A 70-Year-Old Falun Dafa Practitioner Relates Her Experiences in Letting People Know that Falun Dafa is Good

I am a Falun Dafa practitioner from Foyedong Village, Lingyuan City, Liaoning Province in China. I started to practise Falun Dafa in 1996 so I have been practising now for eight years. Over these eight years, I have changed completely in both my mind and body. My gastric disease, tracheitis and gynaecological problems were all healed. I felt energised and my family was in harmony. It was the first time that I felt completely healthy and illness-free. I haven't needed to take any medication since I started practising Falun Dafa.

Since the persecution began on the 20th of July, 1999, the Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin and his faction have been illegally arresting Falun Dafa practitioners. The village police also arrested and tried to force me to hand over the Falun Dafa books and give up the practise. I said to them boldly and assuredly, "I am not educated, and I have no books. Falun Dafa saved me, why should I give it up? No matter where you take me, I will practise and follow my Teacher." Seeing that I was steadfast, the police sent me to the detention centre. I was illegally detained for fifteen days, after which I came home in a dignified manner. At that time, my daughter was sent to the notoriously evil Shenyang Masanjia Forced Labour Camp. Upon hearing this news, I was shaken inside. I thought, "What kind of a world do we live in? We practitioners are not wrong. How is practising 'Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance' wrong?" So I decided to go to Beijing to peacefully and lawfully appeal for a stop to the persecution.

In June of 2000, a fellow practitioner and I went to Beijing. The situation was very difficult for Falun Dafa practitioners. Because many people were monitoring us, we first walked part of the journey, and hoped to take the train from another city. We were discovered after walking 20km. The authorities arrested us and locked me up in the police station for two days. No matter how they treated me, I treated them with a practitioner's compassion, and spoke to them about the truth behind the persecution. They wanted me to write the "Guarantee Statement" but I refused and would not follow their demands. My children were worried about me, and they paid my bail without my knowledge.

I continued to study the principles of Falun Dafa and practise the Falun Dafa exercises when I returned home. The village police and an agency called the "6-10 Office" whom were specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems always sent people to keep me under surveillance and to harass me at my house. From when the persecution against Falun Dafa was officially announced on the 20th July, 1999 to 2000, the police arrested me three times. I kept on clarifying the truth about Falun Gong to them on all occasions, and came home in dignified manner each time.

In 2001, Teacher Li taught us the formula's for sending forth righteous thoughts. I sent forth righteous thoughts every day. As I upgraded my moral character according to the teachings in Falun Gong, I realised that if I couldn't go to Beijing to validate Falun Dafa, I could take action at home. I started telling my relatives, friends and neighbours that Falun Dafa is wonderful, and how I had benefited from practising. I told them not to believe the television and the lies reported in the newspaper that slandered Falun Gong. I told them that what the media was doing was wrong and that those people who slandered Falun Dafa would receive karmic retribution one day. At that time, we didn't have many factual materials about Falun Gong to give to people, so I asked my relatives to write leaflets and letters. During the night, I would send the letters to the police station and the leaflets to households.

During the 16th Party Congress meeting in 2002, the authorities once again arrested and sent my daughter to the Masanjia Labour Camp to further intensify the persecution against her. They also detained my son-in-law and started monitoring me as well. There were at least two people following me every day, fearing that I would go to Beijing again. I would send forth righteous thoughts each time they sent anyone after me, to eliminate the evil controlling them. I started clarifying the truth to those assigned to follow me. I told them about Falun Gong and how I had benefited from the practise. I asked them not to help the wicked people commit crimes and not to follow the lies from the media.

I told them that there is nothing wrong with practising "Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance." Falun Dafa cured our illnesses and taught us to be good people. I told them the principle that "Good is rewarded with good and evil will be met by evil." Although these people all understand the truth, they said that it was their job and they still had to monitor me every day. They kept me under surveillance for five days.

My daughter was sent to the forced labour camp and my son-in-law was kept in custody. We had to take care of their young children. Our son-in-law returned in a dignified manner three months later but our daughter is still in the labour camp as of this writing. I was very upset for a long time. Under all these kinds of tribulations and pressures, I couldn't focus on studying the principles of Falun Dafa or practise the exercises. Many kind people told me not to take it so hard, and my fellow practitioners told me not to be governed by sentimentality. I thought, "How come my cultivation path is so difficult?" Teacher Li said in the main text of Falun Gong teachings, Zhuan Falun, "When your friends or family suffer, are you moved? How do you weigh them? This is how difficult it is to be a practitioner!" I was determined that I would take the principles taught in Falun Gong as my Teacher, strictly regulate myself, and step out from the mentality of an ordinary person.

By 2003, the environment was more relaxed but I never let up. I kept on studying Teacher's new articles and sent forth righteous thoughts every day. Since Teacher taught us the formula for sending forth righteous thoughts, I've never missed any of the four daily times for global sending forth of righteous thoughts every day. Especially during the midnight hour, many practitioners say they are tired and can't get up. But I won't sleep until I send forth righteous thoughts.

Until the day of Fa-rectification, I realise that as Fa-rectification period disciples, our cultivation depends on doing the three things that Teacher has asked of us: study the Falun Gong teachings, send forth righteous thoughts and clarifying the truth about Falun Dafa to the world's people. This is fulfilling our vow.

I used to distribute leaflets during the night. Now, I go to every household during the day when I have the time, to give them leaflets and booklets. I speak to them about my personal experiences and use my actions and thoughts, and stories about the changes I have experienced, to validate the wonderfulness of Falun Dafa. My two daughters-in-law, under my influence, have since started practising Falun Dafa. Under my influence, many practitioners have stepped out to participate in Fa-rectification. Every time I go out to clarify the truth about Falun Gong to people, I do so with the compassion and kindness of a practitioner. My fellow villagers are eager to listen to me.

Over the past several years, I've tried to take the principles of Falun Dafa as my Teacher during times of tribulations. I have not committed any wrongdoings against Teacher or Falun Dafa, but I am still very far, far behind in fulfilling Teacher's requirements.