(Minghui.org) After the Chinese communist regime ordered the persecution of Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999, my fellow practitioners and I went to Beijing to appeal. When we came back, our workplace held a ten-day brainwashing session and ordered us to renounce Falun Dafa. I refused.
Although I was allowed to go back to work, my salary was reduced. I felt we shouldn’t just accept the persecution. I reached out to the management of my workplace and the 610 Office, explaining to them why I went to Beijing, how good Falun Dafa is, and how our bodies and minds improved after we started practicing Falun Dafa.
Finally, the department head told me that it was my director who reported me. So I clarified the facts to the director. He agreed to change “absenteeism” to “paid time off” on the record. My salary returned to normal.
Later, I was laid off and with the help of Yan – another practitioner - I opened a kindergarten. We work well together and helped many parents understand the facts of the persecution. Some said they felt comfortable sending their child here because we are Falun Dafa practitioners.
We educate the children with the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. We treat every child with kindness and love, and pay special attention to our words, actions, and demeanor. We teach the children stories of traditional culture, and teach them to recite Master’s poems. The atmosphere in the kindergarten is harmonious and peaceful.
To further help the parents know the facts about Falun Dafa, I put informational pamphlets and other materials in the children’s school bags for parents to read.
One Sunday, some parents called me and said that someone from the 610 Office went to their home and asked, “Do you know that your child’s kindergarten teacher practices Falun Gong? Are you sure you want to send your child there?”
One parent replied, “We feel especially at ease. The teachers are kind and teach well. The food is good, the environment is good, and it’s close to home. Who wouldn’t send their child there?”
Another parent said, “You are always doing useless things. There are signs on utility poles saying, ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’ Everyone knows that. We are not fools. We have a precious baby in the family. Will we send our child to a place if it is not good?”
Several parents also asked me to not open the next day, as the 610 Office agents indicated that they might come to arrest me. I assured them that it would be alright and we would continue to open as usual.
I called fellow practitioner Yan about the situation. We sent forth righteous thoughts and looked within. We were doing the right thing; how could such a thing happen? I realized that I developed the attachment of showing off, the mentality of elation, and was validating myself. There were still some parents who didn’t truly understand the truth and we should do better with that. We sent forth righteous thoughts for a long time and asked Master for help, “We can’t close the kindergarten; otherwise where will the children go?”
I went to work the next day and was as busy as usual. When I went to close the gate, I saw some parents were gathering outside. I said, “Why haven’t you all left?”
They said, “We’re here to keep an eye on things. If the police come, we won’t let them in, so as not to scare our children. We’ll protect you!”
Instantly, a warm feeling welled up in my heart, and tears came to my eyes: what wonderful parents!
I was busy teaching the children all morning, and time passed quickly. There was no sign of the police. When the children took a nap, I talked with Yan about going to clarify the truth to the 610 Office agents.
Master told us:
“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)
Master’s Fa teaching gave us strong, righteous thoughts; we let go of our fear.
My husband came by around noon. When he heard that we wanted to go to the 610 Office, he suggested that he go there first. Even though he does not practice Falun Dafa, he believes Dafa is good, and has always supported me and protects me at critical moments.
My husband found the head of the 610 Office and firmly told him, “If you mess with my wife’s kindergarten and arrest her, I won’t stop fighting with you. I don’t practice Falun Gong, and I am not afraid of you.”
The head of the 610 Office said, “Don’t be angry. Someone reported your wife, and we don’t want to intervene. It was the higher-ups who came to arrest people.”
My husband said sternly, “Don’t try to fool me. Who in the higher-ups knew these people? You did it.”
The head of the 610 Office said, “Don’t be angry. Go back and tell your wife to be careful. I’ll cover for her this time, but I won’t be able to protect her if it happens again.”
Fellow practitioner Yan and I later found the person who reported us, a security guard. Not knowing the truth, he has been involved in persecuting Dafa disciples. He said that his neighbor’s child goes to our kindergarten and every day when he gets home he yells, “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are good!” The child told him that the kindergarten teacher taught him this.
I explained the basic information about Falun Dafa and the persecution to him. He understood it and was very embarrassed. He said he would no longer get involved in this matter.
We revisited the children’s parents to further explain the facts and why we gave the children Dafa amulets. One parent said, “As long as it’s good for the child, it’s fine.”
I was filled with joy when I left the parents’ home. I knew that we had done the right thing. This also gave us an opportunity to visit all the parents one by one and clarify the facts to them in depth.
With Master’s protection and our powerful righteous thoughts, the persecution was disintegrated.
A first-grade teacher said to us, “We all like the children from your kindergarten. They have good character, don’t fight or swear, and study well.”
I am very grateful. Dafa’s principles have helped me understand how to be a human being. More than ten years of early childhood education have also enabled me to plant the seeds of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance in the young hearts of children.
As the number of kindergarten children increased, I became busier and busier and had less time to study the Fa. We charged higher fees, and my attachment to profit emerged. My fellow practitioners noticed this and reminded me to let go of my desire for profit, and spend more time on the coordination work of local practitioners.
At first, I was reluctant to accept. But after studying the Fa, I woke up and realized my selfishness. Ultimately, I agreed to be the volunteer coordinator for our district and I also began to print Dafa materials at home.
Master said:
“I’ll tell you, the Dafa disciples from the early period, those who formed ties of destiny with me during history, or who came here following Master—each and every one of you—if you had wanted to accomplish something in ordinary society, every one of you could have been a billionaire, every one of you could have been famous, and every one of you could have been among society’s elite. But this lifetime you came here to be a Dafa disciple, and you passed up all of those things. If you had wanted to be rich, you could have long since been rich. Don’t let your soul’s long-cherished wish be extinguished over a few petty, worldly temptations.” (“Fa Teaching on World Falun Dafa Day,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XII)
In 2004, one practitioner was arrested for distributing Dafa materials. In the rescue process, I cooperated with local fellow practitioners, repeatedly went to the police station to clarify the truth, called and wrote letters to the detention center, and finally visited the fellow practitioner in the detention center, which enhanced his righteous thoughts.
I remember the first time when we went with a member of his family to the police station to clarify the truth, the atmosphere was very tense, and the police threatened to arrest us all. We were not afraid and compassionately clarified the truth to them. The practitioner’s mother was over 80 years old, and she cooperated with us very well. Later, the police chief said, “I will try my best to help you.”
During the practitioner’s court hearing, the police threatened to arrest any practitioner who went to show their support for that practitioner. The atmosphere that day was very tense. There were many plainclothes officers, and many fellow practitioners came to send forth righteous thoughts at close range outside the court. Several practitioners and that practitioner’s family members managed to enter the courtroom.
When the fellow practitioner was brought into the courtroom and saw us, he was encouraged to see us. He testified in his own defense with dignity.
After the hearing, we made a flyer of the names of police, prosecutor, and judges involved in the practitioner’s case and distributed it widely. This exposed the persecution and also helped people know the truth.
Looking back on my over 20 years of Fa-rectification period cultivation, I am filled with emotion. It is Master’s infinite compassion that has brought me to where I am today. During this process, I have experienced hardships, setbacks, joy, and the glory of validating the Fa. As my overall cultivation progresses, I will continue to rectify myself, oppose the persecution, and clarify the truth. No matter what happens, I will forge ahead without hesitation.