In Prison, I Still Did What a Practitioner Should Do

(Minghui.org) Since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched the persecution of Falun Dafa on July 20, 1999, I have been arrested, sentenced, and incarcerated for over 10 years. It was Master Li Hongzhi, Falun Dafa's founder, who has protected me through all the hardships and tests. No matter what the circumstances, I will always follow Master's requirements and keep doing the three things well.

Master said,

“The power of true compassion can dissolve all deviant factors, and when you talk with a person you will be emitting energy outwardly that dissolves evil things, and the evil in other dimensions will not dare to approach or control that person anymore.” (“Fa Teaching Given in Manhattan,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. X)

Treating People with Compassion

CCP propaganda relentlessly slanders Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa) and calls its practitioners “enemies of the state.” Because of that, some of the guards in China's detention centers, forced labor camps, and prisons harbor an irrational hatred for practitioners and regard what practitioners do, like the exercises or clarifying the truth about Dafa, “opposing the government.” Thus, they act with impunity to curse, beat, and torture practitioners.

I was arrested and held in a detention center in 2001. I heard they were planning to take me to a forced labor camp, so I went on a hunger strike to protest. I was taken to a labor camp two days later and given a physical exam in the labor camp clinic. The police asked me again if I would insist on practicing Falun Dafa. I firmly replied, “Yes.”

The officers filled out a form, handed me over to the labor camp guards, and left. My heart was filled with resentment for the police officers and guards.

Knowing that I was on a hunger strike, over 10 guards surrounded me in a meeting room and tried to persuade me to stop. Looking at them, I felt they were laughable, but I still pitied them. Suddenly, compassion emerged in my heart. I clarified the truth to them and told them about the mental and physical improvements in me and my family once we started to practice Falun Gong and how the CCP persecutes good people for believing in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

I told them, “My hunger strike is in protest of the persecution of Falun Gong that was initiated by Jiang Zemin [the former CCP head] and the illegal detention of Falun Gong practitioners. I can stop the hunger strike, but it doesn’t mean that I will give up my belief. I'll stop only because I don’t want you to commit more crimes against practitioners.”

After talking to them for over an hour, I saw sympathy in many of their faces and some even had tears in their eyes. Maybe because I clarified the truth to them and the guards knew I had a firm belief in Falun Dafa, they didn’t have me attend brainwashing sessions. Instead, they assigned me to a team to do farm work. The guards in that team didn’t try to “transform” me but assigned two inmates to monitor me around the clock. That later became five inmates. The inmates listened to me talk about Falun Dafa, and we developed a good relationship. They didn’t interfere with me no matter what I did.

A Deputy Captain Changes His Attitude

The deputy captain of the team used to be a soldier and looked very tough. He often beat and tortured inmates and even beat the other guards. One time, he shouted at the inmates in the assembly hall, “Your lives are cheaper than chicken. When someone dies, we can simply spend a couple of yuan to buy a jar and bury him.”

One day, when the inmates were taking their afternoon nap in the yard, the deputy captain walked over and shouted at them to get up. One of the inmates laughed, so he repeatedly hit the inmate’s ankles with a bamboo stick and kept cursing. After he left, another guard dismissed us. I told that guard, “Why did he shout at us and beat the inmate? He needs to explain himself!”

The deputy captain came back after dinner, smelling of alcohol. He gathered the inmates together and asked me what I thought about what had happened earlier. I said, “I never talk to someone who is drunk, because he doesn’t have a clear mind.”

He started getting agitated and said he wanted to talk to me. I told him that I would talk to him—but to him alone. He let the others go, and we talked for nearly two hours. He was very pleased with our talk. I ended by saying, “It's not appropriate to say the inmates’ lives are cheaper than chicken. Although they have been detained for abusing drugs, gambling, and other such things, they are still human beings. Who is responsible for so many people abusing drugs or gambling? Isn’t it the CCP? The CCP’s propaganda promotes atheism, which has caused many people to dare to commit all sorts of sins. Meanwhile, they’ve pushed those of us who follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to the opposite side. Isn’t this regime hopeless?”

He began to restrain his speech and behavior more after our talk. When I refused to do the labor work and went on a hunger strike, he was nice to me and didn’t punish me. For example, he allowed me to take a hot shower every day while other inmates could only take a hot shower once a year on Chinese New Year’s Eve. He also let me play chess with the guards every day when the other inmates could only play chess during festivals.

One time, a guard said to me, “All the inmates are afraid of the deputy captain. Even we are afraid of him. But when he sees you, his angry face smiles. Only you are not afraid of him.”

I said, “He is ferocious, so everybody is afraid of him and hates him. But I am a Dafa practitioner who cultivates Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I have nothing to fear. And I don’t hate him. I pity him. When he sees me, he sees a Dafa practitioner. That’s why he smiles.”

Assigned to the Warehouse

Master said,

“Validate the Fa with rationality, clarify the truth with wisdom, spread the Fa and save people with mercy—this is establishing the mighty virtue of an Enlightened Being.” (“Rationality,” Essentials for Further Advancement II)

I was sentenced and taken to prison in 2005. When the warden ordered me to learn and follow the prison rules, I told him, “I am not a criminal. I am a Falun Dafa practitioner. I am not here to be a prisoner and I won't make any promises or guarantees.”

The warden asked, “If you're not here to be a prisoner, what you are here for?” “I'm here to tell you the truth about Falun Dafa,” I replied.

From then on, when the guards introduced me to others, they said, “He said he is not here to be a prisoner.” Maybe because of my words, I was assigned to a warehouse and didn’t have to do much work. The two inmates assigned to monitor me were both about my age. We got along well and respected each other. Because I offered to help one of them, he was especially polite to me. He helped me get a large desk and lent me his writing tools to do calligraphy. One of the guards got me some paper.

One of the warehouse workers, from outside the prison, had been trying to pass the test to become a guard for years but never did. He was always sad about his career and the conflicts he encountered at home. He also despised the CCP's dictatorship. I was sympathetic, and introduced him to Falun Dafa and explained some of the Fa principles.

He was very supportive of Dafa, and, on his own initiative, brought in many Dafa books, including Zhuan Falun, and Master's new lectures.

I was very happy to be able to read Zhuan Falun and Master's new lectures in such an environment. My gratitude to Master was beyond words. Because I had no work to do, I had a lot of time on my hands. I took all that time to read, transcribe, and recite the Fa.

I clarified the truth to anyone who came to the warehouse—guards, inmates, and outside contractors.

Higher Ups

Shortly after being imprisoned, a director cursed Falun Dafa and called it a cult. I remained unaffected, and said to him calmly, “I am one of the Falun Dafa people. Do I look like I belong to a cult? If you think some of my behavior is not correct, please point it out. I will definitely look to correct it.”

He thought for a while, and said, “You're a good person.” “So why are good people imprisoned?” I asked. He said, “That’s the decision of those higher up.” I continued, “Then why do those higher-ups imprison good people? Have you thought about that?”

He was speechless, so I continued, “It's because what you have heard about Falun Dafa from those higher-ups and the state-run media is all slander, but what I am telling you is what I experienced and the principles that I learned from Dafa.”

When I heard he had a son in kindergarten, I talked with him about how to educate children with traditional culture. I wrote a poem for his son, reminded him to value predestined relationships, and remember the nine magic words, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” He repeatedly thanked me and always came to me when he had difficulties.

I was later reported for having Dafa materials. All of the materials, including the manuscript of Zhuan Falun, were confiscated. I was transferred to another section but didn’t suffer any further persecution.

Invited to Speak

I was taken to a detention center in 2012. The director there talked to me on the second day, and I clarified the truth to him. He said, “I am only responsible for avoiding problems during your lawsuit. I won't interfere with your belief. If you have any request, just say it.”

I asked to be allowed to do the Falun Gong exercises, send righteous thoughts, and teach the detainees how to be good people. He agreed with all my requests and ordered the assigned detainee leader to allow it.

One day, a guard asked if I could help get a violent detainee under control, as he made problems for the guards almost every day. The detainee was quick to pick a fight and did not change even after he was repeatedly handcuffed, beaten, or put in solitary confinement.

The director told me that I could teach him Falun Gong, so I began to teach the detainee the exercises and to recite Hong Yin. I taught him the poem “Mighty Virtue.”

“Dafa does not leave the body,The heart harbors Zhen-Shan-Ren;In the world is a great Arhat,Spirits and ghosts fear greatly.”(“Mighty Virtue,” Hong Yin, Translation Version B)

He soon calmed down and the guards were deeply impressed.

Having heard this, the director of another section in the detention center transferred me to his section. He said he was very frustrated as a veteran in this career and had started to believe in Buddhism. He even formally acknowledged a monk as his master and chanted “Amitabha” many times every day.

I told him, “The monk you acknowledged as your master cannot lead you to Consummation. However, if you cultivate in Dafa, Master Li can save you.”

Knowing his interest in Buddhism, I used the knowledge I’d gained about Buddhism through studying the Fa teachings to help him understand.

I often recited Hong Yin to him and suggested that he replace the word “Amitabha” with, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” That shocked him greatly. I also showed him my appeal letter and the defense statement I wrote to the provincial 610 Office.

He later told me he was amazed I was able to improve the behavior of those criminal detainees and admired my firm belief in Falun Dafa. He also said that the documents I showed him were logical and convincing, the best he’d ever read. He even asked me to teach some classes to the detainees, which I was happy to do.

The director was absent for over two months, but there were no fights during that time. When the guards in other sections heard this, they invited me to come speak on how to be a good person to the detainees there.

I took the opportunity to help dozens of detainees and guards quit the CCP and its youth organizations.

Medical Professional

I am a medical professional with knowledge of both Western medicine and traditional Chinese medicine. I have also acquired skills in writing and drawing. I knew I was endowed with such skills to use them to help Master awaken the conscience of sentient beings during the Fa-rectification period.

When the detainees or guards came to me for advice, I told them about Western medicine or traditional Chinese medicine, then I told them about the true source of disease and that the fundamental way to cure disease is to revive humanity's traditional moral standard.

Many of them enjoyed talking with me, and some of their pains disappeared after just listening to me for a while, probably because they generated good thoughts. Some recovered from their chronic illnesses by reciting, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” I always helped the inmates write letters to their families.

I took all these opportunities to promote traditional culture and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

Director Turns a Blind Eye

I was imprisoned again in 2013 and put in a new section. The director there had stomach problems and often asked me to feel his pulse. He also often asked me about how to nurse a stroke patient, because his mother had had a stroke.

We had many chances to talk and he heard a lot about Falun Dafa from me, therefore he always pretended not to see when Dafa practitioners were doing the exercises or clarifying the truth.

One day, he told me some inmates had reported on Dafa practitioners to him, but he never wanted to get involved. “I really don’t want to know about it,” he’d said.

Problems with a New Instructor

A new instructor was later transferred to the section. He shouted in the meeting on his first day, saying that he was “heaven, earth, and the law,” and he had the final say on everything. He ordered the prison store not to sell daily necessities to practitioners worth more than 50 yuan per month. He even ordered the inmates to take away the table that I used to write.

I told the director, and he immediately called in the inmate in charge of the prison store. He told him not to listen to the instructor and to follow the normal procedures. Maybe because all the guards disliked this instructor, he was quickly transferred.

I was allowed to walk freely in the workshop while other inmates were not, so I had more opportunities to clarify the truth to people and help them quit the Party.

During my over 10 years of incarceration, although I did things that a Dafa practitioner should do, I still consider myself far away from the standard of a true practitioner due to a lack of Fa study over a long period of time. I shall study the Fa more, look inward, and cultivate myself well, so as to help Master awaken the conscience of more sentient beings!