(Minghui.org) I went out to clarify the truth one day and was followed by a plainclothes police officer and was arrested. I was sentenced to imprisonment for one year. When the sentence was completed, I was released on September 6, 2018.
Fellow practitioners inquired about my experience in the detention center. After they heard about it, they encouraged me to write my experience to share for the Minghui China Fahui.
I was held at the No. 9 Ward. Inmates there were not friendly toward me. One inmate made trouble and threatened me on the first day. “If you are still stubborn, you will be sentenced to ten years in prison,” she said. “Will you still practice Falun Gong?” I said yes.
There were approximate 20 inmates there. I thought, “I am held here and have lost the environment to save sentient beings. However, these people are waiting here to be saved and we have a predestined relationship since we are meeting here. I cannot miss this opportunity.” So I intentionally became closer to them.
I required myself to act as a Falun Dafa practitioner and to be thoughtful in everything. For example, we would have eggs every day and I would choose a broken egg. I would choose the dirty and tiresome work that the others did not want to do.
With all my efforts, the other inmates gradually became closer to me. I clarified the truth to them and persuaded them to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations. Soon most inmates quit the CCP, but some were still unwilling. I did not give up on those who did not believe me. I would find a chance to talk to them later.
Here are a few examples:
There was a drug dealer Xiaomou. She was sentenced to the death penalty in her first trial. She appealed and was worried about the result the whole day. She might not have much time left, and the chance of her being saved was low. I would not let her have regrets so I paid particular attention to clarifying the truth to her. Gradually she believed in Dafa.
“You said I would be blessed if I said ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’ What is the use for someone who has been sentenced to the death penalty,” she asked one day.
I told her some stories about people who believed in Dafa but who died.
“Although their lives were over, they made connections with Dafa before they died,” I told her. “How fortunate they were, and as long as she sincerely recited those words, miracles could happen,” I said.
“I want to speak out loud,” Xiaomou suddenly said one day.
“What are you worried about with a death penalty hanging over you?” I said.
“Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,” she shouted. “Let’s do the Falun Gong exercises.”
Her loud voice shocked the guards in the prison. The guard in charge ran over and wanted to punish all inmates by forcing us to stand.
An officer came to interrogate her one day. She would be told about the result of the second trial. Xiaomou was scared. The guard said it was good news, and they brought her in for interrogation.
When she returned, she said there was a lack of evidence and she was saved for now. Although there was not a final decision, there was hope for Xiaomou.
There was a young inmate Ling. She did not believe anything I said about Dafa. Later she was transferred to another ward. After I was sentenced and transferred to another ward, I met her there again. She was surprised and happy to see me.
“Ling, you know why we’ve met again?” I asked. “Our Master does not want to give up on you.”
I then recited “My Heart Is as Vast as the Ocean” for her, one of Master’s songs:
My heart is as vast as the oceanAll under the blue sky is my stageAssisting Master to save beings is my promiseSpreading the truth is Gods' arrangementSweet dew sprinkled all over the land, huts, and palacesEons of waiting are not in vainThe Creator has already comeAmid hardship, Dafa disciples are saving beings with all their mightThe crazed ones are standing on the edge of the cliffAlthough the injustice we endure remainsWhat the red tide raises are the heroes of the agesSince we are walking toward a divine future
(Hong Yin IV Translation Version A)
She was touched after hearing it. “I believe you,” she said. “Help me quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.”
There are often other people who do not believe. Another inmate, Laotan, did not believe. She would laugh at me. “You said that your Master is good, so why are you still here?”
“It is my own problem during my cultivation and that is why I am persecuted. Without Master's protection, I do not even know where I would be,” I said.
Although her attitude toward Dafa changed over time, she did not quit the CCP. I still feel regretful about her.
Although I would be able to save more people being outside the prison, the chance was very limited for those who were held in prison. I am happy that I could bring the information about Dafa to them. Wherever I went, it was a place for me to save sentient beings and spread Dafa to the beings there.
I started practicing in the spring of 1999. The persecution started soon after that. I had been harassed, arrested, sentenced to a labor camp, and sentenced to prison. I had been in prison for over six years in total.
I studied the Fa often and the persecution has lessened since 2011. When I look within about the persecution I’ve suffered, I realize it was due to my attachments.
For example, I had such strong attachments to showing off and zealotry that I was not rational. A specific example was when I was arrested. I had scheduled some time with another practitioner to go out and clarify the truth. But I was too attached to fame to realize that the police had already been watching me. The other practitioner did not arrive at our meeting place. I was arrested.
During my previous arrests, I did not do well. In the early days, for example, I was “transformed.”
Because I had not completely denied the persecution, I often made compromises. I then made a decision to have stronger righteous thoughts and not to compromise anymore.
I refused to memorize the ward regulations, and I did not do any required drills. The guard in charge heard about it and came to see me. “It is no use refusing,” she said. “Everyone has to memorize them. You're just looking to cause trouble.”
“I have not committed any crimes,” I said. “I am a good person who follows Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I should not be here, so it is not to trouble you.”
“If you stick to it, you will have to do the cleaning for two months,” she said angrily. “That means cleaning everything in the ward.” I did not argue with her when she became angry. I would rather clean than memorize rules.
The guard discussed with others about getting to know me the next day. Then she decided to cancel my punishment and not make me memorize the rules.
Two inmates were selected each month to take a test on the rules. I was selected once. The guard knew that I would not know them and, consequently, that all the inmates would be punished.
She spoke with another guard who came to check on our progress.
“She is a Falun Gong practitioner and does not memorize the rules,” she said. “Should she still take the test?” Then they had someone else take the test. I had nothing to do with the rules thereafter.
I refused to sign, give my fingerprints, or "confess" during the whole process. I denied the persecution completely.
When it was time to return home on September 6, 2018, I reminded myself not to sign the release document. After changing my clothes, I saw the release document on the desk.
“I won't sign anything,” I said.
“You have to sign. Otherwise, go back and put on your uniform,” the guard said.
I kept quiet and sent forth righteous thoughts. Then a supervisor guard came and the guard on duty asked him, “What should we do?”
“If she does not want to sign, let her go. You just write, 'refused to sign,'” the supervisor said.
Just like that, I was able to leave the detention center where I was held for 365 days.
Sometimes while imprisoned, I could not calm down nor could I memorize the Fa. Now I think back clearly and reflect on Master's Grand Verses:
A Visit to Sun-Moon Lake
A pool of water crystal clear,Reflecting the splendor of smoke-likeclouds here and there,Here in this chaotic world,It has kept its rare beauty.”
(Hong Yin Translation Version A)
For the last twenty years, I’ve stumbled and tripped endlessly. Yet Master has taken care of me and didn't give up on me regardless of my poor enlightenment quality. When I was confused, Master encouraged me; when I could not tolerate it, Master protected me.
Whatever tribulations I have gone through, when I think of Master, I feel I have endless energy, yet I find I don't have the words to acknowledge Master's mercy.