(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I'm an officer who began working at a detention center about two months ago. My job is to guard the prisoners. During the first two days of my new assignment I spent my free time reading the Fa, but on the third day, I felt I should start saving people here. However, all kinds of people are detained here, and being even slightly careless may result in a big problem. All my colleagues are officers and it's hard to tell them the facts about Falun Gong and the persecution. I decided that I should save them however hard it may be, and Master will arrange everything for me. As long as what I do complies with the Fa, Master will protect me.
Demonstrating Compassion
It seems that everyone is constantly being monitored at the detention center. Cameras record the activities of the prisoners as well as the police. The prisoners may report me if I clarify the truth to them, so I have tried to give them a good impression first so that I can save them.
Sometimes as I walk along the hallway and see the prisoners, I smile and chat with them. They felt that I was easy going.
I try to help the prisoners with their difficulties. One prisoner often asked me to give him filtered water. He respects me. He said, ”You're different from the other officers. They don't treat us like human beings, but you're different.” I talked to him about some principles of Dafa. A few times he asked me if I was a Falun Gong practitioner. I didn't answer him, but walked away with a smile.
Other prisoners have also asked me to give them filtered water. They're all very happy and feel that I care about them. They sometimes ask me to make phone calls for them to their families, and I helped them. They're all happy when I'm on shift. I'm also happy to see them. Although they've made mistakes in their lives, Dafa can give them a good future.
The prisoners have gradually realized that I'm a Falun Gong practitioner. Sometimes they say that Falun Gong practitioners are different from other officers.
There's a normal-sized door and a small door in every cell. The other officers always open the small door for the prisoners so that they have to crawl out of the cell. I always open the normal door for them so that they can walk out normally. They thanked me for doing that for them.
Saving the Prisoners
I often chat with the prisoner who asked me to give him filtered water. I told him I am a Falun Gong practitioner and told him the facts about the persecution. I asked if he quit the the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). He told me he quit the CCP when he was in jail before, as he had met a Falun Gong practitioner who was unlawfully detained. However, I found that he didn't fully understand the evil nature of the the CCP.
This prisoner loves reading, so I brought him the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, and he really liked it.
I also went to chat with the head of another cell. He knows that I'm a Falun Gong practitioner and he always asks me things about Falun Gong. He asked me to tell the prisoners in his cell. I told them the facts about the persecution, and they wanted to hear it.
When I was on duty one night, my partner wanted to take the early evening shift so he could get some sleep. I agreed. When I patrolled along the hallway I talked to the prisoners who were close to their cell doors and asked them to quit the CCP. Some agreed, but some didn't answer. I found that this way of spreading the truth doesn't work because I couldn't let people know why they need to quit the the CCP.
I thought I should establish a good relationship with the the head of each cell so they could help me encourage the other prisoners to quit the CCP. I chatted with them and helped them get hot water.
I asked one cell head to quit the the CCP, and then he helped the prisoners in his cell to quit. He agreed, but he also asked me to talk more to the others. I came to this cell many times to clarify the truth.
The prisoners at the detention center come and go. There was one prisoner that I thought would be unwilling to quit the the CCP. This prisoner was transferred to the cell that I always went to to clarify the truth. He always joined our chat and told me that he had watched a Falun Gong informational DVD. When I asked him to quit the CCP with the other prisoners, he agreed. The cell head gave me a list of prisoners who decided to quit the CCP.
I gave the Nine Commentaries to the head of the next cell. After he read it, he said the book was very good. He promised to quit the CCP, but he did not formally quit. I didn't push him. Instead, I went to his cell frequently and clarified the truth to everyone there. He later gave me a list of three people who wished to quit the CCP. I knew they needed to know more, so I told them the facts according to their questions. Later everyone in the cell quit the CCP.
One prisoner was beaten by an officer because he complained that the court wasn't fair. I was sympathetic and kept chatting with him to relieve his anguish. I told him my story of being persecuted because of my belief in Falun Gong. I helped him call his son to get a lawyer for his appeal, and he appreciated my help. I also gave him the Nine Commentaries to read. He said that the book was very good, and he felt that it revealed the entire evil nature of the CCP. I asked him to help other prisoners in his cell to quit the CCP.
My Attachment Causes Trouble
After the prisoners in two cells quit the CCP I developed the attachment of zealotry.
Master said,
“In other matters and in the course of cultivation practice, one should be sure to not develop the attachment of zealotry—this mentality can be very easily taken advantage of by demons.” (Zhuan Falun)
My attachments resulted in some problems.
One day the police officer who was on my shift told me he was criticized. I asked him why. He said, “Why don't you practice Falun Gong privately? Why do you have to give the book to other people to read? Now the book has been taken by officer B.” I remained calm upon hearing this, and began telling him about the principles of Falun Gong. He subsequently stopped complaining.
My supervisor later asked me not to bring books about Falun Gong to the cells. I promised him. Afterwards I realized that this was wrong, so I wrote two letters. One to my supervisor, and the other to the officer who took away my book. I told them that according to the law, there are no laws that prohibit people from bringing Falun Gong books to the cells. That was the last time they mentioned it.
Clarifying the Truth to Workers
There are general workers in the detention center. The prisoners who are about to be released are responsible for small tasks. It's relatively easy to tell them the facts. I usually chat with them and talk about the persecution, and then ask them to quit the CCP. They always ask some questions, which I answer. They said that they felt that Falun Gong practitioners were good people.
Clarifying the Truth to Prisoners Who'll Soon Be Released
The prisoners who are to be released soon are kept in one cell, and I made sure to talk to them and tell them the truth about Falun Gong.
Two people left a deep impression on me. One day a prisoner said his leg was sore and painful. I told him about the persecution of Falun Gong and asked him to quit the CCP. Two days later, he was released for treatment.
There was an older man who always kept quiet whenever I mentioned quitting the CCP. One day he was transferred to another cell. After the transfer, a supervisor asked me to transfer him back. On the way back, I told him why he needed to quit the CCP. He quit the CCP and soon after that he was released.
Because I always clarified the truth in that cell, the prisoners loudly call out, “Falun Dafa is good!”
I cared about their wellbeing very much. One day a prisoner complained about the food, so I gave him my own meal. I gave a prisoner who was sick my own meal with two eggs on another occasion. They were very grateful.
Clarifying the Truth to Other Officers
I once clarified the facts to an officer who was on duty with me. He wanted to hear about it. However, to my regret, he did not quit the CCP.
We switched duties sometimes. I told other officers the facts, to whoever was on duty with me. All the officers on my shift quit the CCP.
I once clarified the truth to some officers when we were having lunch. They left the lunch table and kept a distance from me. I later told the facts individually to the person who was on my shift that evening. He asked many questions, and in the end, he quit the CCP.
The next day I realized that the other officer who refused to listen was on my bus. His brother was a guard on my shift. I sat beside him and told him that his brother quit the CCP last night, and then asked him to quit. He agreed.
Prisoners at the Detention Center Quit the CCP
The prisoner I mentioned above who was beaten appreciated me because I always chatted with him. He later helped all the prisoners in his cell to quit the CCP. In addition, he gave me another note on which were the names of two more people who wanted to quit the CCP.
One prisoner wanted to kill the officer who arrested him. I talked with him for two months. He eventually realized that it would be wrong to do this. A person can be changed by a Dafa disciple's compassion.
In total more than seventy prisoners quit the CCP.
Some prisoners asked me if I could give them the book of Zhuan Falun to read. I gave them my phone number and asked them to contact me when they were released. I promised to help them get Zhuan Falun when they returned home.
I had mixed feelings as I wrote this article. Master is so compassionate. He even saves the prisoners and wants them to have a bright future. I can only be more diligent to save more people and return to my true home.
I also felt that it's very hard to save people, but we should save them no matter how hard it is.
In a "Congratulatory Message" on December 31, 2005, Master said,
"Dafa disciples, you are golden light in the mortal world, the hope of the world's people, Fa-disciples who help Master, and future Fa-Kings. Keep diligent, Awakened Ones that walk the earth: Everything of today will be the glory of the future.”
Thank you Master for giving me the opportunity to clarify the truth and save people. I will continue to do my best.