Falun Dafa Rekindled a Desperate Person’s Hope

(Minghui.org) I was arrested in October 2021 by the police and illegally detained in the local detention center because I distributed information about Falun Dafa. There I met Zhao Yong (alias), who had been previously imprisoned for nearly 20 years for crimes such as robbery and drug trafficking. 

Zhao Yong was already 60, and this time he was arrested for drug dealing and theft and was sentenced to two years. He was in poor health, suffering from severe heart disease (he’d undergone heart stent surgery 10 years before in prison) and a fractured vertebra. He could not stand or sit for long periods of time. He was depressed and he showed his pain in his expression.

Zhao Yong cared about me. I later learned that he cared about me for two reasons: First, because his father was a key member in the local government, and had been persecuted to death by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) during the Cultural Revolution, so he hated the CCP. Because he was serving a prison sentence for long-term theft and drug trafficking his family and relatives did not contact him. No one sent him clothes or money. When I understood his situation, I shared my food and clothes with him. This deeply touched him, because no one in the detention center treated others kindly.

Another reason was that he is very interested in Falun Dafa, and asked me, “Will practicing Falun Dafa resolve my illnesses?” I said, “No problem. But there’s a requirement—which is, you must strictly conduct yourself according to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.” Every night before we went to bed, I told him how practicing Falun Dafa eliminated my illnesses.

I said, “It’s difficult to do the exercises here, but you can silently recite ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good’ when you have time. It will bring good results.” From then on, whenever he had time, he recited the two phrases, and he tried to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

A Ray of Hope

Zhao Yong’s physical appearance soon changed. Most of the detainees are irritable because they are constipated, and he used to be like this. After he recited the two phrases, his constipation was gone. I told him, “This is because after you recited the phrases, and because you set high standard on yourself in your daily behavior, Master Li cleaned up your body.” He was happy to hear this.

A few days later, Zhao Yong had a dream: in the dream, he was running, and someone was chasing him. A voice told him how to run. He ran and ran. I said, “That’s a good thing. Master is hinting that you’re on the right track!” Later, when he had difficulty using one of his legs, I said, “Don’t worry, Master is adjusting your body. You’ll be fine in a few days!” Sure enough, his leg pain was soon gone.

Fast forward to June 2022, and Zhao Yong was about to be sent from the detention center to prison to serve his sentence. I talked to him about his future plans. He sincerely said, “After I’m released from prison, I want to find you and continue learning Falun Dafa, because I’ve already benefited.” He said he felt he could rely on a person of faith and high character like me, and he really didn’t want to commit any more crimes after he was released. I was very happy to hear it. His conscience finally awakened and he had good thoughts in his heart after being blessed by Dafa!

In October 2022, I returned home from the illegal detention. At the end of the year, I wrote a letter to Zhao Yong, who was still serving his prison term. Two months later, I received a reply from him, and I could tell that he was very excited. He didn’t expect me to return home so soon, and he was surprised that I genuinely cared about him. He asked me to send him money because no one in his family cared about him. Then asked me to pick him up when he was released. I wrote back to him and said, “No problem, please pay attention to your health. I will definitely pick you up when you get out of prison!” 

In October 2023, I went to pick up Zhao Yong from prison. When I saw him, I was a little surprised. He’d gained a lot of weight, and he looked happy. We walked to the sixth floor and arrived at the room I rented for him in advance. His face wasn’t red, he wasn’t panting, and he looked very relaxed.

He said that while he served his sentence in prison, he silently recited, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” every morning and before he went to bed. He also silently recited Master’s poems. He tried to clarify the truth about Falun Dafa to the prisoners whenever he could. 

Because Zhao Yong had just been released from prison, I said, “Rest for a few days, and then we’ll make a plan for your future.” I showed him the videos, “We Tell the Future” and “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party,” and he watched them very attentively. When he saw that Falun Dafa was practiced around the world, he was very excited and said, “I didn’t expect Falun Dafa to be so powerful. I thought it was just a very good qigong; it seems that this Dafa is really not simple! In the future, I will do what Master says, and not do those illegal and criminal things again!”

After watching the video “Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party,” he was moved, and said his father was killed by the evil CCP. His mother had to work while taking care of the children, so he and his siblings received very little education. They unknowingly embarked on an evil road, and they were all harmed by the evil Party! Seeing that his mindset was completely changed, I felt relieved.

Helping Zhao Yong reintegrate into society was hard. He served a long prison sentence, and his family had long since cut off any contact with him. I drove him to find his brother and sister. His brother said that after Zhao Yong was imprisoned, he sold the air conditioner and washing machine, and used the money to pay the rent. He burned his brother’s clothes and all his belongings were gone.

When I heard this, I was shocked, thinking of how many times Zhao Yong had sudden heart failure in the detention center. If it wasn’t for Master’s compassion, he would have died long ago! The officer at the police station where he was arrested also lost Zhao Yong’s ID card. Seeing Zhao Yong’s desperate expression, I comforted him and encouraged him to cheer up. He was very touched when I prepared clothes and bedding for him, lent him my motorcycle, and provided him with living expenses, as well as the money to apply for ID cards, low-rent housing, subsistence allowance and phone cards. We submitted the applications and Zhao Yong’s road to a new life was gradually paved.

The most difficult thing was finding a job. Zhao Yong was over 60 years old, and many employers don’t want older people. Because he had a back condition, he didn’t dare do heavy work, so the job search was complicated. Zhao Yong was worried. I said, “Don’t rush. Take your time. Things will be resolved.” 

One day, Zhao Yong suddenly told me that he’d found a job. A hotel was looking for a waiter, and he applied for it, and the job suited him well. Seeing how happy he looked, I was happy for him. Zhao Yong excitedly said, “Thank you so much!” I said, “You don’t have to thank me, you know who you should thank!” Zhao Yong said, “Of course I know. Thank you, Master!” 

I knew Master’s grace rekindled hope in life for a person who was headed down a dead end road.