(Minghui.org) I was arrested and taken to a detention center in 2002, because I refused to give up practicing Falun Dafa. I knew that I had not committed a crime.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP), in its efforts to incite the Chinese people to hate Falun Dafa, staged the Tiananmen Square immolation incident at that time. This was highly upsetting, and I cried all day, had no appetite, and could not fall asleep.
The warden, about 50, consoled me many times after he learned how sad I was. Once he said, “We all know that Falun Dafa teaches you to be good, and that your teacher [Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa] asked you to save sentient beings. Now you are filled with grief and can't eat or sleep. How can you convince people that Falun Dafa is good? You share your cell with many people. They are here because they fought, used or sold drugs, or were prostitutes. You practitioners should help educate them and teach them Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, so that they will practice Falun Dafa and not come back here again.”
Telling the Inmates about Falun Dafa
The warden's words reminded me that Teacher taught us to be good people and think of others first. I wiped away my tears, stopped grieving, and began to meditate. I told the inmates in my cell about Falun Dafa. I spoke of the benefits I gained from practicing Falun Dafa, such as returning to good health. I said that I used to be narrow-minded and domineering. I even tried to commit suicide to threaten my husband. I spoke of the many bad things I did in the past, so they could see how I changed after practicing Falun Dafa.
I then spoke about the practice itself. After I came to realize the presence of karmic relationships in our lives, I was determined to start a new life. I wanted to assimilate to and live by the Falun Dafa principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and reach consummation.
Learning about Falun Dafa Was a Blessing
The inmates were moved and inspired. They wanted to learn from me to become good people, so that they would never again be incarcerated. They watched me and also tried to meditate.
One woman had just arrived in the detention center for fighting. She was crying and fussing all day. After listening to me, she said that being able to see practitioners and learn the facts about Falun Dafa was a blessing for her.
The warden was very pleased to hear about the inmates changing. He came to watch us doing the exercises whenever he was on duty. He liked to chat with us, and said that he wanted to have us introduce Falun Dafa to his staff.
Warden Moved by Practitioner's Action
It was said that the warden had previously been deceived by the CCP about Falun Dafa. While working in the countryside, he had gone to a doctor's home in Guanzhou, to arrest him for distributing Falun Dafa informational materials. The doctor's entire family practiced Falun Dafa.
The family treated the warden kindly, chatted with him, and told him how they benefited from practicing Falun Dafa. When they learned that the warden had not made arrangements for an overnight stay, the doctor invited him to stay in his home. The warden was very moved by the sincerity of the doctor and his family, and was convinced that Falun Dafa is good and was being persecuted.
Treating Inmates with Compassion
The warden often adjusted the electric fan during the summer, so that we would be cooler. He repeatedly asked us to be sure to say good words about him to Teacher, and to let Teacher know that he had not persecuted practitioners.
The warden treated us well, and we also helped him to resolve problems. Once a woman kept crying for two days and nights after she had arrived at the detention center. It was said that she tried to commit suicide by jumping out of the car on her way to the detention center. The warden was concerned that she might try to commit suicide again, and came to our cell at night to ask a practitioner to console her. The practitioner jumped off the bed immediately and talked with her for the whole night, after which the woman calmed down.
Teaching an Inmate to Let Go of Rash Actions
Another time, the warden said that he was bringing someone who was a role model. He brought a woman in her thirties to our cell. The woman had short hair, dressed well, and looked capable. I asked her why she was here. She said that a new leader came to their village a few years before, sold the village land, and spent the money on prostitutes and gambling. His superiors protected him when the villagers sued.
She talked the villagers into demonstrating and turned two cars owned by the authorities upside down. They declared that they would fight to the death unless the money from selling the land was returned. She said she was ready to face any sentence.
She was elated when I told her that the government was doomed since it was so corrupt. I said to her, “We believe in deities and the Buddha, and we want to be good people. But the government suppressed us and accused us of attacking it when we went to appeal. They arrested practitioners and put them in forced labor camps, jails, and prisons.
“The CCP minions also staged the Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident to defame Falun Dafa. I tell you, what you have experienced is nothing compared to what we have endured. Leading the villagers to appeal was good. But turning the car over was a violent act that the government will not tolerate. I urge you not to do such things again in the future. Otherwise you will end up suffering for it.”
A few days later, she told the warden that she would be rational. She also started studying Falun Dafa.
One day, the warden told me that I would be released soon. I asked him if I could stay a bit longer so that I could help educate other inmates. The warden refused. He said that the practitioners had become models for his staff, and if we stayed, they would all become Falun Dafa practitioners!
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