(Clearwisdom.net) I would like to share with everyone a few miracles I experienced while imprisoned.
I am an elderly practitioner. During a group study session in early 2002, because of my lack of understanding on the Fa and poor enlightenment quality, I was arrested. This caused a great loss for Dafa, as I was taken advantage of by the old forces.
After I was thrown in prison, because I was not able to keep up with Fa study, I did not do a good job validating the Fa or clarifying the facts. Every day, I was busy with forced physical labor. I was troubled by it, but had no righteous thoughts. I wanted to validate Dafa, yet I did not have the courage to do it. A year went by. At the end of December 2003, due to the progress of the Fa-rectification and the improvements to the practitioners' cultivation as a whole, the situation became better. I was able to read some of Master's lectures through various channels. The local practitioners stepped forward and refused to cooperate with the evil's arrangements and commands. At the same time, some imprisoned practitioners were put under close watch in prison. Faced with this situation, I felt quite anxious.
At this time, I received a copy of Master's lecture "Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference." Master said,
"I often see students like this: 'You don't let me do the exercises, but I insist on doing them. You don't let me study, but I insist on studying. I just won't listen to you evil beings. All you can do is threaten me with death, right?' Of course, Master has said that here to you, who are cultivators. But even so, Master doesn't want to say it, because if everyday people hear it they won't be able to understand. What I'm telling you is that when you're truly able to let go of the thought of life or death you can do anything!"
This clearly applied to me. I suddenly realized that the issue of fear was also the issue of whether we had faith in Master. Since we had become determined to cultivate, how can I have doubts about everything that Master has done for us? Am I worthy of being a disciple? Only with righteous faith can we walk well our paths. I must have complete faith and walk well the path of Fa-rectification. Cultivation is my only path. When I was first imprisoned, I stopped doing the exercises for about a year. How could I do that? Was I being honest if I only gave lip service to cultivation? Master is here, and the Fa is here. What did I have to fear? After I finished reading the lecture, I began doing the exercises with dignity during the day. I told a prison staff member, "I am going to officially start practicing the exercises now." The staff member tried to stop me, but I did not let him. Later that day, I was put in a section of the prison under closer watch. When I walked into that section, I shouted out, "I am a disciple of Master Li Hongzhi. I've come here to do the exercises." Suddenly the place became dead silent. Everyone was shocked.
It was January and I was wearing only one layer of clothes. The staff member who sent me to the close-watch section said that I deserved to suffer from the cold. However, when I was put in solitary confinement later, the guards there saw that I was wearing very little clothes, and asked the logistics staff to find a jacket for me. One of the inmates, who seemed to be a leader, said, "You are an older man. Don't do the exercises here. You can do it after you get released from here. We don't want to make you suffer." I thought that I came here to do the exercises, and I could not listen to them. I had to do what I said and validate the Fa in every environment. When I stood up to do the first exercise, the guards and inmates dragged me into the hallway and put shackles around my ankles. My hands were also cuffed to the back, and the handcuffs were only unlocked when I ate or went to the bathroom. However, within about two hours, I found that the handcuffs were unlocked. I thought that Master must have opened them for me as he saw that I was suffering so much. Tears rolled down my face. I truly felt the wonders of Dafa and the compassion of Master.
I did the exercises everyday. Even when I was handcuffed, I could still do the fifth exercise. It was below freezing inside the cell and there was frost on the walls. Since I was doing the exercises wearing the handcuffs, I had frostbite on my hands after a few days. One night when a guard came to check up on me, I was still doing the exercises. I heard the door open but did not let it interrupt my meditation. The guard saw that I did not move, so he squatted down, touched my hand, and said, "Your hands are swollen. Wake up!" I opened my eyes but said nothing. He said, "If I take off your handcuffs, are you going to keep practicing?" I said, "Of course!" He said, "I am going to take them off anyway." I was thus able to do the exercise without the handcuffs.
They also hung me up on a cross and tied my arms to the crossbar. I was only released during mealtime. This went on for days. However, once my heart was truly focused on validating the Fa, the situation changed again. Something seemed to be rotating above my head, which led my body, arms, hands, and the crossbar to rotate with me. I felt wonderful and relieved. The guards and the inmates told me to stop turning. I said, "I am not turning, it's turning by itself." If I wanted to stop rotating, I could. This was the second miracle.
During the winter, it was very cold. Since I was wearing shackles and handcuffs, I could not take off my clothes. At night I took off the handcuffs and only wore the shackles. The cell was not heated, and I could see snow outside. One can imagine how cold it was. Another miracle happened: the shackles were not freezing cold, but were actually warm. When I slept under the blankets, I felt wonderful, as though I was lying in an eggshell. It was amazing beyond description.
The above are some of my personal experiences. My deepest understanding is that if we can truly let go of ourselves and focus on the Fa, Master will take away the things we should not have to bear. Master has done so much for me. I have no excuse to be doubtful or disrespectful to Master and the Fa. I have not really made any contribution. I am only a small matchstick in a great flame. Everything is done by Master. I would like to share my experiences here to help the fellow practitioners who are still suffering tribulations. Let us improve as a whole, keep up with the Fa-rectification process, and walk well our own cultivation and Fa-rectification paths. When we let go of human attachments, everything around us will change.
