The Amazing Stories of an Elderly, Imprisoned Falun Dafa Practitioner

(Minghui.org) I met a practitioner with the surname Hu in prison. We were both 71 years old at the time, and were both illegally sentenced to six-and-a-half years in prison. Mr. Hu is not tall, and slightly thin, but he was agile and energetic. His eyes were bright, his personality was peaceful. He looked much younger than his age.

As soon as we got to the prison, the guards ordered us to sign papers renouncing our faith. Mr. Hu was not afraid. Wherever he went, he said, “I am a Falun Dafa practitioner and have committed no crime. I was forcibly taken here and I do not acknowledge the court’s ruling, so I will not sign anything.” As a result, the guards beat, scolded, and threatened him, but he was not moved at all.

Someone advised him to be tactful, “Isn’t it just a signature? Why do you suffer like that?”

He replied, “Signing those documents would mean compromising with the evil and giving up my belief. So I can’t sign them.”

One day in prison he said to me, “I haven’t been in a good cultivation state for the past two days, and I can’t open my mouth to clarify the truth, so I have to send righteous thoughts and ask Master to help me.” He sent righteous thoughts for a day and then said to me, “Master has helped me open my mouth.” Since then, he has seized every opportunity to clarify the truth.

When it was time to clean ourselves in the bathroom in the morning and evening, it was crowded with people. Mr. Hu walked around, telling people to remember that Falun Dafa is good, and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good. He also persuaded people to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations.

Some inmates threw water on Mr. Hu and pushed him down to the ground. He got up and calmly said to those who pushed him, “I asked you to quit the Party for your own good, and I hope you have a bright future.”

An inmate said, “Thank you. You’re amazing.” Some prisoners came out of the bathroom and said that Mr. Hu was amazing and really remarkable.

Wherever there were a lot of people, Mr. Hu talked to them about Falun Dafa regardless of whether the guards were watching. A prisoner once told me, “He is very brave in spreading Falun Dafa in public. No one can say anything bad about him, and the guards can’t control him.”

The guards were fierce and vicious, and beat the prisoners without mercy. Mr. Hu often sent righteous thoughts, asking Master to strengthen him and destroy all the evil that was manipulating the guards. Mr. Hu once told a guard, “The CCP will be disintegrated, so I am trying to persuade you to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations.” The guard was stunned. Mr. Hu said in a calm and firm tone, “I am really telling you this for your own good, for you to have a bright future.”

He was later asked whether he was afraid. He said, “I have my Master’s blessing, and I just want to offer salvation.” He did things like this all the time.

In the prison hospital, the prisoners were waiting for examinations in a line. In front of a group of people from various prison wards waiting for examination, Mr. Hu stood up and said loudly, “Please remember, Falun Dafa is good, and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good. If you recite these phrases, you will be blessed! Quitting the CCP and its affiliated organizations will keep you safe!” Many prisoners shouted in agreement and the guards pretended not to notice.

In prison, Dafa practitioners clarified the truth and sent righteous thoughts. Many people, including guards, learned the truth and stopped persecuting practitioners. The environment of the prison greatly improved.

One day, a practitioner was about to fill out various forms claiming that he would renounce Falun Dafa. Mr. Hu went to him and threw all the forms to the ground and said, “What are you signing them for?” The head of prisoners, a big man, hit Mr. Hu hard, but the people around this head prisoner shouted at him, urging him not to beat Mr. Hu. Mr. Hu appeared calm, but the head prisoner was in pain which he couldn’t stand; he hissed since his hands hurt terribly. His hands were swollen for several days.

More than twenty Dafa practitioners who refused to renounce their faith were locked up in the strict management area. Mr. Hu was placed under focused surveillance and locked in the strict management area for more than three years.

It was not until more than a year before his release that Mr. Hu was sent to the ordinary prison area. He told me that in the past three years or so, he had been locked in a small cell in the strict management area many times, 40 to 50 days each time. While there, he was only given a small piece of bread, a small spoonful of thin rice soup, and a small piece of pickle for each meal. Mr. Hu only ate breakfast and skipped lunch and dinner, but he didn’t feel hungry. He said, “It just helped me to abandon the attachment to eating.” Therefore, Mr. Hu developed a habit of having only breakfast every day.

He said that the guards had many ways to torture people, including slapping people in the mouth, kicking them, forcing them to sit on tiger bench torture devices, depriving them of sleep, starvation, putting them in a bed near the window during the winter, and opening the window and letting the cold wind blow in. Mr. Hu later found that he didn’t feel cold during the winter even if he only wore only a thin shirt, and he didn’t need to cover himself when he slept at night. He also didn’t feel hot in the summer. He didn’t accept anything I gave him, such as food or clothes; the only thing he accepted from me was the Falun Dafa book Hong Yin that I hand copied for him.

A lot of people knew Mr. Hu, and greeted him when they ran into him in the corridor. He clarified the truth wherever he went.

From time to time, the prison guards raided certain cells. During the inspections, the inmates in the cell were asked to stand facing the wall and hold their heads in their hands while being searched by the guards. Most Dafa practitioners resisted. Once, a new prison guard asked Mr. Hu why he didn’t kneel down during the search. Mr. Hu said, “Didn’t I tell you everything?”

The prison guard responded arrogantly, “Why are you so special? Why are you here?”

Lao Hu said, “Falun Dafa is a high-level practice, and you are committing a sin by persecuting Falun Dafa. It’s not wrong to cultivate Falun Dafa, and I was forcibly brought here.” The prison guard was angry and sent Mr. Hu to strict management. Mr. Hu continued, “Why are you taking me there? I didn’t make any mistakes. I’m not going!” The prison guard dragged Mr. Hu out, but Mr. Hu held the railing on the door, shouting “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” The guard had to round up help to carry Mr. Hu away.

In the strict management section, a guard slapped Mr. Hu and knocked him to the ground. Mr. Hu stood up, calmly wiped the blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, and looked at the guard. This time, Mr. Hu was put in solitary confinement for nearly two months. I was later also locked up in the heavy surveillance section, and I learned that the prisoners on duty there admired Dafa practitioners. Speaking of Mr. Hu, they really admired him and said he was really an iron man. They did a thumbs up, saying that Falun Dafa was amazing.

Dafa practitioners are righteous in thought and action, so how can they be harassed by the evil constantly? At the time, I couldn’t understand it. From time to time I felt helpless and thought that since the CCP is in power, it will persecute whoever it wants.

After being released from prison, I studied the Fa intensively and thought about Mr. Hu’s behavior. I realized that my desire for comfort blocked me. I was unable to study the Fa in-depth for a long time due to the harsh environment in prison. I had fears, so that when I faced reality, I was not be able to follow the Fa’s principles. Believing in Master and the Fa is not just lip service; practicing it solidly in a down-to-earth manner is the real path for returning to heaven.

In these last moments, we Dafa practitioners have to understand in our hearts what our thoughts should be like, what we should say, and what we should do.