(Clearwisdom.net) I'm a Dafa disciple from Jilin Province. I was fortunate to obtain the Fa in 1998. I was detained in forced labor camps for two years for upholding Falun Dafa. During those two years, I was persecuted and transferred twice to different labor camps because of my persistence in cultivation. After being detained for more than two years, I finally walked out of the labor camp with dignity.
Recently, after I read "Validating Falun Dafa with Righteous Thoughts and Righteous Actions- A Call for Papers" from the Minghui editors, fellow practitioners encouraged me to write a paper about my righteous thoughts and righteous actions of validating Dafa when I was in the three labor camps. But I had always thought that no matter how well one does in the labor camps, it is somehow walking the path that was arranged by the old forces. My understanding was that I didn't do well and therefore was detained and persecuted. So I was hesitant to pick up the pen. Then I realized that this thought was selfish. In fact our righteous thoughts and righteous actions all come from Dafa. Writing it down is validating the Fa, not validating myself.
Inmates changed their bad habit of taking advantage of practitioners
In October 2000, I was detained at Huanxiling Labor Camp in Jilin City. Before that time, the inmates, the inmate heads and supervisors often extorted money and goods from practitioners and brutally beat them. It became the daily routine of practitioners to wash clothes and blankets for the inmates. The practitioners even had to serve the inmates on a daily basis.
From my understanding, validating Fa should start with every little thing that occurs in our daily life. When I first arrived at the No. 4 Division in the labor camp, the head of the inmates ordered me to wash his clothes. I asked him why he couldn't wash his own clothes. He said, "I've never met a Falun Gong practitioner who didn't obey. How dare you ignore my orders!" I reasoned with him and he could think of no response. At last he said outrageously, "These are the labor camp supervisor's clothes." I told him, "It doesn't matter whether they are yours or the supervisor's. To us practitioners, it's all the same. If you have any difficulties, I can help you. But I can't foster your bad habits." This inmate who used to often beat our practitioners realized the solemnity of Dafa. Later when he met with his mother who visited him in the labor camp, he secretly told her to start learning and practicing Falun Gong at home.
I also reminded other Dafa practitioners that if we allow the inmates to take advantage of us, although on the surface it seems like we are "helping" them, we are actually cooperating with the evil persecution. This is also not being responsible to the inmates. After the experience sharing, we all started using righteous thoughts to resist evil. Since then, the inmates changed their bad habit of trying to take advantage of practitioners.
Guard in a labor camp openly apologizes to Dafa practitioners
One day a supervisor, whom all the inmates were afraid of, got drunk and started to verbally abuse a Dafa practitioner in front of many other practitioners. I stopped him and said, "Stop cursing people." He was stunned and then said, "What can you do? I am cursing you!" Later on, he felt as though he had lost face and quietly retreated.
That night I went to talk to him. He overreacted at first and didn't want to listen to me. I waited for him to calm down and kindly reasoned with him. I told him that he might feel it was "commonplace" to curse and beat inmates, but that it is desecration to people. I also talked a lot about how to be a good person and that the practitioners were all unlawfully detained due to the persecution, and that we went to appeal for Falun Gong to clarify the truth, etc. He didn't say anything after I finished and he just let me go back.
After a while, he called for a meeting with all 18 practitioners in the division. During the meeting he sincerely apologized to all practitioners and guaranteed that he would never do that sort of thing [cursing people] again.
A special "negotiation" in the labor camp
After the Spring Festival of 2001, Dafa practitioners in the No. 4 Division started to create an environment for practicing the exercises and requested to be released unconditionally. Because of this, we suffered brutal tortures at the hands of the police. We started a hunger strike to resist the persecution. The division was afraid that this might turn into a "big issue." So they took several very persistent Dafa practitioners to meet with the labor camp's leaders.
That day, seven Dafa practitioners from the No. 4 Division negotiated with the so-called "Negotiation Team," which consisted of the head of the labor camp, the commissar, head of the education section, head of the administrative section and all division chiefs. We asked to be released unconditionally.
When we arrived at the meeting room, the head of the labor camp and the commissar ordered us to stand and listen. I told the leaders of the labor camp, "Today's meeting is for solving a problem. Since it's a 'negotiation meeting' we should all be equal." After I said that, all Dafa practitioners sat down and had a discussion on an equal basis and face to face with the leadership group of the labor camp.
Before the meeting, the head of the education section, Liu Xun, said to us with hypocritical kindness, "You can ask for any condition or terms, but don't interrupt others while they are talking." During our meeting, when Liu Xun started to slander Master and Dafa, I stood up and stopped him. Liu Xun became utterly discomfited and said, "I thought that we had an agreement earlier, so why are you interrupting me? How come you are so impolite?" I said, "I have to stop you from cursing. This is not being impolite." After the negotiation, all of the police and inmates were
taken aback.
Electric baton turned into a flash light
In Jilin City Labor Camp, there were more and more Dafa practitioners, and only a few gave in to the pressure to renounce Falun Gong. On March 27, 2001, I was transferred to Tonghua Labor Camp together with 9 other practitioners.
We arrived at Tonghua Labor Camp at 10 p.m. that night. At around 11 p.m., when we were getting ready to go to bed, the police group leader, Sun Jianfu asked me to come to his office for a "chat." He was drunk, and while yelling and cursing he held up his electric baton and said to me ferociously, "Now that you are here you have to listen to me." I looked at him calmly and said, "You are a government official. You should watch your attitude and work style." He was stunned and then yelled, "How dare you talk to me like that." I was still very calm, but became more serious and said kindly but firmly, "I didn't mean to boss you. I was only reminding you that your behavior is a direct reflection of the government's image." He was frightened and shocked by my righteous words and actions. He slowly put down the electric baton and said, "This is not an electric baton, but a flash light (An electric baton also has the function of a flash light)."
Ever since then, he never dared to persecute me again.
Respect our Master
Later I was assigned to the No. 2 Division in Tonghua Labor Camp. I started to make use of all opportunities to clarify the truth of Falun Dafa to the inmates and the guards. I told them the greatness of Dafa and the facts of the persecution.
One young guard who had just graduated from a police academy often came to talk to me in order to "transform" me. One evening, when the others had gone to bed, he came to talk to me again. At the beginning, he said things that slandered Master and Dafa. I immediately stopped him and asked, "Do you have a father? Don't you think that we should respect our parents?" He replied, "Yes, we should!" I then said, "Our Master is like our father. If you respect me, you should respect my 'Father' or our Master even more. This is a prerequisite for our conversation. Otherwise, we have nothing to talk about." He thought for a moment and said, "Ok, I respect you and I respect your Master even more." At that moment, all the inmates heard his words. The next day, many inmates gave me thumb-ups and said, "You are really a good disciple of your Master!"
My birthday was in early October 2001. On my birthday, this young guard specifically brought a bowl of freshly cooked noodles to me. He also put several cooked eggs in the bowl. The next day, in order to cooperate with my fellow practitioners in validating the Fa, I closed my eyes, double-crossed my legs, and started to do the Falun Gong sitting meditation. When I was holding the arm position of strengthening the supernormal abilities, the young guard pushed me gently and said, "Please stop. Don't cause any trouble for me. This is labor camp." I replied, "A cultivator will practice wherever he or she is." He then said, "I have been very nice to you. It never happened before that a guard celebrated a birthday for an inmate. You are an exception. You are not showing your appreciation, but instead are making trouble for me." I told him sincerely, "I am not an inmate. I am a Dafa disciple. I really appreciate the kindness you have shown to me. However, my practicing the exercises is not to cause trouble for you, but to validate Dafa."
After hearing my words, he ordered the inmates nearby to move my legs. I immediately clarified the truth to them, telling them that they would have committed wrong deeds by following the order. After listening to my words, the inmates turned away and left the guard standing there alone.
From half a steamed bun to a whole bun
On December 24, 2001, a few of us were transferred to Changchun City Chaoyanggou Labor Camp, the most evil environment in the whole province. The labor camp is so evil that the guards and the vicious persons not only torture the practitioners with various severe means, but also force them to work overtime. They also dock Dafa practitioners' and inmates' living allowances. At that time, every morning each detainee was only given half a steamed bun and a little porridge. The inmates did not dare to speak up, even though they knew that their allowances were docked.
One day the labor camp director and some related persons came for an inspection. When they came into our cell, I immediately mentioned to them that a half steamed bun and the little porridge, which each detainee was given every morning, was far from enough to sustain a person. After listening to my words, the director did not say anything but told the catering section leader to increase the amount of the food given to each detainee. The next morning, the half steamed bun was changed to a whole one. I also often told the division head about the various evil deeds the inmates did, such as their extortion of money and goods from the Falun Gong practitioners. Later such extortion generally disappeared in our division.
No guards dared to look me in the eye
In the No. 3 Division of Chaoyanggou Labor Camp, the guards and the evil persons often severely torture and physically punish the steadfast Falun Dafa practitioners. Regarding this issue, I wrote an essay titled, "The guards should improve their own quality and management ability." Because of this, Zhang Wei, a guard in the No. 3 Division once slapped me on the face. However, ever since then, no guards in the No. 3 Division dared to look me in the eye.
Once, the head of No. 3 Division Chen Lihui started to swear at me in front of more than 100 people because I refused to participate in the slave labor. I immediately stopped him by saying, "Hush up. Why do you swear at me?" Seeing this situation, he quickly turned away and left. Later Chen called me into his office and said, "You told me to be quiet in front of so many people. You did not care about me losing face at all." I replied, "I stopped you because you showed no respect for Dafa practitioners." Ever since then, Chen restricted his evildoings in front of me. I no longer had to participate in any slave labor.
On December 11, 2002, I walked out of Changchun Chaoyanggou Labor Camp in an upright and dignified manner. I again plunged myself into the torrent of Fa-rectification.
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While writing this article, my heart was deeply moved by the power of Dafa. When we truly conduct ourselves as Dafa disciples who are determined to safeguard the Fa in an upright and dignified manner, Dafa's miraculous power will manifest at any time. Master's benevolent protection had enabled me to go through the most difficult period of time in my life.
Now, whenever I have a strong human mentality and am reluctant to move forward due to various attachments, I remember the boundless compassion of Master and realize that countless beings are waiting for us to save them. ... I then break through the notion of self and strive forward.
Because of my lack of diligence in cultivation, I have missed many opportunities to validate Dafa, failed to do well what I am supposed to do and have missed opportunities to cooperate with fellow practitioners as one body. I have also missed many opportunities to get rid of my selfishness, my attachments to fear and to myself.
Fortunately, the Fa-rectification is not yet over, and our benevolent Master is still waiting for us to improve ourselves as one body. During the last period of Fa-rectification, we will definitely assimilate to Dafa and let go of our human mentality so that we can save more sentiment beings.