(Minghui.org) I was born in the 90s. I became a Falun Dafa practitioner when I was little but gave up the practice after the former leader of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) initiated the persecution of Falun Gong. Over two decades later, in 2021, I resumed the practice despite the ongoing persecution. A year later, in May 2022, my practitioner husband and I were arrested for raising awareness about the practice and the persecution. I was held in a detention center for over a year. The following is what I went through during that time.
Improving My Character
In the detention center, I was in a small cell with over 20 others. Everyone had to sleep sideways at night because of the limited space. If you went to the bathroom at night, your tiny space would be taken, and you would no longer have a place to sleep.
There were all kinds of rules to restrict the inmates’ freedom. We had to mop the cell floor ten times a day, as no hair or food scraps were allowed on the floor. The standard for cleanliness was strict, and the mops were classified into categories: for the food tray slot, for the floor under the food tray slot, for the rest of the floor in the cell, for the beds, and for the bathroom. If someone made a mistake and used the wrong mop, she’d have to pay for a new mop with her own funds.
An inmate named Bai was in charge of assigning daily duties. When I first got there, I had no idea which mop to use for what. She gave me incorrect directions, so I used the wrong mop. An inmate in charge of the duties spotted it and ordered me to purchase a new mop. I wasn’t happy about it because I had followed Bai’s instructions. But I quickly remembered what Master said in Lecture Eight of Zhuan Falun:
“With different xinxing interference, you will suffer losses. In this difficult environment, you will temper your will and improve your xinxing.”
I knew that it was time to improve my xinxing, so I agreed to replace the mop. Bai felt bad about it and explained to the inmate that it was my first day, and asked her to spare me.
Bai was especially hard on me for no particular reason and picked on me a lot. If someone dropped a strand of hair on the floor after a veteran inmate cleaned it, she’d have whoever lost it pick it up, saying that we should respect others’ hard work. But if someone lost a hair after I cleaned the floor, she’d make me clean the floor again, even after someone told her whose hair it was.
When someone cleaned the toilet seat, Bai never bothered to see how they did it, or if it was really clean. If it was my turn to clean the toilet seat, she’d stand next to me and make me brush it exactly 30 times.
There were over 20 pairs of slippers in the cell that were supposed to be placed next to the wall on the east side, facing west. They were supposed to be arranged by size with the largest pair on the north side and the smallest on the south. When others were on duty, this rule didn’t matter much. When I was on duty, she made me re-arrange the slippers over and over again.
I was also the only person who had to face her when I worked, so that she could see what I was doing. One time I forgot to face her as I worked, and she ordered me to mop the floor for the next ten days. I wasn’t happy about it, but I didn’t argue with her, knowing that I should maintain my xinxing as a practitioner. Other inmates spoke up for me and told Bai that she wasn’t being reasonable. For the first time, she changed her mind. I knew that the environment improved because my xinxing improved.
Before I was detained, I ran a business and had several employees. I was always the one giving orders, and it was hard for me to put up with many things in the detention center. Many times I almost lost my temper, but at those moments, I remembered what Master said in “What is Forbearance (Ren)?” in Essentials for Further Advancement:
“Forbearance is the key to improving one’s xinxing.”
I then kept quiet and didn’t argue with Bai. However I still hoped that she would be transferred to prison to serve her term. She once filled out the forms but didn’t leave due to some paperwork errors. I looked within and knew that I hadn’t let go of my attachment to superficial justice. I stopped feeling angry and annoyed by her unreasonable demands and abuses. After that Bai stopped being hard on me and was soon transferred to prison.
After Bai left, other inmates told me that I had put up with too much from her, and they would have picked a fight with her had she picked on them like she did me. I told them that I had a hot temper before I practiced Falun Dafa and was easily irritated, and that the principles of Falun Dafa had taught me tolerance and how to stay calm. Many of the inmates became curious about Falun Dafa and recited Master’s poems from Hong Yinwith me. Several people who had chronic ailments experienced great relief from the painful symptoms after they recited the auspicious phrases “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance is good.” One of them completely recovered from her health issue. All the inmates in the cell witnessed the healing power of Falun Dafa.
Repaying Resentment with Kindness
Before I had my own slippers on the first day, a guard had me wear Zhao’s slippers to take a shower. When Zhao discovered her slippers were wet, she scolded me. I apologized and borrowed some paper towels to dry the slippers. She then got even angrier and really screamed at me. The guard yelled at her and told her to be quiet. The seed of a grudge against me was planted in Zhao.
Once I became familiar with the other detainees, I began to clarify the truth to them. It made me happy to see that many of them learned the truth and identified with Falun Dafa’s principles. One day two inmates told me that Zhao had reported me to the cell guard for talking about the persecution of Falun Dafa, knowing that the guard could put me under strict management, in solitary confinement, or in handcuffs and shackles.
I refused to be scared, and chose to clarify the truth, because it is the most righteous thing to do. I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate the old forces that wanted to interfere with me saving people, and asked Master to help me make things work. I hoped I could keep Zhao from developing a negative opinion about Falun Dafa because of the tension between us.
One day Zhao lost a fight with another inmate, who said something very hurtful to her. She sat on her bed and cried. She made a lot of noise, and the guard got irritated and told her to get over it. No one in the cell liked her and tried to comfort her because she picked on everyone. Some even made fun of her. Feeling vulnerable, Zhao mumbled that she no longer wanted to live. I went and sat next to her, held her hands, and consoled her. No one in the cell could believe their eyes—here I was being kind and patient to a person who’d just reported me. Zhao’s attitude towards me changed that day. Falun Dafa’s teachings gave me the wisdom and forgiveness needed in that situation. Everyone in the cell approved of what I did and stopped reporting me for clarifying the truth.
In Shackles and Handcuffs
All the inmates were required to memorize the detention center rules, but I refused. I refused to acknowledge the old forces’ arrangements, as those rules were for people who had committed crimes, and practicing Falun Dafa was not a crime. I also insisted on doing the exercises in the cell every day, and someone reported me to the head guard.
The guards put me in handcuffs and shackles that were connected by a short 10-cm (4-inch) chain. I couldn’t straighten my back and had to walk hunched over at all times. If I wanted to use the toilet, someone had to help me. Staying in that unnatural position put a lot of strain on my body and caused me pain.
After the guards did that, it was time for everyone to go outside for fresh air. I showed everyone how I was treated and shouted out the facts about the brutal persecution, from the Tiananmen self-immolation hoax to forced organ harvesting. I shouted with all the strength I had for half an hour. The head guard tried to stop me but I did not back down. I shouted everything that I knew. In my mind, I no longer needed to pay attention to safety since they already knew that I was a practitioner. Nothing could hold me back at that moment, and I did what a practitioner must do: clarify the truth.
What I did stirred up conversations in the detention center. A detainee transferred to our cell said to me, “Everyone in my cell thought that what you said makes perfect sense.” One of my cellmates came across another inmate when she was in court for her hearing. The inmate told her, “The Falun Dafa practitioner in your cell spoke well.” The director of the detention center had a talk with me about the incident. I took the opportunity to clarify the truth to her. She listened to everything I said and told me, “I can see that you are a kind and reasonable person.” At the time, I thought the bitter suffering was well worth it as it gave me the opportunity to wake people up to the truth.
After I was in handcuffs and shackles for seven days, the head guard ordered me to write a letter of apology. Other cellmates told me that if I admitted that I’d failed to follow the orders, the shackles and handcuffs would be removed. Knowing that I would only pass the test if I clarified the truth to the head guard, I wrote six pages on how my husband and I improved our health and moral standards because of the practice. Two days later the head guard called me to her office. She said, “We all have a heart, and your stories moved all of us.” She removed the handcuffs and gently rubbed the red mark on my wrists. From then on her attitude toward me changed completely.
Another Form of Persecution
Seeing how I reacted after being handcuffed and shackled, my cellmates knew that as long as they did not interfere with my practice, I was easy to get along with and very friendly. Consequently a positive environment toward Falun Dafa was created in the cell.
The persecution came back in another form. A trial of a Christian in our cell revealed that she had converted two other cellmates to Christianity. The authorities called it “propagating a cult religion.” The Christian was made to stand still for 30 days, except for when she ate and slept. The head guard was so mad that she put everyone in our cell under strict management for 15 days, meaning that we could not do laundry or shower during those summer days, and we had to stand still all day unless we were eating or sleeping. When everyone else blamed the Christian, cursed her, and was extremely unfriendly toward her, I extended a helping hand to her, and she was very touched.
The head guard ordered the cell guard to write a statement to guarantee that no one would propagate any religious belief, and everyone in the cell had to sign it. I knew that the old forces used this incident, which appeared to have nothing to do with me, to make me sign the guarantee statement. I refused to sign it. Other inmates worried that I would again be put in handcuffs and shackles, and said, “You didn’t create the problem. It’s fine to sign, don’t worry. The guard might punish us if your signature is missing.” I said, “I’ll take the blame. Just tell the head guard that I insisted on not signing, and I won’t get anyone in trouble.” When the cell guard handed the statement to the head guard, the head guard said lightly, “So what if a signature is missing. The supervising officials probably won’t read the statement anyway.” I passed yet another test.
Concluding Remarks
I realized that the detention center was a very complex cultivation environment. In that tiny place, people are in close contact, and conflicts are sudden and frequent. These conflicts were all trivial, such as who had more space in bed, who slacked off a little, who wasted more time, etc. It was a place where a practitioner could show how she was different from ordinary people. Without the power Falun Dafa bestowed on me, I would not have made it in that environment. I couldn’t be more grateful to Master.
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Category: Cultivation Insights
