(Minghui.org) I was arrested and detained for distributing Falun Dafa informational materials in March 2011. Since I was detained, I figured I might as well speak to the detainees. I would have not had such an opportunity under normal circumstances.
Inmates Receptive to Facts about Falun Dafa
There were 32 inmates in my cell. They'd been arrested for drug trafficking, drug abuse, theft, murder, and other crimes. I first talked to two men in their 20s who'd been arrested for stealing an electric vehicle. I told them about Falun Dafa and the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. They were apprehensive and did not want to listen. Others made sarcastic remarks.
Besides telling my cellmates about Falun Dafa, I took care of them. Some were from other provinces and did not have friends or relatives nearby, so when I bought articles for daily use, I also bought some for them.
I shared my understandings about the concept of karma and traditional Chinese culture and my belief that the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners would be met with retribution.
Some asked about the messages practitioners have printed on currency bills and about the significance of quitting the CCP. I explained that quitting the Party and its affiliated organizations severs one's ties to the Party. And when the Communist regime disintegrates in the future, one will be protected. I encouraged them to verbally renounce the Party in the detention center and then to ask a practitioner to help them quit after their release.
I suggested that they say “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” in dangerous situations.
I met more than 130 inmates during my 21 months inside. Almost all of them quit the CCP. Towards the end of my term, seasoned inmates urged me to speak to the new ones.
Inmates Learn Dafa
I did the five exercises and talked about how I benefited from the practice. I also recorded in a notebook what I had memorized from Master's lectures and shared it with everyone.
One inmate, a 40-year-old man from Hunan Province, was charged with murder. He noticed that I was the only person in the cell who did not come down with the flu. He thought that Dafa was amazing, and began to learn the exercises. He copied what I had written in my notebook and started to recite Master's lectures.
Another man in his 40s was detained for drug trafficking. He was an ethnic minority and did not speak fluent Mandarin Chinese. He had body odor and others bullied him. I bought him things for daily use, so he was willing to talk to me. I told him about Dafa and he wanted to learn the practice. He was concerned that doing the practice would affect the outcome of his case. I assured him, “You have the wish to learn Falun Dafa, so Dafa will protect you. Let go of your attachments to the outcome of your case.” This man became a practitioner.
An Upright Practice
A 60-year-old man was detained for selling fake receipts. He was a retired soldier and a Party member. He would talk nonsense whenever I talked about Falun Dafa. When I did the sitting meditation, he placed a glass of water in my hand. I tried to be patient, explained to him about Dafa, and asked him to stop the nonsense. He kept it up, and I started to resent him.
I was reciting Master's lecture one time, and he started to tease me. I ignored him and tried to pass him. He pushed me into corner. I was in pain and said some harsh words.
That evening, my face swelled up and my teeth hurt. I realized I had said the wrong thing. The next day, I apologized to the old man for using harsh words and asked for his forgiveness. I told him that, as a practitioner, I should not have treated him like that.
He laughed and said everything was fine. He said, “Dafa practitioners are truly good people! I want to renounce the Party now!” I had encouraged him to quit the Party before, but he would not. This time he did it in front of many inmates.
I touched my face later and noticed the swelling was gone! The inmates who saw my face the day before were curious and asked me what had happened. I explained, “My face swelled up yesterday because I said the wrong thing. Today I acknowledged my mistake and apologized to the old man. He also did the right thing by quitting the Party. That is why the swelling is gone.”
They understood that this is how practitioners cultivate in Dafa, and many began to believe that Dafa was an upright practice.
Not Afraid to Quit CCP Openly
I once talked to five new cellmates about Falun Dafa and the persecution. They agreed to quit and verbally renounced the Party together. The detention cells were equipped with cameras that monitored our activities around the clock. But the five inmates were not afraid and solemnly withdrew from the Party. Their voices were loud and clear, and it came from their hearts.
A 30-year-old man from Xinjiang Province was brought in for stealing a wallet. When he arrived, he had no money and no personal belongings, so I bought him a pair of slippers and soap. He was very touched and thus receptive when I told him about the goodness of Dafa. Although his Mandarin Chinese was not fluent, he often shouted, “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!” He would bring new inmates to me so that I could tell them about Dafa.
Deaf and Mute Inmates Understand
Two people who were deaf and mute came to our cell one day. They communicated through sign language only.
I soon found out that one of them could read Chinese characters. So I wrote “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!” on a piece of paper. I also wrote information about the practice and the persecution. I asked him to sign to the other one after he was done reading. They smiled and gave me a thumbs up.
Inmates Improve Through Contact with a Practitioner
The guards often summoned the cellmates and asked them about the situation in our cell. One guard knew that I talked about Falun Dafa and encouraged inmates to quit the Party. He turned a blind eye when I did the exercises or sent forth righteous thoughts.
He told me one day, “You really know how to talk to the inmates. Make sure you teach those young punks well, so that I have less work to do!” I suggested that he remember “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!” and withdraw from the Party. He smiled and said he understood.
The Communist authorities think that incarcerating us will stop us from practicing Falun Dafa. But to practitioners, a prison is also a place to show the goodness of Dafa. People are awakening, and being jailed can no longer prevent us from spreading the truth!
