(Clearwisdom.net) I am a rural woman and also a Falun Dafa practitioner. I was taken advantage of by the old forces due to having many attachments, and I did not diligently study the Fa. I have continuously stumbled on my cultivation path, and I was frequently in and out of the detention center. However, under Teacher's merciful protection and with my fellow practitioners' help in sending forth righteous thoughts for me, I walked out of the detention center three times with righteous thoughts. Below are my experiences during those three times of imprisonment.
In 2000, a group of police officers illegally intruded into my home. They searched my home and took my copy machine, some Dafa books, and many Dafa materials. They also took my husband and me to the detention center. In the detention center, I didn't cooperate with the guards at all. I also held a hunger strike. When they urged me to eat, I told them, "I am innocent and should not be here. I should not eat that food when I should be at my home."
I repeatedly recited Teacher's Fa to strengthen my righteous thoughts and also looked inward to find my shortcomings. I realized that my attachments of fighting, showing off, and zealotry were very strong. I always thought that I was braver than some other practitioners while doing Dafa's things. After finding my attachments, I continuously eliminated them. Those bad elements instantly vanished without a trace when facing the Fa. Sometimes when my fear attachment came to the surface, I recited Teacher's Fa,
"So as a cultivator, what is truly remarkable is when you can be steadfast and have righteous thoughts so firm that nothing can sway you. Be solid and firm like diamond, or granite, and then nothing can affect you--evil will be afraid at the mere sight of you. If upon encountering trying circumstances your thinking can be truly righteous, then, when faced with the evil's persecution and when faced with interference, just one sentence of yours fortified with steadfast righteous thoughts can instantly make the evil disintegrate (applause), and it will make those who are being used by the evil turn and flee, it will make the evil's persecution of you dissolve, and it will make the evil's interfering with you disappear without a trace. One thought born of righteous faith is all it takes. And whoever can hold firm that righteous thought and go the distance will become a magnificent god forged by Dafa." ("Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference")
Teacher's words gave me great strength. I firmly believed in Teacher and Dafa. I did not accept the persecution arranged by old forces and I repeatedly recited Teacher's poem "Don't Be Sad" from Hongyin II,
"Your body lies in prison - don't be sorrowful, don't be sad
With righteous thoughts and righteous actions, Fa is here
Calmly reflect on how many attachments you have
As you get rid of human mentality, evil naturally disappears"(Provisional translation subject to improvement)
After being illegally held at the detention center for nine days, under Teacher's merciful protection and with righteous thoughts, I walked out of the detention center.
Due to the attachment of fear, some local practitioners who had been arrested told the police that I was involved in many Dafa activities, so a month later I was arrested and again taken to the detention center. I continuously sent forth righteous thoughts and looked inward to find my attachments. I also used every opportunity to clarify the truth and find the persons who had a predestined relationship with Dafa. The local police thought that I played an important role as a practitioner in my hometown. In order to pass a heavy sentence on me, the local police made false accusations against me. At the court hearing, I told those officials, "What practitioners have done is good for people and is to help people have a wonderful future. Practitioners are innocent." In the end, the chief judge said, "I do not say you are guilty, and nether do I pass a sentence on you." The court hearing was over, but I was still held at the detention center. This time I again held a hunger strike. Under Teacher's merciful care, I had symptoms of hypertension. After eleven days, I safely went back to my home again.
There are several practitioners in my family. Since the persecution began on July 20, 1999, my whole family has had very little time together. They have been either imprisoned at the labor camps or held at the detention center. Therefore, our living situation has been very poor. I had to spend a lot of time working in our family's field. Although I knew that studying the Fa was very important, I just couldn't take it seriously and only spent a little time on it. The first trial was dismissed, but later the middle court sentenced me to six years. They deceived me to get me to go to the middle court and announced the sentence. I didn't accept the court's decision and told them, "I am innocent. Is it a crime to cultivate and practice Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance?" They were speechless. While I was being taken to the detention center, I shouted, "Falun Dafa is good! Falun Dafa is righteous the Fa! The Fa rectifies the cosmos, the Evil is completely eliminated. The Fa rectifies heaven and earth, immediate retribution in this lifetime." No one even tried to stop me while I was shouting. I had shouted these words many times before, but this time I didn't have any fear at all and my heart was very calm. I held a hunger strike again to protest against the persecution. Twelve days later, I walked out of the detention center for the third time. When I was leaving, a guard said to me, "You come here just like walking on a smooth road, easy in and easy out." I told him from my heart, "That is because of Teacher's mercy and Dafa's divine power."
In the detention center, I clarified the truth to all the people I could reach. I continuously clarified the facts to the people held in same ward with me and taught those who wanted to learn Dafa to recite Teacher's writings Lunyu, Hong Yin and others. I also taught them to do the Falun Gong exercises. One of them started to practice Dafa as a cultivator. One time while she was practicing the exercises in the ward, a guard saw her and beat her very badly. However, she still continued to practice and study the Fa. At that time, her case was very serious. One of the persons who had committed the same crime was sentenced to death and another one was sentenced to over ten years. However, she was only sentenced to three years. She didn't appeal. Later on, her sentence was reduced to a year and a half. The people in the same ward were all surprised and felt it was inconceivable, but we practitioners knew that it was Teacher's mercy.
Although I had gotten out of the detention center several times, somehow I still more or less walked on the wrong path which was arranged by the old forces. Compared with those practitioners who cultivated diligently, there is a certain disparity between them and me. After these three lessons, I realized that studying the Fa is very important. From now on I must diligently study Dafa, walk on the righteous path arranged by Teacher, and do well the three things.