(Minghui.org) I am a young practitioner who began practicing Falun Dafa in 2015. The police broke into my home in 2019 and arrested me for practicing. I was taken to a detention center and released in 2021. I would like to share my experience of validating the Fa in the detention center for two years.
The Only Person Who Wouldn’t Sing the Communist Songs
The newcomers were usually first taken to a transitional cell, where they were told to learn the detention center rules, such as memorizing the rules, singing the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) songs, and so on. When I refused to memorize the rules or sing the CCP songs, the atmosphere in the cell suddenly became tense. The other detainees worried that this would cost them awards in the cells’ evaluation, or even cause us to be collectively punished. Some tried to persuade me, some reasoned with me, and some even threatened to teach me a lesson. I told them not to worry, as I would talk to the guards about it so that they would not be implicated.
The next day, I approached the detention center guard. After getting straight to the point, the guard said, “You tell me, how will I be able to manage things if everyone else recites and sings but you don’t? I’ll have to punish you unless you can give me a good reason.”
I said, “The CCP slanders and persecutes Falun Dafa, and many good people have lost their lives. If I sing the songs that praise the Communist Party, it would be against my conscience. You can punish me, and I will not resent you. However, I want to let you know that, as a detention center guard, while you go about your duties, you should distinguish between good and evil and right and wrong.” I told him how East German police (who worked for the Communist Soviet Union) killed people who were fleeing to West Germany and were later tried. I told him, “I hope you will treat Dafa practitioners well; you will be blessed.”
In the end, he said, “I will give you a day to think about it.” But he never mentioned the issue again.
Creating a Positive Environment for Validating the Fa
Before I was arrested, I seldom clarified the truth face-to-face to people I did not know. I always worried the other person would not accept it, so I missed many opportunities to save people. In the detention center, everyone knew that I was a practitioner. So in a sense, I represented practitioners, and my actions might directly affect the image of Falun Dafa. I told myself that I must do well.
At first, I only clarified the truth by talking to people and found that many people were skeptical. I asked myself, “The things I tell them, such as the beauty of Dafa, how a Dafa practitioner acts, and how Falun Dafa is slandered, are all true. Why don’t they believe me?” I realized that people only believe what they see. In today’s society, there is a crisis of trust due to low moral standards. It is thus hard for people to believe anyone. I realized that to help them believe, I had to do well.
Each cell in the detention center was like a mini society, and it had levels of seniority within it. For example, those who had a good relationship with the head of the cell, or someone who had been there for a long time could sit and eat near the door, while the newcomers could only sit and eat at the back near the bathroom. When the food came, the dishes were passed in from the front door, so people sitting closest to the entrance chose the dishes they liked. When I sat in the back, I never complained no matter what I ended up with. Later, when I sat in the front, I never picked the food that looked better. For instance, we had eggs once a week, and I would pick the smallest and most flattened one.
When we lined up to take showers, I was always the last person in line. I never competed with others for personal interest, and I tried to help others as much as I could. Gradually, people came to me when they needed help, such as when they didn’t know how to pronounce a Chinese character when they didn’t know what to write in legal documents, or when they encountered something they wanted to discuss with a knowledgeable person. I tirelessly helped everyone and used Dafa’s principles to guide them. Some said that after chatting with me, they felt better; some called me the most civilized person in the entire detention center, because I never swore; some said that I had the best temper; some said that I was the most wronged person for being detained.
Life in the detention center was very boring, and entertainment activities were scarce. We had to sit for hours, which some found unbearable. Someone suggested that I tell them a story. So I began to tell them about traditional culture and historical stories. I talked about the truth of Dafa within the stories. Everyone liked the stories.
I thought about who hadn’t withdrawn from the CCP and tried to find opportunities to talk to them. As I had left a good impression on everyone, very few people refused when I asked them to withdraw from the CCP and its youth organizations.
One person was a CCP government official. Even though he said Falun Dafa is good, he still believed that only the CCP was capable of ruling China; thus he believed that no matter how bad the CCP was, it could not be replaced. I was not able to convince him. I thought that this person could not be saved by me.
Later, Master’s teachings awakened me. Master said,
“When it looks impossible and is said to be impossible, give it a try and see if it is possible.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
So I took the initiative to talk with him. I said, “The CCP has done many bad things, and no one can deny that. Given the Buddhist principle of karmic relationships, the CCP will definitely be eliminated. You said that you are not willing to die for it. I think this is one of the few things I can help you with, because I want you to be safe. I can give you a nickname for you to withdraw from the CCP, and erase that poisonous oath. What do you think?” He finally agreed.
People continuously came and left the detention center. For the people who just came in, I was not in a hurry to clarify the truth to them. I just did the Falun Dafa exercises every day. They were surprised. Due to the good foundations I laid, the others told the newcomers about me. As I slowly got to know them and knew for sure they thought well of me, I would then find an opportunity to clarify the truth about Dafa and ask them to withdraw from the CCP. It would usually go smoothly.
Even though I was in the detention center, I could still clearly feel Master’s compassionate arrangements. For example, every time most of the inmates in my cell withdrew from the CCP organizations, I was transferred to a new cell, and I had to start over. Many people were very excited after learning the truth, and they exclaimed, “Falun Dafa is good!” Some people told me, “If the CCP falls, Falun Dafa practitioners will come into power and that will be great.” I told them that practitioners were not interested in political power. Some people asked me for contact information and said they would find me to learn Dafa after they were released. Once during Chinese New Year, everyone was playing cards, and I sat on the side and memorized the Fa. Suddenly, an elderly man came over and held my hand, and he had tears in his eyes. I asked him if he was homesick. He shook his head and said, “I have learned so much from you...”
The guards also got to know the truth. Once, a guard came to make a routine inspection. He said that he wanted to talk about me specifically. He praised me for being polite, kind, and calm.
Writing Letters to Validate the Fa
We could buy paper and pen refills. Since our letters would be checked, I realized that I could validate the Fa by writing truth-clarification letters. Every time I wrote a letter to my family, I would think about what the guards would think when they read my letter. So when I wrote the letter, half of the content was for the purpose of telling them the truth about Dafa and letting them know what kind of people Falun Dafa practitioners were.
Sometimes we were also asked to write about our experiences, which was also a good opportunity to clarify the truth to the guards. The effect was very good.
For a period of time, I did not receive letters from my family. I suspected the letters were held. So I wrote a report letter to the procuratorate, requesting to open a case for investigation. A detention center guard quickly came to me and said that my letters were not held. Later, he worried that I would put him in a difficult situation and so he gave me special permission to write letters to my wife, also a practitioner, who was detained in the same detention center.
In this way, the letters became messengers between my wife and I. We encouraged each other in our letters. Since our letters usually went to the head of her cell first and were openly read for everyone to hear, we used it as an opportunity to clarify the truth to more people. My wife said that many people in her cell really liked to listen to our letters and expressed their admiration. As people were transferred among cells, the information in our letters was spread to the entire detention center. Almost everyone knew that a couple who both practiced Falun Dafa were detained there, and they were good people who were persecuted.
Master Is Always By Our Side
For Dafa practitioners, the harsh living environment and the lack of material resources were not too difficult to deal with. The greatest hardship is not being able to study Master’s Fa. Many times, at night I dreamed that I was looking for Dafa books; occasionally I found them, but when I opened them, they were fake books. I really regretted that I didn’t memorize more of Master’s Fa.
Master was so compassionate and he arranged three “encounters” that helped me obtain nearly 50,000 characters of Zhuan Falun, handwritten by fellow practitioners. I was so happy and memorized it day and night. My heart was filled with joy, as I felt that the time was not wasted. Sometimes when I was half asleep, I felt as if I was floating up into the air. I thought about my wife, as she also needed Dafa books. So I tried to include the Fa within the content of the letters I wrote to her.
Twice, I knew that the letters were held and she didn’t get them, and I was distressed. Later, my wife took an opportunity to tell me not to worry, as Master arranged for a fellow practitioner to be in her cell, and the practitioner could recite the main book of Falun Dafa, Zhuan Falun, from memory. My first thought was, “Master is so great! Master’s arrangement is so miraculous!”
During the two years in the detention center, there were many seemingly incidental events, and I knew they were all arranged by Master given his great compassion. They were all linked with one another, and the ingeniousness was beyond words. The last time I was transferred, I did not encounter a fellow practitioner, and I knew that I was going to leave there soon. About two months later, my wife and I were released from the detention center at the same time. Before I left, the people in my cell held a farewell party for me. They all thanked me. I said, “If you see some good aspects in me, please remember that I only became a better person after I began practicing Falun Dafa. I hope you always remember ‘Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’”
There were many ups and downs during my two years in the detention center. I knew very well in my heart that without Master’s blessing and care, I would not have made it. I am so grateful to Master for his compassion, and for protecting me all these years. I am also very grateful to fellow practitioners for their selfless help.
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