My Experiences of Clarifying the Truth and Saving People in Prison

(Minghui.org) One night while I handed out truth-clarification flyers, I was illegally arrested by the police and detained for 13 days. Afterwards I was sentenced to eight months.

During those eight months I looked inward and found I had attachments to being competitive, and the wish to achieve. Behind these attachments were my desire to show off, be acknowledged, and zealotry. My attachments allowed the old forces to take advantage of my loopholes, bringing trouble to myself, fellow practitioners, and my family. Yet I had to cheer up—I could not fall into remorse. I should cultivate well and even if I were in prison, I had to do the three things well.

Eliminating Fear

I developed fear and thought the police took many photos of me when I handed out flyers. Although I didn’t admit it at the time, I was a little scared when I thought about it. I asked myself: What are you afraid of? Afraid of being sentenced? Fear of being sentenced for a lengthy time? I immediately denied these thoughts, and said to Master in my heart, “I don’t want these thoughts, they are not me; the old forces imposed those thoughts on me.” I should not be afraid.

When I asked Master to remove these negative thoughts I remembered Master’s Fa:

“The Fa can break all attachments; the Fa can destroy all evil; the Fa can shatter all lies; and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts.” (“Drive Out Interference,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress II)

My heart suddenly opened up, and I was no longer afraid—I was not afraid of being imprisoned. Everything is arranged by Master and no one has the right to arrange my path.

I began to recite the Fa, reciting everything I could remember, including Lunyu and poems from Hong Yin. I had memorized Zhuan Falun twice, but I could only remember a few paragraphs. It felt so good to recite the Fa. Whenever I had an attachment, such as fear, reciting the Fa broke it. As soon as these bad things came up, the Fa destroyed it.

Treating Inmates Kindly

All the detainees were assigned duties, and there were five two-hour shifts each day. If an inmate didn’t want to do the job they were assigned, they paid someone else to do it. If I didn’t have a shift that day, I did others’ assignments, but not for the money. Since everyone was sleeping, that was the best time for me to recite the Fa. I sent righteous thoughts for half an hour and then I recited the Fa. This way, I was able to recite the Fa twice a day. No matter what the others were doing, no matter how noisy the room was, I meditated. I didn’t feel like I was behind bars. The inmates asked me, “Why do you have such a good state of mind?” I said it was because I didn’t have the desire to go out, earn money or play mahjong.

I treated the inmates kindly as if they were my own children. Something as simple as a bag of instant noodles, pickles, or a roll of paper were very precious. But I gave my things to the others, especially those who just came in and had nothing. I gave food that I’d saved to those who had difficulty getting necessities. Because they were ordinary people, they were afraid and they needed to be taken care of. Because I was kind, they felt I was trustworthy. This laid a good foundation for me to help them quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations.

When I asked them to quit the Party, some people were receptive but others weren’t. I didn’t get anxious if they refused to listen. Instead I asked Master to give me another opportunity to clarify the truth to them and save them. Master always arranged for them to be with me, and most were happy to quit the CCP.

I realized that first of all, we must cultivate ourselves, be selfless without asking for anything in return, and be willing to give for others, so that people can see that Falun Dafa practitioners are selfless. When the inmates felt troubled, they asked me for advice. I told them: I practice Falun Dafa; can you accept what I say? If they said they were willing to listen, I then would tell them one or a few sentences of the Fa, because Master’s words are very powerful.

For example, someone told me, “Why do I hate someone and get angry when I look at her? I don’t want to listen to anything she says.” I said to her kindly, “That’s not her fault, it’s your own heart. Think about it. You don’t like her, but she doesn’t know it, so isn’t it your issue?” I recited Master’s poem,

“As a cultivatorOne always looks for one’s own faults‘Tis the Way to get rid of attachments mosteffectivelyThere’s no way to skip ordeals, big or small[During a conflict, if you can remember:]“He’s right,And I’m wrong,”What’s to dispute?”(“Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong,” Hong Yin III).

She said happily, “You really know a lot.” I told her that this is what my Master said. She said, “That’s so true. Why are you so good at helping people?” I said it’s because I practice Falun Dafa.

An inmate was assigned to be in charge in every cell. If someone did not obey her she would say something harsh and this often caused conflicts. I helped her resolve the hostility and persuaded everyone not to be angry. I told them that Master said,

“While working, your tone of voice, your kindheartedness, and your reasoning can change a person’s heart, whereas commands never could!” (“Clearheadedness,” Essentials for Further Advancement)

When the conflict was resolved, I knew this is not only a recognition of me, but also recognizing Dafa.

I kept telling Master in my heart: “I want to get rid of all my attachments. When I’ve done everything I need to do, and that’s when I’ll go home.”

I was a little excited when I learned I would be going home, and my zealotry came out. Master immediately woke me up through an inmate’s words: “You’ve been sentenced to eight months but you did nothing wrong. You just passed out a few leaflets. You should sue them!”

I was stunned, but her words woke me up, and helped eliminate my zealotry. How can I be happy about going home? Isn’t this an acknowledgment that I was sentenced? Haven’t I always denied the old forces’ arrangements, but I was persecuted in the detention center every day! My zealotry was such a bad thing, and should be removed immediately. Someone asked me, “Are you glad you’re going home?” I said, “No, I was locked up for eight months for no reason, how can I be happy?”

By the time I was released, all the people in my cell had quit the CCP and its youth organizations. The last one was not easy to be convinced. I begged Master to help me and create an opportunity for me to save her. On the morning I went home, I said to her, “I worry about you. Nowadays there are so many disasters. You should quit the CCP. Just sincerely recite “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’” My sincerity touched her, and she finally agreed to quit the CCP.

During the eight months I was detained I persuaded 71 people to quit the CCP and its youth organizations.