A Practitioner's Story: Went Through Tribulations with a Sober Mind and Firm Faith

Mr. Liu, a worker from a city in Hunan Province, went to Beijing to make an appeal on December 17, 1999. He spent 99 days in jail, from December 20 when he got arrested, until his recent unconditional release.

On the morning of December 20, while walking in Tiananmen Square, Mr. Liu and some other practitioners were questioned by the police if they were Falun Gong practitioners. They replied "yes", and were taken to a police van. The plainclothes police on the van beat them. They were taken to the Tiananmen police station and asked to report their workplaces and names. Those who didn't were beaten with sticks, some were beaten until unconscious; others' faces were swollen and their mouths bled. As for those who told their names and workplaces, their liaison-offices in Beijing were informed to pick them up.

On December 24, Mr. Liu and others were sent to the Drug-detoxification center in Hengyang City of Hunan Province and were detained for 15 days. At first, practitioners were kept together, later every 2-3 practitioners were sent to separate jail cells, to live and eat with substance abusers (drug takers). The police officers ordered the substance abusers to stop practitioners from practicing Falun Gong exercises and force them to write statements of repentance. Practitioners refused, and were tortured by standing for days on end by substance abusers. Mr. Liu could not endure this any longer after having stood for 3 days and 3 nights, and said in his mind " Teacher, I want to pass this test, please give me a hand." and started to do Fuqian Baolun (Holding the wheel before the abdomen), right away he felt no fatigue at all. After that he told the substance abusers, "I won't write any statement of repentance, if you still force me to stand, I will practice the exercises." They didn't allow him to practice and beat him. Disregarding their beating, Liu insisted on saying that he would practice. Substance abusers beat his mouth with their slippers, but he felt no pain. And then they beat his legs and waist to such an extent that his legs were swollen and his back couldn't straighten up. Regardless of all this, Mr. Liu made up his mind that he should hold on and never be frightened by tribulations, and he constantly reminded himself that he was a Falun Dafa practitioner and had Teacher and the Great Law with him, he should fear nothing.

Later, Mr. Liu got up as usual around 2-3 o'clock in the morning and practiced the exercises. At first, the substance abusers complained, but later they left him alone. Their change of attitude was because practitioners often communicated with them and told them that Falun Dafa practitioners are cultivators, and they can't agree if not allowed to practice the exercises, this is a matter of faith. At last the substance abusers were moved by the moral courage of practitioners. Practitioners then told them about the benefits of Falun Dafa and taught them to do the exercises. Some substance abusers also started practicing the exercises with practitioners.

In the drug-detoxification centre, Mr. Liu also passed tests in other respects, including money, human sentiments, being removed from the Party by his factory. Afterwards he said, there was only one single thought then, that is, I must accept various tribulations. He was also enlightened that: we lost less, yet we got more.

On February 3, while detained in the detention center, practitioners promoted Falun Dafa to several other detainees and taught them to do the exercises, and some of the detainees with predestined affinity obtained the DaFa. On March 9, Mr. Liu and two other practitioners were sent back again to the jail cell detaining substnce abusers. They promoted Dafa to those substance abusers, and some of them thereby obtained the Dafa as well.

Several days before their release, the director of the police station persuaded them not to go to Beijing to appeal and instead practice and read books secretly at home. So long as they wouldn't go to Beijing to appeal, they could be released. Practitioners didn't give in and guaranteed nothing to them. Finally, they had no choice but to release Mr. Liu and other practitioners unconditionally.

May 22, 2000

(Translated on May 24, 2000)