A practitioner from Beijing

On October 25, 1999, I watched the CCTV (Chinese Central Television) news that President Jiang defamed Falun Dafa as a 'cult'. I then invited several elderly Falun Dafa practitioners and went together to clarify the truth to the people's congress. In the past, we were all studying Falun Dafa together. I had introduced Falun Dafa to some of them. Some of them just started to learn Falun Dafa.

In the beginning when Falun Dafa met hardships, those courageous young practitioners and especially those who came to Beijing to appeal for Falun Dafa greatly inspired us. We realized that this was a crucial moment for a Falun Dafa practitioner. Nothing should prevent us from defending our beliefs.

The next day, before I arrived at the People's Auditorium, I heard a voice, "Are you Falun Gong practitioners?" I answered immediately, "Yes." "Get on the van!" Thus I was arrested.

The police vans were full of practitioners. Under close surveillance by the police, several hundred fellow practitioners had already been detained in the police station. When they learned that we were local practitioners in Beijing, they applauded, "You Beijing practitioners have finally stepped forward."

A 7-year-old child led us reciting "Lun Yu" (the preface of Zhuan Falun) and Hong Yin (a collection of poems of teacher Li Hongzhi). I was moved to tears by the loud and firm voices. We had not held such a solemn gathering for a long time.

We were transferred to a baseball field. Over a thousand practitioners had been detained there. The police divided us into subgroups according to where we came from. In Beijing group, there were about 60 people. The practitioners from outside Beijing continued to practice the exercises and study Falun Dafa teachings. The baseball field was full of police's cursing and beatings. There were no food, no drink and no access to toilet. Some elderly practitioners could not stand that long and peed in their trousers. As it got dark, it started to rain and thunder. The police on duty put on their raincoats. But practitioners had to stay in the rain silently. I only had two shirts and I felt very cold in the wind and rain. The police all put on their thick clothes, but an officer was still complaining loudly. I kept reciting "Lun Yu", Hong Yin, and other articles by teacher Li.

At about 2am in the morning, we were sent to a suburban detention center and detained together with 20 criminals. We could not sleep since it was too crowded. A 63-year-old fellow practitioner and I sat on the edge of the sleeping board until dawn. We 13 practitioners did not eat and drink for a whole day. In addition, we had been rain-drenched and frozen. However we felt energetic on the next day. We felt very happy about that. After the convicted criminals in the detention center learned about our experience, they felt very strange, "How come none of you have caught cold?" We told them that Falun Dafa made us healthy and strong. A practitioner from outside Beijing was also detained with us. Among 14 of us, there were engineers, researchers, middle and elementary school teachers, university students, army members, salesman, and farmers. Every one of us had a different experience. We told the inmates the benefits that Falun Dafa had brought to us. Thus Falun Dafa reached this "isolated corner" of the world.

We got used to the life in jail very quickly. We gave up many human attachments very naturally. We worked very diligently and had no complaints. We went outside to eat in order to leave enough room for others. We bought stuff to share with others. The inmates thus saw the image of Falun Dafa in us. They found that they had been fooled by the government's propaganda. They said wholeheartedly, "Falun Dafa is really good."

In Beijing's jails, practitioners are not allowed to practice and spread Falun Dafa. But we practitioners have our own standards. Before, cursing and fighting among inmates were common scenes in jails. After we told them that doing bad things would cause one to accumulate karma and lose virtue, the jail became a peaceful land under our influences.

The inmates were interested very much in listening to our stories of practicing cultivation. Over 20 inmates learned Falun Gong exercises; some of them experienced obvious body-purifying symptoms very quickly. An inmate had been jailed for 2 years. Her pale face became rosy in a short time after she learned Falun Dafa. Her spirit was totally changed. During an interrogation, the officer was shocked upon seeing her change. The first question the officer asked was, "Have you practiced Falun Gong?" She replied proudly, "Yes, of course." Another inmate who had had negative opinions about Falun Dafa later became the most determined practitioner. She said, "If I had known Falun Dafa earlier, I would not have come here." Many of them said, "If we were outside the jail, we would pursue worldly things to satisfy our greed instead of listening to these principles that teach people to be good. It must be teacher Li who has arranged us to learn Falun Dafa in jail." Among 20 criminals, 6 of them said that they could not practice Falun Dafa but they would become good people according to the teachings of Falun Dafa. They were used to speaking dirty words. Later, when the dirty words came out of their mouths occasionally they would immediately cover their mouths and said to me, "Aunt, I am sorry. I am wrong." The cell became a civilized place.

In the cell there was no metal stuff. So they sharpened the nails on the paper packing-box into needles and pierced dozens of teacher Li's poems in Hong Yin on all the plastic clothes that they had. Therefore, they could learn teacher Li's poems. Later some practitioners brought in a book of Hong Yin (the collection of poems of teacher Li) and a book of Essentials for further Advances (the collection of articles of teacher Li). They made the best use of their time to recite the poems and articles in these two books everyday. When we got out of the jail, we left these two books for them.

This forgotten corner at the bottommost level of human society had become a pure land. They studied and practiced Falun Dafa together everyday. They also exchanged what they learned everyday.

Facing the interrogation, practitioners all walked out of the cell smiling and came back smiling. Facing the police officers that represented the government, we told them in an open and dignified way about the health and moral uplifting that Falun Dafa had brought to us. The police officers' harshness and hostility were melted by our kindness. The facts changed their conceptions and attitudes. Teacher Li's benevolence also offered them salvation.

There was no standard formality in talking to the police officers. It only reflected each practitioner's own experience. There was an old lady who was illiterate. But she could easily read the books of Falun Dafa. However, she could not read the same characters on other books. She told the police this miracle. Besides, she had had many surgeries before she learned Falun Dafa and it was Falun Dafa that bought her real health.

An intellectual 71-year-old was freed after 7 days of detention. On the next day, he went to appeal again and was taken back to the cell again. The police officer joked, "You come here to improve your level again."

A researcher over 60 had been a communist party member for 30 years. She had written four applications for withdrawing from the party before she went to appeal. After she was detained, her membership was revoked. When she was interrogated by six police officers, she said, "the party served for people 30 years ago. I felt very proud to join the party. Now the party refuses to listen to people's voices and has even made such polices against the constitution in order to eliminate the righteous Falun Dafa. I have no regret in withdrawing from such a party." Those police officers had no words to refute her. One police officer thus said, "Then you could tell us something about Falun Dafa." She talked for about 2 hours and those police officers were really interested in listening to her experience of practicing Falun Dafa.

An officer started to read Zhuan Falun (the main text of Falun Dafa). She claimed that she read it in order to refute us. She told me, "My life has become much easier since you came here. The fighting and cursing among the detained criminals have disappeared. I can enjoy a peaceful weekend at home now." She asked us to tell those criminals how to become good people according to the teachings of Falun Dafa.

In jail, we were like nuns and monks in temple. We took hardships as pleasure. We had given up many human attachments. My heart became cleaner.

Among the arrested practitioners, the charges against me were the most severe. They included illegal gathering, disturbing social order, disrespect to police officers etc. I felt very funny at those accusations. The interrogation was just a test for our cultivation. I had no anger in my words, and my heart was tranquil.

Several other practitioners went together with me to appeal. I only told them the news on the TV, and they all volunteered to go with me. This led to the accusation of "illegal gathering". I admitted this happily. If I did not admit this, the practitioners who went to appeal together with me would get into trouble.

When the police asked me about some materials I carried with me when I was arrested, I did not tell them who had given them to me. In Zhuan Falun, it reads, "I am a person who will not say what I do not want to say. But what I have said will have to be the truth." During several interrogations, I had always kept these words in mind. I did not want to bring trouble to other people. Thus, I was accused of "disrespect to the police officers".

Many fellow practitioners' family members practiced bribery in order to get them out of jail. Their family members also kept writing to them in order to persuade them to give up their beliefs. However these practitioners' determination about Falun Dafa did not waver at all. None of my family members paid attention to me. It was really like cutting myself off from human society. Other practitioners asked about the situation in my family. I said, "My husband had been 'against my practice of Falun Dafa before. I took good care of him and exchanged experience with other fellow practitioners in an open and dignified way. If he got angry at me, I would patiently tell him the principles of Falun Dafa. Little by little, he was no longer against Falun Dafa. My daughter is studying in the United States and also practices Falun Dafa. My sister worked in a judicial department. She and her daughter now are also staying in jail because they went to appeal."

The family members of a practitioner had some personal connections with the police officers. When she was freed, she said, "I will go back to jail if they got me out by walking through the back door (i.e., practicing bribery -- translator)." She asked her family members loudly whether they walked through the back door for her to get out. They told her they didn't.

Practitioners left the jail one after another. They left all their belongings to the inmates except some necessary clothes. These inmates missed them very much. After an old lady left, many inmates were so sad that they did not have their meal at night. Later, I was the only one left. The inmates said, "They all left except you." I said, "It is not really police's decision as to when I should get out. The teacher knows very clearly about whether I have finished my cultivation here." Some even reminded me, "You have been detained for over 30 days. You might be sentenced with forced labor." I said calmly, "Everyone has a different path. For a cultivator, nothing is accidental." The head of the cell told me, "On one hand when we see you suffering here, we hope you leave as soon as possible. But on the other hand, we do not want you to leave. We are afraid that the cell will return to the situation in the past." I said, "It won't. You have already learned Falun Dafa to become kindhearted people."

On the day I left the jail, I was not happy; instead, my heart was tranquil. The inmates walked me out with tears. One said, "We won't meet such good people like you."

It had been 33 days since I was arrested. I could feel my improvement in my spiritual realm, and I could also feel the change in my physical body very clearly.

After I got back home, the environment changed. My husband once again strongly opposed my practicing Falun Dafa. I had to rectify this environment again. One day, he wanted to have a look at what was happening in Tiananmen Square and told me not to tell the police that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner if the police happened to ask me. I thought that didn't matter. Under any pressure, I would say that I am a Falun Dafa practitioner. I would give my belief a correct position in my heart. I would bear the hardship if I would be arrested against. Next day, I accompanied my husband to walk around Tiananmen Square and no police officers asked me.

Now I have a new cultivation environment. I study Falun Dafa diligently. I exchange experience with other fellow practitioners openly.

Teacher Li said in an article "if you do well in your own cultivation, you will do well in spreading Dafa in your area and the practitioners will do better in their cultivation ..." One's diligent cultivation is also the most important help for others.