My Surroundings Changed When I Treated Others With Compassion

(Minghui.org) I was sentenced to eight years in prison in September 2007 for clarifying the truth about the persecution of Falun Dafa. I was sent to the Liaoning Province Women’s Prison. 

I treated people with kindness, and the inmates changed from humiliating and cursing me to admiring and respecting me; from looking down on me, to being impressed by me. These gradual changes showed the power of Dafa as well as the compassion that I cultivated by practicing Falun Dafa.

The Head Inmate’s Attitude Changed

As soon as Falun Dafa practitioners arrive at the prison, they are typically subjected to abuse in order to extract a “confession” and be transformed. They are verbally abused, beaten, and insulted. They are tied up and shackled, and not allowed to use the toilet or sleep. After being subjected to this abuse for six months, I was assigned to a workshop. The head inmate of my quarter treated me coldly. 

The prison authorities took in a big order from a manufacturer, and the workload was too great for the inmates to complete on time, so the manufacturer requested the division director have everyone work on the days we were supposed to rest.

Although prison policy did not allow working overtime, the director had us work overtime anyway in the name of cleaning the workshop. The upper authorities turned a blind eye to it. 

There was no lunch served on rest days, so the manufacturer occasionally brought in food from outside, typically stuffed buns, to encourage us to work harder. The inmates waited in line anxiously, but I always chose to be the last one to get food.

One day, the manufacturer brought in two sweet buns for each person. Before I got up to get food, the head inmate shouted, “This treat is not for so-and-so (my name).” I smiled calmly and said nothing.

Because the workshop had metal walls, it was cold in the winter and hot in the summer. It was extremely hot one summer, so hot that we had difficulty breathing. Some inmates asked if they could buy ice pops with their own money. The head inmate obtained approval from the squadron matron, and bought ice pops. 

While handing out the ice pops, the head inmate shouted my name again, “There is no ice pop for so-and-so.” I remained calm and quiet. I knew the head inmate kept mine for herself because there was one for each person.

Once, the prison cafeteria was giving an unprecedented treat by serving two large stuffed buns per person. The head inmate counted the buns an inmate brought in and found that the amount was short by ten buns. She scolded the inmate for being useless. 

I was known to only eat the cafeteria food and that I never bought food from the prison store. I said, “One bun is enough for me.” The head inmate looked at me and didn’t say anything.

The cafeteria served fried mushrooms on the Dragon Boat Festival. The head inmate gave each person one serving of mushrooms. When she gave me two servings I said, “You don’t have to give me more.” She put the mushrooms into my container anyway.

The manufacturer bought some ice cream bars for the squadron matron on another hot day. The matron gave a bar to the head inmate, who in turn gave it to me. I said, “Thank you, but please enjoy it yourself.” She put it down and left without a word.

The head inmate never gave me a hard time from then on and often shared her thoughts with me. She eventually treated me as a friend and we talked about many things.

The Transformation of the Prison Bully

Wang Feng (pseudonym) was a prison bully. She was rich and capable. She swore at anyone whenever she wanted and took no one seriously. Nobody dared to mess with her.

The prison authorities established various rules in order to restrain the prisoners. The prisoners easily violated the rules because they were not used to being constrained. Their punishment depended solely on how the head inmate reported to the squadron matron. Therefore the inmates all bent over backwards to please the head inmate and dared not cross her. 

Because she felt she was powerful, Wang Feng did not like the prison culture and did not go along with it. She often cursed the head inmate behind her back. The two women had many conflicts. 

Prisoners were evaluated by how much profit they brought to the prison. Therefore the squadron matron turned a blind eye to Wang Feng’s behavior. Over time, the ever-worsening conflicts between Wang Feng and the head inmate became a headache for the matron.

Later on the matron grouped Wang Feng and me together. One day I was sweeping the cell floor and swept past Wang Feng. She stomped her foot and said, “Look at you, you’re sweeping towards my feet.” In fact, nothing was swept on her feet. I didn’t say anything and finished sweeping. 

A few days later, Wang Feng’s upper bunk was occupied by a new inmate who seemed to be somewhat mentally challenged. Wang Feng habitually cursed in the morning. That day she reprimanded the new inmate for shaking the bed in the middle of the night and keeping her from getting a good night sleep. 

When we went to the workshop, I saw that Wang Feng was alone. I walked up to her and said, “Wang Feng, can I tell you something?” She said, “What is it?” 

I said, “You look like a ‘Somebody,’ the famous Wang Feng. How could you bully others? When you curse the head inmate, others regard it as venting, but they felt you were justified. But the new inmate is obviously mentally challenged and you swore at her. What will others think of you for doing something like that?

“I was sweeping the floor the other day and did not sweep the debris towards your feet, but you said I did. You know, sweeping the floor was not my task. You and I are in the same group; wasn’t I earning credits for you as well? Even if I accidentally swept debris towards your feet, you should not behave that way.” Wang Feng quietly listened and then said, “Really? I didn’t feel I was bullying her.”

Wang Feng changed after that, and rarely cursed. She privately told others, “I swore at the newcomer the other day, but so-and-so pointed out to me that I was wrong.”

I often clarified the truth about Dafa to her and told her stories of traditional culture and how our ancestors were self-disciplined. She enjoyed the stories very much. 

I said, “Look at those who have left a name in history, which one was praised because they were rich? People remember them because of their high virtue. People are blessed because they are virtuous. They restrained themselves, so they earned their good fortune. When you hit, curse at or bully others you are giving them your virtue. We must not do foolish things that cost us our virtue.”

Wang Feng gradually stopped cursing. Occasionally, she could not stand something, but just as she was about to curse, she looked at me and swallowed her words, mumbling, “So-and-so asked me not to swear.”

The squadron matron noticed Wang Feng’s changes too, and said, “You’ve changed. You no longer swear at people.” 

Wang Feng replied, “So-and-so (my name) explained why I should stop swearing. Didn’t I change for the better after you grouped me with her?”

The matron smiled. The person who used to give her such a headache had changed.

The People around Me Change

A girl from Anhui Province came to our city to work for a relative. She stole something from the relative and was sentenced to prison. She had no money to buy a phone card and so she was unable to contact her family in Anhui Province. She was anxious. I asked the squadron matron to transfer 100 yuan from my account to the girl’s account so she could buy a phone card and call her family. The girl was grateful.

I clarified the truth about Dafa to the girl. She understood and said, “Everyone here is sinful, but you are not. We were arrested for things we did to benefit ourselves, but you were arrested for doing things for others. If I had known you sooner, I wouldn’t have done such a thing (stealing).”

Another girl from Yunnan Province was very sad since arriving at the prison. I helped her see what was good conduct, and how to become a good person. Her mood improved. One day, she said to me, “Auntie, you told me to be a good person, I get it. But I can’t do it here, because one gets bullied for being a good person.”

I thought about it and asked her, “Tell me, do the people here, including the matron, respect me?” She said, “They do.” I asked, “Do they respect me because I’m fearful?” She said, “No, it’s because you’re kindhearted.” 

I said, “Then you should be a good person too, so people will respect you, and no one will bully you. Let me ask you, do you prefer being bullied or not being bullied?” She answered, “Not being bullied.” I said, “Then if you bully others, they won’t like it. If you stop bullying others, they will gradually stop bullying you.” She said, “That’s true.”

A girl from Benxi City, Liaoning Province had a short haircut like a boy. She asked to be grouped with me. I clarified the truth to her, told her the principles of upright conduct, and taught her to memorize poems in Hong Yin. She recited the poems every day when she woke up, and recited them during the day. One day, she had a stomachache. She recited Hong Yin, and the pain stopped.

Others found out she was learning Dafa from me and wanted to report to the matron. She confided in me, “Auntie, I’m not afraid if the matron talks to me. I’ll just say, ‘Matron, I used to swear a lot, but I don’t do it anymore. Isn’t learning Dafa better than swearing?’”

She gradually became more empathetic towards her parents. She often talked about her family. She said, “I grew up like a boy and played with toy guns, knives, and cars. I did not like school and just wanted to play. My parents were worried about me because I was never home. 

“My father missed me and called me. I pinched my nose (to change my voice) and said, ‘Sorry, the phone you are calling is turned off.’ My father sighed on the other end, ‘This brat turned off her phone again.’ I thought it was funny. I didn’t realize how much my dad missed me until now.”

“I’m in here now. My parents said, ‘At least now we know where you are and can come see you whenever we want to.’ Auntie, after I get out I’m sure I’ll never be like I was before.” 

She became more disciplined and behaved well while serving her time, and got a term reduction. She returned to her parents’ home after she was released. 

One old woman was a witch doctor. She treated someone who ended up dead. She did not consider it her fault and did not plead guilty. Her term could not be reduced, but she didn’t seem to care. She sang at will and cursed whenever she felt like it. She cursed others for giving food to one another or getting close to one another.

She swore at whomever sat across from her most of all. The squadron matron had me sit across from her. 

I sometimes helped her in the workshop by organizing her finished products, or cleaning up her work area. This helped her work faster and increased her productivity. The squadron matron often commended her, which made her happy. She tried to thank me by sharing her food, but I politely declined each time. 

I strove to be self-disciplined in every way. One day the cafeteria served stewed radish sticks, but no one wanted it. I ate it with rice. People saw I was enjoying my food and were curious to see what it was. When they found it was just finger-thick radish sticks, they admired me. 

I treated everyone well, and helped everyone I interacted with. Some people secretly gave me food to thank me, but I secretly returned it each time. The old woman observed these things and admired me. She gradually stopped cursing and swearing.

I sometimes clarified the truth to the squadron matron, and she said, “You are indeed a good person. There are so many people in this squadron, but none of them has badmouthed you.” A new girl, after observing me for a while, said to others, “I can’t believe there are such good people in prison.”

Falun Dafa practitioners are in difficult situations in prison. At the beginning, the squadron matron picked the worst person to group me with. But later, she grouped me with the most cultured person in the whole squadron, a former company CEO, and kept it that way until my term expired and I was released. 

When Falun Dafa practitioners have compassion, our surroundings and the people around us will change.