(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
On the occasion of the 20th China Fahui hosted by the Minghui website, I’d like to tell you about my experience of denying the persecution of “being released on bail” with righteous thoughts. I hope my experience can inspire other practitioners to strengthen their righteous thoughts, deny the persecution, and do the three things well. Only by doing so can we live up to Master’s boundless compassion.
The police suddenly broke in last summer, arrested my husband and I, and ransacked our home. They confiscated our Falun Dafa books, computers, and personal belongings. While we were held at the police department, I refused to answer their questions or sign any documents. The police demanded we pay 10,000 yuan in bail and we were released.
The suddenness of what happened caught me off guard. I thought I did the three things diligently and I never stopped clarifying the truth face-to-face. I was calm and rational and had a good reputation among my fellow practitioners. So, why did the old forces target me? I was confused and did not know how to handle the situation. I was sure about one thing, though—there must be a problem in my xinxing cultivation.
The day I was arrested, my daughter, who is also a practitioner, was at work when my sister urgently advised her not to return home. She thought, “This is a test. As a Dafa disciple, I have Master Li’s (Dafa’s founder) protection. What do I have to fear?” My daughter visited some local practitioners who urged her to immediately report my case to the Minghui website.
Understanding that evil is dissolved when it’s exposed, I wrote down the details of my case when I returned home. I included information about the police officers involved in persecuting me, including their specific positions and cell phone numbers, which I promptly sent to the Minghui website.
My case was published on Minghui the next day. Practitioners outside China immediately began calling the officers involved and urged them to stop persecuting me. This proactive response deterred the wrongdoers and allowed those police officers to learn the facts about Falun Dafa.
One officer later told me that overseas practitioners’ efforts played a significant role. He said, “Every day, people from abroad phoned us.” Encouraged by this, I approached the police officers to demand the return of my personal belongings. Each time, I emphasized that they were harming themselves by participating in the persecution. Their attitude towards me gradually changed. Their changes were undoubtedly a result of the efforts of overseas practitioners.
I began looking inward, examining my words and actions. Were there any loopholes in my cultivation? I was startled by what I discovered. I had deeply hidden attachments to resentment, jealousy, and competitiveness. These attachments usually didn’t surface when I interacted with fellow practitioners but were fully exposed at home. Due to my husband’s bad temper, I often felt embarrassed in public. So I had resentment and complained about him.
I knew I had to eliminate these attachments, but letting them go was challenging. I could not forgive my husband. I thought if I did not practice Falun Dafa, I would have divorced him years ago. Now I only tolerated him. Although I didn’t outwardly show my dissatisfaction, deep down, I looked down on him. I looked down on his bad habits and felt he didn’t really cultivate himself. I avoided talking to him.
I realized that in fact, I hadn’t cultivated myself so I missed numerous opportunities to improve my character. I discussed my attachment when practitioners visited me. As I sincerely wanted to improve myself, I felt the icy barrier in my heart melting away, and I felt relieved. The other practitioners said they sensed my genuine desire to change. Everyone was happy for me.
At home, the three of us had a sincere discussion. I said that this incident was not accidental. There must be areas where we fell short and needed to improve. Master arranged the three of us to cultivate together, but instead of forming one body, we found fault with each other and blamed one another. We were persecuted because of our loopholes.
I sincerely apologized to my husband. My daughter also realized she was dependent on me and said she was attached to me. Whenever there was a conflict between her father and I, she always sided with me. The more she measured right and wrong from a human perspective, the more she blamed her father. One day, she had a dream: We were flying in the sky, each holding one arm of a boy while trying to ascend. The boy was quite heavy, and our joint effort wasn’t enough to lift us.
We realized Master was giving us a hint, that the three of us were one body. We should assist each other in elevating together rather than focusing on each other’s shortcomings. Cultivation is about improving ourselves and rectifying our own shortcomings.
While my husband didn’t mention how he would look inward, he agreed with what my daughter and I shared.
We reached an agreement that, as a family, we would cherish our relationship arranged by Master. We promised to remind and assist each other. If one of us observes deficiencies in another, we would promptly point them out. Afterward, we formed one body and my husband began cultivating diligently.
I understood that we did not do well because we did not focus on studying the Fa well. Master repeatedly emphasized the importance of Fa study. Therefore, we began wholeheartedly reading the Fa.
My daughter read Zhuan Falun with us after work. During the day, my husband and I read the Fa. We also memorized the Fa. Through this intensive Fa study, we truly absorbed the Fa into our hearts and experienced the magnificence and beauty of the Fa.
My husband and I also extended the time we sent righteous thoughts. First, we sent righteous thoughts for fifteen minutes, four times a day. Then, we sent righteous thoughts for over half an hour, every hour. When my daughter came home in the evening, we sent forth righteous thoughts together.
At first, our hearts were not stable, and we thought about our case. We were quite nervous and felt a lot of pressure.
In my mind, I told the police, “Your lives are given by Dafa, and you came to the earth to assimilate to Dafa. However, you have been manipulated by the evil to participate in the persecution of Dafa disciples so that there is no future for you and your beings. Please stop the persecution immediately and treat Dafa disciples well, so that you can choose a bright future for you and your beings.” I communicated with them this way from time to time. My heart calmed down and I felt less afraid. I felt that the persecution was far away from us, and I decided to clarify the truth to the police.
When a police officer came to my house to ask for photos of my husband and I, we told him the facts about Dafa. He said that we were good people and that they were only involved in the persecution because of pressure from their superiors. He no longer asked for our photos. I later met his wife and explained about the persecution. She said her husband praised our family for being kind. He told her we were educated people and our home was organized and clean. The couple both agreed to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its youth organizations.
Master said,
“Wherever there’s a problem, that is where you need to clarify the truth and save people. Don’t take a detour when you run into difficulties.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2002 Conference in Washington, D.C.,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World Volume II)
I believe a truth-clarification letter can encompass a lot of information, so we decided to write a truth-clarification letter to the person handling our case. My daughter wrote a letter to the deputy officer in charge of our case titled: “Heartfelt Words to An Uncle.”
My daughter wrote, “Hello, Uncle! Despite the not-so-friendly circumstances under which you met my parents, the fact that you stepped into our home was quite significant! That’s why I want to share some heartfelt thoughts with you. Do you know why we practice Falun Dafa? I vividly remember, when I was little, my parents used to argue frequently. My father had a bad temper, and when he got angry, it was intimidating. He verbally abused my mother and afterward, she silently wept. Because I was young, I didn’t know how to make my mother feel better. All I could do was hand her a towel to wipe away her tears. Every time I saw my mother cry, it choked me up, and I felt unbearably sad. Once after my parents had an intense argument, my mother packed her bags, ready to leave home. I was so anxious that I knelt on the ground, crying and begging my mother not to leave. I begged my parents not to divorce.”
My daughter said that our family became harmonious after my husband and I began practicing Falun Dafa. We all immersed ourselves in the joy of practicing Falun Dafa. However, the persecution by the CCP shattered everything. I was sentenced to three years in prison. At that time, my daughter was only in her teens and had to endure great pain. During the illegal trial in the cold winter, my daughter crouched outside the courthouse, alone and crying.
My daughter wrote, “During those three years I did not see my mother, as a young girl, I missed her every day. I constantly worried about her. For one thousand and ninety-five days without my mother’s love, I counted each day, longing for the day when she would come home. I believe you understand my feelings. My mother was force-fed in the detention center. However, no matter how much she suffered, she treated everyone kindly. One time, the deputy slapped her, but she didn’t hate him. The next day, that person threatened to beat her again, and my mother calmly said that he must have felt bad after beating her. After hearing this, he was momentarily stunned and walked away. He never beat my mother again. Do you think a good person like my mother should be persecuted? In fact, every Falun Dafa practitioner is such a good person. My mother has always been my role model. The reason she is like this is because she remembered Master Li Hongzhi’s teachings.”
My daughter expressed her views of the police, “Twenty years ago, I hated those who persecuted my mother. But Master told us that cultivators have no enemies. The severe persecution my parents and I have endured over the years for being good people, as well as the work pressure you and other police officers face today, are all caused by the CCP. You are also victims.”
My daughter concluded, “I sincerely hope you can lift the bail for my parents, and don’t let good people like my parents suffer again! Within your capacity, you can protect good people, and accumulate virtue for yourself and your family.”
After my daughter wrote the letter, I read it to fellow practitioners. They said it was very touching. I delivered it to the assigned case officer. When I entered his office, he pointed to a pile of letters on his desk, “These are letters sent by your group specifically to me.” I said, “My daughter also wrote a letter. Would you like to read it?” He read it and smiled.
After reading the letter, he said, “Behave yourself. If you do, I will return the 10,000 yuan to you after one year; otherwise, I will send you to jail.”
My husband and I who were the ones being persecuted; I realized that I should not just rely on my daughter’s heartfelt letter. I wrote to the police, detailing the benefits of practicing Falun Dafa and the persecution I endured.
I told them about the brutal persecution I suffered in prison. The prison guards hung me on an iron door and beat me, handcuffed me for many days. During winter, I was handcuffed for twenty-four hours a day in a small, frigid cell without bedding. I couldn’t lie down or sleep, and I was in excruciating pain. After I was tortured for a month, I couldn’t walk properly. I later was confined in a small cell again, stripped of my underwear, clad only in shorts and a cotton shirt with the buttons removed. Subsequently, I was hung and handcuffed to a bed, or forced to stand for eighteen days. On another occasion, I was suspended and handcuffed for two days and nights. I was released when my feet and calves were swollen, accompanied by a fever and I nearly fainted.
My primary objective was to expose the evil deeds of the CCP, with a particular emphasis on the role of police officers in the arrest of practitioners, leading to the tragic deaths of many practitioners.
In the letter, I urged them to stop persecuting practitioners. I questioned the officers about following illegal orders to persecute good people. I cautioned against being manipulated to persecute practitioners because in the end they would be blamed. I stressed that if the CCP persecutes Falun Gong today, it could be them or someone else tomorrow.
I delivered my letter to the police officers, only to discover that the original officer had passed it on to someone else. Undeterred, I returned home, wrote another letter to the new officer, and delivered it personally. The response from the new captain was positive.
The truth-clarification letters from fellow practitioners in different cities were helpful. Practitioners from other cities mailed letters to the officers involved. The contents of these letters were sourced from the Minghui website, covering a range of topics. Some letters emphasized that the persecution of Dafa practitioners was against the law. Others appealed to the moral conscience of those involved. There were also articles highlighting the rewards of treating Dafa practitioners with kindness and the punishment faced by individuals involved in the persecution. The overall intention is to dissuade them from continuing the persecution.
The case officer showed me some of the letters. Reading them made me feel so warm from the depths of my heart.
Both local practitioners and those from other regions supported me by sending forth righteous thoughts when I visited the police. Thanks to their help, I returned home safely each time.
The CCP’s legal system operates lawlessly. As law enforcement personnel, they exploit the blind spots practitioners have regarding the law and use every legal loophole to persecute us. It was essential to expose the CCP’s lies from a legal perspective, making law enforcement personnel aware that the real lawbreakers are themselves and that they will be held accountable in the future.
When I wanted to apply to lift the bail and dismiss the case, some fellow practitioners were concerned that doing so might lead to more severe retaliation. I was also fearful. Confronted with the interference of fear, I measured the situation with Dafa. I understood that truth clarification to this particular group was important, and I needed to do it well.
I found a template for the application, drafted it based on my circumstances, and sought help from an expert practitioner. After finalizing the draft, I shared it with the other practitioners. They said it was rational and powerful. With their encouragement, I delivered a copy to the case officer. I sent another to the head by mail since I couldn’t meet him in person.
I said what needed to be said, did what needed to be done, and received all the help practitioners could offer. The next step was to send forth righteous thoughts to deny the persecution, let go of my attachments, and entrust everything to Master’s arrangements. I continued to clarify the truth.
After being released on bail, although I couldn’t completely overcome my fear, I knew I should not stop clarifying the truth, as saving people is my mission.
I resumed going out to tell the truth face-to-face a week later. Throughout the year of being released on bail, I persisted in using my cell phone and other means to clarify the truth, in addition to going out and talking to people about Falun Dafa face-to-face.
As the deadline of my bail approached, my heart sometimes wavered. I said to Master, “Master, you are in charge of everything.”
On the last day, I dreamed that my cultivation journey was concluding, and everyone gathered at the plaza. Two non-practitioners followed me, and a fellow practitioner said that we saved these two police officers in charge of our case.
We waited for the bail to be lifted, but nothing happened. An officer told my relatives that we were not cooperative and we were ordered to go to the police department.
Realizing that the imposed persecution should end, I felt detached from the matter. We did not need anyone to tell us that our “being released on bail” was lifted. So we didn’t go to the police department. I still went out every day to clarify the truth and fulfill my responsibilities. A few months later, the so-called bail was officially ended, and we successfully denied the CCP’s persecution.
According to the reports on the Minghui website many practitioners are still placed under “being released on bail.” I understand that they may experience anxiety and concern. While we may not be able to eliminate all our attachments instantly, we must be firm in our faith. Remember, we are Dafa disciples, and we are under Master’s guidance. Following Master’s teachings is the key to denying the evil persecution and navigating through it smoothly.
Always remember that saving people is our mission. Start by clarifying the truth to the police officers directly involved in the persecution, and approach them with compassion. The fact that we prioritize saving people, especially those directly involved in persecuting us, demonstrates the virtue of Dafa disciples. With such purity, who would dare harm us? The evil persecution will naturally disintegrate.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!