(Clearwisdom.net) I am a new practitioner who obtained the Fa less than one year ago. I first read Dafa books before the persecution began in 1999, but felt the requirements were too difficult for me.
My mother obtained the Fa before 1999, but stopped practicing when the persecution started. In Spring 2004, because of her poor health, mother asked me to buy her some medicine. The retailer, who was a Falun Dafa practitioner, told me to ask mother to continue practicing. I felt it was a good idea, and mother also agreed. Because of her illiteracy, she had some difficulty in reading. So I read the books with her. We read Zhuan Falun, Explaining the Content of Falun Dafa, Lectures in the United States, as well as experience-sharing articles by practitioners. I felt myself become closer and closer to the Fa. The teachings are so good. How come I had not practiced earlier? I also discussed this with a Dafa practitioner at my workplace. After reading Teacher's recent lectures, I began to know what Dafa disciples should do. So I followed veteran practitioners to do things.
In September 2004, I read Teacher's new article, "Let Go of Human Attachments and Save the World's People." I was very worried. So many practitioners went to Beijing to send forth righteous thoughts, I also wanted to go. But mother said because I obtained the Fa late, my sending forth righteous thoughts might not be so powerful. However, in my understanding, what Teacher pays attention to is our hearts. My daughter started to practice at approximately the same time as me. After I talked with her about this, she was also very willing to go, but my husband was scared. Many Chinese had fears upon hearing of Falun Gong practitioners going to Beijing. I sent forth righteous thoughts every day, asking Teacher to help me. When I was ready for the trip, surprisingly, my husband was very happy to take us to the railway station.
The following day, after we returned from Beijing, we heard that many practitioners had been arrested because they went to Beijing. As we heard more and more, my mood became low. On Sunday evening, I happened to turn to page 22 of Zhuan Falun,
"Our Law Wheel protects you if you're a true cultivator. My roots are all deeply planted in the universe, and if someone could affect you, he could affect me, and to put it directly, he'd be able to affect the universe."
I read this part to my husband three or four times.
The next day, my supervisors at work came to talk with me, because some of my colleagues had reported me to them after receiving truth clarification materials from me. I immediately remembered the Fa I read the day before. With Teacher, no one could do anything to me. As I was sending forth righteous thoughts, I went to my supervisors' office. Because my Fa study was very limited, and my cultivation was not good enough, they kept asking me where I obtained Dafa books and truth clarification materials. They even threatened to lay me off and send me to a labor camp. Then I was unable to follow "Forbearance," and lost my temper. As the result of their persecution, a fellow practitioner and I lost our jobs.
When I began to look back on those days, I used to feel angry and think it was unfair. Fellow practitioners came, and gave me many lectures that were given by Teacher since 1999. I kept looking inward, and found my loopholes. A practitioner also recited a poem of Teacher's to me,
"No sadness when trapped in jail
Keeping righteous thoughts and righteous actions with the Fa
Calm down and ponder over attachments
With no human notions, evils are defeated themselves"("No sadness" in Hongyin II, provisional translation subject to further improvement)
Although I had not been jailed, I was persecuted. I remember Teacher said,
"I can tell you that if a person doesn't have that much karma, he absolutely won't have tribulations that severe. You should clearheadedly distinguish personal cultivation from evil's persecution of the Fa."
("Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. Fa Conference" in Guiding the Voyage)
Through continual Fa-study, I realized I had too many omissions. Later I heard that my supervisor at the workplace reported both of us to the local 610 Office, asking them to send us to labor camp. Our benevolent Teacher stopped the danger.
I thought about many things, and found many things I did not do well. Probably having that single thought [to cultivate] was the only right thing I did. Teacher has been taking care of me with compassion. I could only sweep away tears. I should study the Fa more, and do well the three things Teacher asked us to do, so that I can become more and more diligent.
April 14, 2005
