(Minghui.org) My father, grandfather, and I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1996 in China. Although I was only 15 years old at the time, after reading Zhuan Falun, I understood the true meaning of life—to return to our original, true selves. This was what I had been searching for.
My grandfather was the coordinator of our practice site and did the Falun Dafa exercises with other practitioners every morning. He had smoked and drank alcohol for decades, but after practicing Falun Dafa for a week, he quit both habits on his own. He used to have a bad temper, but after practicing Dafa, he became kind and gentle. Many people saw my grandfather’s improvements and also began practicing Dafa. My father and I often recited Hong Yin and felt that Dafa was an immeasurable, precious gift for our family.
Jiang Zemin, the former Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader, launched the persecution of Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999. When my father and I saw the Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident on TV on January 23, 2001, we both felt that, since Dafa teaches people to be good and asks them to follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, we didn’t believe that Dafa practitioners would self-immolate. We told our relatives that the teachings of Dafa were against killing and that included committing suicide. Because my grandfather was the coordinator of our practice site, the police raided our home, confiscated the Dafa books and exercise tapes, and warnned him that, if he continued to practice, they would stop his pension and implicate the entire family.
Facing this sudden persecution, my grandfather was in great pain, fear, and confusion. Having personally experienced the Cultural Revolution, he knew how wicked the CCP was, so he stopped practicing Dafa. Shortly after, he had an accident and died. My father and I were devastated. Faced with that loss, I became silent and withdrawn. Seeing the changes in me, my parents feared for my well-being and decided to send me to Japan to study.
In Japan, I started my studies at a Japanese language school in April 2002. In this foreign land, I studied Japanese while working part-time. One day, a thought suddenly occurred to me: “I had practiced Falun Dafa in China. Could there be people practicing Dafa in Japan as well?” Perhaps, since Master saw my wish, he arranged the opportunity for me to continue practicing Dafa in Japan.
There were free Chinese newspapers in the school. I picked up a copy of the Epoch Times and took it home to read. When I saw that it offered free Falun Dafa classes, tears ran down my face. I put my hands together in front of my chest in gratitude, thanking compassionate Master for his great arrangement.
I contacted the local practice site immediately. Since then, I have attended the group exercises and Fa study in the park every Sunday. It has been 22 years.
I have experienced several life-and-death tests, narrowly escaping death thanks to Master’s protection. I’d like to share just one instance.
October 20, 2004, is a day I will never forget. I was in a car accident. At around 7:30 p.m., I was riding my bicycle home from work, when I was hit by a small truck at the crosswalk and thrown several meters. I fell unconsciousness when I landed.
I came to the next morning in a hospital bed and learned that I had been hit by a truck. I was in pain all over and had a mild concussion, so it was difficult for me to get out of bed. I tried to recall everything that had happened, and vivid memories flooded my mind. This is what I recalled:
After the truck hit me, about nine people took me away. Their clothes were strange, like those from the Song Dynasty, and I couldn’t understand a word they said. About 10 minutes later, they took me to a tall, black gate that was an entrance to an ancient-looking structure. After I entered, no one spoke to me, so I just stood there.
Suddenly, the outer door opened, and a man around 30 years old, dressed in ancient attire, walked in. He was an imposing presence and held a sword. He looked like a deity that had descended to the mortal world. At that moment, the leader of the group who brought me in walked up to him and said angrily, “This is a forbidden place. Outsiders are not allowed!”
The man didn’t say a word, calmly took out a golden token from his chest, and held it high above his head. Instantly, everyone present knelt down, not daring to speak. Only I stood there, dumbfounded. The man walked up to me and said one sentence, “Follow me!” I followed him and walked out of the gate. Then I woke up in the hospital.
I was deeply grateful to Master for saving my life! I knew it was Master’s protection that allowed me to survive. I vowed to cultivate diligently, strive to be a true cultivator, and be worthy of Master’s compassion.
Every week, tourists from China visit our local area. Clarifying the truth and helping them quit the CCP became our most important task.
At the tourist sites, we have display boards with information about how Falun Dafa has spread around the world, the Tiananmen Square self-immolation hoax, forced organ harvesting, and quitting the CCP. Some Japanese practitioners hold signs asking people to quit the CCP and play recordings of the truth about Dafa and the persecution, standing there for hours on end. Other practitioners walk and talk with tourists, explaining the truth and helping them quit the Party.
Some tourists, deeply poisoned by the CCP’s lies, curse and ridicule us, but we remain unmoved and keep telling them the truth. We know deep in our hearts that they were poisoned by the CCP lies and propaganda, and we must save them. This is our mission, and we cannot shirk this responsibility.
Master said:
“If the vast majority of the people in this world today have really come from high levels to obtain the Fa, think about it—they aren’t just some simple beings, then. Even a Tathagata represents a gigantic group of beings. But they aren’t limited to Tathagatas—those who’ve come to the human world all have great abilities. Many cosmic bodies’ Kings and Lords have come here, and they represent gigantic cosmic bodies. But after coming to the ordinary human society, they became deluded and have even participated in this persecution of Dafa. Then if someone like that is eliminated, think about it, not only is he eliminated—what’s eliminated is also a gigantic cosmic body.” (Teachings From a Tour of North America)
When I read this, I realized the seriousness of cultivation and that the mission we shoulder is not just to save one life but the countless beings represented by that life. This sacred responsibility is a precious opportunity Master has given us, Dafa disciples, to save people, and it will never come again.
Only by studying the Fa more, cultivating ourselves well, letting go of human attachments, and truly letting go of ego can we save people. That is the path Master is guiding us on.