including Li Jing, would beat me fiercely. They forced my mouth open and stuffed it with rags or with my own socks, which they had taken off my feet. Then they used bandages to gag me. They also pulled my hair to the point that much of it came out. Every day I was forced to endure hardships like these.
Once, two prisoners, Zhang Xiuhua and Zhu Xiaoxia (both female), used an iron rod to force things into my mouth, causing me to have difficulty in breathing and making my mouth bleed severely. They also used ropes to bind my head, hands, and feet. Four or five of them kicked and punched me, stepped on my head and stomach, and used handcuffs and ropes to bind my hands and feet in such a way that I was fixed in one spot, unable to move. Sometimes they would tie me to the central heating pipes so I could neither sit nor stand, but only squat on my knees or bend over at the waist.
One night in January 2004, when I was outside working, I cried out again, "Falun Dafa is good! Falun Dafa is a righteous Fa! Falun Dafa is a cosmic, great Fa! Falun Dafa is a highly virtuous, great Fa! Falun Dafa saves sentient beings! Falun Dafa is Truth-Compassion-Forbearance!"
Four or five male prisoners, including Quan Xiujie, dragged me into an empty building, ripped off all my clothes, spread my arms and legs out, and tied them to a bed. They poured cold water onto my head and filled my nose with hot pepper juice. They also made me bend over a washboard, placed a bucket of cold water on my back, forced my hands into cold water, and poured cold water all over my body. Meanwhile, they opened the window and forced me to bend over the windowsill in the same position. Then they invited the most vicious people from the other units to come and torture me. Again they tied me onto the bed, with both of my feet soaked in cold water, while they constantly poured cold water onto my head. They then pushed me under the bed and kicked me. They continued such torture day and night, not letting me get any sleep for four days and four nights. My body turned purple and blue from their pinches, my eye sockets also turned blue, and my body weight decreased from 155 pounds to 100 pounds. The division chief said openly, "It is all right for us to do whatever we want to Falun Gong practitioners." They tried to force me to write a so-called repentance statement, which I refused to write. When they pressured me again, I wrote down what I wanted. They were very angry and tore up what I had written. They then wrote something in place of my statement and handed it in.
After I was released from the prison, I felt ashamed of what I had done to Teacher. However, other Falun Dafa disciples did not give up on me. Instead, they kindly helped me, allowing me to eliminate many of my incorrect notions. I experienced the compassion of our great Master.
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Five Falun Gong Practitioners Attempted an Escape from the Brutal Persecution at the No. 2 Labor Camp of Shandong Province
(Clearwisdm.net) On October 24, 2002, five Falun Gong practitioners walked out of the No. 2 Labor Camp of Shandong Province. The practitioners were Xia Binquan, Liu Xiujun, Pan Weiyou, Shang Weifeng and Duan Daode. It is the first and largest group escape that we are aware of since the establishment of the forced labor system. The staff of the No. 10 Division at the No. 2 Labor Camp of Shandong Province, which was in charge of persecuting Falun Gong practitioners, was disbanded. Several guards were transferred from this "special division." Chief Zhao Yongming, Instructor Li Gongming and Commissar Wang Jiayong were replaced and many guards were fined and transferred. The detained Falun Gong practitioners' forced labor hours were dramatically reduced. Some practitioners who went astray under the pressure of the persecution are now clearheaded.
A large number of guards jumped into cars to drive after the escaping Falun Gong practitioners, who had left through the entrance to the labor camp. The local artillery troop was also called in to help with the search. The men got almost two and a half miles away before they were caught. The practitioners were confined, kicked, beaten with electric batons and hung up by handcuffs. They were deprived of sleep for an extended period of time. Their bodies were covered with wounds from the torture. A permanent scar was left on Pan Weiyou's face. Those who knew of the escape plan, including Li Liansheng, Li Changsheng, Ran Xiangming, Ji Yongshi and Liu Hongmao, were persecuted by having their detention terms extended.
The No. 2 Labor Camp of Shandong Province, also called Wangcun Labor Camp, is in Zibo City, Shandong Province. It includes four sub-camps. According to an incomplete count, by July of 2005, eight Falun Gong practitioners had been tortured to the point of mental collapse and 23 practitioners were tortured to death in Wangcun Labor Camp.
According to the Clearwisdom.net website, in September of 2000, the Third Sub-camp of Wangcun Labor Camp started to detain male Falun Gong practitioners in Shandong Province, while the Fourth Sub-camp detained female practitioners. The orders to do so were given by the Forced Labor Education Department of Shandong Province. Since 2001, Wangcun Labor Camp has enslaved Falun Gong practitioners to produce large amounts of items for export to Russia, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong and other countries. The so-called No. 10 Division ("Special Division"), which focuses on the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, enslaved lots of Falun Gong practitioners. Falun Gong practitioners in three other divisions were also forcibly enslaved.
Since October 21, 2003, the forced labor camps in Shandong Province have employed "group brainwashing" on practitioners who firmly believe in Falun Dafa, in attempts to force them to "transform." The No. 2 Labor Camp of Shandong Province confined practitioners who did not yield under brutal torture to a particular floor of a building, and secretly carried out "strict management" measures. Four guards monitored the floor constantly and the practitioners under strict management were kept from talking and sleeping. If anyone appeared drowsy, two guards would make him go for a run or they would punch him. If the practitioner still remained drowsy, the guards would hold his head under the faucet and douse his head with cold water. After becoming alert, he would be forced to stand for a long duration. The standing positions are difficult to endure, for example "standing on one leg." Some practitioners were handcuffed to a bunk bed. Their legs were spread and handcuffed to opposite ends of the bed, while their hands were separated and handcuffed to the upper part of the bed. Since the labor camp blocks information very strictly, many other torture means are unknown at this time.
Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Wang Shaoqing, 42 years old, former section chief of the No. 2 Cotton Factory in Wucheng County, Dezhou City, had been held in Wangcun Labor Camp since 2001. In the labor camp, Falun Gong practitioners are forced to perform slave labor continuously from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m., with only a ten-minute break to eat. The food is very sparse and bad. The camp cooks sprinkle salt onto radish leaves and call it pickles, and ten people share one small bowl of these non-nutritious pickles. The conditions are terrible beyond imagination. When Mr. Wang Shaoqing asked the officials to reduce the labor hours and improve the working and living environment, the guards stretched his arms horizontally, hung him up and beat him to force him to "acknowledge he was wrong." After Wang Shaoqing was released, he continued to tell people, "Falun Dafa is good." In 2003, he was illegally detained and tortured in a mental hospital for a year, which caused him to suffer a mental collapse. He passed away in July 2005.
The labor camp still detains more than 200 Falun Gong practitioners. The two-pronged persecution of both mind and body brings huge suffering to countless practitioners and their families.
November 20, 2005
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News and Events from Around the World
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Germany: Dafa Practitioners Rally to Condemn Persecution During Shandong Governor's Visit to Bavaria (Photo)
(Clearwisdom.net) "What a cold day! Your courage is truly admirable," a policeman told practitioners. He had just gotten out of his warm vehicle, and the piercing wind already made him shiver.
On November 23, 2005, the Governor of Bavaria was holding a banquet for visiting Shandong Province Governor, Han Yuqun, in the Palace in Munich. Outside the palace, practitioners rallied to condemn the severe persecution of their Chinese fellows by the Shandong government. In a world of ice and snow, practitioners practiced the five sets of Falun Gong exercises and sent forth righteous thoughts. When Han and his delegation arrived, the practitioners called aloud: "Falun Dafa is good! Stop the persecution of Falun Gong!"
Despite the cold weather, practitioners rallied to condemn the persecution in China
Since the persecution started in July 1999, at least 281 practitioners have been persecuted to death in Shandong Province, ranking it 5th among all the provinces of the communist state for their brutality in the persecution.
The first death case reported by the Minghui/Clearwisdom website was Zhao Jinhua of Zhaoyuan City, Shandong Province. Ms. Zhao, 42, was illegally arrested by Zhangxing Township Police Station on September 27, 1999. Ten days later, Zhao Jinhua died at the police station. Her death raised a sensation around the world, and the CCP's (Chinese Communist Party) atrocity was widely condemned by all nations that support justice and by kindhearted people worldwide.
In addition, the first death that was reported in depth by foreign media was from Shandong Province as well. Ms. Chen Zixiu, 59, was a practitioner from Weifang City, Shandong Province. After being unlawfully detained for 5 days, on February 21 2000, Ms. Chen was beaten to death by officials. Ian Johnson, a reporter from the Wall Street Journal, received the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for his series of articles on the persecution of Falun Gong. The first article he wrote was on Chen Zixiu's death.
The persecution has lasted more than 6 years. While the governorship of Shandong Province has been transferred from Wu Guanzheng (promoted to the Central Government in acknowledgment of his harsh persecution of Falun Gong) to Han Yuqun, the persecution has never stopped.
In this month alone, reports on the persecution of practitioners in Shandong are too many to count. For example, Wang Shuhua of Zhaoyuan, Ma Wenlong and Yu Chuanqi of Yangguo County, Liang Chunyan of Weifang, Li Qingmei, Liu Guifang, Cui Fenglan and Zhou Huajun of Chiping County have been unlawfully arrested, and Yao Guizhen, Bai Jiazhen, Yu Zhenghong and Han Yusheng have been persecuted to death.
During the very first day of Han Yunqun's visit to Germany, the Minghui/Clearwisdom website reported another persecution case in Shandong: In the beginning of November, the 610 Office of Huantai County arrested Chi Yongzhi who is in his 60s and sent him to Zibo City Brainwashing Center.
The purpose of the practitioners' rally at the palace was to tell Shandong officials to immediately stop the persecution. Otherwise, they will be held accountable for all the crimes they have committed. Though Han's delegation left the palace from the back door after the banquet, they still ran into some practitioners who were waiting there. From several meters away, the practitioners shouted loudly: "Falun Dafa is Good! "Stop the persecution of Falun Gong! "Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice!" Many of the officials were shocked by the courage of the practitioners.
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Denmark: Practitioners Read Falun Dafa Association Announcement in Front of Chinese Embassy (Photos)
(Clearwisdom.net) On November 23, Danish practitioners gathered in front of the Chinese Embassy to read the "Falun Dafa Association Announcement" in both Chinese and English.
The announcement was published on October 9, 2005. Danish practitioners faxed the announcement to all divisions of the Embassy about one month ago. To let more Embassy staff know about this important information and thus give them further opportunity to make their conscious choice, practitioners came to the Embassy to confer this important message by reading it aloud.
The announcement stated: "Ever since the publication of The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, Chinese people have more clearly recognized the nature of the CCP and the evil nature of the persecution. More than 4.8 million have withdrawn from the CCP and its related organizations. Heaven's destruction of the CCP is a historical inevitability. Gods must punish those criminals who have sinned against Falun Dafa. Those who refuse to do the right thing and instead continue to follow Jiang's scoundrel regime's persecution policies will be severely punished as perpetrators of unforgivable crimes."
When accepting an interview, practitioner Ms. Wu said: "The CCP (Chinese Communist Party) has persecuted Falun Gong for more than six years. With practitioners' tireless truth-clarifying efforts, many kind-hearted people have awakened to the truth and have thus chosen to not follow the CCP. However, there are still some CCP officials, including staff members of the Embassy, who are still participating in the persecution. Last August, we sued Jia Chunwang, one of the chief perpetrators, for torture. It serves as a warning to all other people involved in the persecution. We will resort to legal measures against all those who choose to follow the CCP in the persecution."
The announcement goes on to say, "The CCP regime is against heaven's will, and is about to collapse. It is now having difficulty sustaining the persecution. Heaven's final judgment of these evil criminals is imminent. However, one of the purposes of the sacred FA of Falun Gong is to save people, including people in all social statuses. Even for those who have committed wrongdoings, there is still an opportunity for them to abandon the evil path and choose to be good. For all those who have committed crimes against Falun Gong but want now to correct their mistakes, they can submit, under safe circumstances, a guarantee statement or regret letter to Minghui (Clearwisdom.net) or to any regional Falun Dafa Association to be archived. We will not investigate the various crimes of those who are determined to correct their mistakes. However we will continue to monitor their actions."
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Houston, Texas: Hundreds of Thousands View Dafa Practitioners' Procession in Thanksgiving Day Parade (Photos)
(Clearwisdom.net) On November 24, a grand Thanksgiving Day Parade was held in downtown Houston, Texas. This is the 56th annual parade in the fourth largest city in the U.S. According to the organizing committee, the parade has been improving every year, and it was estimated that more than 100,000 people came out to watch the parade while more than 400,000 watched it on television at home.
Falun Dafa "Truth, Compassion, Tolerance" banner
Falun Gong exercise demonstration
Minghui Chinese school students
The parade started at 9 a.m. promptly, led by a dozen women on horseback and the Mayor's limousine. Among many other parade entries, there were school students' skating groups, H-E-B's float, MacDonald's big shoe, firefighters, and cleaning trucks. This is the third time for Dafa practitioners to participate in the parade, and their placement was promoted to the first ten units in the parade lineup, from almost the end of the procession as it was in previous years.
The 100-practitioner strong Falun Gong group consisted of several parts: a Falun Dafa "Truth, Compassion, Tolerance" banner, a Falun Gong exercise demonstrating troupe, a Tang Dynasty attire troupe, a waist drum and Tang drum troupe, Minghui Chinese School students and another "Falun Dafa" banner.
Traditional dance performance
Waist drum performance
Joyful spectators
Along the parade route, practitioners repeatedly received warm applause from the spectators. Some also imitated the poses and movements of the practitioners who were demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises. There were also people who enjoyed the traditional Chinese attire and dance. Meanwhile, the drumbeats playing along with the song, "Falun Dafa is Good," were very refreshing. A lot of people tried to capture the precious scene with their cameras and camcorders.
The crew of a TV station which was broadcasting the parade live had the microphone of their video camera track the "Falun Dafa is Good" song until it reached the end of the cable. Following behind the practitioners' group, another reporter carried her video camera to record the group. The excited reporter asked, "Which group is this?" A practitioner then wrote in her notebook: "Falun Dafa." She was very happy and said: "Thank you, thank you!"
There were also some spectators who greeted the practitioners by saying, "Ni Hao" ["Hello" in Chinese]. More spectators, however, expressed their joy and appreciation with warm applause.
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Russia: Introducing Falun Gong and Exposing the Persecution at the Fourth International Cultural Festival in Moscow (Photos)
(Clearwisdom.net) On October 16th and 17th, 2005, Falun Gong practitioners in Moscow were invited to participate in the Fourth International Cultural Festival, which was held at the Moscow Art Centre. During the 2-day event, the practitioners gave two on-stage Falun Gong demonstrations and distributed a lot of informational materials to raise awareness of the ongoing brutal persecution in China.
Demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises
Demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises
Before the demonstration started, practitioners said to the audience, "We are going to demonstrate the five exercises of Falun Gong. Falun Gong is an ancient cultivation way. The practice not only helps people to regain healthy bodies but also improve their morality, making people more honest, compassionate and tolerant. It has already spread to more than seventy countries and regions in the world, with more than one hundred million practitioners. In Russia at present, there are more than twenty cities and regions, from Saint Petersburg on the Atlantic Coast to Karput on the Pacific Ocean, in which there are Falun Gong practitioners who practice the exercises and study the principles of Falun Dafa."
"However, since July 20, 1999, former Chinese President Jiang Zemin and the Chinese Communist Party have been persecuting kindhearted Falun Gong practitioners. They have put tens of thousands of people in prison, mental hospitals and labor camps. To date, it has been verified that 2,778 people have been persecuted to death. This persecution is not only against Falun Gong practitioners, but also tramples on human morality, justice, and conscience. We hope that all kindhearted people can learn the truth about the persecution, support justice and help stop the persecution."
The practitioners' introduction and the demonstration of the slow-moving peaceful exercises drew many people's attention.
Demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises
Many festival visitors were drawn to the exercise demonstration
A practitioner distributes truth-clarifying newspapers
Source http://clearharmony.net/articles/200511/30032.html
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Photo Report from France: Children from the Province of Nord-Pas-de-Calais Support Their Chinese Friends
(Clearwisdom.net) November 20th was Universal Children's Day, and French practitioners held a "Rescue Falun Gong Children Persecuted in China" event at the Human Rights Plaza in Paris. They presented an anti-torture exhibition, a photo exhibit and a Falun Gong exercise demonstration. In addition, they told the passersby that many children of practitioners have been orphaned due to the brutal persecution and have become destitute and homeless. During this day designated for children, they called on the public to pay close attention and help those innocent children.
Meditating
Re-enacting one of the torture methods used in China against practitioners
During the day, about 300 children from the Province of Nord-Pas-de-Calais came to the plaza to express their understanding of children's rights through the medium of painting. When they passed by the practitioners' site and learned about the suffering of the Chinese children who have lost their parents and can't go to school, some of these children expressed their support for their Chinese friends by making paintings and some accepted interviews by the Sound of Hope radio station to make their supportive voices heard. In addition, some children drew the sea, the sun and birds on a signature board and signed their names.
A little girl signs her name to express her concern for Chinese children of persecuted practitioners
Two little girls wrote, "Children' rights: China"
The suffering of the children of persecuted Falun Gong practitioners moved the French children's hearts
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Italy: "We really feel very good!" (Photos)
(Clearwisdom.net) From the 11th to the 13th of November 2005, the annual Biella Health Fair opened again. Italian Falun Gong practitioners participated in this fair for the third time, wishing to take this opportunity to allow more people to know about Falun Gong.
A lot of people came to the fair. Practitioners introduced to them the facts of the persecution of practitioners in China, demonstrated the exercises and distributed hand-made paper lotus flowers. The slow elegant exercise demonstration and the banners of "Truthfulness, Benevolence and Forbearance" which hung behind the exhibition stand attracted a lot of people's attention; they all stopped to look in surprise.
People come to learn Falun Gong
Many people stopped to learn more about Falun Gong
A lot of people stopped to talk to practitioners at the Falun Gong booth. They signed their names on the petition calling for the termination of the persecution. The nearby vendors were also very friendly and came to find out about the situation one after another, and signed the petition. Some even spent the time in learning how to fold the paper lotus flowers.
One gentleman, after reading the exhibition boards attentively, talked with the practitioners for a long time. He expressed his hope to help to do something to end the persecution. Practitioners talked about the courage of the practitioners in China for the past six years and the efforts by overseas practitioners in clarifying the truth. They also told him about the courageous deeds done by practitioners in China in order to help the Chinese people understand the truth of the evil persecution by the Chinese Communist Party. This gentleman was moved to tears.
People signed a petition calling for an end to the persecution of Falun Gong
The organizer offered practitioners two opportunities to demonstrate the exercises and to teach them to interested persons. The practitioners' demonstrations attracted a lot of people. A young man watched for a few minutes and then sighed, "It is truly beautiful!" Many visitors took the initiative to learn the exercises.
After having learned the exercises, some people walked up to the booth to express thanks, saying, "We really feel very good!" They also enquired about information on local practise sites.
Source http://clearharmony.net/articles/200511/30050.html
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USA: Promoting Falun Dafa in a Small City in Alabama (Photos)
(Clearwisdom.net) Scottsboro is a beautiful small city located in the mountains of northeast Alabama. Residents of different nationalities live peacefully in close community. On November 19, 2005, several residents were fortunate to learn an exercise that is spreading widely in the world: Falun Dafa.
The local newspaper, The Daily Sentinel, ran an advertisement for the upcoming free workshop, and many readers gained an initial understanding of this ancient exercise from the East. The notice read, "This free exercise has helped millions of people in over 60 countries to improve their health, purify their minds and uplift their spirits toward healthy, happy, and meaningful living." One reader called to ask, "Does this exercise have any age limitation?" A practitioner told her that the exercise had no age limitations. From small kids to the elderly, everyone can learn and practice the exercise. She was very happy to hear this and brought her husband and children to the workshop.
The practitioners arrived at the city's public library ahead of time to make preparations. One practitioner set up a display board outside the gate to introduce Falun Dafa, one practitioner set up the video projector equipment, and several other practitioners distributed flyers to the library readers inviting them to the free workshop.
The workshop began with a practitioner first playing a short video to introduce Falun Dafa and then teaching the exercises. They played a section of Master Li's teaching video followed by one-on-one gesture corrections. The students from young to old learned the exercises earnestly.
Learning the Falun Gong exercises
Father and son learn the exercises together
One man said, "This exercise is very good. The movements are slow and I felt very relaxed. My heart felt very calm too."
After learning the five sets of exercises, the students and practitioners sat in a circle to share their experiences. The practitioners talked about how they benefited from Falun Dafa and talked about the importance of reading the book, Zhuan Falun. One woman said that she had not heard of Falun Dafa before. After today's workshop, she found the exercises very easy to learn and they made her feel light and relaxed. She said she could concentrate better and wanted to read Zhuan Falun.
The practitioners also talked about the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong in China and explained why the CCP is persecuting this peaceful practice.
Learning the fifth exercise
Veteran practitioners share experiences with new students
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Germany: Exposing the Persecution to the Citizens of Kassel (Photo)
(Clearwisdom.net) On October 29, 2005, North German practitioners gathered in Kassel to expose the persecution of Falun Gong in China to the local residents. Kassel is a city with a population of around 200,000.
Information booth in Kassel
After the practitioners demonstrated the five sets of Falun Gong exercises, more and more people came to the square and stopped by to talk to them and view the torture re-enactment.
Two policemen passed by, and stopped at some distance to read the banners and watch the practitioners doing the exercises. A little while later, they came to the information table and signed a petition calling for an end to the persecution.
A gentleman walked by who understood the Chinese culture and history very well. He was glad to meet the practitioners. He signed the petition without a second thought.
One practitioner talked with an elderly lady for quite some time. She wanted to know everything in detail and asked, like so many others, "What can we do to help?" The practitioner told her that she could sign the petition and expose the persecution to others.
There were so many people who expressed their good wishes to the practitioners: "All the Best" and "Godspeed!"
Originally published in German at: http://www.clearharmony.de/articles/200510/27320.html
Source http://clearharmony.net/articles/200511/30030.html
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Open Forum
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Victims of the Persecution Are Not Limited to Practitioners
(Clearwisdom.net) Xiaozhang immigrated to Canada from China. One day, he bumped into Ms. Li, who is a Falun Gong practitioner. They chatted with each other and Xiaozhang told Ms. Li that he plans on going back to China and killing someone for revenge.
Any Falun Gong practitioner would try to stop him since what he wants to do involves taking a life. Therefore, Ms. Li asked Xiaozhang to tell her more about what happened to him.
Xiaozhang took the College Admission Exam a few years ago. However, someone pretended to be him by switching identification documents. When he learned about this, he appealed to the higher authorities. However, that person's family had a strong relationship with some Chinese Communist Party (CCP) officials. Therefore, his appeal was under review for several years. Currently, the person who stole his identity is about to graduate. Xiaozhang was furious and wanted to go back China to revenge.
"They did a bad thing to you, and as a result, you weren't able to go to college. However, how can you do a worse thing in return - killing a person? Now that you are in Canada, you should try your best and then you'll have a good future." Ms. Li said to Xiaozhang.
Xiaozhang said, "They are vicious people! In order to stop me from appealing to the higher authorities, they told people that I was a Falun Gong practitioner. The police therefore tried to arrest me. The fact is, I didn't know about Falun Gong at all, let alone practice Falun Gong. I was forced to leave home and eventually I managed to come here to Canada. They are so malicious!"
In order to satisfy their greed, some people closely followed former President Jiang Zemin and the CCP and persecuted Falun Gong and Falun Gong practitioners at will. Meanwhile, they took advantage of the persecution of Falun Gong and would sometimes claim that someone was a Falun Gong practitioner in order to cover up their crimes. In this way, that person would have no way to appeal for themselves, and would be forced to leave home to avoid being persecuted as a Falun Gong practitioner.
The China Youth newspaper reported on December 19, 2001 that Du Baoqian, the Secretary of the Standing Committee of the Chinese Communist Party of Lushi County, Henan Province, was reported because he took bribes and sold official ranks for money. However, he claimed that the person who reported him was a Falun Gong practitioner. After he made this claim, he was able to call on many police to arrest the person who reported him to higher authorities in Beijing. He fabricated a story saying that a Falun Gong practitioner was going to set off a bomb in Beijing. This is very similar to what happened to Xiaozhang.
Ms. Li knows another person named Xiaoliu. Xiaoliu told her how difficult it was for him to come abroad because he needed a statement from his local police substation showing that he was not a Falun Gong practitioner. Indeed, Xiaoliu wasn't a practitioner. However, he hadn't lived in that area very long. The police substation where he used to live refused to send him the statement since he no longer lived there. However, the police substation where he moved to refused also, claiming that they didn't know him that well.
Having no other choices, Xiaoliu had to ask his "connections" to help him. Originally, he thought it would be easy for them to help him since what he wanted was just a statement to prove he didn't practice Falun Gong, which was the truth. However, his "network" told him it would be very difficult. They needed to verify that everyone in Xiaoliu's family weren't Falun Gong practitioners. Otherwise, they might get in trouble themselves in case anything went wrong. It was said that the CCP was afraid that people going abroad would expose the persecution of Falun Gong. Eventually, after trying all kinds of means, his work unit at the Provincial Public Security Department requested his local police substation to give him such a statement.
Throughout the persecution, Falun Gong practitioners have been and continue to be maliciously slandered. Some of them have been given poison through injection, some have been inhumanely tortured, countless have been put under severe mental pressure, and many have been killed. However, the victims of this persecution are not only limited to Falun Gong practitioners. Many other people have been persecuted like Xiaozhang and Xiaoliu, and have been forced to draw a clear line between themselves and Falun Gong. The authorities' purpose is to maintain an environment that suits their needs through the persecution of Falun Gong.
In fact, in this persecution of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, the first victims were of course the Falun Gong practitioners. However, the entire country is now implicated.
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Articles from the Second Mainland China Internet Experience Sharing Conference
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Return to Your Original Self and Step Away from The Old Forces' Arrangements
-- from The Second Mainland China Internet Experience Sharing Conference
(Clearwisdom.net) Looking back over my years of cultivation, and given my strong unshakable righteous belief in Dafa, Teacher has looked after and guided me through all the difficult times. Although sometimes I stumbled and I still have fundamental attachments that I need to eliminate, I firmly believe that with Master and Dafa, I will continuously be purified. I will fulfill my mission and responsibility as a Fa-rectification disciple, just as I vowed in the historical past.
1. Attaining the Fa
In 1996, I borrowed Zhuan Falun, but my husband refused to let me read it. My husband has attained a high and respectable academic status, is an expert on facts that prove science and is also a high-ranking officer. He considered qigong a superstition. He thought Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors were quacks and denounced their practice as unscientific. My husband resisted firmly my practicing Falun Gong at the beginning of my cultivation.
Out of curiosity, I secretly read Zhuan Falun. When I got to the second half of the book, I suddenly felt something turning in my belly. I told myself, "Oh my God, what the book says is really true! I got a Falun!" But I had to keep it secret from my husband because he would say that I was crazy. I decided to secretly learn Falun Gong. I made up the excuse that I was learning Taijiequan, because at that time my work unit was organizing a Taijiquan competition. My husband agreed. Soon after, he discovered that I was practicing Falun Gong at the practice site in our work unit. I knew that a practitioner should tell the truth, and I had originally decided to tell him that I would like to practice Falun Gong, but, he was unhappy about it and had lost his temper several times. My husband had a quick, strong temper, and when he lost his temper, he didn't care about his surroundings. I was just the opposite. I was very good at enduring hardship and being very tolerant. However, I would not give in on the issue of cultivation. In the end, he relented and told me to practice it for good health but to practice it only at home. I could not meet with any other practitioners and was not allowed to read the Fa.
I began my cultivation under these adverse conditions. I practiced the exercises at home and made use of all my spare time at work to study the Fa. I diligently followed the Dafa principles. After practicing for three months, my heavenly circuit was opened. I suddenly had become healthy and very strong. For the first time I was without any illness. I also experienced many supernormal phenomena and feelings. I was so happy to have attained Dafa.
2. Going to Beijing to Appeal
Beginning on July 20, 1999, the persecution of Falun Gong began. Because of the slander and lies, my family did not allow me to practice Falun Gong.
No matter how tough the situation, my righteous belief in Dafa was not shaken. After continued fights with my family and because of the unprecedented influence by the evil, I had to practice and study the Fa secretly. Because of Teacher's compassion, I was able to practice the exercises and study the Fa secretly. It was perhaps very "safe" if I continued to practice this way, but I wanted to go to Beijing and appeal for Dafa. This wish became stronger every day. Dafa had given me so much, I could not just remain at home. I had to speak up for Dafa when it was slandered. In May 2000, when my husband was on a business trip, I purchased a ticket and flew to Beijing.
The day I arrived at Tiananmen Square, I told the on duty soldier the purpose of my trip and asked for the appeal office address. I told him how I had benefited from practicing Falun Dafa and that Falun Dafa is good. He brought me to a police car and said that this car would take me to the appeal office. Instead, I was taken to the police station and from there I was taken to and detained in our local police office in Beijing. Two days later, my work unit office in Beijing took me in. (I have already submitted my experience-sharing paper, "Going to Beijing to validate Dafa," on the Clearwisdom website.)
At that time, my husband was on a business trip in Beijing. He was extremely angry when he saw me. I was told that my appeal had caused a great commotion at my work, because it was a "sensitive" time. (The day after I went to Beijing was Teacher's birthday. On that day, thousands of practitioners traveled to Beijing from all over the country.) The security bureau had specially come to our unit to have a meeting with all middle level employees. During the meeting, I was considered the most problematic one among those who had gone to Beijing to appeal. It meant that I should be punished severely. At that time a change in the upper level management was imminent. The in-fighting and competitive struggles were extremely complex. Some people took the opportunity to create a commotion and inquired if my husband had taken me with him to Beijing.
After I retuned home, all my relatives, except my mother who was too sick to get out of bed, including my father, brothers and sisters, came to my home. All of them accused me of "causing trouble for everyone," of "abandoning my husband and son," and of having "a lack of conscience." But when they talked disrespectfully about Dafa and Teacher, I told them, "Falun Dafa saves sentient beings. You cannot swear at Dafa. It is not good for you and you will receive retribution." Under the influence and control of evil and human notions, my highly educated husband and one of my brothers yelled crazily, "Even if Falun Gong is redressed by the government, we will fight it to the end. We will go on TV and have an open debate." Then all of them pushed me to apologize to the respective department. That night, my family cried, swore at me, hit me, and knelt down to beg me. This lasted until midnight and all of them were exhausted. When they saw that I was not moved, they finally concluded, "We should send her to a mental hospital and just tell the security bureau that what she has done was due to insanity." My father said, "She would suffer too much in the mental hospital. I will take her home and hide her."
At dawn the next morning, my father took me in his car to his house. The following morning, my father received a phone call from my husband. He ordered my immediate return to the office and claimed that the security bureau was looking for me. My husband also cried and said that he could not sleep the entire night because I was not at home. He could not live by himself. (My son had gone elsewhere to work.)
My father took me home. My husband held my hand and cried like a child. He said that many people in the unit had paid attention to this incident and he did not expect that so many people held such a good impression of me. He was flabbergasted that they held me in such positive regard, something he had not expected to hear. Many unrelated department heads also said, "We have to help her, her problem is our problem." A few department heads came to see me and were concerned about me. At the same time, they advised me, "A smart person should not confront others. Just say you are sorry and get it over with. You can still practice later." At that time I did not have a very clear understanding of clarifying the truth. But to validate Dafa, I told them that what they had heard on TV were lies. I told them how I had benefited from practicing Dafa and how good our Teacher is. When I talked about how our Teacher was unjustly accused, I could no longer control my tears. They all became silent and stopped trying to persuade me.
I arrived at the police station and saw that the security department director and police were waiting. I only held one thought: Regardless of what punishment I received (the minimum punishment for going to Beijing to appeal is detainment, and they do not allow a person to leave unless he or she signs the guarantee statement), I was determined not to say anything that was not in my heart. I would tell them that I would steadfastly cultivate Dafa to the very end! It might be that Teacher had seen in my heart my determination and helped me, because the police casually chatted with me about daily matters and did not ask anything about my going to appeal in Beijing. But I wanted them to understand that Dafa is good and so I talked about going to Beijing to appeal. I told them how my body and mind improved after practicing Falun Gong and the purpose of my going to Beijing to appeal. After I finished, one of the policeman said, "Oh, that is the reason. This is fine." He got up and shook my hand and took me to the door.
On the way home, the two people who had taken me there told me, "That police officer was so courteous. Last time when we brought two Falun Gong practitioners who had gone to Beijing to appeal, he was nasty and tried to make them renounce Falun Gong in writing. He had prepared a written record and fingerprinted them. Then he had them taken to a detention center."
I did not expect to return home. On the surface, it was the ordinary people helping me, but in reality I knew that it was Teacher who looked after me and helped ease my tribulation.
3. Starting a Practice Site Environment
We have to create our own cultivation environment. After I returned home, I firmly told my husband that from now on I would resume my daily exercise practice.
He and my relatives were happy about my safe return, but after hearing that I wanted to practice the exercises, they became nervous. My husband hit me in front of my father and sister. Instead of stopping him, my sister said, "You deserved it! You are lacking conscience, and my brother-in-law treated you rightly. Because of you, he did not mind losing his job, yet you still are trying to hurt him. You should realize that he has not eaten or slept well over the past few days. He suddenly looks old. You have become ruthless after practicing Falun Gong and you still insist on practicing it." My husband covered his heart with his hand, breathed heavily, and his body shook. He said, "I give you my life, you will get your long life. After I die, my ghost will come to haunt you. I will definitely not let you go." I had answered with one sentence and they had scolded me with ten sentences. Those days held the biggest tribulations of my life.
During that time, to make me give up cultivation, my husband made sure that I saw his suffering during the night. If I slept, he would kneel beside my bed and kowtow (a gesture of kneeling on the floor and bowing the head to the floor). He claimed that if I did not give up cultivation, he would not stop kowtowing. I tried to persuade him not to do this. He did not listen and even kowtowed faster and harder. I just ignored him. He continued to kowtow until he almost fainted. He used both sweet and harsh tactics to try to make me stop exercising. His body and mind went to the extreme. After he saw that I would let go of everything except cultivation, he conceded. He said that it was fine to do the exercises daily. Other than that, however, he would not allow.
As I have mentioned above, I achieved my right to do the exercises at home. I began to foster my cultivation environment.
4. Clarify the Truth, Send Forth Righteous Thoughts
My husband was afraid that I might be in danger. Therefore, he took away my identification card and invited my parents to live with us, so that they could keep an eye on me. At the time, I was already retired. I went to work with my second sister for half a day, and then I had to stay at home. It was as if I was under house arrest.
Around that time, Teacher published the first article after the persecution had begun. Fellow practitioners began to clarify the truth. There was a shortage of truth-clarifying materials, so I hand-wrote flyers and posted them on my way to and from work. I posted them along the road or in residential buildings. Later, I started to distribute flyers. If I didn't have enough flyers, I just wrote them myself. I prepared about two thousands flyers and distributed them on the streets and dormitories in our area. I noticed that people read the flyers and passed them around, which encouraged me. I began to distribute flyers everywhere, ignoring my safety. As a result, the evil took advantage of my attachment to doing things.
By then, my parents had returned home. I had half a day to myself, which I used to finish my housework, study the Fa and do the exercises. (Whenever my husband was at home, I had to keep him company and do everyday people's things.) Now and then I ran out of time because I wrote flyers instead of studying the Fa.
One day in 2002, I distributed flyers on a street I normally did not visit. I noticed that this street was closely guarded, because Jiang Zemin, the Chinese leader who started the persecution of Falun Gong, was at a meeting in a nearby provincial government building. Police on motorcycle patrols were everywhere.
I walked back and forth on the street distributing the flyers. I did not hold righteous thoughts and was thinking only about handing out more flyers. As soon as I had handed out all the flyers, several police officers on motorcycles surrounded me. I quickly regained my calm. There were many bystanders since it was broad daylight. I thought it was a good opportunity to clarify the truth. I said loudly, "You see! Nowadays police only know how to arrest Falun Gong practitioners. There are so many corrupt officials they don't arrest. All they do is make trouble for the common people." Someone in the crowd said immediately, "That's right. Those who practice Falun Gong are all good people." I continued, "I had all sorts of illnesses before. After I started practicing Falun Gong, I was cured without taking any medications. I feel younger and younger. I am over fifty years old. Can you tell?" The surrounding people started murmur, "Oh, I thought she was in her thirties." "No way you can tell she is over fifty!" I told them, "I have personally experienced the miracles of Falun Dafa. All you hear on television are lies." The people listened to me quietly. The police officers did not stop me. As soon as the police car arrived, they told me to get in the car. Once I was in the police car, I rolled down the window, stuck my head out the window and kept on talking. Later, I spoke to the policeman in the car, who did not respond but nodded his head as if he was in agreement with what I said. It appeared that he did not like arresting practitioners.
One policeman outside the car was reporting the incidence over the phone, "We arrested someone high level, and she can really talk."
In fact, I am not good at speaking in public. I was surprised myself how I could speak so eloquently and keep the attention of so many people.
I was taken to a criminal unit in a nearby district police station. The officers in charge of my case, one male and one female officer, took me to a car that evening. When I asked them where we were going, they replied, "Your home." (They had found my home address in my purse.)
After I entered the door at home, several family members, including my sisters, were already there. They were crying and making a scene just like the time before. Since I had been actively clarifying the truth, however, I had been able to help them understand that Falun Gong was being persecuted. All my sisters had watched the video that explains that the self-immolation was false, and they had read Zhuan Falun. My fourth sister believes in the Buddha Fa and had read the book. She knew Dafa is good so she was helping me secretly. When I walked into the bathroom, she followed and told me, "I moved all your Dafa books. I know they are going to search the place."
As expected, the police announced that they would search my home and detain me. They asked me to sign the search warrant. I did not think of negating the evil completely at the time. I signed the warrant. But the policewoman said, "Let's not bother. You can go get some daily necessities and a change of clothes. It is late tonight. We will go back to the police station. You will be sent to a detention center tomorrow."
When we got back to the police station, the policeman took me to the office to be watched. He pointed to a temporary detaining room with iron bars and said, "It would be wrong to lock you in there. They are all drug addicts." There were three elderly watchmen sharing the office that night. He told them, "She will stay here tonight. If she wants to sleep, you could put handcuffs on her."
I told the three men the truth of Falun Gong. They all agreed and said, "You are a such nice person. You are not a bad person, so we won't put handcuffs on you."
I sat on the old couch in the office and sent forth righteous thoughts for a long time. The next day they did not send me to the detention center. I made the best use of time and sent forth righteous thoughts. I thought, "Evil Jiang is close by. This is a rare opportunity to send forth righteous thought in close proximity. Perhaps this is a special opportunity for me to eliminate the evil and I should not waste precious time." The guards were very cooperative. If the police department personnel tried to interfere, they said, "She is doing exercises. What is wrong with that?" Thus, I spent one day and one night sending forth righteous thoughts in close proximity to the head of the evil. That evening, my workplace sent people to take me home.
On the way home, people from my job told me that our place of employment had done everything in their power to get me released, including contacting the highest officials at the police bureau. I was released because my workplace was important.
5. Exposing Attachments and Cleansing Myself
One day in May 2004, I realized that I was under surveillance. (Teacher pointed it out to me). I asked myself, "Where is the loophole? At the final stage of the Fa-rectification, when the evil is almost eliminated, how could this happen to me?"
I searched for the reasons immediately. If looking at it from a human level, I might have been reported by my fellow practitioner F's family members. F is a veteran practitioner and is an expert with computers. But F just stays at home. He does not involve himself in outside Fa-rectification work, and F's family watches him closely. I sent materials to him before from the Minghui/Clearwisdom website, Teacher's new articles, and so on. But F's family took the materials and reported me to the police. This time, I transferred some materials from Minghui to a disk, together with a letter to F, and asked F to solve the problem with the disk. Quite possibly, F's family had gotten hold of these materials. Since the disk came from a truth clarification materials production site, I assumed that the authorities were monitoring my activities closely. They used surveillance devices, telephone interceptors, and many other means to keep me under surveillance. I believed that they wanted to ensnare a bigger "target."
Looking inward, I found that my attachment was "fear." Teacher has told us:
"All of you are already aware of the principle of mutual-generation and mutual-inhibition. If you are not afraid, the factor that would make you afraid will cease to exist. ("Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)")
Ever since I was arrested while distributing flyers, I was afraid of delivering flyers. Instead, I sent truth clarification materials by mail. But since I had been sending mail over a long time and in large quantities, I must have been monitored. Though danger no longer existed, fear filled my mind. For a long time, I was afraid of sending flyers or other materials by mail. Though I was still participating in such efforts, I held fear in my mind and the attachment of falling behind in Fa-validation. The evil discovered my loopholes. No wonder such problems arose.
I was shocked once I recognized my problem. Being monitored was very stressful. I held one thought in mind, "I should never bring losses to Falun Dafa, fellow practitioners, or the materials production site. I will not allow the people monitoring me to commit crimes against the Fa." I increased my Fa study, kept strong righteous thoughts, and eliminated my fear with righteous thoughts. I also send forth righteous thoughts more frequently. In a dream, Teacher encouraged me by telling me to keep a low profile, and that as long as I held strong righteous thoughts, the evil would be defeated automatically. After a few weeks, they no longer monitored me. They stopped, because I was no longer useful to them. But I know this happened because I had improved my cultivation state and eliminated attachments. I also had sent forth more and more powerful righteous thoughts, which was instrumental in my escaping from this dangerous situation.
Although I experienced "tempering," my "mindset of fear" was not completely eliminated. I felt this fear daily when I delivered flyers and mailed truth-clarification materials. I did remind myself, "I should save sentient beings openly and with dignity. I should not be afraid to be recognized as a Falun Dafa practitioner, as I can control others through the power of Dafa. I should send righteous thoughts so others will ignore me." However, I frequently forgot to remind myself and even forgot to send forth righteous thoughts sometimes. I watched my surroundings for any sign of troubles. I dropped the flyers or letters into the mailbox only when I felt it was completely safe. But this is the way of ordinary people.
After reading Teacher's new article, "Let Go of Human Attachments and Save the World's People," from September 1, 2004, I realized that clarifying the truth face-to-face is very effective. Now I was fearful even when I was not facing others. How could my courage desert me after having practiced Falun Gong for so long? When I was fearful, I discovered that I was under surveillance again.
On the surface, this might have been because I mailed Teacher's new articles with letters twice to F, which brought attention to me. But I knew that my fear was still the root cause.
Why could I not get rid of fear even though I recognized this attachment and wanted to eliminate it? Teacher's news articles were published. I became very concerned and cried in front of Teacher's picture. Since childhood, I was always afraid of my mother and of my classmates. My mother was unhappy in her marriage and beat me frequently, without any reason. I was discriminated against and insulted by my classmates during the days of the "class struggle" because of my "bad family background." Once I started to work, the situation continued. I suffered "insults and repression" in this complicated society. Therefore I was not good at dealing with people. I am sensitive, quiet, and full of doubts.
Fear of people has been a constant companion since my childhood. Maybe the old forces arranged that. Is the attachment of fear really as strong as granite? But Teacher has told us:
"When your righteous thoughts are firm and when you can repel those things, I remove them for you bit by bit; however much you can do, that's how much I remove for you and diminish for you." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference")
I must be diligent in my cultivation.
It will not work if I just get rid of my fear on the surface level. Not long ago, I clarified the truth in a barbershop. Because of fear, the effect was not good. To receive the reward for reporting practitioners, the barbers turned me in. Fortunately, I left the barbershop safely. But I realized that holding a mentality of doing something does not work well in saving sentient beings. I begged Teacher in my mind, "Dear Teacher, is there a hidden attachment which holds me in fear? Please help me to be more determined, so I can get rid of it!"
Our compassionate Teacher reminded me. I suddenly realized, "If I'm afraid of people, how can I save them? Without the wish to save people, how can I do well in clarifying the facts?" After being enlightenment to this understanding, I found that my fear was rooted in "selfishness." I had actually realized this earlier, as I often tried to protect myself. But this time I had a deeper understanding. Selfishness is part of all lives in the old universe. For Falun Dafa practitioners, the old forces made sure that all practitioners had the selfish nature of the old universe. They wanted to "test" practitioners. Because of my fear of people, I could not recognize my instinct for self-protection.
People say that I am pretty and kind, a good wife and mother, and do a good job at work. But actually, I just wanted to protect myself so I could live a more comfortable life. I was a person who cared mostly about herself and ignored everything else.
I was wondering why I had no compassion. Now I realized that, if I did not care about others, how could compassion be generated from nowhere? How could I become unselfish? I must change myself to be able to deal with others more effectively and care about others from deep within my heart.
My relatives know the truth of the persecution of Falun Dafa, and yet they could not accept my practicing Falun Dafa. My husband traveled abroad frequently and fully understood the truth about the persecution and the spreading of Falun Dafa in other countries. I tried to communicate with my family members but found it difficult. Any time I touched on this topic we would have a conflict. To avoid quarrels, I wrote letters to them to clarify my points. Yet we still had conflicts. My husband frequently beat me. Once he slapped my face many times. If it were not for Teacher's protection, my face would have been disfigured from the beating. I was injured frequently. Later, Teacher told us the formula, "The Fa rectifies the Cosmos, the evil is completely eliminated." One day when he rushed at me to beat me, I shouted the formula. He instantly stopped and no longer dares to beat me. But he threatens, "I'll kill you if you talk to our son about this topic!"
My sister changed her attitude about Falun Dafa after she learned the facts. But once my husband learned that I was mailing truth-clarification materials, he quarreled with me and asked me for a separation. When he sent me back to my parents' home, my sister supported his decision.
My husband even wanted to pay for having me sent to a brainwashing center. Fortunately, my parents know that Falun Dafa is good. They provided me with a good cultivation environment. By studying the Fa diligently and with the help of fellow practitioners, I overcame this hardship. Again, Teacher helped me. After two weeks, I returned home.
Why could I not deal well with my relatives? The root cause was still my selfishness. Though I was eager to clarify the truth to them, I actually showed little concern about my sisters' lives or helped them when needed. They are very capable and I enjoyed their help. I took them for granted. I did not thank them or show any gratitude. So how could they accept my clarifying the facts? It was the same with my husband. I had enjoyed his protection and accepted that he was strong and I was weak. I did all the chores and took care of his daily needs, but deep in my mind, I did all this passively. I did not love him very much. He understood this and mentioned this to me. But I did not pay much attention. No wonder he did not accept my cultivation and does not want to communicate with me on this issue. (I recognized this fault while writing this article.)
After I understood this shortcoming, I eliminated it. Once on a bus, I calmed a woman who quarreled because it was so crowded. I told her about Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and said that I was a practitioner and have benefited from the practice. Since I had not much time to further clarify the truth to her, I told her to remember that "Falun Dafa is good," and that "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good." I told her that remembering these words would bring her a good life. She thanked me. People around listened carefully.
When my fourth sister's husband was hospitalized, I offered to send meals to the hospital. Before, I would have thought that I had no time to be helpful. Actually, when my husband was sick in the hospital, my fourth sister nursed him without complaining. I brought them a Falun Dafa book when sending them meals and showed real concern about my sister-in-law's health. Right now, both my fourth sister and sister-in-law have started to practice Falun Dafa.
I found that my fear was disappearing. Once when I received more change than I should have while shopping, I returned the money. The shop clerk thanked me. I told the clerk that all Falun Dafa practitioners would do this and gave the clerk some truth-clarification materials. Another time, during a public gathering, I overcame my fear and clarified the facts to people openly and peacefully.
During that time, some people asked me to teach them the Falun Dafa exercises. My mother, who has been suffering from illnesses, began to study the Fa. Friends to whom I have sent Falun Dafa books before or clarified the facts to but had lost contact with told me that they liked Falun Dafa and tried to live by the principles Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. One of my maids copied several paragraphs from Zhuan Falun. Now she reads those paragraphs daily and said she could recite many paragraphs and that she liked Falun Dafa very much.
So much good feedback encouraged me. During that time, while cleansing myself, I eliminated the evil that has been controlling my husband and making him oppose Falun Dafa. Since Dafa practitioners negate any arrangements of the old forces, though there are difficulties in doing this, I believe that as long as I am righteous, with Teacher's help, I'll break through this barrier. Actually, ever since I realized my root attachment, my husband has accepted my studying the Fa and doing the exercises.
A few days, ago, my husband went on a business trip. I thought of giving him a "Falun Dafa Is Good" card that would bring him good fortune and protect him. But quickly, a notion formed in my mind. What if he said that I was superstitious and verbally abused me? At that moment, I realized the interference of the old forces and sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate them and begged Teacher to strengthen me. I wanted my husband to understand that the current science is full of loopholes. After sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil behind him, I put a card into the pocket of his shirt and said, "I'm giving you a card with the hope that you come back safely." He glanced at me and did not negate me.
I wanted to clarify the facts to those who had been monitoring me. I thought that only in this way could the evil controlling them be eliminated. But how could I do this since they were hidden? I realized that, since my letters to F were being read, why didn't I clarify the truth to them through my letters to F? So for their sake, I wrote truth-clarification information directed to them in the letters, to save them and to eliminate their wrong opinion and to dispel the thought that practitioners are a threat to the national security or are involved in politics.
During the process, my understanding improved greatly. At the beginning, I was just trying to get rid of those who were monitoring me. Now I understand that all the people who have been monitoring me are sentient beings I should save. They are not restraining me, it's me who needs to take care of them. I cannot allow them to persecute Falun Dafa and thus destroy their future. I decided that in my letter I should use powerful compassion, which would dissolve the bad thoughts that made them persecute Dafa. If my compassion was not enough, I begged Teacher to help me, so they would not commit crimes against Dafa. They should just wait here so they can be saved in the future. The result of this truth clarification was that I was no longer monitored.
There might still be obstacles on my cultivation path, and my attachments need to be totally eliminated. While writing this article, I found more attachments that I had not yet paid attention to. I realized that there are no role models in cultivation. Only by following Teacher's Fa can we break through difficulties and walk our path well. Every practitioner has his or her achievements, and difficulties to overcome. Maybe this is due to the multitude of beings, and variety of composition in the boundless universe.
November 7, 2005
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Master's Words Are the Power Behind Our Righteous Thoughts
-- from The Second Mainland China Internet Experience Sharing Conference
(Clearwisdom.net)
Greetings Master!
Greetings fellow practitioners!
Reviewing the journey of my cultivation begun several years ago, I find that there are no dynamic events, but only the gentle and peaceful actions that Dafa disciples should carry out. There was no zealotry that made me get overexcited and act irrationally, but just the gratification I felt when I read Master's new scriptures. There was bitterness when I couldn't let go of my attachments, and, there was the sense of sublimation after I let go of my attachments and built up righteous thoughts.
As Dafa disciples during the Fa-rectification period, each one of us has clearly known the grand historical responsibilities that Master has bestowed on us. However, we are cultivating among everyday society, especially in this modern, materialistic world, and we all have ordinary human notions that were formed many years ago. These create difficulties for us when validating Dafa and saving sentient beings. Therefore, each one of our fellow practitioners should handle everything truly from the standpoint of Fa-rectification instead of from the standpoint of human notions. We should truly understand each word of Master's from our heart and completely step forward from humanness. Only by doing so, can we truly fulfill the three things that Master asks of us.
From several years' experience, I have realized that no matter how difficult our surroundings, no matter what happens to us, and no matter how bad our human notions are, as long as we remember what Master said, and think and behave according to the requirements of Master, our righteous thoughts will come from our hearts. The purity, the clarity and brightness inside our hearts, the sublimation brought by our righteous thoughts--these are things that cannot be fully expressed in human language. Only with a firm belief in Master and Falun Dafa can we build up righteous thoughts. There will be no problems that cannot be solved, and neither will there be any obstacles that will block our way. For the past several years I have walked my path with righteous beliefs and thoughts.
Master Is Beside Us--What Is There to Be Afraid of?
On July 20, 1999, the brutal suppression of Falun Dafa began in China. Since I was blacklisted at my workplace, I noticed that, every now and then, my fear would surface. At that moment, I would ask myself, "What on earth is there to be afraid of? It is only fear of being illegally arrested and being persecuted to death. If you can't let go of life and death, you're just a human. As a Dafa disciple during the Fa-rectification period, can I reach Consummation with such a serious, selfish attachment? We would give up everything that we own for Dafa, even our lives, so what is there to be afraid of? How many innumerable hardships has Master suffered as He descended to the lowest level of this human world in order to spread Dafa and save us from hell during the Fa-rectification period! What is left for me to not let go? Isn't being afraid of something a kind of attachment and is even asking for it?" Master said:
"As a practitioner, if you always think that it is an illness, you are actually asking for it. If you ask for an illness, it will come inside your body." (Zhuan Falun)
The evil will be capable of making their move based on whatever we are afraid of. Being a Dafa disciple in the Fa-rectification period is already the greatest honor since ancient times, and it is most fortunate for me to a disciple of Master. There are so many people with predestined relationships who have not obtained Dafa. What do I have that can't still be abandoned? When thinking like this, the fear just disintegrated. Actually, I feel that our righteous thoughts can fully manifest in a brief moment.
I remember the first time when I went out on the street and posted some truth clarification materials that I had written. It was 3:30 a.m. Due to my fear, I felt that there were eyes everywhere and my heart beat hard. I was so frightened! At the time, Master's Fa-rectification verses had not been introduced yet. I thought of a paragraph from Zhuan Falun,
"I am rooted in the universe. If anyone can harm you, he or she would be able to harm me. Put simply, that person would be able to harm this universe." (Zhuan Falun)
I then held the thought that nobody could harm me because I have Master beside me and I fear nothing. Once I had these righteous thoughts, I became peaceful and felt that the sky and earth had become wider, as if the evil disappeared. Recalling this, I realize that this breakthrough was the result of Master strengthening me.
A fellow practitioner once said to me, "It seems like you don't have any fear when you distribute truth clarification materials." I said, "No, fear sometimes emerges. The key is what I do if fear comes up. You should think that you are a disciple of Master and you are doing something to save sentient beings, and you will not be afraid of the evil. Especially now that we have the Fa-rectification verses, what are you afraid of? Once you have righteous thoughts, fear will dissipate naturally. When fear comes out again, you dissipate it again. Isn't this cultivation?" In recent years I have helped many fellow practitioners to step forward and validate Dafa. To help them get rid of their fears, I brought them with me to distribute Dafa materials and told them to send forth righteous thoughts. I also told them what to pay attention to when doing truth clarification activities.
Dafa Material Sites Function Normally Under Master's Care
As the Fa-rectification constantly pushes forward, in 2001, my son--also a practitioner--bought a computer and printer. At the beginning I wrote truth clarification materials and sent them out, and mailed letters to other places and various related units. Then I distributed the leaflets printed from the Minghui/Clearwisdom website. Later my son started to compile truth clarification materials himself and submitted them to the Minghui/Clearwisdom website. After fellow practitioners working on the website checked and published them, he downloaded and printed them. For several years he was responsible to Dafa and he was very strict on choosing the materials to be distributed. Sometimes other practitioners brought in all kinds of materials, wanting us to distribute them, but our guideline was that we didn't adopt or pass on articles that were not published by the Minghui website. In the meantime, we told fellow practitioners not to pass along anything extreme. The materials production site never reproduced any materials from other channels, and we effectively prevented the spread of materials that undermined the Fa. No matter how vicious an attack on Dafa is, with righteous belief in Master and righteous thoughts I have broken through difficulties one after another, and the Dafa materials production site has never stopped running during these past years.
Because the persecution by the evil in our area escalated in recent years, Dafa materials production sites were destroyed one after another. It frequently happened that the authorities ransacked the house of a practitioner, computers and printers were confiscated, and fellow practitioners were arrested and sent to labor camps. For a time there were no Dafa materials sites in other places. More seriously, fellow practitioners who distributed materials were arrested, and practitioners who had contact with them were also arrested or sent to brainwashing classes. They were questioned for the source of Dafa material. It was made clear several times that the authorities would find all the Dafa materials production sites.
Under these circumstances I studied the Fa, looked inward for anything that needed improvement, and increased the frequency and duration of sending forth righteous thoughts. We are Dafa practitioners: we don't want any arrangements for us other than Master's, and no one should touch us. With firm righteous thoughts, I am able to get rid of the mentality of doing things, of complacency and fear. I am strict with myself in all situations and never slack off. I don't doubt the firmness of fellow practitioners and I believe that they certainly can break through difficulties. Because of practitioners' steadfastness, the Dafa materials production sites in our area were effectively protected. However, when other fellow practitioners were worried about the safety of Dafa materials sites, I say to them, "We are a whole entity. Besides, we are practitioners and our thoughts have power, so your worry will evolve into a huge attachment. Isn't this a pursuit? For this, the evil will take advantage of our loopholes. We need to send forth righteous thoughts together and not let the evil have soil to grow in, and they will fail." Working together to distribute truth-clarification materials, we rectified the thoughts and actions that did not conform to Dafa, and we consulted with each other and studied and cultivated together.
During this period there was another event--an anonymous department informed my workplace that they had to send me to a brainwashing class. However my manager refused to cooperate with them. I learned about this event afterward. I realized that it was Master's strengthening and protection. Then I had a deeper understanding of Master's words, "Disciples' righteous thoughts are strong, Master has the power to turn back the tide" (Provisional translation, "Master-Disciple Grace", Hong Yin II). Only after I cultivate myself well is there a more relaxed environment, and then we can validate the Fa well. My son and I remind each other and mutually encourage each other. We study Dafa well and do our best to achieve non-omission, disallowing the old forces to take advantage of our gaps. We have been able to walk our path these past several years with the protection of Master.
Placing Full Emphasis on Sending Forth Righteous Thoughts
Immediately after Dafa disciples all over the world began sending forth righteous thoughts together every day, I joined in during the set times, but I couldn't feel anything. I didn't place full emphasis on sending forth righteous thoughts at all at that time. I didn't realize the importance of sending forth righteous thoughts and neither did I experience the strong power of righteous thoughts until I began printing out leaflets for truth clarification. At the very beginning, when I was learning how to print, my son told me that I definitely should send forth righteous thoughts for this, but I didn't agree with him. When I started to print without sending forth righteous thoughts, either the leaflets were printed incorrectly, or there was something wrong with the printer. This put me in a terrible fix. I suddenly remembered that I should try to send forth righteous thoughts. Everything became smooth when my righteous thoughts emerged. Henceforth, I send out righteous thoughts whenever I begin to print files, and I persist in doing so ceaselessly. During the whole process of printing, if I paused in my righteous thoughts, some kind of interference occurred.
I suddenly remembered that Master once told us that at the beginning of spreading Dafa, in order to introduce Dafa to people, Master cured other people's illness. Then the old forces gathered at the place of infection and blocked Master from healing illness. After you eliminate one batch of evil spirits, another will come up to take their place. The evil tried to play the role of interfering with and undermining the Fa-rectification. I believe that printing truth clarification materials is the main step to saving sentient beings, and the evil must eye it covetously. The evil did its utmost to block the printer, waiting for a chance to undermine. They are trying their best to obstruct Fa-rectification, and they are all-pervasive; they will take advantage of any omissions on our part. Later, I started to place more emphasis on sending forth righteous thoughts. From this experience I deeply feel the difficulty with which Master saves us. I also feel the great power of the Fa-rectification phrases.
Learning to Edit Truth-Clarification Leaflets
Because my son was so busy, even though I had an everyday job, I took on the task of editing truth-clarification leaflets. It is very difficult to do. First I learned how to access the Internet and download the materials, and while my granddaughter was learning spelling in English, and I also learned with her. After I learned to spell, I learned how to type. To edit truth-clarification leaflets for our local area, I have to choose the materials and set up the word processing, but at first I knew nothing about it. With instruction from my son and with the wisdom endowed by Master, I started editing. During the process of editing I frequently met with interference, but I could not be impatient. Otherwise, the article just got lost or disappeared. I knew that it might because I lacked experience, but the main cause was interference from the evil.
At that time, I increased the frequency and duration of sending forth righteous thoughts. In this way I edited the leaflets for truth clarification and sent them to Minghui/Clearwisdom website. After I downloaded them from Minghui and checked for editorial changes, I found that almost all the articles I worked on had been changed. Immediately, I started to be afraid of the difficulty of this project and did not want to edit any more. I even wanted to complain about it. I felt that the materials I had chosen befitted the local situation, and wondered why they were not accepted by the Minghui/Clearwisdom website. In a word, my selfishness welled up. Then I became alert at once. Being sensitive about reputation, resentment and fear of difficulty are all old notions. They are precisely the attachments that we should let go of.
Recognizing my shortcomings, I noticed the gap between me and fellow practitioners at the Minghui/Clearwisdom website. The articles I chose did not properly represent the current state of Fa-rectification. The whole page was too stiff and rigid. The first point in editing leaflets for truth clarification is to draw readers in with an attractive page design, and with pictures and accompanying texts of excellent quality. Secondly, the chosen materials should be in accord with the current state of Fa-rectification and make it easy for everyday people to accept so that it may accomplish the object of saving sentient beings. Fellow practitioners at Clearwisdom.net helped me to get rid of my attachments, and at this time I'd like to express my gratitude to them. Once I recognized my shortcoming and established righteous thoughts, when I again edited I earnestly studied the leaflet samples from other provinces and referred to Minghui Weekly and Minghui Weekend. I carefully figured it out. Strengthened by Master, I made great progress in editing leaflets. Although there were many shortcomings and I had much to learn about many techniques, I gradually mastered them. I firmly believe that I can accomplish this job very well.
Master Is Beside Me
Just like a child learning to walk, I was helped by Master step by step right up until today. I remember once that my body was cleansed. I had loose bowels from 3 p.m. until 10 p.m. During the entire seven hours, I was constantly in and out of the restroom dozens of times. Even the water I drank was excreted, and an ordinary person would have collapsed. However, by the second day it seemed like nothing had happened to me, and my work was not delayed. Sometimes I got a fever. If I had a fever in the evening I would recover the next morning. As long as you have righteous thoughts and don't think of it as an illness, Master will arrange it well for you.
For years, whenever I was not diligent, or if there were some problems that I did not notice, or there was potential danger that I needed to understand, Master always used dreams to give me hints. For example, in 2004 I had a dream. I was on a slope and the mountain was steep. Under my feet was wet and slippery stone and it was really difficult to take a step. I moved slowly while a snake-like monster nosed out of a hole. I was a little afraid (I still had fear). Suddenly there was a voice telling me that past the river down the mountain I would reach my destination. After hearing this, I had a look. In fact, the river was very close and shallow. At that moment a carriage rushed down from the mountain, with a young fellow standing up on it with reins in his hand. The carriage rushed over the river, and a lot of mud and water was splashed after it passed. The river was such a shallow, muddy river. After I woke up from the dream I realized that because I was not diligent, Master gave me a hint that I should not get lost again (the muddy river was like water of oblivion). I should get rid of the fear and strive forward vigorously, just like that young fellow without any fear that he would reach the other shore. At every critical moment, Master gives me a hint. Master has been so benevolent to His disciples and is tireless. As a disciple I can only strive forward vigorously to express my gratitude.
Finding Shortcomings In Myself
As for myself, I feel that I still have many attachments of varying degrees. Because I am very busy, have housework and am responsible for sending my granddaughter to school, I found excuses to not study the Fa or practice the Falun Gong exercises (especially exercises 1-4) a lot. I let go of my attachment to qing and competitiveness very slowly. For example, when my granddaughter was selfish and obstinate, I could not keep down my anger and would shout at her. I even hit myself sometimes instead of hitting my granddaughter and I did not regard myself as a practitioner at those times. Sometimes I realized that it's not right like to be this. However, I could not let it go. At times I cried out, "Master, what should I do?" Thinking of this, I would feel too shamed to show my face.
One time I was angry and my granddaughter said to my son, "I wonder if my grandmother is really a practitioner." For my granddaughter to say this was evidently a hint from Master. (My granddaughter believes in Falun Dafa very much and she can recite nearly twenty poems from Hong Yin.) Master said:
"Some people will lose their temper in disciplining children and yell at them, making quite a scene. You should not be that way in disciplining children, and neither should you, yourselves get really upset. You should educate children with reason so that you can really teach them well. If you cannot even get over a trifle and lose your temper easily, how can you expect to increase your gong?" (Zhuan Falun)
A practitioner never encounters things without a reason. Because I had not gotten rid of the attachment of anger, I thought my granddaughter always lost her temper and was selfish. I did not look inward and only found faults in others. Is this the state a practitioner should be in? Just as Master told us, "When you always maintain a heart of benevolence and compassion, you will have time or room to buffer the confrontation and think, should a problem arise suddenly." (Zhuan Falun) Only when I remind myself that I am a Dafa practitioner and study the Fa carefully and well, and am strict with myself, can I do well.
Let's remember Master's words:
"So as a cultivator, what is truly remarkable is when you can be steadfast and have righteous thoughts so firm that nothing can sway you. Be solid and firm like diamond, or granite, and then nothing can affect you--evil will be afraid at the mere sight of you." ("Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference")
This is my personal understanding; please kindly point out any shortcomings.
November 10, 2005
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Adjusting the Starting Point, Breaking out of Constraints, and Redressing Myself
-- from The Second Mainland China Internet Experience Sharing Conference
(Clearwisdom.net)
Greetings, venerable Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I am grateful to Master for choosing me, for letting me find my true self and for becoming a "Dafa disciple"--the supreme title in the whole universe.
1. Abandoning Fame, Gain, and Qing and Going to Beijing to Validate the Fa
Many fellow practitioners have gone to Beijing to validate the Fa since the evil persecution started. Because of my strong attachment to fame, gain, and qing, I invariably felt scared at the mention of going to Beijing to validate the Fa, and found excuses for my not being able to step forward. I would tell others, "Cultivation is all about cultivating ourselves. Whatever others say about us, we just ignore them. If we all went to Beijing, leaving our homes unattended, we would have failed to maximally conform to the state of human society. How would everyday people regard us?" After Master's poem, "The Knowing Heart" was published I realized that I had understood it wrongly because of my own fear, and that it was right to go to Beijing to validate the Fa.
It took me about six months from the moment I realized I should go to Beijing to the time I actually bought the train ticket. I cried many times during that period. The evil environment at that time led me to conclude that once I got to Beijing, I would be arrested and beaten, and I would lose my job and family (I did not understand the Fa truths correctly and acknowledged the old forces' arrangement. As a result, I was arrested and beaten, and lost my job later). I cried when I thought of the love I had for my husband. I cried when I thought of my lovely child, and I cried when I thought of the plight I'd be in if I lost my job. Nonetheless, each time after I cried, I became firmer: I will go to Beijing all the same. So, after each cry, I felt that a large chunk of qing had been removed from my dimensional field. When I actually started going to Beijing, I felt calm, serene, relaxed, and happy. I did not have fear at that moment, and I had truly let go of fame, gain, and qing. Now I understand that I could never, ever fully know how much our venerable Master has done for me!
2. Adjusting the Starting Point and Breaking Out of Family Constraints
I used to be quite irritable and argumentative. During the period of personal cultivation, I worked hard on Forbearance. I went through the transition from forced tolerance with resentment and grievance to being able to tolerate with a calm mind. In my home, my husband took care of the grocery shopping and cooking. When I just started practicing, my husband requested that I do the practice at home and not go out. So, back then I seldom went out, except when I had to go to work. There was no way that my husband would let me go out to the practice site or do Fa-validation work.
After the Fa-rectification period started, I had no more source of income, as I had lost my job. I'd often felt guilty, as I thought, "I don't contribute a penny at home now, and yet my husband still treats me so well." So whenever my husband lost his temper over something, I'd remind myself, "As long as you let me study the Fa and do the exercises, I can even tolerate your being mad at me." (I paused at the tolerance level of personal cultivation.) In fact, this thought was encouraging him to become angrier at me. As a result, my husband became more irritable, and began to accuse me of being selfish, of abandoning our home and my job for my own cultivation. At times, he even used coarse language at Master and Fa. Whenever this happened, I felt hurt. I could no longer keep cool and began to argue with him based on human principles. Slowly I developed fear toward my husband and was afraid that he would become cranky.
Master said in his lecture,
"Except for newer students, from July 20 of 1999 on, Master hasn't created any personal cultivation tests for you, and that's because overall your personal cultivation has changed in every respect so that it's in the direction of saving sentient beings and validating Dafa." (Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference)
Since Master did not arrange any tests for personal cultivation, my husband's interference must have been the result of my attachment, which the evil had grasped onto as a pretext for persecution. The evil then felt emboldened to control my husband and interfere with me.
I started clearing out the evil interference by sending forth righteous thoughts, but my husband did not change. I knew it was because I was not in the right cultivation state. I started looking inward and faced myself. I started to redress myself by checking myself against the Fa. I stopped being my old self--caring only about my Fa-study and ignoring my husband completely. I started talking with him about his work and told him, based on human truths, that losing his temper easily would harm his health. I advised him to learn to keep calm and take good care of himself. I began to care more about him and no longer crossed him.
One day, with a merciful hint from Master, I realized where I had been trapped. The thought was not right that I should feel guilty because I lost my job. I had not done anything wrong! Cultivating Dafa was my faith, and speaking the truth was a normal state that all humans should observe. There was nothing wrong in going to Beijing to validate the Fa--that was my right. Petitioning is a civil right the Chinese Constitution allows, and I did not break the law. I should have been allowed to live a normal life after returning from Beijing, and I never wished to be out of step with human society. It was the evil that would not allow me to speak the truth, and I was forced to lose my job. Dafa disciples have the courage to speak the truth about their faith and are able to let go of their fame, gain, and qing to validate the greatness of Dafa. They are simply remarkable and admirable! My husband should not have treated me the way he did. After I adjusted my thinking, I started to clarify the facts to my husband, and as a result, he began to change.
I could do Fa-validation work only when my husband was not at home. I did not dare to go out when he was home. Occasionally I did go out, but I had to give him an excuse, lest he was not happy. I'd always thought that my husband did not want me to go out in the very beginning, and now the evil was persecuting us, so he kept an even closer watch over me. Besides, I didn't have to do the food shopping, so there was really no reason for me to go out. Thus, human notions prevented me from going out to do some important work, and I felt anxious about it.
One day, a fellow practitioner made it clear to me, "You are not coming out when you are needed. Aren't you following the path the old forces arranged?" I seemed to understand it all of a sudden. That's right, I thought. I always feel that my husband is watching me closely, I don't have a reason to go out, and I am afraid he is going to be mad at me--isn't that an acknowledgement of the old forces' arrangement? I was doing the most magnificent and sacred thing in the whole universe. All beings have come to this world for the Fa. Since my husband and I were predestined to be together in this life, the knowing part in him should have supported me. It was all because of my notion that he was watching me closely that caused him to be controlled by the evil and that caused his human side to interfere with me. I was harming my husband! I should help him.
Thereafter, I sent forth righteous thoughts every day when I saw him, "Eliminate all evils and elements existing on his surface and in his origin that play negative, counter-productive roles in Fa-rectification." Because I redressed my thinking, my husband changed. He became milder and no longer watched me so closely. I could do almost anything I wanted to do. Besides, I discovered that whenever he was controlled by evil elements, it was invariably due to my attachment. So, I would immediately look inside, redress myself, and clear out the evil. Whenever I did well in assisting Master in Fa-rectification, saving all sentient beings, and personal cultivation, my surroundings would change for the better. My mind was changing everything around me.
In this process, I discovered my fear (fearing that my husband would be angry if I went out), my anxiety caused by fear (anxious to do things), and my false pride (shown when I argued with my husband). So whenever these attachments came out, I would try to contain and get rid of them. Now I am able to control them, as there aren't many of them left.
3. Eliminating Resentment and Redressing Myself
One practitioner was badly persecuted by the evil, so many fellow practitioners went to send forth righteous thoughts for her. Two of them were the ones responsible for distributing truth-clarification materials. Since we were operating on a one-to-one basis, only one practitioner knew the name of the persecuted practitioner. On our way back, I whispered to practitioner A, who knew, "Please don't give out her name if others ask." "What do you mean? Why don't you trust others?" she replied, her tone upset. "You just know how to tell others to look inside. What about yourself?" With those words, off she went, apparently offended. I felt embarrassed and wronged in front of so many people. But I managed to compose myself, aware that feeling wronged and embarrassed was an expression of vanity, an attachment that should be let go of. When I got home, I searched inside, but failed to find anything. I thought to myself, "I didn't do anything wrong in reminding her for the safety of a fellow practitioner. Perhaps she misunderstood me. I'm busy now, and I will talk to her later when I have a chance." With that, I gave it no more thought.
A few days later, another practitioner told me, "You'd better go talk to practitioner A! She's still upset. Looks like there's a deep misunderstanding between the two of you." I saw the gravity of the problem at once--she got me all wrong and that could be a gap the evil would exploit for persecution. I don't have time now, but I'll send forth righteous thoughts for her, I thought. So I did, "Eliminate all evil that is causing her to misunderstand me and separate us as a whole body. We are Master's disciples and we'll overcome our attachments in the Fa. We'll never allow the evil to persecute us. May righteous thoughts entrench practitioner A." No sooner had I finished saying Fa-rectification formulas than a thought flashed through my mind, "Don't try to help practitioner A. She's so petty." I knew immediately that it was the evil's doing. I told it solemnly, "Though you surfaced in my mind, you are not me. You are the evil that tries to keep us apart and cause misunderstandings between us. Now you want to separate us and let us have resentment toward one another. You are trying to stop me from sending righteous thoughts for practitioner A and you want to persecute practitioner A. You won't have it your way! I'll uproot you from my mind."
So I kept sending righteous thoughts for practitioner A for two days. And when I met practitioner A again, she told me she was very nearly taken away by the authorities the day before. I knew that my sending the righteous thoughts had worked and that was the power coming from the Fa. And later, with a hint from Master, I realized that I had attachments when I told practitioner A not to reveal the name. I had the attachments of suspicion (I suspected that practitioner A would reveal it when asked), fear (I was afraid she would reveal it) and mistrust. The trap set by the evil was that it took advantage of what I had said, which appeared to be protective of a fellow practitioner, and yet contained a lot of human attachments, and incited a misunderstanding in practitioner A. The evil aggravated that misunderstanding by causing her to be upset, and used that gap to persecute her. Meanwhile, the evil had hoped to arouse my resentment at practitioner A, so as to weaken our collective strength by separating us.
The power of the righteous thought was that despite practitioner A's irritation at me, I eliminated the thought that had wanted to cause resentment in me, even though I had wrongly believed I had done nothing wrong and she kept holding grudges against me. Seeing through the evil's trick, instead of resenting her, I used righteous thoughts to strengthen her. I learned from the experience that when you believe you are right, you are already looking outside instead of cultivating yourself. Nothing's by chance and everything is your own creation. Find the attachment and get rid of it. We fellow practitioners are a whole body. We shouldn't hold grudges against one another. Instead, we should entrench one another with righteous thoughts.
4. Studying the Fa with a Pure and Calm Mind
One night, practitioner C and I were doing Fa-validation work. As the day was about to break, her gums began to bleed. So we started sending forth righteous thoughts, eliminating evil elements that were making trouble for her. The bleeding stopped, but not for long. It started again, more seriously. I felt that something was wrong. It was the Lantern Festival that day and she would later go see her mother-in-law. If she bled like that there, what would people think? Was it going to be used to tarnish Dafa? So I said to her, "You'd better beg Master to strengthen you, look inward and find the excuse the evil has used for persecution. You'd better redress yourself soon."
Hearing my words, practitioner C told me that she could now recall always reminding herself, "I need to study the Fa more, otherwise I'll be persecuted." This was because she read a lot of articles from the Minghui/Clearwisdom website in the past six months that said certain practitioners were persecuted because they didn't study the Fa enough. After sharing with me, she realized that her thought contained fear (fearing she would be persecuted) and selfishness to protect herself with Dafa. We concluded that this was a manifestation of disrespect for Master and Dafa. The purposes of studying the Fa are to assimilate ourselves to Dafa and redress ourselves according to the Fa. So we set about eliminating those two bad attachments in her dimensional field and the selfish thought, as well as all the evil elements persecuting her. The bleeding in her gums stopped immediately. In her later Fa-study, she identified and eliminated that selfish thought as soon as it appeared, and set right the purpose of her Fa-study. Her gums have never bled since.
5. Letting Go of Admiration for a Fellow Practitioner's Firmness in the Face of Persecution
Upon seeing practitioner D being seriously persecuted, I thought that practitioner D was really remarkable! She was so firm and kept studying the Fa in the face of such persecution. If I were her, I couldn't have done it. A few days later, I felt ill, with serious cold symptoms. I searched inside myself, and didn't find any attachments. I started sending forth righteous thoughts, but it didn't help much. It was getting worse by the day and lasted two weeks before I felt I couldn't let it develop like that and talked to a fellow practitioner. That practitioner said, "I feel you admire practitioner D for her firmness in facing persecution. The thought 'I wouldn't be as firm as she was' was not right. Isn't that the same as envying imprisoned fellow practitioners?"
I agreed with the practitioner that my thought was not right, but I couldn't figure out how it was wrong based on Fa principles. With Master's merciful hint, I realized the following: Practitioner D was physically persecuted because she had attachments that had been exploited by the evil. She and others who were imprisoned were actually walking on the path arranged by the old forces. Admiration for them means acknowledging that they did well in cultivation. Are they really on the right track? Am I acknowledging the old forces? Admiration itself means acknowledging imprisonment. We are Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples. We have the power of gods and Buddhas. As gods among humans, how can we be held and persecuted by the evil?! We are capable of destroying those evil beings with a thought! We should break through the old forces' arrangement and strive forward on the Fa-rectification cultivation path Master laid for us. In doing the three things well, we should keep adjusting ourselves by searching inside and producing miracles in saving all sentient beings.
6. Some Cultivation Understandings
Each human attachment, and each thought that's not in the Fa, has life and is capable of controlling human beings. The way to set right one's thinking, to identify that thought, to overcome it, and to take control of oneself, is to look within oneself for solutions. When you hear something, see something, or come across something, you need to check and see if your heart is moved. If you are tempted, think and move along it, then you are enlarging your attachment. On the other hand, if you resist it--when the human truths or notions and human attachment come out, you immediately eliminate them, thinking "I don't want you"--then it'll be gone.
Why do you feel happy when you hear praise? Is it because your vanity and desire for fame are met? Why do you feel unhappy and upset when others point out your shortcomings? Is it because your human desire to only hear good things about yourself is exposed? When you are defending yourself and asserting yourself, you are already being pulled by your attachments and notions, and you've given yourself up to them and let them take over. In our cultivation, we should be willing to face our inadequacies and compare notes with fellow practitioners based on the Fa. We should understand why something is not right from the perspective of the Fa, and know the right thing to do. We should find out which thought or notion is not in tune with the Fa, and try to redress ourselves by eliminating it.
November 10, 2005
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Practitioners Should Assist Each Other and Strive Forward Diligently
-- from The Second Mainland China Internet Experience Sharing Conference
(Clearwisdom.net) Ever since I started practicing Falun Dafa (in 1996) I've been healthy, happy, and joyful as a result of a purified heart. Before that, it was like I was unconsciously sliding down into an abyss, and I had pain in my heart and body. When I look back at my experiences through the context of the present society, I shudder over how dangerous my previous situation was. I became worried for people who are experiencing similar situations, and hoped they would gain happiness from Dafa as I did.
I used every opportunity to promote Dafa and clarify the truth to sentient beings. At the same time, I contacted many other practitioners, to meet and share our experiences of cultivation, assist each other, and improve together. Dafa practitioners are one body, and improvement of an individual can improve the whole. The environment of the whole is able to stimulate everyone's advancement in the Fa. It can eradicate the efforts of evil beings in other dimensions who manipulate wicked people to damage Dafa, which will consequently allow more people the freedom to awaken and be saved. I write this now to report on my experiences in several areas to Teacher and fellow practitioners.
Study the Fa as a group and improve together. When one helps others, the first person who benefits is oneself
Teacher said in many lectures that studying the Fa in a group and participating at Fa conferences is important. He pointed out that this was an environment that practitioners shouldn't part with. During my cultivation I have deeply felt that this is so. Before the persecution started in 1999, I felt I improved quickly when I studied the Fa and did the exercises in a group every day. The change in my body was good. However, since the evil has tried to destroy Falun Gong, I feel I have lost this good group environment. Since then, I sometimes have easily slacked off. In the past I have seen that some practitioners quickly recovered from severe illnesses after practicing the exercises in a group. But now under the high pressure of persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), they can't continue to study the Fa or do the exercises, not to mention strive forward diligently. Illnesses have come back. Some practitioners have lost their lives under the torture of illnesses arranged by the evil.
Living in Mainland China during the persecution, I clearly felt a strong interference when I studied the Fa. It often took me more than two hours to finish one lecture. When I did the exercises, I could seldom reach the state of tranquility. I realized it was because of a lack of group study. Therefore, I decided to create a group study environment. If it was only me studying at home, I would read the Fa to my family when possible. Sometimes I contacted other practitioners to study the Fa together. In doing so, I clearly felt that I was able to concentrate during Fa study.
However, things didn't always go smoothly. When I read the Fa to my wife at home, sometimes interference came. She might suddenly become angry and say, "Don't read it to me. I won't listen to it anyway." She even said worse things. When that happened, I felt very bad in my heart. I thought that if someone were to read the book to me while I was doing chores, I would have been very happy. But I quickly realized that this matter was aimed at my human heart. On the one hand, I readjusted my thinking. On the other hand, I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil elements in other dimensions that influenced her. I didn't miss any opportunity to read the Fa to her.
I had similar experiences with some practitioners. This summer, I heard that a practitioner whom I used to know very well was not diligent. I overcame many obstacles to study the Fa with her. The authorities had illegally arrested her husband for practicing Dafa and she and her son were left at home. Because she was not diligent, her neighbors often asked her to play Mahjong with them. Her son couldn't keep up with his Fa-study either. Therefore, I went to her place often to find out about her husband's situation and to encourage her and her son to study the Fa. Only then did she give up Mahjong. Sometimes, she was attached to fear. When I called on her, she didn't allow me to come inside. Instead, she would come out and speak with me for a while. Sometimes, she reluctantly let me in the room. I then studied the Fa with both her and her son. This was in the middle of a hot summer. To set a good example, I always kept my back straight and sat with both legs crossed in the lotus position the entire time there. Sweat ran down my body, but I kept in mind that I was doing this to help them. After those days, while studying the Fa in any environment, I basically kept the good posture with my back straight and both my legs crossed. I remember when I went to her place to study the Fa with her back then, it was with great difficulty, as if I was bringing her a great inconvenience and asking something from her. Of course, I had this feeling because I still had human notions. When I realized I had these human thoughts, I got rid of them. Later, her son stopped participating in Fa-study because he was busy with schoolwork. Then she stopped our Fa-study with the excuse of fear that her neighbors would say this or that about my being there. I am now trying to find another female practitioner who lives nearby to go to her home and study with her. Every two weeks I contact her and ask about her Fa-study and if there is anything she needs help with.
There was another incident which touched me deeply. One fellow practitioner was a supervisor at work. He had been very busy with work, and it was often late when he got off work. There was no time left to study the Fa, send forth righteous thoughts, or clarify the truth. I was very anxious for him. I called him often to make an appointment to study the Fa together. I also went to his home to encourage him to study the Fa with his family (several of his family members were practitioners.) At first, he politely refused, " I am with my supervisor!" "I am with my friends!" "I am tied up." On many of these occasions my human notions told me that I could not contact him ever again. My heart complained: what did he have to do that was more important than an appointment to study the Fa?
Later, I realized that that was a human thought that I should discard. I said to myself: I will improve myself continuously and also encourage him to do the three things well. When I felt things become difficult, I would ask a practitioner whom he trusted to go to his place. Moreover, I shared my concern with other practitioners whom he knew well. All of us agreed that we should help him and contact him often.
Through the efforts of all of us, he clearly made an improvement in his cultivation. He started to welcome practitioners to his place to share experiences. One day, we agreed to meet at his home in the evening for Fa study. However, in the afternoon, I vomited twice and felt terrible. I really wanted to take a nap at home and think about the rest of the day later. But when I remembered that I still had to help fellow practitioners with Fa-study, I knew that I must go no matter how terrible I felt. I couldn't fail to keep the appointment. I sent forth righteous thoughts and gathered my energy. When I got to his place to study the Fa and send forth righteous thoughts, as usual I kept my back straight and my legs crossed. A while later, the symptoms of illness disappeared. I felt the energy in my body flow quickly. It was a wonderful feeling.
Suddenly, I realized something. Teacher said,
"In these situations your conduct should always show Dafa disciples' tolerance, kindness, and niceness. The next person's things are your things, and your things are his things." (Teaching the Fa at the Washington D.C. Fa conference.")
I gained a new understanding of these words. I came there to help fellow practitioners, but I ended up being the one benefited first. Fellow practitioners' families will certainly benefit from it as well. Once, I arranged for other practitioners to go to his home to study the Fa and share experiences. When I recited Teacher's Fa, he became very excited and called for the rest of his family to listen to the Fa and learn from it. After this incident, he told me that when I recited the Fa his Celestial Eye saw that numerous Buddhas, Daos, and Gods came there to listen to the Fa. They were behind every dimension, layers upon layers. Practitioners all understood that Teacher let him see this scene to encourage all of us to strive forward diligently.
I sometimes met with different practitioners in the morning, at noon, and in the evening. We exchanged information and shared experiences. Regardless of how many people were present, we always recited, read, and studied Teacher's lectures and writings. I positioned Fa study as my priority. We must study the Fa as a group, and send forth righteous thoughts together. Half of the time was spent on that, and the other half was spent on experience sharing. We all felt that the result was very good.
Provide timely, accurate, and detailed information about experiences to the Minghui/Clearwisdom website
I often wrote down information about truth-clarification efforts in our area in a timely manner. I sent the reports to the Minghui/Clearwisdom website so that we could improve as a larger group. In October 2000, after overcoming layers of obstacles, we arranged for over 30 practitioners to take a trip to Tiananmen Square. We displayed a banner to validate Dafa. After being arrested, half of us were able to leave detention within two weeks. I returned on the same day and immediately wrote two detailed reports for the Minghui/Clearwisdom website. After Minghui posted the article, the World Falun Dafa Radio Station broadcast it as well. Many practitioners heard the news and went to Tiananmen Square.
During my cultivation, I once tripped and fell when validating the Fa. I wrote the lesson down on paper to offer it as a reference for other practitioners, so that they could do better and take a less tortuous path. Whenever I realized something, I wrote it down. Some of my writings were not posted on the website, but I wasn't discouraged. I thought that those articles were conclusions to my experiences in validating the Fa. The process of writing an article was also a process I could take to look at myself and measure myself against the Fa. When I wrote, I could expose something that needed to be corrected within the context of the Fa. Writing is a process of improving my understanding of the Fa.
When a sudden event occurred, such as local practitioners being arrested, I quickly got the details and sent the information to the Minghui website. I saw this as an important responsibility. If I couldn't get the details immediately, it was all right. (However, the information must be accurate. If there were anything I was unsure about, I wouldn't include it. Rather, I would verify the information before using it.) When fellow practitioners saw the article, they would help to send forth righteous thoughts to rescue and empower those practitioners in detention. Then I would continue my investigation. When new information surfaced, I wrote it down and sent it to Minghui. As a result of the articles I sent in, at least four practitioners who were illegally arrested gained freedom in about ten days. This strengthened my determination to expose the evil's persecution. Sometimes I encouraged other practitioners to write information or experience sharing articles. I also promptly reported news about myself or other practitioners who endured torture. All of this effectively exposed the evil.
Eliminate separation and form cohesion
When the evil manipulates wicked people to aggressively persecute Dafa, they will use all kinds of degrading methods. The evil often adopts the method of "partition," in order to separate practitioner and to destroy practitioners' cohesion. Sometimes a vicious person orders a spy to get close to a practitioner. There was once when I almost fell into the trap. One practitioner I knew was deceived, which caused other practitioners' arrests. Because of the existence of the spy, many practitioners didn't dare to contact other practitioners much. While we did this to keep ourselves relatively safe, it was a loophole that the evil could take an advantage of. The evil used the attachment to fear to cause separation and estrangement among practitioners.
In 2004 a mother and her daughter met practitioner A; then all three were arrested. When the authorities released the mother and daughter, practitioner A went on a hunger strike and broke free of the detention with righteous thoughts within a week. However, rumor quickly spread, saying that practitioner A was a spy. This news was also published on the Minghui website. Therefore, more and more people started to suspect practitioner A to be a spy. After all, practitioner A had been arrested numerous times and had broken free under hunger strike many times. However, a lot of practitioners knew her well and trusted her. Practitioners partitioned themselves into two groups based on whether they thought practitioner A was a spy or not. Even those who tried to clarify the truth about practitioner A were suspected. I realized that the evil in other dimensions had taken advantage of practitioners' fear and created a false manifestation. Their goals were to divide local practitioners, deter us from forming a cohesive group, and prevent local practitioner from sharing experiences and validating Dafa with practitioners in other regions. So I shared my thoughts with many practitioners to try to eliminate the misunderstanding. But because my xinxing hadn't reach a certain level, the result was not what I expected. One year passed and the suspicion still existed. The rumor of the spy was even circulated in prison by practitioners who were detained.
When I realized the seriousness of the circumstances, I once again contacted practitioners whose suspicions were most strong. I sincerely told them of the information I had gathered, guided them to look inward and to inspect themselves in accordance with Teacher's Fa. I also came up with a way for both parties to get in touch with each other in order to get to know each other and eliminate any misunderstandings. More and more practitioners realized the truth of this matter. The partition among us was disappearing.
In fact, local practitioners functioned as a whole body on many occasions. Our hearts were in the same place and our energies were gathered in the same spot. It dealt a great blow to the evil, and it saved sentient beings. When each of us did our own work separately, while it became more of a voluntary act, what we lacked was cohesion. I believe that with Teacher's empowerment and fellow practitioners' efforts, local practitioners can definitely form an indestructible and harmonious whole. We can adopt various flexible ways (whether gathering as a whole or working separately as individuals) of eliminating all the evil elements and awakening and saving more sentient beings.
During these long years of cultivation, Teacher's compassion has touched me deeply. Regardless of whether I trip and fall or strive forward diligently, Teacher enlightens me with the Fa, gives me hints, strengthens me, helps me to improve, and pushes me forward. I believe that all practitioners can certainly improve and advance in cultivation. Therefore, whenever I got up from a fall, I would help other practitioners up who had also fallen and were having difficulty getting up. When I set my goal and strived forward, I would also remind those practitioners who still hesitated, were lost, or who had slacked off. I felt that this was my mission. This was Teacher's guidance reflected in me.
Above are my experiences in cultivation and Fa-validation. If there is anything inappropriate, please kindly point it out.
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Practitioners Exchange Insights and Experiences
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How Reciting the Fa Raised My Xinxing Level
(Clearwisdom.net) Master has given many hints in his teachings that studying the Fa will improve one's character (xinxing). Many practitioners have also shared their experiences on this topic. Now I also would like to share my understanding gained from experience.
I began to practice Falun Dafa in 1997. After the persecution started in 1999, I was detained by the authorities. Upon my release and return home from the detention center, due to the persecution, as well as my notion of fear, I didn't have contact with other practitioners for a while. I just studied Zhuan Falun by myself at home. My mind was unsettled and there was much interference. I also felt extremely worried and even did poorly in clarifying the facts.
It was Master's merciful arrangement that totally changed my state. During the summer break of 2004, I had a practitioner-colleague come over to my home for a gathering. I mentioned my situation to her, explaining, "My heart is just like a boat that is unable to reach the shore. I always wanted to get closer to Master, get closer to Dafa, yet I am not able to make it." I felt such agony. I only wanted to cry. She told me she had recently learned how to get on the Minghui/Clearwisdom website. She was moved upon reading about fellow practitioners' righteous thoughts and righteous actions and was particularly impressed with the article, "The Story of Reciting the Fa." She hoped I also could read it.
She installed software on my computer to enable me to break through the government's Internet blockade. My husband had bought the computer just a few days earlier. I realized that this must have been Master's merciful arrangement! As soon as my colleague left, I immediately got on the Minghui website. I had a feeling of "being back home" and I felt so happy that I burst into tears. Master was right there, and the fellow practitioners were right there. I thought, "Great Master, your disciple really missed you!" I earnestly listened to a recording of Master's teaching/lecture on-line, and read practitioners' articles on the website one after another. I couldn't describe how excited and delighted I was. I finally found the cause of my problem - I had neglected Fa study. Hence, the first action I took was to study the Fa.
Because I couldn't concentrate on reading, I started to recite the Fa. At first it was fairly difficult. I could only memorize and recite one page a day. I didn't let up and I made up my mind to continue. Finally, after more than five months, I recited the whole book of Zhuan Falun for the first time. My xinxing level improved during the memorization and recitation of the Fa.
I made a solemn declaration to void any previous statement I had made about giving up cultivation and also wrote a statement to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and all its affiliated organizations. I realized from the heart that it's our historical responsibility to clarify the truth and to save sentient beings. I improved from a state of not understanding the reasons for distributing the truth-clarification materials to afterwards actively distributing the materials. Because of my initial notion of fear, I only put the materials out along the road. Later, I placed them in people's bikes or cars, in hospitals, in subdivisions, in the doorway of every house, and I even personally handed them to people face to face. I changed from walking away immediately after leaving off the materials to afterwards sending forth righteous thoughts towards the truth clarification materials, to help this information play its most important role during this Fa-rectification period: to assist Master in Fa-rectification and help us complete our great honorable mission. I also got over my fear of family members knowing about my practice and started clarifying the facts to them.
My notion of fear was eliminated to a great extent during my truth clarification process. My younger practitioner-sisters were surprised at my change. I told them that this benefit came from my effort of reciting the Fa. I suggested to them to start memorizing and reciting the Fa, which they later did and their xinxing level also improved rapidly.
I am reciting the book Zhuan Falun from memory for the fifth time now and the speed of reciting becomes faster and faster. I am getting more understanding of the Fa. I started to make use of additional truth clarification methods such as sending truth clarifying articles over the Internet. Certainly, I am still far behind compared to the practitioners who have cultivated well. In particular, I haven't broken through my resistance to face-to-face truth-clarification, and I haven't broken through my husband's interference and his disagreement with the Fa. I have wanted to set up a home-based truth clarification materials production site. Because of interference it hasn't yet been set up. My notion of fear has not yet been completely eliminated. I am confident, however, that along with my continuous Fa study and improvements, along with additional understanding of the Fa, I will catch up.
Now as Master's Fa-rectification process is accelerating, I feel the urgency of time more and more, and the need for doing Master's required three things well. My work schedule is tight during the day. So, after sending forth righteous thoughts at 6 o'clock in the evening I get on the Minghui website. Sometimes I send truth clarifying items to Internet acquaintances, study the Fa, send forth righteous thoughts every hour and go to bed after sending forth righteous thoughts at 12:00 midnight. I get up at 3:50 in the morning to do the five sets of Falun Gong exercises. I try to finish at 5:55 a.m., and then send forth righteous thoughts.
This is my understanding at my present level; please point out anything improper.
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Master Is Always Beside Us
(Clearwisdom.net) Not long ago, I read an article on the Minghui website (the Chinese version of Clearwisdom) that a practitioner had given up cultivation because for a long time he could not see any supernatural things and thus he lost righteous faith in Dafa. After reading this article, I felt it was such a pity that this practitioner gave up the predestined cultivation opportunity that happens only once in a thousand years, particularly when the Fa-rectification is near its end. With the many practitioners who cannot see things in other dimensions in mind, I would like to share my cultivation experiences.
I started cultivation in October 1998. When I understood the significance of Falun Dafa I felt elated. The happy and excited feeling I had was indescribable. It was exactly what Master had illustrated in Zhuan Falun about the "Attachment to Zealotry." I was delighted that the predestined relationship that happens only once in thousands of years was finally fulfilled!
I am a young male practitioner. Before cultivation I had many attachments, one of them a strong attachment to showing off. After I started cultivation, I read the section, "Demonic Interference from One's Own Mind" in Zhuan Falun. I was afraid that I could not keep a grip on myself once I saw things in other dimensions, so I specially burned incense in front of Master's picture and said, "Master, I don't want my Celestial Eye to be opened. I want to cultivate in a closed state." After expressing this wish, I have not seen any supernatural things, with one exception. That was when, under difficult conditions, I persisted in reading Zhuan Falun. In order to encourage me, Master let me see that behind each word in Zhuan Falun were many small, golden, and magnificent Buddhas.
When I first started cultivation, I felt the spinning of the Falun and the rapid expansion of my body. Otherwise, I have so far not sensed anything else. But I know that Master is really like what he had said in his opening speech in "Teaching the Fa in New York City" (March 23, 1997):
"as long as you practice cultivation, I'm actually right by your side. And as long as you practice cultivation, I can be responsible for you all the way to the end; what's more, I'm looking after you every single moment."
I will describe a few incidents in my cultivation.
One night I kept studying the Fa until 11:00 p.m. I was quite sleepy and my eyelids felt as though they were glued shut. I wanted to take a nap and promised that I would definitely wake up at 12 a.m. to send forth righteous thoughts. I fell asleep. When I was sound asleep, it suddenly felt as though someone had hit a gong and I woke up to the sound. I took a look at the clock. It was 11:50 p.m. Oh! I realized it was Master who had awakened me to send forth righteous thoughts. I hurriedly got up and sent forth righteous thoughts.
Once during a business trip to Beijing, I went to the home of a fellow practitioner to exchange experiences. I met a practitioner there who had given up cultivation for a long time. Before the persecution she had been practicing right along. After the persecution started, although she was not diligent and for a few years did not read Falun Gong books, she knew that Falun Gong is great. But Master did not give up on her. She left her hometown and came to Beijing to look for a job. By coincidence she rented a room from this practitioner whom I was visiting. By living there, Master made her realize that she needed to be diligent in studying the Fa. On the first day, the three of us sent forth righteous thoughts at 12:00 midnight. The next day at 6:00 a.m., two of us sent forth righteous thoughts without her. She was lazy and went back to sleep; she did not want to get up. Master had the scene of the two of us sending forth righteous thoughts appear in her mind and urged her to send forth righteous thoughts. But she was really too sleepy and still did not want to get up. Then Master had this scene appear in her mind: another practitioner led her up very high and steep stairs, step by step. While climbing the steps, the practitioner was cleaning and sweeping the dust and rubbish off the steps. When she woke up, we had finished sending forth righteous thoughts. She asked us, "Have you finished sending forth righteous thoughts?" We asked her how she knew and she told us the scenes she saw.
Another time, my mother came to my house for a short stay. Although previously when I was suffering persecution from Jiang Zemin's regime for practicing Falun Gong, my mother had been worried and scared for my safety, all along she believed that her son was a good man and that Falun Gong teaches people to do good deeds and is great. I told her that whenever she has time she should recite, "Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good." My mother recited this before bedtime that very night. The next morning she told me that when she woke up she saw someone in Taoist garments beside her bed. The man had a long, white beard and looked very kind and compassionate. He was also carrying a horsetail whisk that Taoists used to carry in the temples. Although she had never met him before she did not feel any fear. Instead, she felt good. After a while the old man disappeared. She asked me who I thought this person was. I told her that it was most probably the Master of Falun Dafa - Mr. Li Hongzhi.
Recently an interesting thing happened. I had previously made use of different opportunities to clarify the truth about Falun Gong to others. One day at work, I received a phone call from Canada. It was from an old friend whom I had not seen for seven or eight years. She told me that, out of the blue, she had had a dream about me. In the dream I had suddenly become a university lecturer and was part of the legal faculty, specializing in teaching law to students. Actually, I knew that Master was encouraging me through her words. This dream also helped to fulfill our predestined relationship so that she could know the truth about Falun Gong!
When I heard about the practitioner who had given up cultivation because he could not see any supernatural things, I was heartbroken. Whether or not one's Celestial Eye is open is Master's systematic arrangement. Does it matter whether or not one can see things in the other dimensions? Cultivation is precisely to cultivate away all these attachments; why do you want to pursue these things? Once you finish cultivation and reach Consummation, won't you see all that you are supposed to see? Shouldn't this practitioner look inward and find out his fundamental attachments? What is one's actual cultivation goal? Are we cultivating so that we can see things in other dimensions? Actually, whether or not we can see, Master is really beside each and every one of us practitioners, watching after us and protecting us!
October 25, 2005
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Western Practitioner: Truly Following Teacher's Requirements by Doing All Three Things Well
(Clearwisdom.net) While cultivating in the Fa-rectification period, it is easy for complicated situations to come up, especially when Fa-study is not solid or treated as fundamental.
Even though we practitioners overseas have a more relaxed environment than the practitioners in mainland China, there are several shortcomings that we have to overcome. I would like to point out an issue that I have seen working in truth-clarification projects in a big city with a lot of practitioners. Of course, I also suffer from several of these issues myself.
In the city, it seems to me that we lack sufficient group Fa-study. Although practitioners often work together on projects at the same place, the focus is more on work and there is very little group Fa-study, exercises or sharing among practitioners.
As a result, problems come up from time to time:
Sometimes we lose sight of the fact that we should be validating the Fa in every instance, and end up validating ourselves and losing sight of the bigger picture.
We often work together out of "friendship" or "affection" instead of what is best for Dafa and using righteous thoughts. Since the basis of our cooperation is not the best, when problems arise, we tend to then have a hard time looking inside, and instead end up avoiding each other or working on other projects. This phenomenon arises out of an impure beginning to the working relationship.
After being involved with a project for a long time, we develop mentalities of jealousy or competitiveness that did not exist in the beginning. We begin to feel an "ownership" of our projects, and rather than working together on improving as a group and saving sentient beings, the focus becomes "who has done more work" and "who has been more effective."
All this has impacted our working together as one body to save sentient beings. Even though we are busy doing a lot of work, does this mean that we are truly saving sentient beings?
Teacher said in "Be Clearheaded" (a comment on a student's article "Strictly Take the Fa as Teacher, of Our Own Initiative Destroy VCD's Not Published by Master"):
"If you, as a student [of Dafa], do not follow Master's requirements, it is definitely no simple thing. The old forces have arranged for all Dafa disciples a set of their things, so if a Dafa disciple doesn't follow Master's requirements, he must be following the old forces' arrangements"
Teacher also said,
"So for the beings of the old cosmos, and this includes all the elements of beings, when it comes to the Fa-rectification and what I choose, all beings' harmonizing and completing things according to my choices and contributing their best ideas and approaches--not to change what I want, but to harmonize and complete things according to what I've said--is the best thought a being in the cosmos could have."
("Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference")
I believe that some unnecessary problems come about because we are doing things the way we like, based on sentimentality or qing, rather than by truly harmonizing Master's requirements. For instance, some practitioners do a lot of work, but they like to study by themselves or practice by themselves "according to their own schedules and preferences."' Lack of support for group Fa-study and practice sometimes leads to a collapse of the cultivation environment and problems with the project. The practitioners who say they can study by themselves or send forth righteous thoughts by themselves perhaps don't do so as often as they could, and are interfered with or bring problems for the group.
Teacher said,
"Since they didn't cultivate well, everything will have turned bad and been weeded out, and it can only be re-created. That's why I say that in your personal cultivation it's extremely important that you keep persevering with Fa-study. If you don't study the Fa well, when you do Dafa work there will be a lot of things that are hard for you to handle correctly or do well. But if you do study the Fa well, you'll find many things a lot easier to do, and at the same time, problems will be less apt to occur. That's why I've said that no matter how busy you are, you must study the Fa."
("Touring North America to Teach the Fa")
Yes, it is true that we practitioners in the United States are very busy with work, and the sacrifices made by some of the practitioners bring tears to my eyes. But is just being busy with Dafa work the whole day sufficient? Will that alone enable us to improve and reach Consummation?
Teacher said in "Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference"
"Of the three things to validate the Fa, one is to study the Fa well, one is to clarify the facts, and another is to take sending righteous thoughts seriously. Put together, these things all validate the Fa and all save sentient beings, and they are all what Dafa disciples should do."
Teacher also said in "Teaching the Fa at the Meeting with Asia-Pacific Students",
"Group Fa-study is an environment I created for you and a form that I've left for you. I think you should still participate. That's because it has stood the test of experience, and cultivating that way allows our students to improve the fastest. When you cultivate on your own, you miss out on factors that help you improve. And haven't you, as Dafa disciples, said that you would do as your Master says? Haven't you said that you should walk straight on the path that a Dafa disciple should take?"
If we just do a lot of work by ourselves without cultivating as one body, are we truly following Teacher's requirements? Are we truly meeting the standard for Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples?
''Of course, I also suffer from several of these problems that I have just pointed out. I will try to study the Fa more and improve myself to overcome the shortcomings, and try to support group Fa-studies so that we can improve as a whole.
These are only the understandings at my level. I hope that other practitioners can point out any mistakes in my understandings.
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Several Stories of Counseling People on Withdrawing from the CCP
(Clearwisdom.net)
One of My Relatives Finally Agrees to Withdraw from the CCP
After my spouse and I withdrew from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its related organizations, I counseled one of my relatives to withdraw as well. Although I visited him several times and I talked until my jaws ached, he did not take a stand. I encountered this difficult problem, so I worried very much about him. I had a thought in my mind: "Do not be concerned about him." After giving him a copy of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, I went home.
Although I said I did not care about him, when I sat there, I remembered that Master has told us that it is our responsibility to save all living beings. How can I not take care of him just because I met with a little difficulty? Am I not here to save people then? Do I just let him be eliminated? Where has my mercy gone as a Dafa practitioner?
One day, after I counseled one person to withdraw from the CCP, I stopped by my relative's home. Unlike the last several times when I visited him, I did not talk stiffly, but asked him with a kind and pleasant countenance, "Did you read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party?" This time he did not mention that it was difficult to join the Communist Party as the reason not to withdraw from the CCP as he had the last several times, but said that he was a minor party member and it did not really matter whether he withdrew or not. I said to him,
"Why do so many people withdraw from the CCP? It is because they read the Nine Commentaries so they recognize the evil nature of the CCP. It is doomed to perish. However, all people who joined the CCP had to raise their hands to take an oath; that is, they were branded with the mark of the beast. No matter whether they be low officials, high officials, or ordinary people, if they are CCP members and do not want to eliminate the mark of the beast, Heaven will not let them off the hook. Only by withdrawing from the CCP can you guarantee your safety. In addition, you joined the CCP several decades ago, but did the CCP give you any benefits? You have worked honestly until retirement, and have diseases in your whole body. You have to spend your own money to see a doctor. The retirement pension is 400 yuan each month. Four people in your family live on this salary. The place where you live is a rotten house with only over 10 square meters of space. When you go to the bathroom, you need to walk a long way. Your elder sister was painfully persecuted by the CCP. All members in her family have already withdrawn from the CCP. What reason do you have to take any of the CCP propaganda to heart? Do you still think the Party can create a heaven on earth and let people have a good life? All these words are nonsense that deceives people. You cannot deny that a minority of people gets rich off the CCP. They live several times better than those who are well off. But these are the people who have power. Their lives are very corrupt and they suck up people's money. Just take a look at the men and women who sit on the street waiting for a job. Maybe they cannot find a job after they wait for several days. Those who lose their jobs and are left to fend for themselves are the consequence of the Chinese Communist Party misleading people over the last several decades."
When I said these things to him, my relative agreed with me. He told me, "I received a call from overseas yesterday asking everyone to withdraw from the CCP." Today he decided to withdraw from the CCP and asked me to publish his statement on the Internet for him.
Several days later, he gave me two military officers' withdrawals from the CCP. I held his hand and said, "You have done a great thing to save people."
A Senior Professor Joins the Ranks of Those Who Are Clarifying the Truth
On August 12 of this year, I went to visit a relative who lived far away and whom I hadn't seen for quite a while. He happily told me, "The community wants me to join the communist party." I was very surprised and asked why he would join. He replied: "Communist party members have more power and enjoy more privileges than non-party members!" (In China, one usually has to become a party member before he can become a government official or take an important position in state-owned enterprises.)
I clarified the truth to him. He did not declare where he stood on the issue. At that time, there was a senior professor coming to visit (I had never met him before). I also clarified the truth to him. I told him that I gained a healthy body after I practiced Falun Gong. I told him how the staged "Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident" was fabricated by Jiang Zemin's regime as an excuse to bring a false charge against and to frame Falun Gong. After I briefly told him the contents of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, I said the fact that the CCP persecuted Falun Gong like this demonstrates its true nature. This triggered painful memories for the senior professor. He said that during the period of the "Great Cultural Revolution," he was persecuted and imprisoned for four years by the CCP. The long years of suffering caused his family to be broken up. After he poured out a lot of bitter memories, he immediately wrote the statement of withdrawing from the communist party.
After my relative heard a lot of reasons from the professor why one should not join the communist party, he said that he could not join this black organization.
After the senior professor withdrew from the CCP, he persuaded others to withdraw from the CCP and he thus joined the ranks of those clarifying the truth. He told his long-time friends, classmates, and old colleagues who were in important positions to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. In addition, he would go abroad to ask for justice for Falun Gong.
Strong Righteous Thoughts Can Save People
I had a good neighbor next to me in my village. I often clarified the truth to her and gave her truth-clarification material to read. She understood Dafa and Dafa practitioners and said Dafa that was good.
One day, I confidently went to her home and asked her to withdraw from the Communist League. I did not expect that she would suddenly turn hostile and say things to slander Dafa. I remained unmoved. I knew that what she said came from the dark minions and ghosts speaking through her mouth. I helped her cook and sent forth righteous thoughts at the same time to eliminate all interference from the dark minions and ghosts and the evil communist specter in another dimension. I ask Master to strengthen his disciple. I thought, "I am saving you today. No one can interfere. I must save you."
I told her about what the CCP did and some of its fabricated stories. She kept silent for a while and then she asked me to please help her withdraw from the Communist League. There was a kind of grateful expression in her eyes.
November 12, 2005
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Many Methods Succeed in Efforts to Save Sentient Beings
(Clearwisdom.net)
Teacher said,
"So during this Fa-rectification Dafa disciples can use at will any method that makes it easier to save sentient beings, so long as it's something the world's people can understand and can thus be saved through. All the same, we have been using things selectively and in a good and upright way." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2005 Manhattan International Fa Conference")
For over six years, practitioners in China have clarified the truth using such methods as distributing pamphlets and CDs, putting up stickers, hanging banners, and talking to people face to face. Practitioners in our area have also been mailing letters to clarify the truth and save sentient beings. Here I'd like to share some of our experiences in this effort.
For several years, certain practitioners in our area have been faithfully mailing letters to clarify the truth. The letters are sent mostly from several major or mid-sized cities, and the envelopes, stamps and return addresses are all from the areas where the letters are sent. Sometimes practitioners write on the envelopes, and other times they print. We usually post several dozen at a time, five to 10 letters per post office. The addressees include relatives, friends, classmates, government officials, business executives, schoolteachers, students, and so on in remote areas. Some practitioners sent their local organization leaders' names and addresses to practitioners in other areas asking them to send the letters. According to the feedback, the arrival rate is relatively high, the recipient's shock is intense, and people are impressed.
For instance, a government official received a letter from a government organization. He opened the letter and found it was truth-clarification material about Falun Dafa. He then read it to his office, told his family about it, and asked around who had mailed it to him. In another instance, when a county CCP school principal heard a practitioner clarifying the truth at a school reunion, he interrupted to say that he had received a letter clarifying the truth of Falun Gong, and then he said something relatively positive.
A practitioner in our area found tens of thousands of local e-mail addresses and sent them to the Minghui (Chinese version of Clearwisdom) website. From then on these local accounts have received information about the truth of Falun Dafa. Some people have thus come to understand the truth. Some have logged onto the Minghui website. One of them repeated the truth to a family member, who repeated the truth including the suspicious points in the "self-immolation" incident to a practitioner she knew. Some people download Dafa truth-clarification, put it on a CD, and share it with their co-workers. Dafa practitioners are one body, and the cooperation between China's practitioners and overseas practitioners has broken through the evil's Internet blockade in China. Clarifying the truth this way is highly efficient and has a better effect.
A practitioner collected local telephone and fax numbers and sent them to the Minghui website. Overseas practitioners then called these numbers and clarified the truth. The effort has covered many of the area's telephone numbers, and some owners have received multiple phone calls. Many people came to understand the truth. This incident has caused a big stir in the area, and frightened the evildoers.
A practitioner in our area downloaded Teacher's lectures into his MP3 player and listened to the Fa while traveling or taking business trips. Inspired by this, other practitioners copied the practice. An MP3 player is small in size but large in capacity. If working with a small speaker, it can be used for both listening to the Fa and practicing the exercises. In the past, when a new practitioner tried to record Teacher's lectures and the exercise music, it took him more than a whole day. Now with an MP3 player, it only takes several minutes. For a 128MB capacity, it costs a little more than 100 yuan, and for a 256MB, it costs a little more than 200 yuan.
Widely spreading the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and the "Three withdrawals" to help the world's people recognize the true nature of the evil CCP and withdraw from it so that they can further understand the truth of Falun Dafa and eventually be saved is an urgent matter. For practitioners in our area, eliminating the CCP culture's residual poison is also something that cannot be ignored. Some practitioners downloaded the recording of the Nine Commentaries, the "Nine Commentaries' Most Frequently Asked Questions," and "The Essential Points of the Nine Commentaries" to their MP3 players from the Sound of Hope Radio Station Website and shared them with fellow practitioners, family members, and friends and asked them to pass it on. It has become one of the fastest and easiest ways to wide spread the Nine Commentaries in our area.
Minghui Weekly is an important place for practitioners to share understandings in cultivation practice. It has played a significant role in assisting Teacher to do Fa-rectification and has established the form for Fa-rectification period practitioners to exchange understandings in writing. In the environment of evil persecution, Fa conferences as well as interactions among practitioners have been affected to varying degrees, but sharing experiences in writing is relatively safer and more feasible and has vitality.
At the end of 2003, we compiled the facts of the persecution against our local practitioners. We enumerated the local authorities' actions as well as the retribution that they met with. Then we printed them and shared them among practitioners to serve as source material for exposing the local evildoers and clarifying the truth. Many people, including practitioners, were shocked by the brutal persecution happening right next to them. For over two years, we have used the form of written experience sharing several times. The Minghui website's notice regarding the second Mainland China Internet Experience Sharing Conference prompted several practitioners to write articles. They first shared them among practitioners, then at practice sites, and finally chose the better ones to submit to the Minghui website. Experience sharing in written form makes it possible to involve practitioners in charge of making truth-clarification materials. These practitioners, who remain relatively secluded and do not often participate in group study and group sharing, are thus also able to participate when the materials are sent to them. It has played a positive role in speeding up the overall improvement in our local area.
October 24, 2005
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Media Reports
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Pacific Magazine, CNMI: Falun Gong Practitioner Gets Refugee Status
November 25, 2005
A final grant of refugee protection has been given to a Falun Gong practitioner after successfully convincing the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands (CNMI) Attorney General's Office (AGO) that she would face persecution or torture if she is deported back to China, The Marianas Variety learnt.
The final decision came seven months after the AGO gave her a conditional grant of protection on 08 April.
The Chinese government has a track record of widespread persecution of members of Falun Gong -- a gentle spiritual practice consisting of exercises and moral teachings, which the Communist government in Beijing considers a threat.
The 46-year-old Chinese national is the first to be afforded refugee status in the CNMI since the AGO issued regulations on refugee protection in Sept. 2004.
Other applications for refugee protection are pending with the AGO.
Vincent Perez, spokesman of Falun Gong or Falun Dafa in the CNMI, said the woman was authorized to work in the commonwealth.
However, he said that "due to the current dismal economic state of Saipan," the refugee has not been able to find a job yet.
Mr Perez, who helped the woman apply for refugee protection, said it was unclear whether the woman also has the legal status of a local resident.
Between April and November, the AGO conducted additional background checks on the woman, who has been on Saipan since 2003.
Under the AGO regulations, only foreign nationals who have been ordered deported by the CNMI Superior Court, or have been denied entry at a CNMI port of entry, are eligible to apply for refugee protection.
These foreign nationals must also prove that they face persecution or torture in their home countries.
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News from China
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Latest News from China - November 16, 2005
(Clearwisdom.net)
[Panjin City, Liaoning Province] Yang Lixin Starts to Lose Memory as a Result of Abuse in Detention
[Dehui City, Jilin Province] Supplemental Information about Ma Chunli and Zhu Guoyou Being Sentenced to Six Years of Imprisonment
[Kangping County, Liaoning Province] Wang Yuying Arrested and Her Home Ransacked
[Dalian City, Liaoning Province] Persecution Facts of Liu Guidong
[Chongqing] Ji Huihua Arrested When Distributing Truth-Clarifying Materials
[Zibo City, Shandong Province] Wang Qiying Arrested While Distributing Falun Dafa Truth-Clarifying Materials
[Jilin City, Jilin Province] Personnel from the Minzhu Police Station Arrest Liang Baofan While He Was Distributing Truth-Clarifying Materials
[Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province] Yin Anbang Arrested for Clarifying the Truth of Falun Dafa While Teaching a Class
[Nanning City, Guangxi Province] Arrest of Wei Caijian and Huang Qingyu
[Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province] 610 Office Police Arrest Practitioner Zhuang Qiuxiang and Take Her to the Xili Brainwashing Class
1. [Panjin City, Liaoning Province] Yang Lixin Starts to Lose Memory as a Result of Abuse in Detention
We have been told that Falun Gong practitioner Mr. Yang Lixin from Panjin City, who is now being held in Shenyang City No. 1 Prison is recently showing symptoms of partial memory loss. Prison personnel said they were not responsible for his condition. Yang Lixin was sent to the prison one day after his illegal arrest on August 3, 2005 in Panjin City. Since then he had staged a hunger strike (for two months) in protest, and had never had any memory loss problem. Strangely, soon after he started to eat, he manifested abnormal symptoms of memory loss. The media inside and outside of China have on many occasions exposed the facts about Chinese prisons using nerve-damaging drugs to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. We are quite worried about Yang Lixin's situation.
2. [Dehui City, Jilin Province] Supplemental Information about Ma Chunli and Zhu Guoyou Being Sentenced to Six Years of Imprisonment
On October 31, 2005, personnel from the Dehui City Court sentenced two practitioners, Ms. Ma Chunli and Mr. Zhu Guoyou, to six years of imprisonment.
Ms. Ma Chunli has been staging a hunger strike for eleven months in protest of the persecution and her illegal detention. Due to brutal force-feeding and other physical torture at the forced labor camp, she had to be carried into the court. Ms. Ma has been kept alive with transfusions. Her health is so bad that the Changchun City Forced Labor Camp Hospital refused to accept her. Authorities from Dehui City then sent her to Changchun City's Heizuizi Prison. Seeing that her life is in peril, Heizuizi Prison also refused to accept her. And yet, personnel from the Dehui City Police Station still didn't release her. They sent Ma Chunli to the Neurology Department of the Dehui City People's Hospital for emergency treatment. By that time Ma Chunli was already unconscious. Her blood vessels had collapsed and she could not be given a transfusion. The doctors had to cut her vein. Even at this critical moment, the prison sent four policemen to monitor her closely. They blocked the flow of information and forbid anyone from getting close to Ma Chunli. Ma Chunli's aunt brought Ma Chunli's 6-year-old child to see her, but they were not allowed to visit her.
3. [Kangping County, Liaoning Province] Wang Yuying Arrested and Her Home Ransacked
Practitioner Ms. Wang Yuying from Yaoduan Village, Xiaochengzi Town, Kangping County is a kind-hearted farmer. She had brain atrophy before she practiced Falun Gong, and after practicing Dafa, her illness disappeared. At noon on November 11, 2005 she picked up a few Dafa truth-clarifying booklets and wanted to give them to her mother who lives in Zhaojiadian Village. On her way to visit her mother, Liang Xu from the Xiaochengzi Town Police Station stopped her and forcibly searched her bag. He then dragged Wang Yuying into his car and sent her to the Xiaochengzi Police Station. They interrogated and intimidated her for over four hours. During the time, without any warrant, they broke into Wang Yuying's home and opened her cabinet with a master key. They confiscated all the Dafa books and extorted 1,000 yuan from her and threatened to take her grain if they don't get money. They then released Wang Yuying without any explanation. On November 14, Liang Xu collaborated with Li Dongxu and they again broke into Wang Yuying's home and illegally arrested her.
Relevant telephone numbers:
(Country code: 86, area code: 24)
Xiaochengzi Police Station, Kangping County: 87270007
Person responsible, Liang Xu: 87270916 (Home)
4. [Dalian City, Liaoning Province] Persecution Facts of Liu Guidong
Practitioner Mr. Liu Guidong is from Fangtun, Guangmingshan Town, Zhuanghe County, Dalian City. Since starting Falun Gong practice in 1997, the illnesses he had suffered from before, such as stomach problems, gallbladder problems and arthralgia disappeared.
After the persecution started on July 20, 1999, Liu Guidong was arrested and then detained nearly a month, and sentenced to two years and three years of forced labor in the Masanjia and Dalian City Forced Labor Camps, respectively. He was released on September 11, 2004. Mr. Liu's wife was also arrested several times and their house was ransacked many times.
On September 17, 2005, Liu Guidong and practitioner Wang Fengrong went out together to clarify the truth to people at Fangtun in Guangmingshan Town. At first, someone named Fang Jigui stole Wang Fengrong's truth-clarifying materials bag. Later, Fang Zhixing, a chief of the villagers group, reported them to the police twice. Thus, Shen Guokai from the town police station arrested them and put them into the Zhuanghe City Detention Center for about 38 days. Wang Fengrong was released on October 5, after being extorted out of a lot of money.
Police Officer: Shen Guokai: 86-13322259871 (cell), 86-411-89250204 Ext 8027 (office)
5. [Chongqing] Ji Huihua Arrested When Distributing Truth-Clarifying Materials
At about 5 o'clock on November 9, 2005, practitioner Ms. Ji Huihua, 64, an employee from the Chongqing City No. 3 Radio Equipment Factory, was arrested when she was distributing Falun Dafa truth-clarifying materials in front of the Natural Gas Company. Ms. Ji's daughter went to three police stations to find her mother, but everyone said they did not know anything. So far, no one knows Ji Huihua's whereabouts.
6. [Zibo City, Shandong Province] Wang Qiying Arrested While Distributing Falun Dafa Truth-Clarifying Materials
On November 7, 2005, practitioner Wang Qiying from Zibo City was arrested while distributing truth-clarifying materials. Wang's home was ransacked and some truth-clarifying CDs and other materials were confiscated. At present, Wang Qiying is being held at the Xiliulu Police Station in Zhangdian, Zibo City.
7. [Jilin City, Jilin Province] Personnel from the Minzhu Police Station Arrest Liang Baofan While He Was Distributing Truth-Clarifying Materials
Mr. Liang Baofan, 41, lives at Kouqian Town, Yongji County, Jilin Province. On November 14, 2005, personnel from the Jilin City Minzhu Police Station arrested him when he was distributing Falun Dafa truth-clarifying materials around the city railway station. Police also ransacked his home in Kouqian Town. Mr. Liang is currently being held at the city's No. 3 Detention Center.
Phone number for the Minzhu Police Station, the Changyi Branch Police Department, Jilin City: 86-432-2552473, 86-432-2563286
8. [Harbin City, Heilongjiang Province] Yin Anbang Arrested for Clarifying the Truth of Falun Dafa While Teaching a Class
On the evening of November 12, 2005, Falun Dafa practitioner Yin Anbang from Harbin City clarified the truth to his students at the City Oriental Institute. As a result, the institute authorities fired Mr. Yin and ten days later, 610 Office personnel arrested him.
9. [Nanning City, Guangxi Province] Arrest of Wei Caijian and Huang Qingyu
Practitioner Ms. Wei Caijian, 58, is from Nanning City. The police arrested her on a bus on October 16, 2005 and took her to the Qingxiu District National Security Team for interrogation. They subjected her to a forcible body search and confiscated all her belongings.
At 3:00 p.m. on the same day, lawless policemen Chen Naiqing, Chen Tao and Wei Hecheng from the National Security Team took Ms. Wei back home and broke into her house. They confiscated over 100 envelopes, dozens of disc packages, and five copies of The Real Story of Jiang Zeming. Then they took her back to the Xinghu Police Station for detention. At about 10:00 p.m., Chen Naiqing and other lawless policemen sent Wei Caijian to the Nanning City No. 2 Detention Center. Wei Caijian appeared to be seriously ill and the detention center refused to admit her. The policemen didn't give up. They took Ms. Wei to the Maoqiao Hospital for an examination. A doctor's diagnosis stated that she was in critical condition. However, the police discarded the diagnosis and took her back to the National Security Team for further persecution. The second afternoon, fearing that Wei Caijian might die, they informed her daughter and compelled her daughter to post bail for her release. During the detention period, policemen always handcuffed Wei Caijian on a sofa. She suffered much, both physically and mentally.
At 7:30 p.m. on September 12, 2005, policemen from the Nanning City Qingxiu National Security Team arrested practitioner Huang Qingyu and put him into the Nanning City No. 1 Detention Center. Family visits are forbidden. Lawless policemen participating in the persecution included Huang Wenxian, Meng Jiliang, Yang Zhiwu, Lu Fusheng, Li Nan, Wang Xuanji, Tang Jirong and Zhou Ji.
10. [Shenzhen City, Guangdong Province] 610 Office Police Arrest Practitioner Zhuang Qiuxiang and Take Her to the Xili Brainwashing Class
At 4:00 p.m. on September 7, 2005, when practitioner Ms. Zhuang Qiuxiang went to Nigang Village, policemen from the 610 Office arrested her and forcibly sent her to the Xili Brainwashing Class. In order to protest the persecution, Zhuang Qiuxiang went on a hunger strike for many days. She is extremely weak and her life is in peril. There are other practitioners detained at the brainwashing center.
November 15, 2005
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193 People Declare that their Words and Deeds Under Forced Brainwashing are Null and Void
A Total of 300715 Declarations Have Been Published To Date
(Clearwisdom.net) A "solemn declaration" is a person's public statement declaring to the world that whatever he or she has done or said under duress or deception that was against Falun Dafa is null and void. Most of these statements have come from Falun Dafa practitioners in China who wished to express regret that, in the face of physical torture and brainwashing, they had signed documents renouncing Dafa and guaranteeing not to practice again. Also, as more and more people in China learn the truth about how they have been deceived and lied to by the Jiang regime, many non-practitioners are also submitting "solemn declarations."
Here are some examples of the Solemn Declarations:
Dafa Practitioners' Solemn Statements [9/29/2005]
Solemn Declarations By People Who Have Awakened to the Truth about Falun Gong [9/29/2005]
Solemn Declarations by Young Dafa Practitioners [8/29/2005]
Please click here for more Solemn Declarations.
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Summary of Other Articles and News - November 18, 2005
(Clearwisdom.net)
Facts of the Persecution
The arrest of several Dafa practitioners in Yunfu City, Guangdong Province
On September 29, 2005, the Yunfu City government and the police department in Guangdong Province illegally arrested practitioners Yang Hailian, Lai Jiawen, and Chen Shuishi. Mr. Ruan Guihuan and his wife Ms. Ou Zhini were arrested at the same time. Practitioner Ms. Li Shaozhen was arrested late at night on September 29 and was subsequently sent to the Xinxing Detention Center. She was sentenced to two years of forced labor. Her husband Mr. Lai Zhenxian was arrested in Dongwan in February 2002, and was sentenced to three years of forced labor. He is currently being persecuted at the Sanshui Forced Labor Camp. Practitioner Yang Hailian was arrested and is being held at the Yunfu Detention Center with practitioners Lai Jiawen and Ruan Guihuan. Practitioners Yang Hailian, Chen Shuishi and Ms. Ou Zhini were released in the evening on October 6. Lai Jiawen was sentenced to two years of forced labor. On the evening of October 22, the police arrested practitioner Ou Suhong and she is now being held at the Yunfu City Detention Center.
http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/11/18/114711.html
The Zhaoyuan City 610 Office in Shandong Province persecuted Dafa practitioner Ms. Liu Yaohua
On September 11, 2005 [Chinese lunar calendar], the 610 Office broke into the home of Dafa practitioner Ms. Liu Yaohua from Zhaoyuan City, Shandong Province. Without presenting any ID, they took Ms. Liu to a brainwashing center. They dragged her into a room with no window; and left her handcuffed there for more than ten days in a row. The perpetrators tortured Ms. Liu on a daily basis. They beat her, ground her toes with their hard boots, and hung her up by her handcuffed wrists. She eventually was able to leave, but her current whereabouts are unknown.
http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/11/18/114807.html
Recent persecution at Masanjia Forced Labor Camp
The guards at Masanjia Forced Labor Camp persecute and torture Dafa practitioners who refuse to cooperate with their unreasonable demands. Some practitioners are frequently detained in solitary confinement and hung up by their handcuffs; some are shocked with electric batons for doing the Dafa exercises; some are forced to stand for long periods of time for refusing to sit on small stools, and some are beaten for refusing to wear the prison uniform. On April 1, 2005, practitioner Ms. Wang Manli was on the seventh day of a hunger strike, in protest of her unlawful detention. A group of guards pinned her to the ground while one guard sat on her stomach. On January 1, 2004, practitioner Zhang Suxia refused to cooperate with the guards. They dragged her to a solitary confinement cell where it was extremely cold and unbuttoned her clothes. She was bleeding from her lower body and was shivering due to the cold weather. Ms. Zhang was on the brink of death, yet the perpetrators still handcuffed her in solitary confinement for a few days.
http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/11/18/114758.html
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Practitioners' Music
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Music: A Predestined Relationship for the Next Life
(Clearwisdom.net)
Listen Online Low-Fidelity (2:41) High-Fidelity (2:41)
Download Low-Fidelity (332KB) High-Fidelity (646KB) MP3 (1.8MB)
Download Instruction:
Move the mouse over the link, right-click the mouse, and choose "Save Link Target As..."
First published in English at http://www.pureinsight.org/pi/articles/2005/6/20/3075p.html
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Traditional Chinese Culture
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Respecting a Person with High Virtue Keeps the Enemy Away
(Clearwisdom.net) In China's Warring States period (Zhan'guo, 475BC - 221BC), there was a man named Duan Ganmu that moved from the Jin State to the Wei State. He was a highly virtuous person, and was respected very much by people. The Wei king Wenhou would salute him when he passed by Duan Ganmu's house.
Wenhou's footman asked him, "Why do you salute?" Wenhou answered, "Isn't this Duan Ganmu's house? Mr. Duan Ganmu is a highly virtuous person, how can I dare not salute him?" He also commented, "Mr. Duan Ganmu's glory is earned by his virtue, but my glory is earned by owning a large amount of land; Mr. Duan Ganmu has integrity, and I only have wealth. Owning land cannot compare to owning virtue; wealth cannot be compared with integrity, so I should pay respect to him."
Wei King Wenhou gave Mr. Duan Ganmu millions of payments to praise his integrity, and often went to visit him to pay his respect. The people in Wei State were all very happy that their ruler respected a highly virtuous person to such a degree.
Later on, the Qin king wanted to conquer the Wei. Sima Tang said to the King of Qin, "Duan Ganmu is a highly virtuous person, and the King of Wei respects him very much; people all over the world know this. Maybe we should not attack Wei." Therefore, the King of Qin ordered his army to withdraw from attacking Wei.
The strong Qin army had conquered six states, but left the Wei alone because all of the people knew that Wenhou respected highly virtuous people and managed a state with integrity. Therefore, it was known that their state must be blessed by heaven, and the people there must be very loyal to their home country. If Qin dared to attack Wei, the attack would be condemned by the heavens, and the people would resist with their lives. How could any attack succeed?
While history does not manifest according to the wishes of people, the rise and fall of each country follows a certain pattern. Heaven rules everything. Just like the ancients said, the Heavenly King does not care if you are family or a stranger; he only helps people with virtue.
Master Li said, "If someone's values are lacking gods really look down on him. With any person, any being, only when he has both aspirations and morals can he accomplish things, to be sure." (Teaching the Fa at the 2005 Manhattan International Fa Conference)
Therefore, a ruler should respect virtue and cultivate virtue; then he can be well received by the people. If a ruler respects noble men, the vicious ones will run away. These are smart policies to safeguard a country.
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Story of an Ancient Cultivator: Words Spoken by an Ulcer with a Human Face
(Clearwisdom.net) During the reign of Emperor Jin in the Han Dynasty, seven royal dukes who had their own territories had become more and more arrogant. The Duke of Wu, Liu Bi, was plotting to overthrow the emperor. In order to preserve the empire and prevent the seven royal dukes from holding rebellions, Chao Cuo, a counselor at the royal court, urged the emperor to take away the royal dukes' holdings. Upon hearing that, the seven royal dukes decided to go ahead and rebel against the emperor anyway. Emperor Jin became worried and gathered his officials to talk about what he should do. Yuan An, another official at the court, was once the prime minister for the Duke of Wu. He also had some past personal conflicts with Chao Cuo. So he took advantage of the situation and blamed the whole rebellion on Chao Cuo. Yuan urged the emperor to kill Chao Cuo. The emperor listened to Yuan, and Chao Cuo was executed at the Eastern Market. The executioner cut him in half at the waist, which was a very painful way to die. His entire family was also executed along with him. Another official with the surname of Deng later wrote to the emperor and made an appeal on Chao Cuo's behalf. Emperor Jin realized that he had made a huge mistake but it was already too late. This happened in 154 B.C.
During the reign of Emperor Yi in the Tang Dynasty (860-875 A.D.), there was a very learned monk named Wu Da. When he was young, he met another monk at a temple in the capital of Chang'an. That monk was seriously ill. He had ulcers all over his bodies and smelled bad. Nobody wanted to have anything to do with him. But Wu Da treated the monk kindly and never showed any disgust over his illness. When it was time for them to part, the ill monk told Wu Da, "If you have a tribulation in the future, you can come to Chalong Mountain (in today's Pengzhou City, Sichuan Province) and look me up. The mountain is marked by two tall pine trees."
As years went by, Monk Wu Da remained in the capital of Chang'an and became more and more well-known. Emperor Yi named him the Head Lecturer of the entire country, and bestowed a heavy and expensive incense holder upon him. Wu Da became quite pleased with himself, thinking that he was now above everyone else but the Emperor. Soon after that, he developed an ulcer on his knee. The ulcer looked like the face of a human, and could eat like a human. It brought Wu Da a great deal of pain and anguish. Wu Da went to visit many famous doctors seeking treatment but nobody could help him.
One day Wu Da suddenly remembered what the other monk had told him years ago. He decided to go to Chalong Mountain to look the monk up. When he arrived in the general vicinity of the mountain, it was dusk. He saw two tall pine trees on a mountain far away that reached all the way to the clouds in the sky. He walked toward the pine trees and indeed found the monk. He told the monk what he had been going through. The monk told him, "Don't worry about it. There is a mountain spring at the bottom of the cliff. In the morning, just go and wash yourself with the water there, and you will be fine."
In the morning, a servant boy of the monk led Wu Da to the spring. Just as he was about to wash the ulcer with the spring water, the ulcer suddenly yelled out, "Don't wash yourself yet. I want to tell you what this is all about. You are a very learned person. Have you read about how Yuan An caused the wrongful death of Chao Cuo from the book Historical Account of the Western Han Dynasty?" Wu Da replied, "Yes, I have read it." The ulcer said, "You were Yuan An, and I was Chao Cuo. You caused me an excruciating death when I was cut in half at the waist. How unjust that was! I have been trying to seek revenge against you for ten lives now. During the previous ten lives of yours, you had always been a very well-cultivated monk who followed the Buddhist cultivation rules diligently, and therefore I couldn't find any way to exert my revenge. Now you have been honored by the emperor and you have developed attachments toward fame and self-interest. Because you have gaps in your virtue, I have been able to seek my revenge. Now Nuojianuo, a Holy Person, has given the Three Taste Water (representing the power of Nuojianuo, achieved through his righteous cultivation) and absolved me. So I have decided not to seek further revenge from you." Wu Da was very shocked by what he had just heard. He washed the ulcer with the spring water, and felt a deep pain from his bones. The ulcer soon went away, and he was cured.
The above account was recorded by Monk Wu Da in his book, Repentance at the Water after he was cured of the ulcer.
Wu Da had been a well-cultivated monk for the past ten lives, who had followed all the Buddhist cultivation rules diligently. But he was almost destroyed completely because he had developed attachments to fame and self-interest, and therefore had gaps in his virtue. The story shows how important it is for a cultivator to maintain righteous thoughts at all times. Today we are in a chaotic world in the Fa-ending period. We are surrounded by all kinds of wickedness and the standard of human morality has deteriorated to the point where it is beyond repair. As Dafa disciples who live in such an environment and who must shoulder the immense responsibilities of validating the Fa and saving sentient beings, we must let go of our human attachments and maintain our righteous thoughts and righteous actions. Only then can we continuously make steadfast progress on our journey toward godhood.
First published in English at http://www.pureinsight.org/pi/articles/2005/6/27/3093.html
posted by Toothy at 2:32 PM
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