(Minghui.org) I was arrested and detained in 2009 for practicing Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa).
In a Beijing detention center I witnessed how a life can be transformed by believing in Falun Dafa's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
Reciting Poems from Hong Yin Changed a Person's Outlook on Life
When I was moved into a new cell, a young woman caught my attention. She looked like she had come from a well-to-do family and had had a good upbringing. She rarely got out of bed and had a hard time falling asleep. She often leaned against the wall just sitting up all night. I heard a rumor that she had been involved in a major financial scandal and could serve at least ten years in prison.
Her eyesight was very poor, so, for her, everything was blurry without her glasses. The detention center forbids the wearing of glasses, so in a way, she lost her ability to look after herself. I could only imagine the mental suffering she endured each day.
I tried my best to help her. Before she got out of bed, I would place her shoes next to her bed and guide her to them. I also did her laundry and clipped her nails. We became friends, and she taught me Japanese.
I taught her Chinese poems. I started with well-known ones by Bai Juyi and Yue Fei. I then talked about Dafa's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and the persecution of Falun Gong. She even agreed to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations.
I taught her some of Master Li Hongzhi's poems from Hong Yin.She liked them a lot and memorized over 20 of them. Her lawyer visited her and reminded her to take care of herself. Her parents feared that she might lose her mind in the detention center. She recited one of Master's poems to the lawyer:
“Present but the mind is not— No dispute with the world.Seeing but seeing not— Not lost, not tempted.Hearing but hearing not— A mind hard to disturb.Eating but tasting not— A mouth freed from attachment.Doing but pursuing not— Constantly dwelling in Dao.Quiet but thinking not— The mystical and wondrous may be seen.(“In Dao” from Hong Yin Version B)
The lawyer was relieved to hear this and asked her where she'd learned such a beautiful poem. She said, “Tell my parents not to worry about me, I have met a Falun Gong [practitioner] who teaches me their poems every day. Those poems opened my heart and filled me with compassionate thoughts. I am not anxious anymore, and I can sleep now.”
Over 50 people were crammed into each cell, so space was tight. Cellmates sometimes unintentionally bumped into me while I was mediating. This young lady decided to sit in front of me, so that I wouldn't be disturbed when I meditated.
The morning of her court hearing, a cellmate offered her a piece of candy for good luck. She didn't take it, saying to me, “I don't believe a piece of candy can do much of anything. I have so many Falun Gong poems in my heart that my mind is clear, and my heart is at peace. I know how to face today's hearing.”
After the hearing, her family sent her two large bags of clothing in case she would be sent to prison. Guards kept an eye on her, fearing that she would attempt suicide. She didn't say anything about the hearing and just wanted to learn more poems from Hong Yin. She had now memorized 54of them.
Around ten days later, her name was called and she was told to pack up her belongings: she was going home. No one could believe it. After she realized what was happening, she hugged me tightly as tears streamed down her face. I thanked Master for giving her blessings after she accepted the truth about Falun Gong.
Praise and Respect for Dafa
One day after lunch, the four cellmates on lunch duty accidentally dropped a dish cloth down the toilet and clogged it. They were afraid to tell the guards, because they would be punished for their carelessness. The usual punishments were standing for hours at a time and sleep deprivation. The women started to cry.
Master Li told us to be a good person no matter where we are and to consider others first. I thought that maybe I could remove the cloth with my hand, but the toilet was filthy. I told myself I had to be compassionate and help others.
I took off my blouse and reached in. I grabbed the dish cloth and pulled it out. The inmates exploded in jubilant cheers: “Falun Gong is great!”
My nickname in our cell was “Falun Gong.” The four cellmates on lunch duty were the happiest of all. They handed me soap and a towel to clean myself up. I was surprised by my own courage. Without years of studying the Fa, I wouldn't have been able to do that.
After witnessing this, many cellmates started to learn poems from Hong Yin with me. More and more soon joined in, and I didn't have enough time to teach every one of them. I ended up picking three young women and taught them some of the poems, so that they could teach the others.
One day, I recited a poem from Hong Yin II,
“Persecution he resistsSentient beings he savesJourneying the path of godhood”(“Dafa’s Journey” from Hong Yin Volume II)
A cellmate said in awe, “Falun Gong is great—still saving others while being persecuted!”
A Young Woman's Regret
Appointed cellmates took two-hour shifts to make the rounds at night. They always woke me up at 11:50 p.m. to send forth righteous thoughts. When the guards found out, they threatened the women by denying them the opportunity to reduce their prison terms. My cellmates were not worried, however, and continued to wake me up when it was time to send righteous thoughts.
One of these cellmates was a young migrant who used to work in a bar. She met a deputy head of a police station, and they were married in the young women's hometown. Unbeknownst to her, however, the man already had a wife. The couple was ready to open a bar when someone reported the illegal marriage to the authorities. The woman was arrested and charged with prostitution.
She said, “If I had known what you are teaching me now and lived according to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, I would not have ended up here. How will I live in the future with a criminal record? My family and friends saw me get married, but it was not legal. On the bright side, however, I would not have learned about Falun Gong if I hadn't been locked up here. I would have believed the lies and propaganda put out by the Chinese Communist Party, and thought that Falun Gong practitioners were fools. Now I know the real fools are the ones who refuse to listen to the truth.”
