(Minghui.org) I live in Southwest China. After I entered college in 1993, I became interested in Buddhism. I often read Buddhist scriptures and felt that Buddhism's doctrine was the truth and the home of my soul. I also read books about Tantrism after graduation. I noticed Zhuan Falun, the main book of the Falun Gong cultivation practice in a bookstore, flipped a few pages, but could not make any sense of it.
I heard in 1999 that Falun Gong cultivators had “attacked” the Zhongnanhai Compound. People said that these practitioners were very well organized, and despite so many people appealing, they had not even left a piece of trash on the ground. Apparently, Falun Gong practitioners were employed in every conceivable profession. I did not pay too much attention to whatever I heard.
Later that year, Jiang Zemin launched a movement suppressing Falun Gong, which shocked the world. All media published all kinds of news slandering Falun Gong. Many people in Buddhism also attacked it.
I was also influenced by the slander about Falun Gong I heard on television programs. The television stations reported the “Self-Immolation Hoax on Tiananmen Square.” Seeing the terrible images of burning people, I thought it was true, and could not help grinding my teeth with hatred. My misunderstanding about Falun Gong got worse. Later on, I heard that practitioners were arrested, and there were others that were fired from their jobs.
I then received information about the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party through the QQ instant messaging service, and had no intention of reading it. I responded with insults against the senders. Even though I knew the terrible things about the Cultural Revolution and the Great Leap, and felt an aversion against Mao, I still held no opinion of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
As I read more on the Internet, I found out about the forced demolition of people's houses, firing of workers, atrocities committed during the Cultural Revolution, the Land Reform, and the Great Famine. I found out that the CCP had destroyed Buddha statues, killed Tibetan monks, and even bombed temples. I became disgusted with the CCP because of its violence against Buddhism.
I was then given anti-blocking browsers called Freegate and UltraReach. As soon as I broke through the Internet blockade, I visited Dongtaiwang, and learned more about the atrocities that the CCP committed in the past. I found out about the torture of Falun Gong practitioners and organ harvesting from living people. I could not believe what I read and did not have the courage to finish reading the news. I thought it must be fabricated. How could anyone be so brutal?
As I continued to browse the Internet by using the anti-block software, I began to realize that what I read most likely was true. However, I still held bad thoughts against Master Li, the founder of Falun Gong, and this spiritual practice. When I read any positive information about Falun Gong on the Epoch Times or China Watch, I resisted the truth and accrued more wrong thoughts.
As people say, one evil thought is able to poison all thoughts. Because I did not believe Falun Gong was a Buddha Law, all I heard and saw turned out to be negative, and all my thoughts and my words were disrespectful towards Master Li, Falun Gong and its cultivators.
Most people, including some that persecuted the practice, were able to see the truth about the CCP and recognize Falun Gong's merits after they found out about the crimes committed by the CCP, or were deeply touched by the Shen Yun performances and truth-clarification of Falun Gong. However, I, who had read Buddha scriptures and thought I knew Buddha Laws, was as stubborn as a rock.
As my hatred of Falun Gong grew, I developed more and more bad behavior triggered by my hatred, greed, and other attachments. Occasionally, I felt alarmed, thinking I could not continue like this anymore, but such thoughts quickly disappeared, and I returned to my old state of being cold and insensitive.
I then experienced mouth ulcers. As soon as one got better, another ulcer would appear in another place. Eating a lot of vegetables and fruits and taking vitamins did not help. It was bothersome, but it was not unbearable.
In February I had a very bad sore throat. It was as painful as having a piece of glass poking my throat. I could not sleep at night. It lasted a week. My left foot suddenly became painful too. A bad mouth sore would not heal for a whole month. I used to be in great health, for which I credited my belief in Buddhas. All these sudden health problems gave me a slight alarm, but I did not think that it could be my attitude toward Falun Gong.
The CCP was promoting Marxism in May of this year. I finally had a few righteous thoughts. When I was reading the commentary series about Communism on the Epoch Times, I said, “Great! I support you!” Ever since then, things turned around.
First, I wrote on my WeChat account, “I believe in the divinities and absolutely don't accept Marxism.”
On the second day, I unknowingly clicked on a link to an article recounting someone's past experience with Master Li. I was a little touched by the article. I wrote a comment, “I was deceived by the CCP back then.”
On the third day, I “accidentally” entered the Minghui website and clicked on a link to an experience sharing article. The author of the article used to be a horrible person. After he learned the Falun Gong principles of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance,” he became a nice person but ended up being arrested by the police for his faith.
I was aggrieved by the unfair treatment of practitioners. As I read more articles, I was more and more shocked by their experiences. The articles told me about the torture suffered by practitioners, about being detained, how they had clarified the facts, and how a drug addict had stepped out of his addiction, and so on,
Tears flowed and my cold and hardened heart melted. After so many years, I finally gained a positive understanding of Falun Gong and began to understand that the power of Falun Gong could improve people's character.
During those days, I continued to read articles on the Minghui website. My heart opened towards practitioners. I read about how an elderly woman's health was restored after she practiced Falun Gong and another account of a practitioner 's altruism.
I remembered the Buddha principles. I had read in scriptures about giving benefits to others and leaving loss for ourselves. I had forgotten the Buddha principles. However, practitioners put the principles into action. Who had said they were evil?
When I read about a practitioner who remained firm in her belief when facing torture, I couldn't help but cry. There were actually such pure-minded cultivators in this wicked world! If I was in her situation, could I have shown one percent of her determination? Practitioners are so righteous and so pure, so how could Falun Gong and its Master not be righteous?
I read one article after another. Every practitioner has shown such great tenaciousness, integrity, gentleness, kindness, and compassion. They remained firm in their belief, their compassion, and their determination to tell the truth about Falun Gong despite the inhuman persecution! I realized that I had so wrongfully judged Falun Gong in the past – a terrible mistake. Before I knew it, I had accumulated tremendous bad karma.
“Falun Gong is a righteous law!” The moment this thought arose in my mind, so many things I had disregarded entered my mind. This thought corrected all my other bad thoughts. Since Falun Gong is righteous, all other things, such as the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, quitting the CCP and its youth organizations, and the Epoch Times were all Master's mighty deeds of conquering the demons! Conquering the demons was the only way to promote the righteous law and to save sentient beings!
Buddhist scriptures hold that accepting other people's good or bad conduct is equivalent to building the same good or bad karma, and when a group of people is involved in a killing, the whole group will receive retribution for killing together. In this case, the Party has committed a hideous crime in the name of the Party against Falun Gong, how could the people who were members of the Party escape from the retribution?
Some people think that they are good people, and there is no need to quit the Party. However, when a group of people are tied together with one rope and thrown into the water, they will sink together no matter how well one of them can swim. The only way out is to cut the rope. If one does not quit the Party, how could he avoid the fate of being ruined by their collective crime?
In an ancient story, an Arhat was persecuted in a city. People buried him alive. The huge karma accelerated the reward for their past merit and made gold and treasure drop from the sky. As people went wild with joy, the bad karma of persecuting the Arhat began to manifest. Endless dust dropped from the sky and buried the whole city. Everyone in the city who had been involved in the persecution, including those unconcerned, were swallowed by the bad karma.
The Party has committed such a monstrous crime against Falun Gong and its practitioners. It has tied people of the entire nation together. Even those who have sat back and watched will be swallowed by the immeasurable karma.
The economic development and improvement of the quality of life in China made the danger even worse. As long as one thinks, “The Party had done a pretty good job,” one has agreed with its conduct. According to Buddhist principles, that person will not escape the terrible retribution when the bad karma arrives. Thinking carefully, all the Chinese and foreign people who have chosen to keep silent about the crimes, or have let the CCP alone for personal gain, or have expressed their support for the CCP have agreed with its behavior, and have chosen to be swallowed by the bad karma accumulated by the demon of communism.
The demon of communism means to destroy mankind. It's not limited to destroying the physical bodies, it also pulls precious souls into the dark abyss. People have no other choice. They have to either recognize the Party or recognize Falun Gong. One's choice determines whether the person heads to ruin or a bright future.
The night I realized that Falun Gong was righteous, I felt stressed by my fear of the huge amount of bad karma I had built up. I woke up in the middle of the night, and suddenly had an extraordinary thought that Master Li, the founder of Falun Gong, was in the room, although I could not see him. As soon as this thought came to my mind, I felt a flow of energy pour into my body, which made me feel so comfortable and relaxed. I knew I was reinforced by Master Li. Because I still had questions, I asked Master if I could raise my questions and get his acknowledgment through an energy flow.
For the latter half of that night, I asked Master questions one by one. Again and again, I felt his reinforcement through an energy flow. I was in tears by the time the sun rose. All my stress and fear were gone. I felt peaceful, relaxed and knew that Master was the manifestation of the highest universal virtue, and Falun Gong was absolutely pure Buddha Law.
After downloading all the Falun Gong books from the Internet, I could not wait to open Hong Yin. As soon as I started reading the book, a refreshing energy field wrapped around me. It happened when I opened any Falun Gong book. The energy field made my heart tender and my body light.
I've written down my experience to repent my past sins against Falun Gong, and hope to help others like me.
My fellow Buddhists, do not do anything to assist the communist demon. If you cannot understand Falun Gong, guard your mouth and your mind carefully. The words from your unknowing mouth could destroy yourself and others. A thought could determine your position in this universe. You may think you have built some virtue in the past, but your pitiful virtue could by no means pay for the heinous sin of slandering Falun Gong, Master Li, and practitioners.
Cultivators of Falun Gong, you are so fortunate! You must have built mighty virtue for many lives in order to arrive at this moment! Everything the Falun Gong Master has done and every word he has said contains the secrets of heaven.
You are shouldering the hope of all beings. Please work hard and harder!