Ignorance may lead one to fearlessness while confusion may lead one to the wrong path. Ms. Zhang, who was once under the spiritual control of Falun Gong, gradually saw the essence of Dafa in prison. After returning to society, free from the spiritual shackle of Falun Gong, she began to live a happy pastoral life.
She fell into a miserable situation after believing in Falun Gong
Ms. Zhang, with junior high school education, was born in January 1950 in Chaisang District, Jiujiang City, Jiangxi Province. She is a retired employee of an enterprise in Jiujiang City. In 1997, she happened to hear from a fellow worker that Falun Gong could improve health and cure illness. Being in anxiety at that time because of her long-term persistent illness, she immediately got obsessed with Falun Gong in a muddle-headed way.
After practicing Falun Gong for some time, Ms. Zhang felt that her health improved a lot. From then on, she began to buy more of the so-called “practicing materials” instead of going to the hospital to seek medical treatment for her illness. Gradually, her life was controlled by Falun Gong and Li Hongzhi.
In 1999, Falun Gong was banned by law in China. Ms. Zhang, who could not figure out why it was banned, was instigated by the Falun Gong cult organization to petition in Beijing, distribute leaflets and CDs, and post slogans. Step by step, she fell into the spiritual trap set by the Falun Gong cult. Under the spiritual control of Falun Gong, she could no longer think and act independently.
Ms. Zhang was repeatedly detained by the public security authorities for printing and distributing Falun Gong leaflets. "Li Hongzhi promised previously that he would protect his disciples and eliminate diseases and disasters, but it was all nonsense and empty words," Ms. Zhang said. “Now when I look back on my past, I feel that my obsession with Falun Gong has caused great harm to my family, relatives and friends, and all those who cared about me, especially my husband who lives alone miserably at home. Both of my two daughters are married now, but my wife who is in poor health often cries at home. I feel very sorry and regretful for the harmful deeds that I have done in the past."
She finally got rid of the mental shackle of Falun Gong
In 2001, Ms. Zhang was sentenced to three years of reeducation through labor for handing out Falun Gong leaflets; in 2005, she was sentenced to another seven years of imprisonment for producing Falun Gong propaganda materials. With the help of the prison police and through self-reflection, Ms. Zhang gradually recognized the hypocrisy of the Falun Gong cult; and finally, she succeeded in getting rid of the spiritual control of Falun Gong. After her release from prison in 2011, she actively returned to society under the enthusiastic guidance of many kind-hearted people.
"Li Hongzhi said that wars could eliminate karma, that Hitler started wars in response to heavenly signs, and that people were disabled only because they had too much comfort and heavy karma in their previous lives,” said Ms. Zhang. What Ms. Zhang found most absurd was that Li Hongzhi said that people were ill because they had karma and that doctors were doing bad things by saving the dying and healing the wounded. “Now, when I think about my past, I really don't understand why I used to distribute Falun Gong leaflets and CDs everywhere, neither do I understand why I did so. At that time, I was living a vagrant and restless life with no peace of mind, which was almost more than I could bear.”
Ms. Zhang felt that she had messed up her life previously for practicing Falun Gong, which had caused irreversible harm to her family and friends. She was now in poor health and felt sorry for what she had done in the past.
The pastoral life brought happiness back to her
After returning to her family and society, Ms. Zhang and her husband developed some positive and healthy hobbies and interests. Now she has a new mental outlook, no longer obsessed with practicing gong or thinking about "spreading the Fa". She only wants to make up for the warm and healthy life she has lost, trying to live a happy and harmonious life with her family.
In recent years, Ms. Zhang and her husband have renovated their house, which now looks beautiful and elegant. Every evening, the couple would walk a few circles around their residential area, which enabled them to exercise their bodies and chat with their neighbors to harmonize their relations. Last year, Ms. Zhang took the initiative to participate in a volunteer service program. She has been working as a volunteer in the local community for three years.
Ms. Zhang and her husband are very busy at ordinary times. They reclaimed a piece of vegetable land near their house to grow vegetables for fun. They also shared their vegetables with their neighbors. On weekends, their daughter would come to visit them together with her husband and children. Ms. Zhang has always felt the warmth of family affection, enjoying the happiness of having children and grandchildren around her.
