(Minghui.org) I have been following Master Li (Falun Dafa’s founder) in the Fa-rectification period up to today, and have gained a lot, although I had twists and turns in cultivation. I can truly cultivate in Dafa now. 

Although I have many shortcomings, I constantly look within, rectify myself in the Fa, require myself to have high standards, improve and elevate myself in cultivation, and become more and more mature in cultivation. I can feel that our compassionate Master is always supporting and encouraging me. 

One Thought Determines Whether One Is Divine or Human

I have enlightened that the reason we have problems and tribulations on our cultivation path is that we have been human for too long and are used to the human way of life, human mentality, and human logical reasoning. Our deep-rooted notions control our minds and every aspect of our life. 

Although we believe in Dafa, our humanness is far too strong. We adhere to human ideas and do not comply with the Dafa principles completely. This is the most difficult test to pass on our cultivation path, and also a deadlock from humanness to divinity. 

When I realized this, I regarded myself as “divine.” I kept telling myself “I am divine and not an everyday person.” When this thought was deeply rooted within me, I saw the Fa-principles of how we behave like a divine being. 

Later on, I also enlightened to the principles of how we became Buddhas, Daos and Gods at a higher level. I then required myself to use those principles I had enlightened to. I felt that cultivation became simpler and more wonderful. It is just as Master said: “...a great way is extremely simple and easy”. (Chapter I, The Great Way of Spiritual Perfection)

Pay Attention to Sending Righteous Thoughts

The authorities persecuted me and ransacked my home illegally many times. They confiscated my Falun Dafa books, arrested me, detained and swore at me, and tortured me. I was unable to solve this issue. I was upset, felt helpless, and held fear. I wished that there was a way to hide. Why was cultivation so hard?

I was very afraid at home and was sensitive to any noise outside. I feared that the police would come to arrest me. Later on Master Li published a new article teaching us how to send forth righteous thoughts. I read the sharing articles on sending forth righteous thoughts on the Minghui website. 

I started to pay attention to sending righteous thoughts. One day after lunch I sent forth righteous thoughts for 40 minutes, during which I cleansed myself first and then eliminated the evil’s interference and persecution. After I finished sending righteous thoughts, I felt light and held no fear. I felt so happy. 

One day I went to visit a practitioner in a village. On my way back home, I saw the sister of my classmate standing outside of a house. I hadn’t seen her for a few years. She had two girls. The little one was only two-and-a-half years old. 

She asked me to come in and have a chat. It was time to send forth righteous thoughts. So I went in and sent righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil that persecuted Dafa and practitioners, and interfered with us saving sentient beings. 

At that moment her weak and timid daughter ran out of the house and said loudly to a driver of a vending truck: “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good! You will be blessed if you recite the words sincerely!” And then she told me that she would be a good girl.

Her mom was very happy and said: “While you sent righteous thoughts, my daughter became good. Falun Dafa is amazing. I want to learn Falun Dafa.” She truly started practicing it then. 

I was amazed and have paid more attention to sending forth righteous thoughts since then to let go of my attachments and desires as well as eliminating the evil factors that lead to the kidnapping and arresting of practitioners. 

Before I went out to clarify the truth to people, I sent forth righteous thoughts to clear out the evil who reported Dafa practitioners to the police. In mind, I didn’t allow the police to interfere with my saving sentient beings. Now the police no longer persecute me. I feel that cultivation is not difficult. What is hard is that I need to continuously improve myself and strictly behave according to the Fa requirements. 

Asking Master for Help with Righteous Thoughts

We know that Master protects us. When we come across tribulations in cultivation, we need to plead to Master for help using righteous thoughts. Many practitioners are not clear about this. They didn’t ask Master for help with righteous thoughts when facing tests and tribulations. I didn’t do it either. When I understood this and put it into practice, I no longer face any persecution. 

The police from the State Security Division came to harass me in my company at the end of 2005. They asked me if I still practiced Falun Dafa. I didn’t know how to answer. If I said yes, they would arrest me. I didn’t answer them directly, and they demanded that I reply. They then arrested me. 

I was handcuffed to a chair in the police station. I didn’t know what to do. They said in front of me that they would ransack my home. I didn’t know how to stop them. They searched my home and confiscated my computer, printer and Dafa books. They took me to a detention center and said that I would be sentenced to prison. 

I had been persecuted a few times. I was afraid, as I couldn’t study the Fa or do the exercises in detention centers. They would torture me if I practiced the exercises. I could no longer put up with it. 

I felt helpless. I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil factors and asked Master for help in my mind. I said: “Master, I will not go to prison, where Dafa practitioners should not go. I will not go to court and be put on trial – that’s where bad people are taken. Dafa practitioners are good people. I will not allow the evil to put me on trial. Master, please help me.” I repeated it before I sent forth righteous thoughts every day. 

I looked inward for any attachments after I finished sending righteous thoughts at the detention center. I reviewed Master’s Fa in my mind. 

Master said: 

“So for the beings of the old cosmos, and this includes all the elements of beings, when it comes to the Fa-rectification and what I choose, all beings’ harmonizing and completing things according to my choices and contributing their best ideas and approaches—not to change what I want, but to harmonize and complete things according to what I have said—is the best thought a being in the cosmos could have.” (Teachings Given on Lantern Festival Day, 2003)

I enlightened that if the policemen wanted to be saved, they must harmonize according to Master’s requirements, and this was the kindest deed they could choose. So I repeated this Fa every time before I sent forth righteous thoughts every day. I found almost all the policemen were changing and became kind. 

They were not willing to persecute me. They were willing to help me instead. They helped me send letters to my family, called my family members on my behalf, allowed me to meet my family members, and also told me how my case had progressed. 

The information they passed onto me was beneficial for me and they didn’t harm me. I witnessed Master’s compassion and realized that it was essential and important to ask Master for help using righteous thoughts while being in the Fa. Master has all-encompassing power. Asking Master for help is also a demonstration of believing in Master and the Fa. 

Then why was I not released after I had asked Master for help? Where was the problem? I enlightened that Master would not do the part that we ourselves had to cultivate. Master is saving us, and he doesn’t remove the tests and tribulations for us because Dafa practitioners have to cultivate and overcome them. 

Eliminating Evil Actively

That day the Director of the Public Prosecution Section came to interrogate me and take notes. He said that they had ratified my arrest. He criticized me and said that I would be severely punished. I intended to clarify the truth to him but was not able to get in a word – I waited for him to finish. 

When he started to take notes and asked me questions, I then told him that the police officer didn’t obey the law and handled my case illegally. He asked me who was the person. I told him the name of the chief of the Political Security Section. He paused for a while and softened his attitude. But he insisted that it was not right for me to continue practicing Falun Dafa. 

Master said: 

“When the evil ones ask whether you practice Falun Gong, you may ignore them or use other ways to deflect their questions. Don’t voluntarily let the evil take you away.” (“Rationality,” Essentials for Further Advancement II)

When I returned to the cell, inmate Bing came back as well. She said that the procuratorate also interrogated her. She was told that according to the law, she had the right to report and sue law enforcement officers for handling cases illegally. But the officer didn’t tell me this right. Now that I knew I had this right, I was going to sue them. 

When I had this thought, I sensed a power rising from the bottom of my heart. I understood that Master hinted via Bing. It was the police officers who violated the law. I had the right to lodge a lawsuit to the procuratorate against the police officers. I should take the initiative to eliminate the evil and stop the persecution. I knew what I should do. 

I wrote a complaint letter and made three copies. I kept two copies and was going to send one to the procuratorate. I asked the police officer to notify the procuratorate to come and see me. The policeman agreed. I waited for some days but no officer from the procuratorate came. The policeman told me that the procuratorate returned my case to the police department, and they would not come.

An inmate told me that if my case was returned to the police department, that meant I would not be sentenced, I could go home. I waited and sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil in the police department every day. But I got no information. Suddenly an officer from the police department came to interrogate me one day and take notes. I answered all his questions but didn’t acknowledge anything he said. 

Several days later two officers from the forced labor camp came to interrogate me and took notes. So they were going to send me to the labor camp. I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil that was going to detain and persecute me in the labor camp. I would not go there. I asked Master for help. 

Later on I realized that the problem laid with the notes. I let the officers take notes of what I said. I didn’t acknowledge anything. But I didn’t negate their persecution completely. When I came to understand this, I sent forth righteous thoughts to disintegrate the evil’s arrangement. 

Breaking Through the Persecution

I became more and more confident in dismantling the evil’s arrangement. But they still didn’t release me. During the May 1 eight-day holiday, the detention center announced that it was going to lockdown. I thought that there was no hope to go home during the eight days. So I sent forth righteous thoughts frequently. 

On May 1, a police officer called me to meet a visitor. The leader from my husband’s company came to see me and gave me 500 yuan. When I went back to the cell, inmate Bing asked me if I could go home. I said no. 

But she said, “Yes, you can go home,” she said repeatedly, and shook my shoulder back and forth. She even packed my belongings. I suddenly realized that she was telling me that Dafa practitioners must decide themselves, and not let the evil factors control us. Master would have the final say!

Three days later I was released. The police asked me to sign the release statement and I signed on it. After I went home, I regretted that I signed the statement. The police officer told me that there was a one-year bail period. I didn’t understand what it meant and signed. Someone later told me that it was a trick. The police could arrest me if they thought I committed a crime again within one year. I kept sending righteous thoughts. 

Although I didn’t pass this test completely, I learned a lot from it and understood many principles. Practitioners not only need to study the Fa but also need to apply the principles to guide our cultivation. When we go through tests and tribulations, we let the power of Dafa come into play. This is also validating the Fa. 

We rely on Master and the Fa, not on somebody else during our cultivation. After this test, I formed a habit. When coming across police, my first action was to ask Master for help and not allow them to do bad deeds against me. And then I sent righteous thoughts immediately to clear out interference. If we put believing in Master and the Fa into action, not just words, no hardships or tribulations can stop us. 

Opposing the Persecution and Saving Sentient Beings

I was arrested one spring night in 2004 for painting Falun Dafa words on the walls. Police took notes while interrogating me, and demanded that I cooperate with them. They said that they would torture me if I was not honest. They would shock me with electronic batons and tie me with ropes. I feared these two torture methods the most. How did they know? I felt hopeless and sent forth righteous thoughts silently. 

Master said:

“All beings in the cosmos are repositioning themselves. Humans aren’t worthy of testing this Fa, and neither are Gods. Whoever touches it commits a sin. They’ve seen all of this as well.” (“Teaching the Fa at theGreat Lakes Fa Conference in North America,” Guiding the Voyage)

Then why did the police persecute me? Where was the problem? I kept repeating Master’s teaching above in my mind. The policeman got the electronic batons and the ropes and demanded I say everything otherwise they would shock me. But, his attitude was not that hateful. 

I still felt helpless. I didn’t know where I got the courage and said to him: “Do not shock me. If you do, you will get pain instead.” 

Master said to us:

“Whether it’s when the wicked policemen are using electric batons or when bad people are injecting drugs to persecute you, you can use your righteous thoughts to redirect the electric current or the drugs back to the person doing violence to you.” (“Stop the Evil Acts with Righteous Thoughts” The Essentials of Diligent Progress Vol III)

It was effective, although I still held fear. The policeman laughed and said to me happily: “You have succeeded in cultivation. You have completed cultivation.” He put down the batons and ropes and sat down. He drank his tea and looked at me with smiles. 

He said: “My section chief asked me to give you a hard time. We don’t want to do it.” The policeman who was taking the notes asked me if I had painted the words and where I got all these materials. I didn’t say anything. He wrote, “No answer.”

I was not clear of the principles at that time and didn’t know how to deal with police taking notes. I was sentenced to forced labor. After I was released, I found that the two policemen who took notes when I was interrogated were transferred to work elsewhere. They stopped doing work to persecute Falun Dafa practitioners. The policemen in the State Security Division no longer torture practitioners. 

The reason I share this experience is that I want to say that if Dafa practitioners face and eliminate the evil factors with righteous thoughts, the evil factors will no longer exist. This way the sentient beings are saved and Dafa’s virtue and power are demonstrated. 

Practitioners should bravely put it into action. It is no good that practitioners become afraid of the evil. We must look within to find out where the problems are when we are in tribulations for a long time. We cannot afford to do nothing facing the tribulations, or just put up with them passively. 

The title “Dafa Practitioners” is the most honorable title in the universe. When we have the thought, “I am a Dafa practitioner and no one deserves to persecute me” in our mind, the power behind it comes from Master and Dafa. Only Master takes care of practitioners. So we don’t acknowledge any of the evil’s persecution. We negate all the arrangements by the evil. When we oppose the evil from every thought and every action, the evil will vanish instantly. 

When I started to send the police officer’s names and contact details to the Minghui website, the 610 Office and the police department determined that I did it. They planned to ransack my home and arrest me. My husband urged me to leave home immediately. I asked Master for help, “I am Master’s disciple. Master takes care of me, not the evil. The evil doesn’t deserve to persecute me. I didn’t allow the evil to come to my home.” I sent forth righteous thoughts at home. But, my husband worried me a lot. 

I sent forth righteous thoughts for quite a while. The evil didn’t show up and didn’t come either during the next few days. My husband finally calmed down. I had fear at the time. Thoughts that police would come kept appearing in my mind, but I was sure that Master had the final say. No matter what the situation is, practitioners must believe in Master and the Fa. We cultivate ourselves in real situations and assist Master with Fa-rectification. 

I disintegrated the police’s arrangement with righteous thoughts. Similar situations took place several times later on. I understood that the evil elements played their roles behind the police. When I cleared the evil elements, the problems were solved. 

We are Dafa practitioners and shouldn’t be subject to the control of human beings. We should let human beings listen to us and help Dafa practitioners, let them do good, and choose to be saved. We shouldn’t allow the evil factors to control people to do wrong deeds.

Many practitioners don’t pay attention to studying Master’s recent articles. That is wrong. Study the Fa more, and gradually you will know how to cultivate yourself. Master is waiting for us to become mature and reach consummation sooner. 

Editor’s note: This article only represents the author’s current understanding meant for sharing among practitioners so that we can “Compare with one another in study, in cultivation.” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)