(Minghui.org)
My Predestined Relationship with Dafa
Since I always thought that qigong was something that was practiced on the streets, I did not have a good impression of it. I heard others talking about Falun Gong and they said it was good, but I had no idea what Falun Gong was.
Out of curiosity, my fourth sister and I went to a Falun Gong practice site on January 5, 1999. At that time, they were playing Master's lecture, and I heard, “'The Buddha Fa' is most profound.” (Lunyu) I was deeply moved, as I did not know that Falun Gong was Buddha practice cultivation. I had been interested in the divine world since I was little. I wanted to practice cultivation but I didn't know how. But I had now found it. And I didn't even need to leave home. I was so excited--this was exactly what I had been looking for! I went to the practice site every morning and went to group Fa study every night. I was happy every day. Within two weeks, many of my health problems, such as allergies and heart disease, which had tortured me for many years, disappeared. My entire body was light, and I was full of energy. My character also changed, and I was not so proud and aloof as before. I especially changed my attitude towards my husband, and I no longer looked down on him. My husband was very curious about my dramatic change, “What is Falun Gong? It's changed you so dramatically!” I told him to read the Falun Gong books for himself and see. Thus he also started to practice and cultivate. Our families also saw the magical changes in me, and my big brother, sister-in-law, big sister, and younger brother all obtained the Fa.
My Celestial Eye Opens
Master opened my celestial eye a few days after I began practicing. One day when I was doing the exercises at home, I suddenly heard a sound at the door. I didn't pay attention because I thought my husband was returning home. I was doing the second exercise, holding my arms above my head. At that time, my arms had lowered a little bit, but I felt someone was helping me pull my arms up. I opened my eyes and was startled to see a big golden dragon in front of me. I was scared and told fellow practitioners about what had happened. They said it might be a demon from another dimension. However, in my mind, I didn't think it was a demon, because a demon wouldn't correct my movement, and it didn't try to change the movement. Another time I saw two dragons on the ground at my home, one golden, the other white. I asked my husband to look, but he didn't see anything. Later when I studied Master's lectures, I learned that each practitioner has eight dragon guardians. I suddenly knew that the two dragons I saw were my guardians.
I always thought that people could see what I saw, but later I realized that not every practitioner cultivates with their celestial eye open. Master also gave me hints. I saw two characters appearing on my left hand, “Xiu Kou” (cultivation of speech) and one big eye appearing on my right hand. After that I didn't tell people what I saw, and I knew that I should pay attention to the cultivation of speech. As time went by I became more clear on how priceless cultivation practice is, and how precious Dafa is. I strove forward even more diligently.
Protesting the Persecution and Validating Dafa
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started the persecution of Falun Dafa in July 1999. The regime-controlled media was framing and slandering Dafa, and poisoning people's minds against it. This made me very sad. Why didn't the government allow us to practice such a good practice? I couldn't just sit still while Master and such a great Fa were being lied about. On July 19, when my family and I went to the provincial government to appeal for Dafa, we were arrested and taken back to the local police station. We were detained until 1:00 a.m.
My big sister, younger brother, big brother, sister-in-law, and I went to Beijing to appeal on October 12, 2000. My mother was the only one who stayed at home. However, she was very supportive. Later, my mother told me that on the night we left, Master's fashen came to see her. Even though my mother didn't practice and she had never listened to Master's lectures, she believed in Dafa very much, and her celestial eye was open. When my mother saw Master's fashen, she was surprised and said, “Master Li, please come in.” Master didn't say anything but smiled at her then left. When my mother told me this, I couldn't hold back my tears. Master cares so much about every practitioner, He knew that her children had all gone to Beijing to validate Dafa and she was left alone at home and must be lonely. Master especially came to see her, how merciful Master is!
We went to Tiananmen Square without a problem. We shouted together, “Falun Dafa is good!” and the police then arrested us. My sister, sister-in-law, and I were taken to Qianmen Police Station, where many practitioners were being detained. An officer demanded to know, “What are you doing here?” I replied, “Falun Dafa teaches people to be good and improve our morals. Why has the CCP suddenly decided to not allow us to practice?” He didn't answer, but took me away. Later my sister-in-law and I were sent to Heilongjiang Province Liaison Office in Beijing. On the way there, we were released by that kind officer.
We didn't even have a penny at the time--how would we get home? So I asked Master, "Please help me find my husband and my younger brother," because they had all of our money. We then turned into an alley and saw my husband and brother coming out of a hotel. Thanks to Master's care, we were able to return home safely.
My husband soon went to Beijing to appeal again. But he was illegally arrested and our house was searched. I was arrested too, and detained for more than two months.
The police often came to our home afterwards to harass us and to search the house. On January 9, 2004, a Falun Gong informational materials production site in Harbin City was destroyed. The arrested practitioner couldn't bear the torture and told police that I was involved. Thus my husband and I were arrested. More than thirty officers came at that time. I sent forth righteous thoughts, and five officers couldn't lift me up. My son was crying, “Please don't take my mother away--who will take care of me?” As soon as I heard this, I felt sad, and then the five officers were able to lift me. When they were searching my house, I kept on clarifying the truth to them, “How can you police arrest a good person?” One of them laughingly replied, “We are simply a bunch of bandits fed by Jiang Zemin.”
When they pushed me out the door, I said very loudly, “Falun Dafa is good!” They took off my socks and shoved them into my mouth. Four or five officers forced me into a police car and drove me to the police station. They bound me to a chair to interrogate me. One officer asked, “Who did you give the truth clarifying materials to? How many?” I refused to answer. They brutally beat me, grabbed my hair, and repeatedly slammed my head against the wall until I passed out.
After I regained consciousness, they continued to beat and kick me. I fainted again. This time when I woke up, I was in a hospital with four officer watching me. I knew that I couldn't stay there, and felt that I must leave. I sent forth righteous thoughts so the officers would fall asleep. They had placed a bed against the door and were asleep on it. I carefully moved the bed and tried to run away. Just then, a patient in the next room screamed. The officers woke up, and they watched me more closely.
They tried to send me to a detention center, but the detention center twice refused to accept me. They were determined to send me to a forced labor camp and submitted a fake medical report so I would be accepted. Unfortunately I followed the old force's arrangement and thought I wasn't afraid of being sent to a labor camp. They made use of this gap in my thinking and successfully sent me to a labor camp for three years. I suffered a lot at the labor camp.
In the labor camp, the guards tried to force me to write the three statements. When I refused, I was tortured. They forced me to squat on a square brick, hung me up by handcuffs, and shocked me with electric batons. I didn't feel any pain no matter how I was tortured. I knew that Master was helping me. When I was shocked with an electric baton, I didn't even open my eyes. But once when I opened my eyes and saw the blue sparks of the electric baton, I got a bit scared and I felt the pain. I started to clarify the truth to them. By the end, even the worst ones knew I was a good person and no longer beat me.
The guards made someone else write the three statements on my behalf and then forced me to place my fingerprint on the document. I hereby declare again that I do not acknowledge those "three statements." I only follow Master and deny all the arrangements made by the persecutors. While I was in the labor camp, whenever I felt miserable, I recited the Fa. I once saw Master's fashen come to see us in tears, however, it was not tears but blood. Master was sad for the “transformed” practitioners who couldn't withstand the torture. When I saw this, I cried, too.
During this tough time, to encourage myself, I often recited Master's Fa,
“A Great Enlightened One fears no hardship Having forged an adamantine will Free of attachment to living or dying He walks the path of Fa-rectification confident and poised.” (“Righteous Thoughts and Righteous Actions” in Hong Yin Vol. II)
Bolstered by my steadfast belief in Dafa, I went through the seemingly never ending three years in the labor camp.
Right before I was to be released, agents from the 610 Office came to interrogate me, and asked me if I would still practice Dafa. I didn't answer them directly. They said I was not truly "transformed" and needed to stay longer. I said, “Whatever you say does not count, as only my Master can determine my way.” The next day, my brother came to take me home.
After I was back home, the police kept harassing me. They even tried to send me to a brainwashing center, and I was forced to leave my home to avoid further persecution. I later returned, and the police came again. I made up my mind, “Well, if you want to come, then come, and I will use this opportunity to clarify the truth to you.” I opened my door, greeted them, and graciously invited them to come in. I told them that if they wanted fruit, they were welcome to my fruit farm. They were all surprised to see that I ran my family well, and asked, “You have a fruit farm?” I said, “Yes. If I had not been detained in a labor camp for three years, my family would have had an even better life. I suffered so much in the labor camp, and I almost died there. I have now returned home and have a good life, but you people are harassing me and trying to send me back to the labor camp. Do you think what you're doing is right?” They asked me if I would still practice Falun Gong, I told them firmly, “I will practice forever, and I will also continue clarifying the truth.” They told me to practice at home. They have since never come to my home again.
Mystical Things Happened When Saving People
After I returned from Beijing, I contacted a practitioner in the city. I had often received truth-clarifying materials from that practitioner to distribute locally. There were about ten practitioners in my area, and we were separated in different groups of two or three practitioners. At that time, we had to walk to the destination to distribute materials, and I sometimes had to walk over a dozen miles back and forth. Even though my son was only eight or nine years old, he took on the adult responsibility of saving people.
On one occasion my son and I went out to distribute materials, and we walked a long time. On the way back, my son said, “Mom, I'm too tired to walk. How nice it would be if we had a car.” Soon, a car stopped beside us. The driver was one of our relatives and he gave us a ride back home. I couldn't thank Master more in my heart.
One night my son and I were distributing materials in a village. My son told me that someone was following us. I told him not to be scared since what we were doing was the most righteous thing in the world. I walked up to the person and asked him, “Why are you following us?” He said he was looking for someone. I told him not to follow us, and then walked away with my son. The person simply stood there without moving until we couldn't see him. Later I understood that my righteous thought had frozen him.
I was followed by someone another time. When I asked him what was he doing, he said he was looking for his cow. I pointed to a road and told him,”Your cow is over there.” Then he walked in the direction I told him.
On another occasion, my sister, my son, and I were in a group, and we were being followed by a police car. We ran into a cornfield and hid in a trench to avoid the car headlights. We waited there until they left. We had to walk through the cornfield, where my shoes fell apart, and the bottoms of my feet got blistered. I thought it happened because of my fear. My son was very pure, and he wasn't hurt at all. We began running home. Even though it was several miles away, it only took us less than ten minutes. We felt like we were flying! When we arrived home, it was exactly the time to send forth righteous thoughts. So many times, no matter how far we went, when we came back home, it was exactly the time to send forth righteous thoughts. When we are validating Dafa, magical things happen, and everything goes as we wish. At the same time, I feel that Master is taking care of us everywhere.
It's a tradition in villages to post a couplet on both sides of the door. However, in recent years, almost no practitioners are making these couplets, so I couldn't find any. I didn't want to buy couplets written by everyday people, because in other dimensions they are all black. What should I do this year? I got a small couplet written by a fellow practitioner. If I couldn't get a regular sized couplet written by the New Year, I planned to post the smaller one, but I would not post one made by an everyday person. I put the small couplet in a drawer. The next day when I opened the drawer, to my surprise, I saw a big roll of paper. I remembered very clearly that the couplet I placed in the drawer was small, and nothing else was in the drawer. I opened the big roll of paper and saw that it was a regular-size couplet written for a doorway. I knew that Master had given it to me. I bowed to Master to express my appreciation. The couplet glowed, and everyone who passed by stopped to take a look at and admire it.
As long as I follow the path of saving sentient beings, Master constantly takes care of me. So many mystical things have happened. I cannot repay Master. All I can do is to cultivate myself well and save more sentient beings.
The Tribulation of Illness Helps Me Look Inside
Before the New Year, I found a bunch of mice living in my storehouse. They were eating everything they could. I was so angry that I killed six of them with rat poison. At that time, I didn't realize what I did was wrong.
During this time I had spent a lot of time watching a TV drama called the Legend of Damo. I soon experienced sickness symptoms. My stomach hurt, and it felt like my intestines were being twisted. Blood came out of my mouth and I tossed and turned while sleeping. I looked inside and thought this happened because I had been watching the TV drama.
Because my celestial eye was open, I saw my past. Five hundred years ago I was Sakyamuni's disciple. During Huichang's time in the Tang Dynasty when Buddhism was suppressed, 500 monks were detained together and were asked if they still believed in Sakyamuni. If he answered yes, the monk's head would be chopped off, otherwise, he would be released. When they asked me the question, I said “Yes,” so they chopped off my head. Even now I can feel the pain.
While I was tortured by the pain, I heard a voice saying, “You are Sakyamuni's disciple, Sakyamuni's disciples all took the path of nirvana, so you should also take the path of nirvana.” Suddenly I was awakened. Falun Dafa doesn't take the path of nirvana. This was demonic interference, and was the old forces trying to kill me. Later when I fell asleep again, I saw Damo come and ask me to go with him. I had another realization. The old forces came to take away my life. But which of my attachments was being taken advantage of by the old forces? I thought the reason was because I watched TV drama, the Legend of Damo. However, the pain was still there, which meant that I hadn't identified the real reason.
After I then saw a mouse twice, I suddenly understood. I had produced karma because of killing. I realized that the pain I suffered was exactly what the mouse suffered. I wanted to make a benevolent resolution with the mice I killed, and I read the Fa about benevolent resolutions. The mice agreed, and my pain immediately disappeared. I have never felt so light and comfortable.
Through all these things I saw how serious cultivation practice is, and that each difficulty and each tribulation would be impossible to pass without Master and Dafa. I am thankful for Master's merciful salvation.
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