The Sixth Internet Experience Sharing Conference for Practitioners in China
Shen Yun Performing Arts
News and Events Around the World
Accounts of Persecution
Open Forum
Practitioners Exchange Insights and Experiences
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(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings Master, Greetings Fellow practitioners!
Looking back on my thirteen years of cultivation, I can say that there were moments of glory and achievement. But I have regrets as well - mistakes were made in the process of helping Teacher validate Dafa. So today I would like to use the opportunity afforded by this Fa conference to thank Benevolent Master for his great compassion and mercy.
Using a Cell Phone to Clarify the Truth is an Exercise in Eliminating One's Attachments
I was very moved when reading articles by fellow practitioners on Clearwisdom.net, about using cell phones to tell people about Falun Gong and the persecution by the Chinese government. I feel that all practitioners should use cell phones to clarify the truth. As Master said,
"This is especially so for the Dafa disciples in Mainland China: each must come out and clarify the truth, bringing it to every field and valley, mountain and hill, not omitting a single area where there are people." ("Let Go of Human Attachments and Save the World's People")
After reading Master's words, I decided to get involved in this project. I shared this with fellow practitioners and several of them were willing to participate. So we started sending cell phone text messages to tell people the facts about the persecution.
In the beginning we encountered some difficulties. Either our cell phones were blocked or the phone cards we used would not function. When we succeeded in sending out messages, the feedback we received was not very positive. Some recipients responded with foul language, while others criticized us. This negativity caused some of us to lose confidence and consider discontinuing the project.
We got together to assess the situation and exchange ideas on how we could improve. We looked inward and sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil factors that were interfering with our project. I called the mobile phone company and asked them to stop blocking our calls. A week later they started letting all of our calls go through.
We later decided to look within whenever we received negative feedback. Were our hearts impure? Were we losing touch with our mission to save sentient beings? Could it be that we felt resentment toward the evil police officers that were persecuting Falun Gong practitioners? Could it be that we just wanted everything to be nice, and at some level, actually resented those who were being persecuted? Could it be that the contents of our cell phone messages were not benevolent or that they didn't clearly state our purpose? We just couldn't figure out what was twisting knots in the hearts of the sentient beings.
After exchanging ideas, we decided to hold off sending any more cell phone messages until we sent forth righteous thoughts to clear interference from any evil forces in other dimensions. Then, as we sent out new messages, we maintained our righteous thoughts. When first making contact, we only introduced the goodness of Falun Dafa or the truth about the Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident, then later followed up with additional information. No matter how nasty some of the feedback was, or whether the messages were sent to everyday people or to officials who persecute Falun Gong practitioners, we usually followed up with another message that read, "A loving heart can persuade with a thousand words - this heart wishes for you to know the truth. We sincerely hope you'll choose a wonderful future for yourselves!" Then we maintained a pure thought, "I truly want to save you!"
Once a police officer sent an unfriendly response to my message. I replied with compassionate words imploring him to stop persecuting practitioners. After several communications, he sent me a message that said, "Thank you, now I know the truth and you're truly thinking of my own good." A staff member from the 610 Office once told a practitioner's family members, "I have received many text messages from Falun Gong practitioners. Each time I received them, my heart trembled!"
By constantly looking within, eliminating our attachments and continuously improving our text message contents, our efforts to save sentient beings gained strength. Some replies to our messages asked about the benefits of Falun Dafa, some expressed their support, and others thanked us and said they would remember what we told them. A number of people expressed their admiration for Dafa practitioners. Some said they wanted to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliated groups, but most of the replies thanked us for saving them. There were no more nasty words or criticism.
It has been almost a year since we began using cell phones to clarify the truth about Falun Gong and the persecution. There are many benefits to reaching out to people in this way. I learned a lot, ridded myself of many of my attachments and constantly improved my xinxing. But more than that, many miracles occurred when we we are sending text messages. My text messages reach people who are predestined to encounter Falun Dafa, including hard-to-reach government officials in various law enforcement sectors, even though I cannot meet them face to face. Because our text messages are short and the contents are meaningful, people are usually willing to read them.
We have recently added voice recordings to our truth clarification project. We learned that some predestined people, upon receiving our messages, call others and say, "Hurry and come listen! It's a Falun Gong voice recording!" Sometimes one voice recording isn't enough. Some predestined beings wait patiently for us to send a second message. I am moved to hear that they so seriously listen to the truth by phone - and I am pleased for them! I hope that our text messages and voice recordings clarify the truth everywhere like the spring flowers, and more people will be saved.
Persistently Reaching Out a Helping Hand to Practitioners Gone Astray
In 2001, after being released from the forced labor camp, I was deceived by the evil forces in the universe. I stumbled, gave in to the evil and took a detour from the road to salvation. I am so very grateful to Master for his compassionate care and the many hints he sent me to guide me back toward the righteous path. Also I want to thank my fellow practitioners, for they are the ones who brought me Master's lectures.
Studying Master's teachings showed me that I had walked the path that was arranged by the old forces. I watched a DVD made by overseas practitioners about practitioners in China who went to Beijing to validate Dafa. It brought back the memories of when I went to Beijing to validate Dafa on Tiananmen Square - scene after scene of policemen brutally beating Falun Gong practitioners. I was filled with remorse and couldn't stop my tears. I felt unworthy of esteemed Master's merciful and arduous salvation and shamed before the suffering of those brave practitioners. I cried for several days, consumed with sorrow for my deviation from the Fa. I prostrated myself before Master's portrait, repented and vowed that from then on, I would walk the last leg in the righteous path to my original home.
I knew that if I continued to indulge in my past deviations from the Fa, eventually the evil old forces would persecute me. I finally overcame my grief, dedicated every possible moment to diligent Fa study, and within one month's time, finished reading all of Master's overseas lectures. Through this Fa study, I learned the root cause of my departure from the path. It was because I had not accepted the Fa as my teacher and had not achieved total, rock-solid belief in Dafa and Master. I have an attachment of zealotry and sometimes I like showing off. Other times I feel complacent. The old forces seized these loopholes and persecuted me. I read Master's overseas lectures about some practitioners who unintentionally chose a wrong path because of their attachments. I understood that it was not because they wanted to betray Dafa, but that the old forces used their loopholes and persecuted them.
Master said he doesn't want to leave a single disciple behind, so I decided to go find practitioners who had left Dafa but not yet returned. Some of the practitioners had gone into Buddhism. The study of Master's lectures taught me that once a practitioner truly leaves Dafa, he or she will miss the predestined opportunity for which we have waited thousands of years. What a terrible mistake that would be!
I copied down Master's lecture on the subject and either read it or gave it to practitioners who had left Dafa. I then told them of my own mistakes and the things I had learned after I returned to Dafa. After attending our group Fa study, some of them soon came back. Others however, were unmoved no matter what I said to them. I went home to study Master's teachings more diligently and looked inward for any hidden attachments. I asked fellow practitioners to help by sending forth righteous thoughts to clear out any evil forces in other dimensions that were blocking the return of those practitioners. I planned to reach out to these former practitioners again later, and have other practitioners go with me.
In a group study, I suggested that practitioners with wavering faith should use Fa principles to look within for the source of their difficulties. I knew these practitioners were in a very vulnerable state and were afraid of being accused. I understood their state of mind and communicated with them in a sympathetic manner, but I was very persistent in seeking them out. Some practitioners were awakened from the evil influences after one or two group Fa studies. Others however, required more than a dozen sessions.
I knew a practitioner who had left Dafa and become a Buddhist. I visited him several times and read Master's lectures to him, but failed to change his mind. I was really discouraged, but I decided to pay him one last visit before giving up. On my way to see him, Master's voice rang in my ear,
"With shared purpose did you come to the earth, and in gaining the Fa you took the lead. One day shall you ascend to the heavens, Then free, unfettered, with the immeasurable power of Fa." ("Fulfilling the Vow" from Hong Yin)
After hearing Master's voice, I was unable to stop my tears. I knew then, that Master had given me a hint. It was my responsibility to awaken this practitioner because we made our vows to come to the earth and we should ascend to the heavens in the new universe together.
No matter whether these wayward practitioners are nearby or hundreds of miles away, no matter whether I can personally meet them or have others go meet them, I feel that I have a responsibility to do something about it. As long as these fellow practitioners return to practice Dafa, I will be happy for them.
Unconditionally Looking Inward to Eliminate the Interval and Harmonize as One Body
Over the last two years, I had numerous disagreements with a certain practitioner. At the time, I had a relatively strong ego, and I had picked up some erroneous ideas about the Fa during the course of my cultivation. These flaws combined with my hidden attachments to prevent me from listening to others' ideas. As a cultivator, I lacked a compassionate heart and couldn't tolerate views that were different from my own. Disagreements with fellow practitioners immediately and always exposed my bad temper.
On Master's birthday last year, some fellow practitioners asked me to share my experiences in an article to be published on the Clearwisdom website. As I wrote, I carefully searched deep inside my heart for hidden attachments. Sometimes evil thoughts interfered with my thinking and intensified my attachments, which blocked me from finding or recognizing them. Once I understood this, I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the bad substances that were controlling my thoughts. By the time I finished writing the article, I had discovered many hidden attachments and erroneous ideas that clouded my understanding of the Fa. During this process I also gained an understanding of many new Fa principles. I decided to use this new understanding of the Fa to immediately get rid of all of my attachments and use this process to begin my transformation from a human to a divine being.
Thereafter, I was mindful of my every word, thought, and action, and eliminated my attachments as soon as I found them. I tried my best to prevent the return of even the slightest residue of those attachments. I would not let them control me. They are getting weaker day by day. As Master said, "A human body is a small universe." (Zhuan Falun) All beings in my universe will have to assimilate to the Fa. I will not be too polite, but simply eliminate any unrighteousness factors in my small universe. During the process of looking inward and cultivating my xinxing, my heart has increased to its capacity and my forbearance has increased as well. In day to day affairs, I try to keep a peaceful mind. Whenever I encounter difficulties and injustices, I use Fa principles to guide me and look within. As Master said,
"You should always maintain a heart of benevolence and a mind of kindness. If you suddenly bump into a problem you will be able to take care of it properly." (Zhuan Falun)
When I cultivated myself diligently and learned to deal with conflicts and disagreements by looking inward, my xinxing improved and my level upgraded. Looking back, I see that those so-called "conflicts" are really just set up to prepare us to elevate our levels. Before we are enlightened to this fact, we always look for shortcomings in others and not in ourselves when we are faced with conflicts. In his compassionate way, Master wants us to see this truth and learn when we collide with each other. Master said,
"Do you realize that as long as you're a cultivator, in any environment or under any circumstances, I will use any troubles or unpleasant things you come across--even if they involve work for Dafa, or no matter how good or sacred you think they are--to eliminate your attachments and expose your demon-nature so that it can be eliminated, for your improvement is what's most important." ("Further Understanding" from Essentials For Further Advancement)
Master once said to treat both good things and bad things as if they are good. We must take advantage of our conflicts, for they are opportunities to improve our xinxing. Wasn't that a grand idea to bury bad things inside of good things? After improving myself with the help of the Fa, I sincerely thank Master for his mercy and for the suffering he has endured to save us. I also want to thank my fellow practitioners for helping me to improve myself.
I have sometimes wondered why fellow practitioners are still being arrested and detained by the Chinese government. The reason could be that gaps exist between practitioners, and we have not quite formed a whole, unified body. The intervals that separate us have caused the unified body to splinter, creating loopholes that the old forces seize to intensify their persecution of us and further damage the body. To eliminate these gaps, each one of us should begin by taking responsibility for our own cultivation, using the principles of the Fa as a guide to diligently cultivate ourselves.
There was a fellow practitioner with whom I had many conflicts. Even though we had worked through many of the problems between us, deep down in our hearts there was still animosity whenever we met. We refused to sit together and wouldn't open up our hearts and exchange views on anything. But in the cultivation world there are no coincidences when bad feelings arise between practitioners. Since it happened to me, I knew that there must be some areas where I needed to improve and some attachments to eliminate. I decided to open up my heart and communicate with this practitioner in order to eradicate the gaps between us. On the surface we acknowledged the gaps that the old forces created for us, and acknowledged that we could not let go of them. But we were just paying lip service to the problem. In actuality, our minds and our behavior were controlled by theses forces and we didn't want to let go of them.
I decided to visit this practitioner and make amends, but my thought karma pulled me back and didn't want me to go. All sorts of questions began to form in my mind. Could she possibly be willing to listen and accept me? How would she react to my earlier irrational thinking? Eventually, I realized that these thoughts arose from my own thought karma. The evil thought karma was afraid of its own death because once the practitioner and I eliminated the problem between us, thought karma would disintegrate automatically. I made up my mind to find my most pure heart and visit her. Then I sat down for half an hour to send forth righteous thoughts to clear the bad substances from my surrounding field, and eliminate all interference from the combative mentality, unbalanced heart, and attachments arising from feelings of inadequacy.
When I arrived at her place, she welcomed me warmly. We chatted for a while and I was about to let her know what was on my mind when she told me that the next day was her husband's fifty-seventh birthday. All of a sudden, my human thoughts resurfaced. I convinced myself that the things I wanted to tell her could wait. When I realized my mistake, I immediately looked inward to understand why I didn't insist upon letting her know my intentions. Could it be that I still had the same old conceptions about her? Had I over estimated my success in eliminating attachments and upgrading of my level? I considered from the way she acted, that maybe she hadn't improved herself either. I discovered my own vanity and learned that more than anything else, I was afraid of losing face. Master once said that to overestimate one's worth is not a good thing. I wanted to use principles I had learned as a Dafa disciple to communicate with her.
As we communicated, we each looked inward to find our shortcomings. We were in harmony, willing to accept each others' viewpoints, and we maintained peaceful minds. She then told me that my xinxing had improved a lot and that there had been holistic improvements in other practitioners as well. After she finished speaking, I could feel our hearts inching closer and the distance between us melting away like snow. I told her, "You have also upgraded your xinxing, and our discussion went very well today." We smiled at each other and decided to leave the chaos behind us because we couldn't possibly hold on to our bad feelings and take them with us to the new universe. We also decided that from then on we would deal immediately with any misunderstandings that arose between us. We would cherish our predestined relationship because there would not be another opportunity as precious as this one.
I asked this fellow practitioner, when there is are gaps between practitioners, who would be the happiest? The evil old forces of course! Who would be the saddest? Our Master, naturally. Who would be the victim? We as practitioners would suffer the most. We both shed tears. The evil forces had been trying their best to destroy us practitioners. Although we constantly talk about maintaining righteous thoughts and actions, we often run around in circles that the evil elements have arranged for us, and seem unable to break though the barriers. This practitioner told me that she also discovered her attachments, and together we would dissolve our prior misunderstandings. We would try our best to make Master happy and never let the evil old forces get the best of us again. After we spoke, I could feel shining lights in my heart and a blackness fall from my head. It felt so wonderful to put down our ordinary mentalities and eliminate the interval between us.
After this experience, I decided to have a heart to heart talk with my third eldest sister to eliminate our sisterly sentimentalities. In the past, we differed in our understanding of the Fa, and that gave the old forces an opportunity to drive a wedge between us. We became alienated from each other and seldom exchanged our ideas and understandings of Fa principles. Just when I was thinking of contacting her, she called me and invited me to visit. I thought to myself, "When a disciple has righteous thoughts, Teacher is sure to help." The night before we met, I thought, "I will be use my most pure heart to communicate with her and let her know everything I have recently enlightened to about the Fa." Just then, Master's word came to me, "But once the partitions are cleared away, on earth the boiling cauldron is in place." ("Retribution" from Hong Yin II) Suddenly my entire body felt a "boom," as if being shaken by an earthquake. In an instant I understood why. There are still shelters for evils forces to hide in. The reason there has been no retribution against the evil forces that persecute Falun Gong is because the gaps that separate practitioners have not been dissolved. We cling tightly to the evil forces' arrangements and are reluctant to let them go. Some practitioners have seen with their third eye the hiding places of rotten demons and ghosts in other dimensions, and they have said that we encounter obstacles in our efforts to stop the persecution because some practitioners will not let go of the gaps that divide us. This observation is based on my current level of understanding of the hints I have received from Master.
I went to my sister's home and we shared with pure hearts the things we have come to understand about the Fa. We both looked inward for our hidden attachments. She invited some fellow practitioners from her region to come over, and we exchanged our views on the Fa. There are still many practitioners who can't let go of their human mentalities. Even though on the surface, they pretend nothing has happened, in their hearts they exclude others and create gaps that prevent practitioners from uniting as one body. After we shared our views, these practitioners finally realized that because of their human attachments and their fixed conceptions, they had invited the old forces to exploit their weaknesses and create distance between them. Feeling light-hearted after letting go of their attachments, they all expressed a desire to eliminate their weaknesses and start anew. My sister said happily, "After finding and letting go of my human attachments, I feel like I've shed a thick layer of skin." I felt like I gained a much deeper understanding of the Fa and greatly improved my xinxing as well.
My difficulties with my fellow practitioners were thoroughly dissolved during these discussions. Gaps between practitioners arise when we fail to sever our human attachments that are born of selfishness. Our fixed notions enable the old forces to take advantage of and intensify the intervals between practitioners, harming our efforts to achieve a unified body. Master said, "So, I tell you that you cannot consummate if you do not love your enemies." ("Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Canada") I would say also that you cannot consummate if you maintain bad feelings between practitioners. Master has given us the most omnipotent universal law and taught us how to cultivate diligently and achieve our ultimate goal to become the lord of our own Cosmos. Our hearts should be as broad as the universe. The higher one's level, the wider our hearts must be in order to shelter more sentient beings. Of what can we be intolerant? Also, if we practitioners are divided, we will fail to achieve consummation and will become obstacles to remaking the universe according to the Fa. Those evil substances are alive. They live horizontally and vertically in other dimensions and create gaps between practitioners in the hopes of blocking our efforts to become a unified body. If we don't sever and purge those bad substances, they will survive in our surrounding energy fields and continue to divide practitioners. Practitioners on both sides of these gaps need to simultaneously eradicate them so that they will completely disappear. In order to eradicate them, we need to unconditionally look inward. As Master said, "As you get rid of human mentality, evil is naturally defeated." ("Don't Be Sad" from Hong Yin II)
Let us be more rational, mature and wise, hold hands together with righteous thoughts and actions, and assist Master in validating Dafa and saving sentient beings.
(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings Revered Master! Greetings fellow practitioners!
I am very happy to be able to attend this sacred experience sharing conference. It is my great pleasure to participate in this conference on the Internet with practitioners around the world. I would like to share with you my experience in saving sentient beings.
1. Clarifying the Truth and Saving Sentient Beings with a Pure Mind
Recently, there were a few cases in our area where practitioners were reported to the police while they were clarifying the truth. This happened because in the process of clarifying the truth, we didn't pay attention to rectifying ourselves with the Fa, and our minds were not pure, thus we were allowing the evil to take advantage of us.
We know from the Fa that the origins of sentient beings in this world are not trivial. They came for the Fa. But in this maze, poisoned by the evil's lies, some are even hostile toward Dafa and participate in the persecution. Only pure compassion can untie the knots in their hearts. Therefore, it is said that Dafa practitioners during the Fa-rectification shoulder great tasks and have enormous historic responsibilities in fulfilling our prehistoric pledges.
I remember one time when I went to a store, where a man and a woman were sitting. As I was shopping I took out a copy of truth-clarification material and handed it to the woman. I said to her, "I'm giving you something good to read. Please learn the truth about Dafa. Don't believe the lies on TV. If you have joined the CCP and its affiliated organizations, you should quit them!"
The man shouted, "How dare you say this? Do you know who I am? I am Zhang xx." I was very surprised to hear that Zhang was the head of the 610 Office, who persecutes practitioners in our area. He didn't even leave his cousin alone, and sent his cousin to a forced labor camp. His cousin was later tortured to death. I had never seen him before. Was this really him? I immediately had righteous thoughts, thinking... does it make a difference if it's him? He, even more than others, needed to learn the truth so he would not continue doing evil deeds.
I said, "I don't care who you are. What I tell you is true and it's for your good." He said, "Looks like you don't believe me." He pulled out his police ID card and showed it to me. It indeed had three characters, "Zhang xx." I raised my head and looked into his eyes with righteous thoughts in my mind, and without any fear. I said, "Good, it's a predestined relationship for me to meet you today. Now you know the truth, make sure you don't persecute Dafa practitioners any longer. Treat Dafa practitioners well and you will have good fortune."
The woman smiled, "Don't listen to him. He just has the same name as Zhang xx, though he is indeed a police officer." He said, "I know you are all good people. Someone has already helped me to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations." I clarified the truth to him further before I left.
A few days ago, two of my high school classmates (I'll refer to them as classmates A and B), whom I had not seen for twenty years, came to visit me. We met at a restaurant along with several other classmates from the local area. My classmates came one after another, and classmate A was the first one to arrive. So I clarified the truth to her first and helped her to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Classmate B was the last to arrive. I only clarified the truth to her but didn't have time to help her quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations (I had already clarified the truth to all of the other classmates). Upon leaving, classmate B told me, "Among our classmates, I miss you the most. I'll find some time to visit you and we'll have a good chat." I knew in my heart that she would come to visit me, as she hadn't been saved, so how could she not come? After a few days, she came to my home. I clarified the truth to her and helped her to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.
After she left, I recalled that through all these years, Master had meticulously arranged to send people to me in order to save those with predestined relationships. What excuse do I have not to walk well on the path arranged by Master in this final period of the Fa-rectification? Master said,
"What does it mean for Dafa disciples to have this extraordinary form of cultivation and accompanying responsibility, and to have a Fa so gigantic and for it to be Fa-rectification on a cosmic scale? It means that the responsibility is astoundingly great, for this is also the sacred destiny that you formed before history began, and it is forging the holy virtue that one day awaits a great being. So would it work if you couldn't manage to do well?" ("Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan" March 2006)
One day, a man arrived and I started chatting with him while tending to my business. Seeing he was not in a rush, I started clarifying the truth to him. I asked him whether he had joined the CCP and its affiliated organizations. He said none of those, but I didn't stop and continued to talk to him. I told him that the CCP had started many movements during all these years. During the "Cultural Revolution," they divided people into several classes and incited the masses to fight against each other. In June 1989, college students promoting democracy were slaughtered by the CCP, with machine guns and tanks. Now the CCP is persecuting Falun Gong. They throw good people, who believe in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, into prisons. The CCP has committed numerous crimes and will suffer retribution! Whoever joined the CCP and its affiliated organizations will go down with it. Only by officially quitting the CCP and its affiliated organizations can one be safe when the great disaster strikes.
I looked at him after clarifying the truth. He didn't say a word but didn't leave either. He sat there and started smoking cigarettes one after another. I could see him struggling in his mind. After a while, he raised his head and told me, "To tell you the truth, I am a village party secretary and have been a party member for more than thirty years. What you told me is all true. I have decided to quit the CCP, but I don't know how." I helped him to write a statement to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. When I asked him to sign, he hesitated. I said, "Don't worry I'll keep it secret for you." He then signed his name on the statement.
2. Don't Forget to Cultivate Solidly While Saving Sentient Beings
Master said,
"Walk the last steps of your path well and with determination, study the Fa well, and, with a foundation laid by your having cultivated well, your righteous thoughts will naturally grow stronger and you will surely do well with what Dafa disciples are supposed to do." ("Greetings", 2009)
After studying this Fa, I reflected on myself and realized that although I knew to search inward when I encountered things, sometimes I was stuck in doing things and neglected steadily searching inward to eliminate various attachments.
Once the attachments are exposed, we should never let them pass, because those are the degenerated and deteriorated materials of the old cosmic system. Those hard-to-sever attachments and postnatally acquired notions form barriers among practitioners, and are the biggest obstacles that interfere with our pure hearts of saving people. Thus we must get rid of them.
Master told us that "...true improvements come from letting go, not from gaining." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.")
Only when we unconditionally search inward can our corresponding cosmic bodies assimilate to the Fa and attain the harmonizing, all-encompassing, and non-destructive status. When we encounter problems and shirk the responsibility, it's not validating Dafa but validating ourselves instead. When this becomes serious, the old forces will take advantage of the loophole and find excuses for persecution. It's a good thing when conflicts arise and our hearts are provoked, as we should then grasp that attachment and get rid of it.
Master said,
"It is true that in the past I've said that the time left for Fa-rectification was not that long, quite short in fact. I had really hoped that you would quickly mature and grow rational, thus allowing this affair to be concluded in a short time. If Dafa disciples cannot all be rational and mature, and instead often act with a human frame of mind--and one that manifests so strongly, at that--how could this affair be concluded? How could one say that Dafa disciples have completed their cultivation?" ("Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference")
I understand that Master still gives sentient beings the opportunity to be saved, and meanwhile gives us the opportunity to cultivate well as quickly as possible.
I deeply feel the importance of cultivating my xinxing. Our words and deeds represent Dafa disciples' images. While amidst a test, we must search inward and let go of human attachments so that we can make breakthroughs in our family environments, and our family members can be saved.
Last summer my in-laws, who had been living with their daughter for five or six years, called us and said they'd come back to live with my husband and me. After coming back, my father-in-law told me that my mother-in-law had suffered from a severe heart disease. I told him that I would take care of all the housework, and let her rest and recuperate. I later realized that it's easier said than done. I was very busy in my store every day, and I also needed to do all the housework, laundry and cooking. As a result I had less time for studying the Fa and felt exhausted both physically and mentally. My human thoughts then started to emerge.
One day I was still working in my store after 7:00 p.m. while all my family members were waiting for me to cook dinner. I felt angry--seeing that I was so busy, why didn't anyone give me a hand? The more I thought about it, the more grievance came into my mind. I realized that this was not the right mindset, yet it was difficult at that point to truly keep a peaceful mind and let go of my human thoughts. I cooked dinner and pretended that I was not unhappy.
No matter how busy I was, I was determined to join the group Fa study and nothing could hold me back. One day a fellow practitioner visited my home and I complained about my difficulties. The practitioner said, "You should let go of your human thoughts. Everyday people should not interfere with Dafa disciples' doing the three things." Hearing the practitioner's words I gradually calmed down. I believed that my family members would surely change.
On my way to the group Fa study that evening, I recalled Master's Fa,
"...we are cultivators, people whose bodies are in the secular world but whose minds are beyond it." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2005 Manhattan International Fa Conference")
I recited this Fa again and again and my heart suddenly opened up and I saw the light. How can Dafa disciples get trapped in the secular world and mind these trivial issues?
After that, I continued making efforts to do things well. I closed my store at 6:00 p.m. every day so that I could have more time to study the Fa. My mind became peaceful and I did not feel very tired, physically. My mother-in-law started to help me with the housework, which enabled me to study the Fa even more. Better yet, my mother-in-law later obtained the Fa and she even started to spread the Fa to others! Indeed, as long as we act righteously and let go of human attachments, we will find "...there will be bright flowers and another village ahead!" (Zhuan Falun)
September 22, 2009
(Clearwisdom.net)
Hello, honorable Teacher.
Hello, my fellow practitioners.
I started to practice Falun Gong in 1997. I had been an accountant, chief officer, and general manager in a state-owned enterprise and had been awarded the title "advanced municipal worker" for excellence in my work. Looking back on my cultivation, I find that I had so many serious human attachments, like the pursuit for fame and personal gain, selfishness, and stubbornness. It is Dafa that profoundly changed me into a person who considers others before myself. Through genuine cultivation in Dafa, I became a person walking on the divine path and I acquired a new life recreated by Dafa. In my more than ten years of cultivation of Falun Gong, countless miracles have happened to me.
On the eve of the Chinese New Year in 2008, 21 members of my family reunited for a dinner. My younger brother, who came home for the family reunion from his work in another city, gave a toast: "Thank you, Falun Gong Teacher." I was moved to tears by his sincere words.
After I practiced Falun Gong, I underwent significant changes. I used to be indifferent toward others, but now I am considerate of others and measure myself against Dafa in everything I do. My warm personality is recognized by my neighbors and they even asked me, "Why are you so good?" Seeing the big changes in me, my nearly 80-year-old mother-in-law, who had suffered from paralysis for 20 years, also started to practice Falun Gong in 2005. She threw out her medicine that she had kept for many years right away. In the four years of her practice, she has never taken any medicine. Through studying Zhuan Falun and watching Teacher's Fa lectures, she came to understand that cultivation is actually about the cultivation of one's mind and the process to improve one's xinxing by trying to be a good person. With this understanding, she removed her bad habit of being excessively critical of her children. She used to be always at odds with one of her daughters-in-law, but now they have settled their problems and there is calm between them. Our large family, which had not gotten together for dinner for more than 20 years, reconciled. Many of my neighbors witnessed the improvement of my mother-in-law's xinxing and health. Although she is nearly 80 years old, she had undergone such a big change that she looked like new person. She was energetic, with her face shining with the glow of good heath.
In 2005, I was arrested when I was posting Falun Gong truth clarification materials and detained for one month in a detention center. After that, the police put my name on their list of Falun Gong practitioners to be monitored. Whenever the so-called "sensitive dates" came, I was reminded by some kindhearted people and practitioners to be careful because the local 610 Office had my name on their list. I thought of Teacher's Fa on how divine beings do not call human beings by their given names. As a Dafa practitioner, I should assist Teacher in Fa-rectification and save sentient beings, making use of the social environment of ordinary people. I should accomplish my historic mission and return home with Teacher.
Teacher said, "A Dafa disciple completely opposes everything arranged by the evil old forces." ("Dafa is Indestructible" from Essentials for Further Advancement II). Teacher does not acknowledge it, and Dafa practitioners oppose it too. During the Olympic Games in Beijing, I went to Beijing twice to validate the Fa and send righteous thoughts. In the past several years, with the care of Teacher, I have never been harassed by any Chinese Communist Party (CCP) personnel during my Fa-validation.
Clarifying the truth with Chinese currency
Writing messages on Chinese currency is a good way to help sentient beings. Nowadays so many Chinese people are quite keen for money, so they will check the bills they get carefully whenever they complete a transaction.
Since starting to clarify the truth using Chinese currency, I have devoted myself to the project wholeheartedly. I not only do it myself, but have also motivated my family to use the bills with messages on them. When I give money as a gift to my friends or relatives at weddings, funerals, or children's birthdays, I use truth-clarification cash. I tell them that the more they use these bills, the more the truth about Dafa will spread and the more blessings they will receive. About 50 people related to me have used the truth-clarification cash of several hundred yuan. I have also saved some of these bills for people who may come to me to exchange money. I wrote some truth-clarification messages on cash for my son so that he could use them in his small shop. I exchanged large denominations of several thousand yuan into smaller bills for future use by practitioners. In the past several years I have distributed tens of thousands of yuan, most of which are bills of 1, 5, or 10 yuan each.
One day a practitioner told me that his cash was refused when he tried to buy something. I did not respond to him directly and complained in my mind, "You came across this kind of thing because you have the attachment of being afraid." I did not treat his problem with righteous thoughts, and my attachments of being too engrossed and showing off increased. I thought with conceit, "I have never run into this kind of thing. In a little while I will write even more truth-clarification messages on some bills and have no trouble exchanging." While I was thinking those things, my husband raised his voice to tell me, "Our son said that the bank refused to accept the money and told you not to write on the bills any more." I immediately realized that it was my conceit that caused this problem. When I calmed down and looked inside, I traced my poor mindset to wanting to validate myself and the attachment of being too engrossed and showing off. I made up my mind to remove these problems with the understanding that Teacher has gone through great pains to help us improve in our cultivation. As a matter of fact, it is Teacher that saves people in our validation of the Fa. I still remember that when I wrote the truth-clarification messages on money the first time, a practitioner coordinator told me that I should not write on bills of 100 yuan because I might suffer a heavy financial loss if the banks refused to accept the money. I thought, "Dafa is omnipotent. If I have a pure mind, the bank will surely accept the money." Then I wrote on several 100-yuan bills and deposited them into the bank without any difficulty. I knew this was encouragement from Teacher. Teacher needs only our righteous thoughts and he will do everything for us.
One day, I went to a city nearby to buy some materials. When I got there, I realized that all the bills that I had with me had truth-clarification messages on them. I hesitated--should I buy the materials with this money? I remembered Teacher's Fa that our power is proportional to our righteous thoughts. I asked Teacher to help strengthen my righteous thoughts. Then I bought the materials with the cash and returned home without incident.
Changing my notions and clarifying the truth
I had always wanted to distribute truth-clarification materials because I thought that would allow me to save many people without having to speak to them directly. I cooperated with another practitioner to distribute materials in the countryside. Sometimes we did this at open markets, and sometimes we simply covered all the villages and residents one by one. Each time we went, we carried 700 to 1,000 pieces of literature. We did this for several years but rarely spoke to people face to face. After thinking about Teacher's Fa on truth clarification and saving people, I realized that I tried to hide my attachments of saving face, avoiding conflicts, and pursuing fame in my Fa-validation. It was a serious problem. In addition, I was attached to the positive feeling I got when people responded to me after I gave orders, since I used to be an official in a factory. I kept these attachments for many years, but I decided to remove them. After changing these notions, I started to talk to people about Dafa. When I didn't do it well as a beginner, I calmed down and looked inside to find out if there were any problems with what I said and how to best awaken my good nature. I measured my truth clarification against Teacher's Fa and learned quite a lot from the examples published in Minghui Weekly. Gradually, from talking to only two or three people at the beginning, I can now talk to more than 20 people in a group naturally.
When I clarified the truth on a bus for the first time, there were more than 30 passengers. I wanted to tell them that Falun Dafa is good and that the "self-immolation" on Tiananmen Square was fabricated by the CCP. I also wanted to tell them to say "Falun Dafa is good" and "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good" so that they would be blessed by heaven. I tried to open my mouth to utter the words but I failed. Soon I was about to arrive at my stop. Then I had the thought that the beings behind every person on the bus were eager to hear the truth about Dafa. This time I did not hesitate. I stood up and told the passengers that I wanted to say something important to them. It got extremely quiet on the bus, and everyone listened to me without saying a word. When I left the bus I saw that some of the passengers were waving to me. I was very excited, knowing that it was encouragement from Teacher and that it was Teacher who allowed this to happen. Now I freely use my divine power to eliminate the evil by sending righteous thoughts in public places. I feel completely independent in my truth clarification at all times, and I try my best to save people from different social backgrounds with different methods.
Saving people by distributing Shen Yun DVDs
One day, I went to the countryside about 40 kilometers away to distribute Shen Yun DVDs. Because the show took up three DVDs, I could carry only 200 to 300 sets of programs. Because there are more than 1,000 families in some villages, I have to ask several families to share a single set of DVDs and watch them in turn. Sometimes they even compete to get the DVDs. After I distributed all the DVDs, I took a bus to go home and clarified the truth to the passengers on the bus. Right before I started, I saw a middle-aged woman help an elderly woman to get off the bus, so I begun by talking about China's tradition of being good to the elderly. Then I talked about traditional Chinese Confucian philosophy and how modern China is dominated by the evil specter of the CCP. I talked about how degenerate modern China is, the corruption of the CCP, and the "self-immolation" in Tiananmen Square having been fabricated by the CCP. I also talked about how farmers are discriminated against in China; the stone with the words "The Chinese Communist Party Collapses" carved into it naturally; and how the CCP, which values "Deceit, Wickedness, and Violence" fears Falun Gong, which follows the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I also told them that heaven will bless China and destroy the CCP, and about the great wave of people quitting the CCP and its affiliated organizations in China.
Just then another middle-aged woman, pointing to a middle-aged man in front of me, interrupted me and said, "Do you know who he is? He is from the city police department." I replied, "I can recognize that he is a person of high social standing. Our meeting each other today is a result of our predestined relationship." He said, "Yes, I heard all of what you say because of our predestined relationship." I said, "Indeed, we have a predestined relationship. I will give you the nickname 'Zhenyuan' and you can use this name to quit the Chinese Communist Party, Youth League, and Young Pioneers. Would you like that?" He said, "OK." While talking I arrived at my stop to switch buses. The man from the police department said to the driver, "Do not charge her anything. I will pay her fare." I said, "Thank you, but we Falun Gong practitioners can't allow you to do that." A lady got off the bus along with me. She told me, "The man's father is the chief of a city police department. He is quite well-known. All his family members work in the police department. I have read Falun Gong books before and I know that Falun Gong is good, but I am afraid that I could be arrested for practicing Falun Gong. That would cause a lot of suffering." I said, "We have been waiting for the Fa for thousands of years. Don't lose of this precious opportunity." She told me that she would read the Falun Gong books again after she went home. I know compassionate Teacher will not abandon a single person who has a predestined relationship with Dafa.
Heshi.
Written on November 5, 2009
(Clearwisdom.net) Shen Yun Performing Arts from the U.S. will present their first Hong Kong performance early next year. The performance company has performed over 300 shows around the world in the 2008-2009 season, and many Hong Kong legislators have stated that they are planning to see the show and believe the show will be a great success.
Legislator Hon. Leong Kah-kit (Alan Leong), a representative from the Civic Party, said, "(Shen Yun) received much high praise around the world. I think it will be enjoyable for Hong Kong people to see the show."
Legislator Hon. Andrew Cheng Kar-foo said it was the Hong Kong people's pleasure to establish a venue and time for the Shen Yun show. "I will definitely come to the show! Please let me know where and and how to purchase the tickets. I will schedule a time with my family to come and support the show." Mr. Cheng said.
Legislators believe the show in Hong Kong will be a great success. "I predict (Shen Yun) show in Hong Kong will be very successful!" Mr. Leong said.
Legislator Hon. Leung Kwok-hung, of the Pan Democratic Party said, "I also wish a success to the Shen Yun Performing Arts show in Hong Kong."
The legislators also said they will help promote the show.
(Clearwisdom.net) Shen Yun Performing Arts will land in Hong Kong for the first time in January 2010. People in China also look forward to Shen Yun's performances because it is easy for them to travel to Hong Kong to see the shows.
Former People's Daily Journalist: Shen Yun Allows Chinese People to Learn About Chinese History All Over Again
Qiu Mingwei, a former journalist from People's Daily, urges Shen Yun to go to China, "After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) took over the country, it has destroyed the divinely-inspired culture and distorted Chinese history. Many Chinese people no longer know the true Chinese history. A show like Shen Yun will ignite great sparkles in China." Mr. Qiu believes there is a need for people to learn about Chinese history all over again.
Retired Professor: Shen Yun's Orthodox Tradition Brings Up Moral Level
Sun Wenguang is a retired professor from Shandong University, and was an honored member of the Independent Chinese PEN Center. Mr. Sun believes that people will be inspired by traditional arts that have been passed down for centuries. "It's hard to see traditional culture in China now. Many cultural shows are vulgar and people still watch a lot of it because there is nothing else. Shen Yun inherits outstanding art and culture from ancient China. I hope it can come to China soon."
Mr. Sun also pointed out that Chinese culture is a divinely-inspired culture. It talks about unity of man and heaven as well as good being rewarded and evil meeting with retribution. "We must inherit and carry on all the cultural properties," said Mr. Sun.
Shen Yun's Utmost Beauty and Benevolence Depicts Splendid History of China
According to Mr. Qiu, Shen Yun brings utmost beauty and benevolence to the world through artistic performance. "It depicts the splendid Chinese culture with a brand new view. The show encompasses the history and various ethnic cultures. I look forward to seeing it."
Democracy activist Wang Wei also expressed his wish to experience the glory and essence of Chinese cultural art himself.
Hoping to Bring Good Fortune to People in Hong Kong and China
Mr. Qiu said that he's been looking forward to seeing Shen Yun live. "Not just people in Hong Kong but also those in China yearn for the arrival of Shen Yun. It's the good fortune of people in Hong Kong and China to have Shen Yun here."
Mr. Sun and Mr. Mr. Wang also wished Shen Yun a great success in January. "I hope everyone can come and see the show, and witness Shen Yun's brilliant creation," said Wang.
(Clearwisdom.net) On December 7, 2009, the Australian Supreme Court of NSW held another round of hearings on case of three Australian Falun Gong practitioners vs. the Chinese Secretary of Politics and Justice, Zhou Yong Kang. The judge approved the motion from the plaintiff to change the case from criminal to civic charges. The plaintiffs are suing Zhou Yong Kong for torture and requested economical compensation for the tortures, both physical and mental, while they were jailed in China for practicing Falun Gong.
Three plaintiffs, Chen Jingxiao, Li Jielin, and Yue Changzhi submitted the motion to change the lawsuit from criminal to civic charges. The court scheduled the next hearing for May 2010.
Plaintiffs Chen Jing Xiao (right) and Yue Chang Zhi (left) |
One of the plaintiffs, Ms. Chen Jing Xiao, was brutally tortured in China for practicing Falun Gong. She was sentenced to jail for two years, during which she was repeatedly coerced, physically punished, beaten, and shocked with electric batons. Her personal property, including computer equipment valued at over 10,000 yuan (about US$1470) was illegally confiscated. The authorities refused to divulge her whereabouts to her family for a long time. Her younger sister was also illegally charged and sentenced to three years of forced labor without going through any legal process, because she practiced Falun Gong.
Chen said Zhou Yong Kang was the major person responsible for persecuting Falun Gong in China. She expects the court to display high morals and courage in pursuing the case.
Plaintiff Yue Chang Zhi, is a former electronics equipment engineer from the National Ministry of Aeronautics and Space. In July 1999, the Chinese Communist Party started the persecution of Falun Gong. She appealed for Falun Gong twice, which resulted in her being detained. She later moved to other cities. The authorities started a nationwide campaign to arrest her. The National Security Department arrested her younger daughter as a hostage to force her to turn herself in. In the end, the authorities arrested her in her daughter's home and sentenced her to four years in Beijing Women's Prison.
In Beijing Women's Prison, she was badly tortured both physically and mentally. She was deprived of sleep, forced to stand for a long time, and not allowed to use bathroom for 24 hours. She was often beaten and kicked. On March 18, 2004, she was physically tortured for six hours and almost died. Her spine was broken and she did not get treatment, so her back is now permanently bent. She said her story is just the tip of the iceberg. The persecution is going on everywhere in China.
Yue said when she was sentenced to four years in prison in China, that the authorities didn't allow any lawyers to defend her and didn't notify her family. She felt happy today to have the chance to sue Zhou Yong Kang, a primary perpetrator in the persecution of Falun Gong. She believes that justice will be served in this democratic country.
Another plaintiff, Li Jielin, said that when the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched its full-scale persecution of Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, former Party Secretary in Sichuan Province, Zhou Yong Kang, closely followed Jiang Zemin, and implemented his brutal policies against Falun Gong practitioners in Sichuan. Li Jielin said, "On July 13, 2000, at approximately 7:00 p.m., I was arrested and taken to a detention center. That night, I was forced to participate in forced labor. On that day, I began to live my life in conditions unfit for human beings. On April 13, 2001, they transferred me to a women's prison. In the "Eighth Group Under Surveillance," I was constantly monitored by criminals, on orders from police officers. They followed me around the clock, during meals, when I used the bathroom, and even when I was in forced labor. They adopted the 'exhaustion tactic,' attempting to brainwash me. Each day I was forced to repeat labor chores, and often forced to stand for long periods of time. I was severely stressed, in both mind and body. Only because I believed in Falun Gong, I was forced to spend three long years imprisoned. My daughter Wang Wei, and son-in-law Wu Hongbo, were also illegally imprisoned for practicing Falun Gong. Shortly after Wang Wei suffered two years in a forced labor camp, she was again detained for three months, enduring brutal brainwashing."
Case History Playback
In November 2008, plaintiffs Chen Jingxiao, Li Jielin, and Liu Jinghang delivered documents in a lawsuit against former Minister of State Security, former member of the State Council, and former secretary of the Communist Party Committee of Sichuan Province, Zhou Yongkang, for the persecution they suffered in China, including torture, for their belief in Falun Gong. The New South Wales Supreme Court accepted the documents.
According to WOIPFG, Zhou Yongkang, originally from Wuxi in Jiangsu Province, has been director of the Liaohe Oil Exploration Bureau, deputy secretary of the Chinese Communist Party Committee of Panjin City, Liaoning Province, secretary of the Communist Party Committee of Sichuan Province, minister for State Security, deputy director of the Committee for Comprehensive Management of Public Security of the CCP Central Committee, and deputy secretary of the Political and Judiciary Committee of the CCP Central Committee, etc.
According to an investigative report from WOIPFG,
In December 2002, as soon as Zhou became the Minister of Public Security, he spoke at a meeting with bureau-level, and upper-level cadres in the Public Security Bureau, and at a nation-wide video-telephone conference attended by all public security departments, and called for an escalation of the persecution of Falun Gong.
Between 1999 and December 2002, when Zhou Yongkang was secretary of the Communist Party Committee of Sichuan Province, he pushed the whole province to intensify the "transformation" of Falun Gong practitioners.
Zhou is a suspect in fabricating false news that defamed Falun Gong, and blocking the distribution of Falun Gong truth-clarifying information. As Minister of Public Security, Zhou also rewarded the people and departments who actively participated in the persecution of Falun Gong.
(Clearwisdom.net) On December 4, 2009, Falun Gong practitioners attended the Annual Christmas Parade in Philadelphia. More than 90 groups performed in the parade. The waist drum team, consisting of Falun Gong practitioners, was the only Chinese entry.
The parade started at 8:30 p.m. and was a mile in length. The practitioners' waist-drum team attracted much attention. Practitioners also passed out flyers to the spectators along the parade route.
A mother and her children enjoy the practitioners' performance.
A mother with two children said it was her first time watching this parade. She felt that practitioners' performances were full of energy.
Name: Zhang Shoufen (張守芬)
Gender: Female
Address: Jiansanjiang, Heilongjiang Province
Occupation: Employed at a middle school
Date of Most Recent Arrest: October 16, 2009
Most recent place of detention: Qixing Farm Public Security
Bureau (七星農場公安局)
Province: Heilongjiang
Persecution Suffered: Detention, brainwashing, threats,
interrogation
Key Persecutors: Guo Yuzhong (郭玉忠), Wang Jialin (王甲林), Hou Jiting (侯吉亭), Zhang Defu (張德富), Li Chunyao (李春耀), Li Xudong (李旭東), Han Kuikui (韓奎奎)
(Clearwisdom.net) (By a correspondent in Heilongjiang Province) Ms. Zhang Shoufen, a Falun Gong practitioner from the Agricultural Development Jiansanjiang Branch, Heilongjiang Province, was carried out of a brainwashing center on the evening of November 17, 2009. She had been severely persecuted in the center. Those responsible gave no details of her mistreatment.
Insert photo here
Practitioner Ms. Zhang Shoufen
On October 16 at 4:30 p.m., policemen from Qixing Farm Security Office illegally arrested Ms. Zhang while she was talking to people about Falun Gong at the Jiansanjiang Train Station. She was taken to the Jiansanjiang Civil Education Center, which is actually a brainwashing center.
Guo Yuzhong, the Qixing Farm Public Security Office Guidance Counselor, is one of the people involved in the persecution of Ms. Zhang. Guo interrogated Ms. Zhang several times at the brainwashing center. Her family requested her release but there were ignored. On November 17, Ms. Zhang's family was instructed to go to the center to pick her up. When they arrived at the center, they noted that her behavior was strange. She sat on a table and would not come down. She whispered to her family when they approached her, "They want to harm me." The family noted that Ms. Zhang was behaving abnormally and told Li Xudong that the Qixing Public Security staff was responsible for her mental condition. He had no response. Her family called some relatives for a car to take Ms. Zhang home.
Zhang Shoufen behaved in a very disturbed manner upon her return home. She threw her cell phone and small electrical appliances around. She blocked the door of her room, dumped rice on the ground and scattered her clothes on the ground. She repeatedly said, "There are monitoring devices in the house. The police are coming to arrest me and cut my head off." When no one was watching her, she would leave the house and her family would have to search for her. This was was very emotionally draining on her family.
On November 18, 2009, Ms. Zhang's family went to Guo, the person in charge of the persecution in their area, to demand an explanation. Guo said that Ms. Zhang had been fine while in his custody. According to reliable sources, the guards at the brainwashing center were very violent towards practitioners. In fact, on November 12, during the interrogation, they threatened Ms. Zhang with serious bodily harm. The next day her mental state had clearly changed and she had become disoriented. On November 17, her family took her home.
Ms. Zhang, 56, worked in the Third Middle School of the Qixing Farm. She became a kind and considerate person after she started practicing Falun Dafa. She was known as a dependable and good person. However, since July 20, 1999, when the persecution of Falun Gong began, she and her family have not enjoyed a day of peace. She was taken to the Qixing Detention Center and brainwashing centers many times. The local 610 Office illegally sentenced Ms. Zhang to forced labor camp for two years. On October 2, 2002, the 610 Office transferred her from the forced labor camp to the brainwashing center at Qixing Farm until her release in September 2004. After four years of unjust imprisonment, she was released for only two months and was then returned to the brainwashing center in December 2004.
Mr. She Huaizhong, Ms. Zhang's husband, was the head of the Qixing Farm Armed Forces Department. In late 1999, he was fired because of his steadfast belief in the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. On January 25, 2000, he was sentenced to one year in a forced labor camp, and the sentence was extended for another six months. At the end of his labor camp confinement, Mr. She was taken to a detention center at a remote farm. In February 2002, he was again illegally sentenced to three years in a forced labor camp in Suihua City, Heilongjiang Province. Mr. She currently stays at home, caring for his mentally injured wife. They are suffering dire financial difficulties.
We urge all people and human rights organizations around the world to pay special attention to the injustice that continues in China.
Wang Jialin, secretary of the Jiansanjiang Political and
Judicial Committee: 86-454-5790335 (Office), 86-13763633399 (Cell),
86-454-5802881 (Home)
Hou Jiting, secretary of the local Political and Judicial
Committee: 86-454-5790507 (Office), 86-13836636699 (Cell),
86-454-5727577 (Home)
Li Chunyao, head of the 610 Office: 86-454-5725790 (Home)
Zhang Defu, director of the Political Security Division:
86-454-5794878 (Office), 86-13329550077 (Cell), 86-15331967999
(Cell), 86-454-5730567 (Home)
Guo Yuzhong, guidance counselor (in charge of the persecution):
86-454-5715761 (Office), 86-13803675568 (Cell), 86-454-5788007
Han Kuikui, brainwashing center director: 86-454-5794924 (Office),
86-13101656567 (Cell), 86-454-5715550 (Home)
November 22, 2009
(Clearwisdom.net) Ms. Huang Jiazhen from Tumen was mistreated at the Heizuizi Women's Forced Labor Camp, No. 6 Division, beginning in 2004. The local police arrested her again in January 2009, and held her at the local detention center for six months. She was able to escape during that time, but was arrested again. She was once again sent to the Heizuizi Women's Forced Labor Camp, No. 6 Division, in September 2009.
Ms. Huang held a hunger strike to protest the abuse and mistreatment, which was carried out by the criminal inmates who monitored her. With her arms and legs cuffed to four corners of a bed, she was immobilized and not released even when she needed to use the toilet. She was not released from this torture until she developed a fever and needed an IV transfusion. The labor camp officials refused to let her family visit her or bring her clothes.
Ding Caihong and Zhu Dan are division heads in charge of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners at the No. 6 Division of the Heizuizi Women's Forced Labor Camp.
(Clearwisdom.net) My name is Zhong Shufang, and I am a Falun Gong practitioner from Chengdu City. My daughter Zhang Huayun, who is also a Falun Gong practitioner, disappeared more than two months ago when she was arrested by people from the Wangjiaguai Police Station in Chengdu City. I am worried about her, and I really can't accept the fact that she is severely persecuted just because she practices Falun Gong. I am writing this letter to the public to expose the evil deeds of the police under the Chinese Communist regime.
On September 2, 2009, I met two young ladies when I passed by People's Park. After telling them about the persecution of Falun Gong, I gave them DVD's of Shen Yun's 2008 and 2009 performances. After this, I said goodbye to them and left. However, I had barely walked ten meters away when a man grabbed the DVD's from the two young ladies and forced me to go to the park office. He called the Wangjiaguai Police Station. Several police officers came soon afterwards and took my purse away by force. They rummaged through my purse and found my senior citizen identification card. They wrote down my name, address, and other personal information, and then sent me to the police station at around noon. At around 3:00 p.m., they took me home, located at #7 Jiangjun Street. They took my house key and broke into my home. My daughter had just come home from work. At around 10:00 p.m., they took both of us to the police station. They also confiscated copies of Zhuan Falun, Falun Gong articles, a computer, and other personal property. They handcuffed our hands behind our backs, tied us to chairs, and tortured us the whole night. The next day, they put a black cloth over our heads and sent us to the Qingyang District Police Station to interrogate us separately.
During the interrogation, they forced me to face an intense light, and kept me handcuffed the entire time. The officers took turns interrogating me and did not allow me to sleep. They did this all night. Because I was not allowed to sleep for days and was handcuffed the entire time, even when I was in the bathroom, my feet were swollen badly and bled after five days of torture like this. On September 6, the police officers sent me and my daughter to the Pi County Detention Center at around 9:00 p.m. I was given a physical examination there, but did not pass the physical requirement for detention, so they had to release me. However, my daughter was detained. She is still not back home. On November 4, the Procuratorate sent me a notice stating that my daughter Zhang Huayun had been arrested, and they claimed to have already sentenced her.
As citizens, the right to believe in Falun Dafa is a part of our freedom of belief. My daughter Zhang Huayun is a good person. I strongly ask the authorities to release her unconditionally!
A Dafa practitioner from Chengdu City: Zhong Shufang
Personnel involved in this persecution
Li Haodong, person in charge of this case
Liu Tao, director of the Chengdu City Wangjiaguai Police
Station
25 Wangjiaguai Street, Qingyang District
Chengdu City, Sichuan Province 610091
Telephone: 86-28-86301532
November 23, 2009
Name: Li Juhua (李菊华)
Gender: Female
Age: 53
Address: Unknown
Occupation: Unknown
Date of Most Recent Arrest: August 19, 2009
Most Recent Place of Detention: Wuhan City Hewan Forced
Labor Camp (武汉市何湾劳教所)
City: Wuhan
Province: Hubei
Persecution Suffered: Forced labor, illegal sentencing, home
ransacked, detention
Key Persecutors: Hu Shuzhi (胡述智)
(Clearwisdom.net) (By a correspondent from Wuhan City) On August 19, 2009, Ms. Li Juhua was taken from her home by Hu Shuzhi, head of the Huangpi District 610 Office, and other officers. After being detained for nearly 50 days, Ms. Li was sent to a forced labor camp for an 18-month term. She suffered from a mental disorder in the forced labor camp.
Due to her practice of Falun Gong, Ms. Li has been persecuted repeatedly over the past ten years. She was detained twice and sent to a forced labor camp three times. She lost her personal freedom for four years, her home was ransacked twice, and she and her family were under constant harassment by the authorities.
At approximately 10:00 a.m. on August 19, 2009, Hu Shuzhi led more than a dozen officers to break into Ms. Li's home. They arrested Ms. Li and detained her for nearly 50 days without revealing her whereabouts to her family.
On the morning of October 1, 2009, Ms. Li's family received a phone call from the local neighborhood committee, and was told that Ms. Li had been sent to a forced labor camp for an 18-month term.
On the morning of October 9, 2009, her family went to the 610 Office again and demanded Ms. Li's release. Hu yelled at her family and refused to release her.
On November 27, 2009, after five unsuccessful attempts to find his mother, Ms. Li's son was finally allowed to see her at the Hewan Forced Labor Camp in Wuhan City, but her husband and sister were not permitted to enter the forced labor camp.
Ms. Li's son could hardly recognize his mother when he saw her. Several months of mistreatment by the Huangpi District 610 Office and the Hewan Forced Labor Camp had turned a healthy person into a very thin woman who had difficulty walking and talking. Ms. Li looked very pale and distraught, with her eyes set in a fixed glassy stare. She could not even give relevant answers to her son's questions.
The Hewan Forced Labor Camp is known for its notorious torture methods against Falun Gong practitioners. Since the persecution began in 1999, it has become a base for the Communist regime in Hubei Province to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. The authorities use promotions, bonuses and other incentives, such as a 10,000 yuan award for every "transformed" Falun Gong practitioner, to encourage the police officers and the prison guards to commit crimes against the practitioners. Inmates who participate in the torture of Falun Gong practitioners can have their terms reduced, be excused from forced labor, or receive alcohol, good food, and sometimes even drugs, from the prison guards.
A young female practitioner, Wang Yu, was also tortured until she was mentally ill by the Hewan Forced Labor Camp.
As the head of the Huangpi District 610 Office, Hu Shuzhi is known for using forced labor camps, detention, brainwashing sessions, home ransacking, confiscating personal property, firing family members from work, suspending pensions, extortion, and other persecution methods to force practitioners to write guarantee statements to give up their beliefs and to torture practitioners. He is directly responsible for the persecution of Mr. Peng Shimin, Ms. Li Juhua and other practitioners.
Hewan Forced Labor Camp in Wuhan City: 11 Luojiazui Road, Gusaoshu, Hankou Region, Wuhan City, Hubei Province. Zip code: 430015. Telephone: 86-27-65681626.
(Clearwisdom.net) A "Solemn Declaration" is a person's public statement 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. These statements have come from Falun Dafa practitioners in China who wish to express regret that, in the face of physical torture and brainwashing, they signed documents renouncing Dafa and guaranteeing not to practice again. Now, they hereby declare their intention to resume practicing Falun Dafa. Here are some examples of the Solemn Declarations: Please click here for more Solemn Declarations.
(Clearwisdom.net) On my way home at dusk, I came across a street vendor, who was selling puffed rice in the twilight. He squatted on his heels in front of the stand, with a peaceful and kind expression on his face. Suddenly, a thought flashed through my mind. Those who are doing low-level jobs and barely have enough to live on are often regarded as insignificant beings, but their souls are not at all insignificant.
For over ten years, since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started persecuting Falun Gong, many fellow practitioners, who have benefited so much from Falun Gong, have kept clarifying the truth about Falun Gong and exposed the CCP's lies. I noticed that it was those people who work at the lower social levels, who are the most capable of distinguishing right from wrong on this issue.
Upon hearing about the staged Tiananmen self-immolation and the suffering of Falun Gong practitioners, most people showed sympathy. However, those with vested interests in the CCP's rule often did not take a stand against the persecution and would say something to the effect of, "If I were in power, I'd probably do the same thing." Instead of making judgments based on universal moral standards, they put themselves in the position of the tyrants and judged things from that perspective.
On the other hand, those like the street vendor don't have much hesitation in condemning the CCP. They go through their daily lives having to deal with the city authorities, who often drive them away. They work hard and rush around even in bad weather, but are only able to earn enough to maintain a basic life. They are the ones who see most clearly the dark reality of this "harmonious society," as it is described by the communist regime. Most of them are willing to withdraw from the Communist Youth League or Young Pioneers, as very few of them are CCP members.
For many well-to-do people in Chinese society, their desire for the acquisition of material wealth has overshadowed their views of what is truly important. That society is filled with the pursuit of fame and self-interest, and places so little importance on spiritual development. However, no matter how much society changes, the principles of the universe do not change. Money and fame are external things that a person cannot bring with him at birth nor take it with him upon death, and they are certainly not more important than human life.
If someone is only interested in power and will use violence and oppression to get it, that person may gain temporary glory and wealth. However, ignoring morality and conscience will lead one down a dark path that has deeper consequences. It is not wrong for one to seek wealth and personal gain to survive in society, but not at the cost of ignoring morality and right and wrong.
(Clearwisdom.net)
Heshi, esteemed Master. Greetings, fellow cultivators.
I want to share that recently I have recognized in myself a lot concerning the attachment to control. I see that it manifests itself in many forms in my life. Aside from that, I strongly tend to deny things, not wanting to acknowledge their existence, and push away the recognition that they exist. Sometimes I create excuses and think that I like the person that I am, that I have good things that I don't want to let go of, and sometimes when someone points to me a problem I have, I'd say that that's just how I am--as if it comes naturally--and I refuse to let it go. In fact, all these are tactics that originate from the ego in order to protect itself. It's as if I allow this selfish ego to store its dirt inside my heart.
I feel that these are all things that I used to do, but after spending time doing Dafa things with fellow practitioners, I feel that--thanks to Master's grace--this layer of deception was removed, and I again learned how to be vulnerable and look inside and cultivate myself by taking to heart Teacher's words.
I try to measure myself against the Fa when I study, and I feel really happy for this chance to cultivate. When I see bad things in myself, it means that I can get rid of them faster than if I didn't see them. So we should be glad for that. Cultivation is a magnificent gift that we should treasure and use fully in order to become enlightened and return home sooner.
Before, I didn't want to truly change and didn't fully trust Dafa with my heart; I had wanted to control the rate of my advancement and pick and choose the things that I wanted and didn't want to relinquish.
I think it's very frightening to give your entire self up (to fully give your heart to Dafa to be changed) when you don't know what will come in its place. There is worry that you might become someone else or that you'd fail to thrive and be lost without the values that you adopted throughout your childhood and lifetime.
However, when you have faith that Dafa is good and trust Master with your life, then you can start abandoning the more fundamental things, let go of the reins, and be free for complete trust.
From "A Dialogue with Time" in Essentials for Further Advancement:
"Divine Being: Some of them have come looking for the aspect of the Fa that they consider good, but they are unable to let go of the aspect that prevents them from having a complete understanding of the Fa.
Master: There are also such people among veteran disciples. And the most outstanding evidence of that is that they always compare themselves with humans and with their own past, but fail to examine themselves with the requirements of the Fa at different levels.
Divine Being: These problems have already become very serious. It would be good if they could manage to search within themselves for the things that they have been able to find in others."
I now notice a few places in the Fa where, in my understanding, Master seems to be trying to reassure us and to help us release the attachments. In the First Lecture of Zhuan Falun, Master said:
"I am going to sort out all those things, retaining the good and eliminating the bad, so that you will be guaranteed to be able to practise hereafter. However, I will do this only for those who have come to learn the Great Law truly and wholeheartedly;"
From the First Lecture in Zhuan Falun:
"The process of real evolution goes on in another space, which is devastatingly complex and marvelous, without a tolerance of a single error, just like a precision instrument, which will immediately go wrong if you put into it a part from another instrument. Your bodies in all the different spaces are taking changes, devastatingly abstruse and marvelous, and no tolerance of error is allowed. As I have told you, cultivation is your own business while the evolution of cultivation energy is done by your master."
In my understanding, this paragraph is helping us to understand that our cultivation process is handled with utter seriousness and with much expertise and that no harm will be done to us, that we can put our faith in Teacher.
I also see how fellow practitioners and I don't gauge things enough by the Fa, which is Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
From Master's lecture, "Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan," I understand that we have our habits and human ways of thinking, and it seems to us that it's really reasonable and rational how some issue was resolved by ordinary people, or how they decided about this thing or that thing. Maybe we're also used to making decisions about what is right and what is wrong in the same way because of our past. But now we have the standard of the Fa to measure things against, so we should really look at things from the perspective of the truth and from a high level, be glad when paying back karma and not wish that it would pass quickly: instead, it should pass at the time it's meant to pass. I believe it also applies to cases of pain or a troubling problem, when you're being accused for no reason, and when you're surrounded and unable to observe the situation from a distance or see the details of the matter.
In "Further Elimination of Attachments" in Essentials for Further Advancement, Master Li says:
"You all know that a person won't succeed in cultivation without getting rid of attachments. Why don't you dare to abandon more and go one step further? In fact, there must be an unspeakable reason for my teaching this Dafa. Once the truth is revealed it will be too late for regrets. I have seen the attachments in some of you, but I cannot tell you them directly. If I did, you would keep Master's words in mind and become attached to them for the rest of your life. I hope that none of my disciples will be ruined. Saving people is just so difficult, and having them enlighten is even more difficult. More importantly, everyone should carefully examine himself in this light. You all know that Dafa is good, so why can't you let go of your attachments?"
I recalled that a few years ago a veteran cultivator said to me, "You need to change yourself." The word "change" caused me to lash out, "That isn't helpful!" Normally I do not burst out like that--it is not in my nature--but at that time I still couldn't realize and observe that it comes from the ego as a way to protect itself. We feel at ease with the words "improve" and "improvement" but "a fundamental change" makes the ego "palpitate with anxiety and fear." Without the Fa and the way of understanding that Teacher makes possible for us, it would be very hard to achieve this. Compassion has non-violent ways. When the man pulled a patient's tooth out with the use of a matchstick, explanations, and persuasion as he praised his medicine's efficacy and how good it was, it seemed that the tooth pushed itself out. (references from Zhuan Falun)
In Lunyu, Teacher says:
"To open up this field, it is necessary to make a fundamental change of the mentality of ordinary people;"
I have a great yearning to understand things through the eyes of selflessness, without thinking of myself, my losses, or my body, and this is a part of what motivates me in cultivation. I feel that recently I have started to open up more, and I want to give others more room, to listen more, and to not force my opinion on others. I want to, but feel that I'm just at the beginning and much space in my heart is occupied by attachments.
Fellow practitioners, please point out anything in my sharing that strays from the Fa. I hope we can all advance together with big (and scary) steps and make "a leap forward."
Finally, I would like to end my sharing with Master's poem, "Dafa is great" from Hong Yin Volume II:
Dafa is Great
Falun Dafa is great
The colossal firmament,
illuminated by the Fa's light
Only after the immense force
of Fa-rectification sweeps through,
Are the boundless wonders known
Falun Dafa is great
Gradually enters the human realm
The sentient beings need not worry
Gods and Buddhas are smiling
April 25, 2002
(Clearwisdom.net) Teacher once said, "I consider the process most important." ("Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference"). When I heard this, it was the first time I really noted the word "process," and it caused me to really think hard about it.
For the longest time, I have done things hastily with a strong sense of urgency to just achieve a certain goal. So whatever I do, I usually end up doing it rashly. Surrounded by such a rash and reckless society, I've never bothered to think about being tainted by this environment.
Today I suddenly understood a principle: Everything we do should be without attachment to a specific goal. Maintaining a peaceful attitude and a will to doing things well during the process is what complies with the principles of the Fa. Because of this, Teacher has admonished us,
"Doing but pursuing not - Constantly dwelling in Dao." ("In Dao" from Hong Yin)
"A person who truly cultivates will gain things naturally without pursuing them. All of the gong and Fa lie in the book, and one will naturally obtain them by reading Dafa. Those who learn it will change automatically, and they will already be in the Dao when they read the book over and over again. Teacher will certainly have Law Bodies (fashen) safeguarding them quietly. With perseverance, they will certainly achieve Righteous Attainment in the future." ("Seeking Discipleship with Teacher" from Essentials for Further Advancement)
"Always cultivating as if you were just starting will surely result in achieving your ultimate rank." (Fa Teaching at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference)
"The cultivation is up to you, gong is up to the master." (Zhuan Falun)
Every sentence really has its divine meaning!
If we always do things with attachment to certain goals, they will be done rashly by end result, which will be swayed by our considerations of loss and gain, and met with difficulty and hindrances. The result will also be influenced by attachments to quick gains, and it could easily cause us to slacken our duties. None of these are good conditions. Teacher has given us the Falun (Law Wheel). The Falun turns constantly and never stops. Because what we cultivate is Falun Dafa, we must comply with its characteristics. In the process of assisting Teacher to validate the Fa, we must learn the Fa well and cultivate ourselves well. We must clarify the truth to sentient beings and we must continue to do so to the end! This understanding is from my personal experience. My understanding may be limited.
November 10, 2009
(Clearwisdom.net) An older Falun Gong practitioner has spoken with people on the street on a daily basis during the past several years. She tells people "Falun Dafa is good" and that quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations can save one's life. Every day she is able to encourage at least a dozen people, sometimes several dozen, to quit the CCP. No matter what challenges she runs into, she persists in her efforts.
Several days ago while persuading people to quit the CCP, she came across someone dispatched by a police station, and a group of police officers subsequently took her into custody.
While at the police station, the lady calmly explained the facts to the officers, from the CCP's absurd political movements, to their using propaganda to change black into white, to the fact that Falun Gong is actually the best practice, to the recent Spanish National Court's indictment against the chief culprits for their roles in persecuting Falun Gong. The officers learned the facts in those few hours. They didn't send the lady to a detention center, but instead sent her to the police station close to the area where she lives, and the officers there immediately sent her back home.
The next day she was back, walking as usual along the streets, telling people that "Falun Dafa is good," and that quitting the CCP can save one's life.
(Clearwisdom.net) In 2005, my good friend Rupan fell ill very suddenly. She had a great deal of pain in her stomach and went to a hospital to have it checked out. Her problem was diagnosed as late-stage colon cancer. A fellow practitioner had a dream in which she was told that I should teach Rupan how to practice Falun Dafa, so I went to her home immediately. Her entire body was swollen and she barely had the strength to talk or walk. As soon as she saw me, she said sadly, "I do not want to die. I have not lived long enough yet."
Her words upset me. It also upset me to see her strong desire to live despite the pain she was enduring. Then I realized that I was a Dafa practitioner, and hadn't Master Li directed me to come and save her? I told her about the other practitioner's dream and the purpose of my visit. I also told her, "You have a predestined relationship with Dafa; it was Master Li who told me to come to save you. Only Falun Dafa can save your life and make you healthy again."
Rupan believed strongly in Dafa. I showed her how to do the exercises and I studied the Fa with her. We also laid out a simple plan for regular Fa study. Master Li said:
"As a genuine practitioner, however, you cannot practice cultivation with an ill body. I will purify your body. The body purification will be done only for those who come to truly learn the practice and the Fa." (Zhuan Falun)
Through diligent practice, Rupan's health recovered very quickly. Before practicing Dafa, she had serious arthritis--her knees were terribly swollen. The arthritis combined with the cancer made walking even a few steps very painful. It was very difficult for her to maneuver through her daily life. Since she obtained the Fa, she has been persistent and diligent in her practice and Fa study. Before practicing Falun Dafa, it was very difficult for her to climb up and downstairs. After she started practicing, however, she lived according to Master's words, "'When it's difficult to endure, you can endure it. When it's impossible to do, you can do it.'"(Zhuan Falun) Whenever she climbed up or down the stairs, with each step she repeated, "Falun Dafa is good!" As a consequence of her relentless efforts, one day, just a few weeks after she started practicing, she saw many Falun of different sizes fill an entire room, flying and twirling around near the ceiling. She was very excited about this and it gave her more confidence in Falun Dafa practice and study. She understood that it was Master Li who was trying to inspire her.
After several months of Dafa practice, Rupan was obviously getting better. She had more strength to walk, she could eat much more, and she was able to do every chore in her home. Now, as I write this, she is completely healthy. Even though she is over 70 years old, she walks like a young person. Not only is her cancer gone, Master Li also cleansed her body of possessing spirits and all her previous health problems, such as the pain in her legs and back and her diabetes.
In order to help spread Dafa and save sentient beings, Rupan and I clarify the truth by telling people about our own experiences. The tremendous changes that occurred in our bodies after practicing Falun Dafa help people with predetermined relationships understand the truth. Many of Rupan's family members know that Falun Dafa is good, and they have quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.