Persevering Despite Harsh Surroundings

(Minghui.org) After I began practicing Falun Dafa I followed the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. From the Fa (teachings) I understand that my mission as a Falun Dafa practitioner is to assist Master to rectify the Fa and save people.

When I distributed truth clarifying materials in a small county town in western China I was reported and arrested, and then sent to a local detention center. The people in the cell included Tibetans, Yi, Uyghurs, Hui, Manchus, Mongols, and Xibe—it felt like I was in a foreign country. Some did not speak Mandarin so we had difficulty communicating. I remembered Master’s teachings and did my best to clarify the truth to everyone.

When a senior officer said it was a pity I was held there I said, “Perhaps there are people here who are destined to learn the truth.”

He said, “That would be good. If you can encourage them to practice Falun Dafa it would make our job easier.”

As he spoke, he called the warden of the detention center and told him to place only minority ethnic people in my cell. For the next six months I was transferred to different cells, six or seven times. This allowed me to interact with more people.

There was a young Hui man. I learned he was sentenced to eight years and was appealing the verdict. His child was young. I told him some of my experiences in raising children. He said a few days earlier he had a dream about our conversation and that Falun Dafa must be upright. He asked me to tell him more about it.

We talked every day and I gave him a general overview of the content from Zhuan Falun. He wrote down “On Dafa”, which he carried with him, read and recited. I showed him how to meditate and he had no trouble sitting in the full lotus position. His hatred toward those who reported him diminished. I was transferred a few days later. I heard that his sentence was reduced during his second trial. I hope he cherishes this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and truly practices Dafa.

When I was transferred to a cell with a Uyghur man he said he had been waiting for me a long time. He was in prison for drug abuse and theft, and he was repeatedly incarcerated. He was divorced and his mother and brother avoided him. He said when he visited his mother she watched him because she was worried he would steal her things. His self-esteem was greatly hurt and he never contacted his family again.

I gave him some of my clothes. His skin was covered in sores. He wanted me to show him how to practice Falun Dafa but the others told me to ignore him, saying he was too bad. He admitted that he committed all sorts of crimes, but he did not kill anyone. Since he would be released soon I advised him to change, become a new person, and listen to the truth about Falun Dafa, because only Falun Dafa could help him.

During roll call an elderly ethnic minority police officer on duty suddenly accused me of something. He had someone bring an iron bed, a “death bed,” and tie my arms and legs to the four bed posts.

Because I couldn’t move my joints became extremely painful. I was afraid I would die. There was a hole in the middle of the bed where I had to relieve myself. It was winter, and the cell was freezing. Someone had to help me pull my pants down when I urinated, and then use a basin to catch it. I was naked and monitored by the surveillance camera which was extremely humiliating.

Although the people in the cell did not mind, I felt humiliated. I did not want to trouble the others. They fed me water and food, and when I had to urinate, one of them covered me with a sheet to give me as much privacy as possible, while the other caught it in the basin. They were all ethnic minorities and could only speak a few words of Mandarin. We only shared the cell for a few days yet they took such thoughtful care of me. I was grateful.

Although many years have passed, I still remember their faces clearly. The people in the same cell kept shouting for help through the intercom to the on-duty guards, but they were ignored. After about thirty hours two guards came and released me. They told me to cooperate with the investigators in the future. I realized I was punished because I refused to sign the arrest warrant two days earlier. They removed the shackles but I wasn’t able to move my body and I couldn’t get up. The others helped me and it took a long time before I could stand up.

I reminded myself to maintain righteous thoughts. I should use the compassion cultivated by Dafa to dissolve the negative elements and tell them the truth about the persecution. I should not be here in vain.

I set up a new Fa-study group before I was detained and I wondered how they were doing. Two newcomers were already facing pressure from family and their workplace. Shortly after, I had a dream in which they visited me. I realized they were truly practicing and had their own cultivation paths. I should not worry about them.

They visited me after I was released. They did very well, they were determined to practice Falun Dafa, and the interference from family and the workplace dissolved. They had been doing the three things steadily, brought me Dafa books, also worked on my computer, and made it safer to get online. I’m impressed by their progress. I will catch up with the group and make up the time I lost while I was imprisoned and cultivate diligently.