The weather is very volatile in June. One minute the sun is still burning, the next minute the sky is covered with dark clouds, with raindrops crackling on the windows like little soybeans.
In a company office on the 26th floor of a building in Nanshan District, Shenzhen, a man was seated at a large desk, concentrating his mind on the investment plan on his computer. But the rain interrupted his mind. Gradually it rained more and more heavily, with the raindrops beating on and falling off the window glass as if they were going to flow into his heart, washing away the miserable memories of his past….
Liao Qiyang, as the man is called, was born in September 1971 in Nanning, Guangxi Autonomous Region. He is now a partner and deputy general manager of a company in Shenzhen. Although he has now accomplished both success and fame, with enough to live comfortably, his experience of falling into the quagmire of Falun Gong has left him with deep regret and heartache.
Misled by an evil cult
In 1996, Liao Qiyang graduated from the school of economics of a university in Wuhan and was assigned to work in a border trade company in Guangxi. As a newcomer, he ran into many difficulties in his work and felt very painful and helpless. The depression at work caused Liao Qiyang's sense of self-superiority to fade away.
At the beginning of 1998, when Liao Qiyang went to another company to discuss business, he saw several books on the desk of the company's manager, so he picked one up and looked through it. At the sight of this, the manager was overjoyed and said, "This book, Zhuan Falun, is about the Fa taught by my Master. It is the highest Fa in the universe, capable of not only dispelling diseases and keeping you fit but also freeing people from reincarnation, helping them transcend life and death and achieve Consummation. I usually put this book here, prepared only for those who have a predestined bond with it. I think you also have a bond with Dafa, so I'll give you a copy."
Zhuan falun attracted Liao Qiyang irresistibly like a magnet. Especially some words in the book, such as "truthfulness, compassion and tolerance", "improve the mind", "accumulate virtue" and "achieve Consummation", seemed to have moistened Liao Qiyang's dry heart like rain and dew, appealing greatly to his desire to dispel confusion, avoid troubles, keep kindness in heart, and take a detached stance in life. He firmly believed that he had found a way to return to his original nature and do good to help others. Step by step, Liao Qiyang, deceived by the beautiful web of lies carefully woven by Li Hongzhi, falling into the quagmire of Falun Gong.
Going further astray
For Liao Qiyang, the happiest thing every day was to have a group exchange of ideas at a Falun Gong practicing point. Because of his familiarity with the "scriptures", he could talk on and on with fellow practitioners about his experiences in studying the Fa and practicing Falun Gong. So other practitioners were full of praises for him, saying he was an elite disciple with the root of wisdom, which made him feel extremely satisfied and proud.
In order to encourage more people to understand and practice Falun Gong, Liao Qiyang often propagated the goodness of Falun Gong to his relatives, friends, neighbors and colleagues. But many of his friends considered him abnormal, asking him to be down-to-earth in his work and life. However, Liao Qiyang sneered at the kind advice of others, continuing to go his own way. Being infatuated with the cult, he fell deeper into the quagmire and became more estranged with the society, his relatives and friends.
Caught in his own trap
In July 1999, Falun Gong was banned by the state according to law. Like other obsessed practitioners, Liao Qiyang felt very confused, wondering why such a good exercise should have been banned. He harbored resentful sentiments and became more firm in believing the idea that "Falun Dafa is the highest Dharma in the universe and it is also the Saddhamma for Master to save people in the world". During the second half of 2000, Liao Qiyang was found disseminating illegal propaganda materials and was reported by people to the public security organs, which arrested him on the charge of disturbing social order according to law.
However, Liao Qiyang still hadn't realized the true nature of Falun Gong. He felt that he was "persecuted", so he was full of resentment, which strengthened his determination to keep learning and practicing Falun Gong. Disregarding his family's dissuasion, he fell so deep into the web of lies woven by Li Hongzhi that he was unable to get away from it.
Waking up to the evilness of Falun Gong
As Liao Qiyang had been indulging in the world of Falun Gong and pursuing his illusory dreams, he gradually went into an autistic state, aloof, indifferent and unfeeling, refusing to contact and talk with others. Once, Liao Qiyang came across a scripture called Budda's illustration on the Un-repayable Love of Parents, which said that Sakyamuni taught in person how to repay the love of and be filial to one’s parents. This made Liao Qiyang feel confused suddenly, as he clearly remembered "Master" saying in his lectures that Buddhism doesn’t teach people to be filial to their parents. Then, he reexamined his state of mind and calmly read and analyzed those Falun Gong books. The more questions he found about Falun Gong, the more afraid he became: Am I actually pursuing an evil Fa? He felt uneasy and worried. In the dead of night, he would often burst into tears alone.
Starting his life anew
When Liao Qiyang returned home from prison and saw his elderly parents, he couldn't help crying over what he had done in the past. Being obsessed with Falun Gong and pursuing an illusion out of reach had not only wasted his youth but also left his relatives worried and hurt. He felt shame and remorse, unable to forgive himself.
At this time, Fu Bin, one of his college classmates, offered him a helping hand in time, inviting him to his company to develop its business together. At the company, Liao Qiyang took charge of the sales promotion project for mobile phone models. With an overall market research, Liao Qiyang keenly found that the projector industry was very promising and that if they could occupy the market first, they would make a great success. He shared his idea with Fu Bin and they agreed to jointly invest in a photoelectric company in Shenzhen. The beautiful rainbow finally appeared after the storm. Now, their photoelectric company is developing smoothly and beginning to reach some degree of scale.
Repaying the society by helping others
In his spare time, Liao Qiyang, who has achieved success in his career, contacted some of his former fellow practitioners who had broken away with Falun Gong to join him in forming a volunteer team, so as to help through their personal experience those Falun Gong addicts to turn back from the wrong path. Although he is busily engaged in his corporate business, he would go to offer his help on time whenever it is needed.
The rain faded away and the sun slowly stuck out its head. The outside world was fresh and bright, just like a girl who had just taken a bath…Liao Qiyang took back his thoughts and, with a sigh, resumed his work at the desk.
(Excerpts from The Stories of 36 Cult Victims)
