(Minghui.org) “It was 1999. All the news channels were broadcasting the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) violent crackdown on Falun Dafa. The police beat, strangled, and even stomped on practitioners’ heads—but they didn’t fight back. I was moved to tears and said, 'How are there be such calm and peaceful protesters in this world? Who are these people?'"
Ms. Yi Shan described the TV footage she watched more than two decades ago that made a huge impression on her. Instead of being frightened, she felt “a flood of admiration for Falun Dafa.”
The Chinese regime’s persecution of Falun Dafa has been ongoing for 22 years, but the practitioners in China have never faltered. Peacefully and rationally, they tell their family, friends, neighbors, co-workers, and strangers about the persecution and what Falun Dafa really is to counter the CCP’s persecution and smear campaign. They have won the respect and admiration of many who did not buy into the CCP’s lies.
After hearing the facts, many people started practicing Falun Dafa themselves. Ms. Yi Shan from Taichung City, Taiwan is one of them.
Not Buying into CCP’s Propaganda
Ms. Yi’s father retired from the military. He relocated to Kaohsiung City, Taiwan in the late 1940s with the Republic of China nationalist government following the Chinese civil war. When she was a child, he told his daughter how wicked the CCP was and warned her of its pitfalls.
The continuous broadcasting of the CCP’s crackdown on Falun Dafa in 1999 made Ms. Yi curious about the practice. She thought, “It would be great if I could learn Falun Dafa in Taiwan.”
The following year, Ms. Yi found more information about Falun Dafa from an otolaryngologist. She was so excited that she immediately started practicing. Through her own experience of learning Falun Dafa's principles and doing the exercises, she knew it was wonderful. She also became involved in efforts to raise awareness of the persecution in China.
Dafa Solves Life’s Great Mysteries
Ms. Yi Shan, in her 50s, radiant and youthful.
Ever since she was little, Ms. Yi had the wish to cultivate. She enjoyed adventure stories depicting heaven and hell. In the quiet of the night, she often looked up to the starry sky and wondered, “Who am I? Where am I from? Where am I going? Why am I here in this human world?” When she began to read Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Dafa, Ms. Yi wept tears of joy. “I’ve finally found it! This is what I have been looking for all my life.”
The principles in the book answered all the questions that had baffled Ms. Yi, and she found the book to be a “great treasure.” She cherished the book and read it every day. She let Dafa’s principles guide her in her cultivation, how to treat others, and how to deal with the various challenges life brings.
Ms. Yi said her outlook on life completely changed after she finished reading Zhuan Falun. As the apple of her parents’ eyes since she was little, Ms. Yi was spoiled and had a sense of entitlement. When she learned the principles Master Li taught in Zhuan Falun, she realized she was wrong. She made up her mind on the spot that she would change, which surprised her family.
Following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to Become a Better Person
Her coworkers noticed the big difference in her. One of them said, “After Yi Shan took up Falun Dafa, she completely changed and is now a great person!” Ms. Yi’s coworkers knew she was capable and knowledgeable, but she guarded personal gain fiercely and was not willing to compromise. If someone said anything bad about her behind her back, she would confront that person and start an argument.
After she began practicing Falun Dafa, Ms. Yi began treating others with kindness. If she overheard coworkers talking about her negatively, she just smiled and let it go. “These are all principles that I learned in Zhuan Falun,” she said.
The book Zhuan Falun teaches cultivators to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and become a better person. Ms. Yi reads the book every day and is guided by these principles in her daily conduct. She explained how she used to give people a dose of their own medicine if anybody dared to offend her or if she had a conflict with someone. “Now when I run into a conflict, I know it’s a test and it’s time to improve. I no longer get upset or look for revenge the way I used to.”
Ms. Yi gave an example. Wanting to replace Ms. Yi as the sales team lead, a coworker marginalized her at work, stole her client, and badmouthed her in front of her client. When Ms. Yi found out, she was shocked but quickly reminded herself that she had to handle it like a cultivator, consider others first, and be a good person first and foremost. She calmed down and forgave the coworker. As if nothing had happened, she treated this coworker kindly. The manager and the client soon realized what had happened.
Ms. Yi said, “Master has clearly talked about the connections between loss and gain. So, I didn’t get angry or fight with her. I told myself to truly treat others with kindness.” Ms. Yi’s kindness won over her coworkers, and she is now the best-liked person at work.
Joining Efforts to Raise Awareness
Although Ms. Yi is busy with family and work, she has remained diligent in her cultivation. Time flies, but the CCP has not let up its ruthless suppression of Falun Dafa.
Ms. Yi realized that she should tell people about her own experiences and how she's benefitted from Dafa. She wanted to explain the persecution to counter the CCP’s smear campaign, and she wanted everyone who had been misled by the CCP’s lies to learn the truth.
In her free time, Ms. Yi began to make phone calls to China, including law enforcement agencies, to tell them the truth about Falun Dafa and the persecution. She also sends information about Falun Dafa to people in China via social media, hoping that they can see the evil nature of the Communist regime and separate themselves from it to avoid being held accountable for its crimes in the future.
She has participated in parades, rallies, and other events in many places, including the U.S., South Korea, and Hong Kong, to raise awareness of the persecution in China, tell more people about Falun Dafa, and spread the truth far and wide.
Ms. Yi has dedicated more time to talk to people in China via social media apps in recent years. After a day of typing and sending information through text messages on her phone, Ms. Yi’s fingers become stiff. But when she thinks about those who have not had the chance to learn about Dafa, she rubs her fingers and picks up the phone again.
In order to clarify the truth about Dafa thoroughly and reach a bigger audience, Ms. Yi started to work with other practitioners. They have formed a team and operate cohesively. They create chat groups on social media, put together articles and text messages, deliver them to the group members, and one by one help them quit the CCP and its youth organizations.
Although they have encountered great interference from the CCP whose agents have used various means to block their channels, Ms. Yi said, “No matter how difficult it is to continue on this path and how big the obstacles I face, nothing can change my mind. I am determined to clarify the truth and save people.”
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Category: Beginning Cultivation