My name is Yang Yue'e (pseudonym), born in 1945, from Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province.
During the summer vacation of 2023, my granddaughter insisted on taking me and several elders to see the popular movie “No More Bets.” The child had a heart full of filial piety, but for some reason, I felt uneasy watching it, which reminded me of events from over a decade ago. Back then, my son Axiang and his wife fell into the abyss of the cult Falun Gong; after being deceived, their lives took a different path, enduring many hardships and suffering significant losses, much like the people deceived in the movie.
The past is unbearable to recall. But today, I share it in hopes of awakening those still struggling in the mire of the cult to return to the right path and live honorably under the sun.
The story begins in 1997, when I was already retired and idling at home. One day, while shopping for groceries, I sprained my ankle. A former colleague from my old workplace visited and suggested that practicing Falun Gong could help with my ailments and ward off misfortune, recommending that I give it a try to heal my leg faster. I was half-convinced, and since I had nothing to do while recovering at home, I started reading “Zhuan Falun” and learning the Falun Gong exercises.
I don't know if it's a psychological effect or the result of exercise, but I feel that my leg injury has recovered quite quickly. Because my son Axiang's skin disorder kept recurring, I strongly recommended Falun Gong to him and suggested that he practice it as well. Axiang was nearly 30 years old then and worked as an assistant to the factory manager. He was honest, had strong technical skills, and was hardworking, which had earned him the manager's appreciation. The factory was buzzing with talk that he was a top candidate for deputy factory manager. However, my son had been busy with work for years and hadn't even dated anyone, which had become a source of worry for me. In fact, I had my own selfish motives for wanting my son to join Falun Gong. My husband passed away early due to cancer, and this matter weighs on my heart like a stone, making it hard for me to breathe—I always worry about the hereditary cancer genes affecting my son's lifespan. Hearing colleagues talked about how miraculous Falun Gong was, I felt like I had grasped a lifeline, finding a remedy to avoid disaster—because Li Hongzhi claims that his omnipresent “Dharma body” will protect us, and we need not fear any illness! Additionally, I met a young female practitioner who was beautiful and had a good temperament; if she were to become my daughter-in-law, our family would all be practitioners, sharing a common language and living harmoniously together, wouldn't that be wonderful!
Axiang initially did not believe in Falun Gong. I took him to “Fa study” sharing activities multiple times, and the strange stories shared by fellow practitioners piqued his curiosity, so he began to read and practice with a mindset of trying it out. As he listened to others' sharing in the Falun Gong community, he became increasingly “Further Advanced”—there were even a few times when he dreamt that his lifespan was extended by the Master, which made me very happy, and from then on, I became even more devoted to viewing Li Hongzhi as my savior. As his studies deepened, Axiang developed his own “insights” and often shared his experiences within the group of practitioners, receiving envious glances from everyone. The admiration of others became a booster that accelerated Axiang's descent into the abyss, and he quickly became obsessed. The girl I introduced to Axiang also had feelings for him; they progressed smoothly, and the girl became my daughter-in-law. The following year, I held my granddaughter.
Everything went so smoothly that I attributed these “wish-fulfilling” events to Falun Gong.
In 1999, the state legally banned Falun Gong. At that time, we were very confused and felt that there must have been a mistake; we were stubborn and wouldn't listen to anyone's advice. Looking back now, it seems incredibly foolish.
In the following decades, Axiang and I transitioned from public participation to underground activities, never ceasing our involvement in Falun Gong. After believing in Falun Gong, Li Hongzhi said that trading stocks is gambling, so I sold all the stocks I held and even transferred other unlisted shares, resulting in a loss of over a hundred thousand. Li Hongzhi said that practitioners should not have an “attachment” and should let go of fame and fortune, so Axiang quit his job, gave up his equity in the company, and the couple found a place to sell tea, allowing them more time to “study the Fa” and practice the exercises.
Years later, reality seemed to contradict the concept of “Further Advancement”; Axiang's tea business was struggling, and life became difficult to sustain, to the point where he had to rely on my pension for support. Meanwhile, the company he used to work for went public, and the management team holding original shares suddenly became millionaires, leaving his former colleagues lamenting for him. Around the same time, Axiang began experiencing unexplained weakness and mobility issues, and at times he was bedridden. Because Li Hongzhi claimed that illness is not illness, but karma, Axiang stubbornly endured, refusing to see a doctor or take medicine, believing this was “clearing karma” and that he would be fine if he just persevered. Just like that, we fell from a bright and prosperous family to a household plagued by poverty and illness.
During that time, we were obsessed with practicing Falun Gong; the harder life became, the more we believed we were not doing enough, betting everything on the hope of one day achieving “Consummation”. Occasionally, I would have fleeting doubts about whether I had made the wrong choice, but under the manipulation of the cult's twisted doctrines, I quickly convinced myself with the reasoning of “one must not doubt the Master”. It wasn't until community anti-cult volunteers awakened me with genuine care and patience that I finally realized the truth of this scam, and the nightmare of over a decade began to fade.
When I realized that Li Hongzhi and his Falun Gong were a complete cult, I was filled with regret and indescribable anger. What I regret is that as a mother, I was foolishly blind and unable to discern, ruining my child's bright future, and even refusing medical treatment, endangering his life; What I hate is that the cult takes away people's minds, manipulates their spirits, causing us to exhaust our family fortune, live in poverty, and have nothing left. I paid a heavy price for my greed and ignorance, and that price turned out to be my child's precious youth, healthy body, and beautiful life. This scam not only caused me to lose everything, but it also left an everlasting pain in my family's hearts.
Time cannot be reversed, and life cannot be relived. After reflecting on my pain, I actively sought help to assist Axiang and his wife in breaking free from the cult, enduring numerous hardships that I will not elaborate on here. It is easy to enter a cult, but difficult to escape; breaking free from the mental control of a cult is as challenging as overcoming an addiction. The poisonous weeds that have taken root in the heart and the spells imprinted in the mind are like ghosts haunting us, making it hard to escape without external assistance.
I am very fortunate to have met a group of enthusiastic, patient, and loving anti-cult volunteers who not only saved me but also rescued our entire family. After the reeducation, Axiang received medical treatment and quickly recovered.
I want to say that the harm of cults is even greater than that of telecom fraud; it is even more insidious and difficult to detect. Today, as I recount this past experience, I hope to alert more people to learn how to recognize cults and prevent scams, cherish life, protect their families, and stay away from all cults!
Source：https://www.chinafxj.cn/n165/c892818/content.html
