(Minghui.org) I taught school for 30 years and never thought I would be imprisoned for striving to be a good person who lived by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
I began the practice Falun Dafa in the latter half of 2011. Soon after beginning the practice all my illnesses disappeared. I let go of my bad habits, including smoking, drinking, and playing cards. My personality changed from being selfish to caring about others.
When handing out Falun Dafa informational materials in late August 2015 I was arrested. I was held in a local detention center for over two months for refusing to slander Falun Dafa.
The first morning after I was detained, I accidentally put on another inmate’s slippers. The inmate swore at me and threatened to beat me if he heard me talk about Falun Dafa.
I refused to recite the prison rules or do hard labor. The guards and I agreed that I would work, but would not be given a quota. Besides, I did not have to recite the prison rules.
I crossed my legs in the lotus position one evening for a while after dinner. The head inmate reported me to the guard and I was given a warning. I looked around at my cellmates, which were suspected murderers, rapists, drug addicts, drug dealers, and other law violators. I felt upset in my heart for having to stay in the same cell with them simply because I practiced Falun Dafa.
I then remembered Master’s words: “In every situation we should be good to others and be kind to people.” (Zhuan Falun)
I thus decided to show the inmates the value of Falun Dafa's principles. I was assigned to wash dishes and made sure that they were spotless. I also helped some inmates reach their quotas.
The food in the detention center was terrible, so I bought some extra food and shared it with inmates who did not have money. They treated me better because I was kind to everyone. An inmate said that everything was much cleaner since I arrived at the center.
An inmate who was a suspected drug dealer told his cell mates in a low voice, “I will practice Falun Dafa after I get out. He practices Falun Dafa and is different from all of us. He really cares about us.”
After two weeks in the detention center I wrote a letter to my wife asking for clothing and books. I also asked her to give 1,000 yuan to an orphan, a high school student who’s parents were persecuted to death for practicing Falun Dafa.
The guard checks all letters before mailing them. He said, “Judging by this letter alone, you are a good person ”
“Falun Dafa practitioners cultivate Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, I said. “It’s just that simple and it guides people toward goodness.”
He changed his attitude toward me. He no longer interrupted me when I talked about Falun Dafa. Instead, he asked questions. After some time, the inmates gathered around me and listened to me talk about Falun Dafa.
I told them about the Tiananmen self-immolation hoax, why the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecutes Falun Dafa, and why each person needs to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. I also told them many stories about Falun Dafa.
The inmates began to greet me with both of their hands together, while saying “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”
During a holiday we were all given a 12-day break from work. The detention center ordered all inmates to study during the break and the head inmate asked me to teach the class. I spoke about traditional Chinese culture.
I taught them that Chinese culture was imparted by the heavens, and that in the past, Chinese people believed in Gods and respected heaven and earth. I also explained how they valued virtue and understood that doing good would result in rewards while doing bad would result in retribution.
The inmates listened very carefully and one said, “If I had known this earlier, I would not be here now.”
One of the guards listened outside the door. He told me that he wished I could teach his daughter about traditional Chinese culture.
Inmates were coming and leaving. One inmate told others, “Those released this month either stayed near him or washed dishes with him.”
I told them that I had no special powers, but taught those inmates to recite “Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good. They must have been released because of blessings from Falun Dafa.” Several inmates who had doubts about Falun Dafa were convinced that the practice is good.
I was held in the detention center for over two months and talked to 52 people about Falun Dafa. Only two of them said they believed in neither the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) nor in Falun Dafa. The other 50 agreed to quit the CCP with their real names.
My heart disease resurfaced after two months in the detention center. The inmates were worried about me, but I knew it was Master helping me to be released. The inmate who threatened to beat me when I accidentally put on his slippers shouted, “Please help him! Let him out, otherwise heaven will not tolerate it!” Tears covered my face when he shouted that. I was released one week later.