(Minghui.org) My son was sentenced to forced labor in 2000 for theft. Because I I tried to defend him, I was sentenced to one year of forced labor and detained in Masanjia Forced Labor Camp. There, I met Falun Dafa practitioners.
The guards at the Masanjia beat inmates at will. They cursed them and humiliated them frequently. Inmates hated the guards and retaliated against them whenever they saw an opportunity. I followed suit.
Swearing and beating others became my routine. I thought that if I didn't swear or bully others, I would be bullied. My physical and mental health went downhill fast. In addition to my existing illnesses, I also began to suffer headaches, a duodenal ulcer, appendicitis and inflammation of my ovaries and Fallopian tubes.
I almost had a nervous breakdown, and I did not want to live. A Falun Dafa practitioner who shared my cell, Mei (alias), learned about my situation. She helped me in my daily life and comforted me spiritually. She told me how to forbear and how to put up with my suffering.
She said, “Forbearance doesn't mean that you are a coward: it is a demonstration of strong will. When you step back, you will find the sea is vast and the sky is broad.” She also told stories to encourage me.
She asked me to understand others in a kind way and also told me how good Falun Dafa is. After I learned about Falun Dafa, my health improved greatly. Some of my diseases disappeared, and other people no longer bullied me. I no longer hated other people and did not want revenge on the guards.
I was very thankful to Mei for telling me about Falun Dafa. The principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance comforted my mind and heart. I no longer used the method of “an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.” I started to treat others kindly and learned to be a good person as Mei told me to do.
I even stopped an incident in which inmates were about to take revenge on the guards.
I Must Learn Falun Dafa as It Is a Pure Land
Mei, however, was punished for telling others about Falun Dafa in the detention center. In front of all the inmates, the female head guard slapped her face twice and then beat her with an electric baton.
We were terrified and turned our backs, and we covered our ears with our hands. We didn't dare to see or hear, and we didn't dare to shed tears. However, our hearts bled. Mei had only asked inmates to be good people, and she was tortured for doing so. This woke me up.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) had brainwashed us from when we were little and made us believe that the CCP was like our mother. Now I realized that the CCP was a rogue party and that Falun Dafa was a pure land.
I decided to practice Falun Dafa and to become a genuinely good person.
Becoming A Good Person
After I was released from the forced labor camp, I wanted to look for Falun Dafa practitioners. I thought of Mei and wondered where she was and how she was doing.
I remembered that Mei told me that if I had difficulty, I could ask the Master of Falun Dafa to help me. So, in my heart, I asked Master Li to help me find the book Zhuan Falun, and I told Master that I wanted to learn the Falun Dafa exercises.
Soon after, I was able to find a Falun Dafa practitioner Ming (alias). With Master's help, I obtained a copy of Zhuan Falun as well. I read it every day at home, and I practiced the standing exercises as best as I could remember, as I did not learn the fifth exercise at the forced labor camp.
So I said to Master, “Master, I am going to practice the fifth exercise. Please help me and strengthen me.” Master started to purify my body even though I did not do the exercises correctly. All my diseases left me.
From the book, I learned the meaning of life, how I should live and where human beings came from. I found the answers to all my questions in the book.
I made up my mind to behave according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I decided to be honest, kind, considerate, and tolerant. I became selfless. I decided that I would cultivate myself until I reach Consummation.
Becoming a Practitioner Amid the Persecution
Though I decided to be firm in my belief, I didn't know how to handle many situations. It was 2002, and the TV, radio and other propaganda machines were slandering Dafa. I could no longer stay at home, and I felt that I should go out to safeguard the Fa. But how? I didn't know.
So I went to see Ming, who told me that practitioners should tell people the facts about Dafa. I asked him how to validate the Fa, and he gave me a few copies of Falun Dafa materials. I distributed them quickly.
He did not dare to give me many because he was afraid that as a new practitioner, I might get into trouble. But I had no fear and asked for more materials.
Sometimes I went out with him to hang up Dafa banners and posters. Through working with him, I learned how to validate the Fa, how to tell people the facts about the persecution, and how to look within when conflicts arose.
Ming is now my husband, and we study the Fa, practice the exercises, and do the three things together. Our two children know that Falun Dafa is good. They have withdrawn from the CCP's youth organizations as well.
We have a Fa study group at home, and our children support us. Our family lives happily together thanks to Falun Dafa.
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