(Minghui.org) Greetings to our great Master! Greetings to my fellow practitioners!

Four years have passed since I was arrested prior to the 2008 Olympics Games. On July 3 of this year I left the evil den and returned home with an upright attitude. I never forgot my responsibility and mission as a Falun Dafa disciple while in prison. With Master's benevolent protection and the guidance of Falun Dafa, fellow practitioners outside the prison worked together with me to strengthen our righteous thoughts. In that evil prison, I indomitably did what I should do. I would like to use this opportunity to report my personal experience in that evil nest, and share some understandings with fellow practitioners so we can encourage each other.

I. Righteous Thoughts Made Those Trying to “Transform” Me Lose “Hope”

Master repeatedly asks us to spend more time with Fa study. According to my experience, aside from spending more time reading and memorizing Zhuan Falun, we should also spend time studying Master's other articles and lectures from various places. Moreover, the more time we spend studying the Fa the better, because doing that will strengthen our righteous thoughts, and strengthen our ability to distinguish right from wrong. When we have loopholes in cultivation, we may encounter evil persecution. With the guidance of Falun Dafa, powerful righteous thoughts, strong abilities, and wisdom developed from Falun Dafa, we will be able to pierce various fallacies and finally conquer evil.

Before July 1999, I had already memorized Zhuan Falun once, and by June 2008, I had memorized Zhuan Falun many times. In the detention center, I could memorize 70 to 80 pages of Zhuan Falun. After I was sent to the prison, I would sit there doing nothing but recite the Fa. I could recite five lectures per day, and did so every day. I passed my days like that for over a year. By May 2011, I could recite six lectures in one day. By September 2011, I could recite seven lectures. On April 27, 2012, I recited eight lectures in one day, and between May 2 and July 2, I recited all of Zhuan Falun each day. After reciting the book, I my whole body felt like it was filled with the righteous thoughts and power of Falun Dafa. In the meantime I also felt that my body was light and fluttering. Therefore, when the squadron leader and the deputy chief of the education section came to “transform” me, they were pushed back by great righteous thoughts. The deputy chief helplessly said to me, “We now have no hope of 'transforming' you.”

The captain arranged for two females from Hengshui, Hebei Province, plus three people from the prison, all of whom were collaborators, to focus on “transforming” me on April 14, 2011. One time the two female collaborators picked one sentence from Master's article “Dafa is Indestructible,”

“Those who are 'reformed' and those who are being saved can only be beings who were deceived by the evil.”

They showed it to me and said it was especially for me. I immediately replied, “Isn't it about you? How were you educated? Don't you understand this sentence?” When they saw Master's words, they were like a balloon out of air. One of them was so ashamed that she left quickly. They were all speechless and their faces turned red. I said, “Now you see. Master said you are blinded by evil. Quickly wake up! Quickly publish statements to nullify what you did! Do you think that you have to wait until Master stands in front of you telling you that you are wrong and only then will you realize that you are wrong?” Those collaborators, who were controlled by the evil, had become numb and insisted on what they wanted to do. Of course I didn't listen to what they said at all. I told them, “Master is always the person dearest to us! You don't have the right or the ability to tell me what to do. On the contrary, I have the right and ability to tell you what to do. You betrayed Master and Dafa. You were deceived by the evil and still help the evil with the persecution, You want to 'transform' others. Aren't you ashamed? In history, I've never heard of someone who betrayed their master and succeeded in cultivation. You dare to openly 'break away' from the master and wantonly criticize the master, and then claim that you have succeeded in cultivation. Isn't that crazy? Just like a misbehaving person who ruthlessly cuts off relationships with his parents and then declares himself as a 'dutiful' son. Isn't that being two-faced? I am sure that you are 100% on the wrong track!” They had nothing more to say. After eight and a half days and seven nights they retreated, and the evil forces behind those that wanted to keep me confined were eliminated.

II. Be a “Monkey King” With No Fears At All

When I was first sent to prison, I was filled with righteous thoughts and had no fears at all. I thought to myself that since I was sent to that place, I would not think about leaving. I should see it as a battleground, and try to save people. I would either send forth powerful righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil factors behind the officers, or use my supernatural powers to prevent them from doing bad deeds. If they did bad things, I would have my supernatural power disintegrate the evil behind them and protect those in the isolation cells. Practitioners were often held there and monitored around the clock, prevented from sleeping until they were “transformed” and wrote a guarantee statement.

- Showdown of the “Strict Requirements”

Facing police officers, we should first remember not to feel any fear. Once you are afraid and have an unstable mind, your righteous thought defense will falter and then you might go astray. While I was in the detention center, staff from the Procuratorate, officers from the police station, and the judge from the city's mid-level court all asked me, “Do you think you are guilty?” I replied, “No.” When I was on trial, the judge asked me again, “Guilty?” I insisted, “It is not me who is guilty.” Finally they asked me what other demands I had. I said, “I demand to be acquitted.” After I was sent to the prison, the chief and deputy chief of the education section asked me, “Guilty?” I said, “We are good people who are clarifying the truth to save people.” I then asked them, “I didn't plead guilty in court. How could I admit that I am guilty here?” The deputy chief said, “Since you are here, you must 'transform.' This is a must. We will give you some time to think.”

While the prison has a so-called “strict” requirement, we Falun Dafa practitioners have even more powerful “strict requirements” in our cultivation. Persecuting Falun Dafa is against the law and unconstitutional. This is the strict requirement we should abide by. Those who persecute Falun Dafa practitioners and their families will not have good ends. This is a given. We are assisting Master in validating the Fa and saving sentient beings. This is the most righteous thing in the entire universe and it is also the purest and greatest thing. As Falun Dafa disciples, we should never betray our beloved Master and Falun Dafa. Falun Dafa is “...indestructible like diamond, and it will thereby exist forever.” (“Dafa Will Forever be Pure Like Diamond” from Essentials for Further Advancement) The evil “transformation” is nothing in comparison.

One night the squadron leader asked me to write the so-called “three statements,” and he even promised to give me convenient conditions in an effort to tempt me. I laughed to myself. My work unit once wanted to give me a house and more than ten million yuan as an “exchange” and I did not give in. Such “convenience” meant nothing to me. Even if I was given the chance to be the national leader, or a mountain of gold or silver, I would not give up the practice of Falun Gong. I will never renounce Falun Gong. I told him, “I will not write that. What you are doing is killing people. Asking a practitioner to write the so-called 'three statements' means death to him/her. I have given up fame and fortune in ordinary society. What I want is this (practicing Dafa and being a good person).” He left discouraged.

Once a captain charge of “transforming” Falun Gong practitioners came to see me and asked, “Have you been 'transformed' yet? The government does not permit you to practice Falun Gong. Why do you still continue doing it?” I said, “Isn't it clear? All laws, regulations, executive orders to persecute Falun Gong are against the constitution and are illegal and invalid.” When he then insulted Falun Gong, I said, “You don't know the truth about Falun Gong. You don't understand at all.” Finally, he angrily said, “I don't know. You know... you can go now.” While we were arguing, he was very loud, but I was louder. Later, the person in charge of the criminals asked me, “Why did you quarrel with the captain? Why did you speak so loudly? Aren't you afraid of being locked in confinement?” I said, “I am essentially different from you. Does he have the right to put me in confinement?!”

When I first had to deal with the five collaborators in April 2011, one of them said, “If the captain asks whether you have heard what others said, do you dare to say that you have not?” I said, “Why not? To me, it is quite easy. It seems that you have a heavy heart, right?” Her attachment of fear was so strong—no wonder she had been “transformed.” The next evening, sure enough, the deputy chief of the education section asked me, “Did you get what they said?” I said, “No, not at all.” He was not happy and told me to go inside. He spoke a lot and finally said self-comfortingly, “Maybe one day you will voluntarily come to see us to plead guilty and write the three statements.” I said to myself, “Then you should 'patiently' wait for that day!”

I also told those five collaborators, “I am not afraid, whether there is one police officer or a room full of police officers. To a criminal, police officers are just and legitimate. But to me, they are unjust and illegal.” I gave them three reasons why I was not afraid of the police: First, persecuting Falun Gong is unconstitutional and illegal. The officers who were involved in the persecution acted like robots with no sense of of good and evil, right and wrong. To serve their own immediate interests, they stupidly did things that would harm themselves and others. Some persecuted practitioners in terrible ways. They committed heinous crimes and were the real criminals. Second, When viewed on the surface, Falun Gong practitioner are being persecuted, but in fact, it is you who are the real victims of the persecution. You can't differentiate good and bad, kindness and evil. You can't figure out who is harming you and who is saving you. The most terrible catastrophe in the universe is waiting for you, but you are still unaware of it. You have been betrayed, and you are still counting their money. Third, your captain's methods are unconstitutional, evil, and draconian. Your evil superiors and the evil government are very good at killing people when they have no good use for them, and they are ultimately unreliable. Your fate is no doubt doomed. However, Dafa disciples believe in Falun Buddha Law, which is the universal characteristic of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. We have our great benevolent Master's protection and will remain until the last moment.

After several rounds of fierce encounters, that once all-powerful captain did not come to see me for over a year—until the day when I was released.

- Those I Could Save

Police officers were the main ones I targeted to save, and I used every opportunity I could find. I told them face-to-face that persecuting Falun Dafa and practitioners was very dangerous, and not only will they hurt others, but also themselves, and their families will have no peace. On the way to the detention center, I also remembered to tell the officers what it meant to withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations, both in China and abroad. In the detention center, I focused my efforts on those who were detained there and had a predestined relationship. I also clarified the truth to the captain in charge and persuaded him to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Most of those detained there also agreed to quit. I asked the people who had never joined the CCP or its organizations to sincerely memorize “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,” and they would be blessed. I said that memorizing and repeating those two sentences would bring them good fortune and help them avoid misfortune.

I began to save people in the prison. Although I was being monitored, I still found ways to do that. Sometimes they threatened me, saying that they would report me to the captain. I replied, “Go ahead. I have already clarified the truth to the deputy chief of the education section, the squadron commander, and the captain in charge. You can report me to them. I'm not afraid.” Someone asked, “How dare you do that in this place?” I said, “It doesn't matter where I am. I need to save people wherever I go. The captain is also a human being and needs to treasure life. He is also one of those who needs to be saved.” I asked other practitioners in other teams to save more people. Some practitioners were very good. After hearing me say that Master has asked us to save people, they immediately began doing so. Some were able to save everyone in their team and had a list of dozens of names of people who wanted to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations when they were released from the prison.

In the process of rescuing people, I deeply understood that as long as I did things righteously and abided by the requirements of Dafa, I could feel that Master was protecting me everywhere and all the time. Master said,

“There are two circumstances in which they can't touch a Dafa disciple. One is that he is rock-solid. They don't dare touch him, because they know at that time that if this disciple has taken a righteous path and conducted himself well and someone still dares to persecute him, it doesn't matter that they're the old forces or what the old principles are--I absolutely won't spare them. There are countless righteous Gods by my side, too! And I also have countless Law Bodies who do Fa-rectification. My only concern is that Dafa disciples themselves won't be firm inside; when there's some kind of attachment, some kind of fear, or what not, then the old forces see it and take advantage of the omissions and persecute them.” (“Touring North America to Teach the Fa”)

Six to seven people were assigned to monitor me in the prison. Two had retribution in this lifetime. One was very disrespectful to me and often threatened to report on me. I heard that he broke one of his legs after he left the prison. The other insisted on preventing me from clarifying the truth. Once he asked an inmate, “Did he (referring to me) ask you to quit the CCP and its organizations?” That person did not know what was going on and said, “Yes, I withdrew.” He then threatened the person and ordered him to tell the captain the truth. I often advised him, “Treating Falun Gong practitioners kindly is treating yourself kindly. Persecuting practitioners is persecuting yourself.” He did not believe it and continued to do bad deeds. As a result, he caught a cold. Before he recovered, he tripped one night when he went to get water and could not get up. His legs were not broken, but he lost control of them. He had cramps and had so much pain that he cried out all day long. Medicine didn't help, and he was completely bedridden. His two accomplices, one who often agitated behind his back to do bad deeds, had to empty his bedpan. Both of them admitted that it was retribution from monitoring Falun Gong practitioners. Later the captain assigned another person to monitor me. But it was like nothing existed and he quickly also “resigned” and no longer wanted to monitor me. Over a year after that, it was completely “clean” around me, with no one monitoring me. Because I did not have the interference of being monitored, it was much easier for me to clarify the truth. In the squadron where I was detained, there were 80 to 90 people, plus those who I could get in touch with from other teams. I clarified the truth to over 100 people in total.

III. Strictly Abiding by Three Principles

I was in prison for four years. As a Falun Dafa disciple, I always strictly followed three principles. Do not betray fellow practitioners, cultivate my heart to get rid of attachments, and use the “law” to defend myself.

- Do Not Betray Fellow Practitioners

As Falun Dafa disciples assisting our Master in validating the Fa and saving sentient beings, if we have loopholes and are detained and persecuted, we must not betray our fellow practitioners, no matter what. We should protect our fellow practitioners, because the sin of betraying fellow practitioners is so huge. Master talked about it in the Fa. The person betrayed should also be responsible.

Someone who participated in attempting to “transform” me, who formerly was a fellow practitioner who made truth-clarification materials at home, was betrayed by a fellow practitioner who obtained materials from his place. In the detention center, the police told him that they would let him go home if he wrote the guarantee statement. He did not agree to, but not long after being sent to prison, he went astray and looked for the captain to plead “guilty.” He wrote the guarantee statement, and even participated in “transforming” others. Can you imagine how great the responsibility is for that fellow practitioner he betrayed? That fellow practitioner was finally sentenced to eight years. He will not be released until 2016. How severe the consequences will be!

When I was in the detention center, an ordinary person told me his own experience. He said that he had read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party over 100 times and thought it was very good. He then hired someone to use a large machine to print tens of thousands of copies of the Nine Commentaries. After he had distributed over 10,000 copies, he was arrested, and the police seized over 5,000 copies. He was told that if he gave the police information about ten Falun Gong practitioners, they would release him. I told him, “You should never do that. That would be a huge crime.” Later the police asked him where he got the tools to make the copies. He said, “I bought them myself. Who would like to give me money?” “Where did you buy them?” “Online.” “Who burned those CDs?” “I did.” “Why is there no software on the computer to burn those CDs?” “My computer crashed. I have not had a chance to reinstall that yet.” In fact, fellow practitioners bought that equipment, and the CDs were burned by other practitioners. The police saw that he admitted everything and then they stopped asking. In contrast, how big a crime they have made for those who were only thinking about freeing themselves, reducing their own pain by betraying fellow practitioners, and disregarding their fellow practitioners' lives and possible deaths? Of course the situation is complex. But no matter what, one should never betray a fellow practitioner.

- Eliminating Attachments and Cultivating One's Own Heart

In prison, people were subjected to both physical and mental persecution. The food was dirty and bad, not fit for humans. In the winter there was no hot water. We got little rest. The captain saw us as money makers and forced us to work over ten hours per day with no lunch breaks. No one dared to say anything, nor would the higher-ranking leaders do anything to stop it even though they knew that the captain was committing crimes like “maltreatment of the detained” and “forced labor.” These were harsh conditions, and I did not know how many more years I would have to do this. How hard would it be? Therefore, it was quite easy to think about leaving such an evil place early. Plus I had the attachment of being afraid, and was also tortured by the police. One could compromise to get a term reduction. It would not have been all that hard to forget the vows I made before, to forget how serious cultivation was, and to forget the disastrous consequences.

Despite all the suffering, I often warned myself that I would never go that route. Although one can publish a statement to void what was said in prison and continue with his/her cultivation practice (weren't there a lot of people doing that?), I told myself that I had to take each step righteously and then integrate myself into the current of Fa validation after I was released. Otherwise, it would be a stain that I would never be able to get rid of. Moreover, such minor hardships I suffered in prison meant nothing to me. Isn't that a good place for us to eliminate our attachments?!

- Defending Myself With the Law

The evil persecution of Falun Dafa and Dafa practitioners is totally illegal and unconstitutional. Even when I was in prison, as a citizen, I had the right to rest, the right to entertainment, human dignity, personal safety, and freedom from insult, abuse, and beatings. When officers did something illegal to persecute practitioners, they knew that it was illegal. It was just that no one in the prison cared, so they were not afraid. Nor did they believe that tribulations were awaiting them. If practitioners bravely used legal weapons to protect themselves and prosecuted or accused the persecutors, they can be clearly told that when you get out, their crimes will be exposed to let the world know that in such an evil place there are such police officers whose names are such and such, ad how evil and inuman they are. In this regard, police officers usually have concerns.

After reciting the Fa each day, I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil behind the captain. My righteous thoughts would tie him up and cover the isolated cell. Whoever touched me was committing a crime and would be disintegrated immediately, and no one would be able to get immediate revenge.

I understood that Master told us to deal with everything we encounter with wisdom and rational thinking. One principle that should not be ignored in prison, is to wisely make good use of the “legal” system in the human world to bravely defend oneself.

The above are my personal experiences and what I did when I was detained. Please point out any mistakes.

Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!