After Learning Falun Gong in Prison, I Started a New Life

I'm a Falun Gong practitioner living in Taiwan. Illegal activities connected with my addiction to narcotics led me to prison. It was in prison where I was fortunate enough to learn Falun Dafa and start a new life.

I knew very little about the Buddha Law and cultivation. I thought chanting Buddha's name and kow-towing to Buddha was cultivation. After learning Falun Gong, I realized that my previous thoughts were just a yearning for Buddha. I had the chance to participate in the study of Falun Gong when true practitioners visited the prison. Thus, it was an opportunity for "turning a misfortune into a blessing." We really felt that Falun Dafa is wonderful.

On July 29th, 2005, Falun Gong practitioners came to Green Island Prison to give a Falun Dafa class for us. The Buddha Law is of great interest to the Taiwanese people and everyone knows about Falun Dafa. I was curious and signed up. Only 20 prisoners were selected to attend the class, though many more had signed up. Those fortunate enough to participate all cherished this opportunity. We studied with all our hearts and tried to understand the teachings of Teacher Li, the founder of Falun Gong.

It was like the darkness fading away as the morning arrives, after listening to Teacher Li's lecture tapes for just 8 days. Just like Teacher Li mentioned in the book,

"Many people have practiced qigong for a very long time. There are also people who have never practiced it, but who have pursued and pondered the truth and the meaning of human life. Once they learn our Falun Dafa, they will understand at once many questions in life that they have wished to understand but could not answer. Perhaps along with their minds being elevated, they will become very excited--this is for sure. I know that a genuine practitioner will know its weight and cherish it." (Zhuan Falun)

Yes, I am really so happy! It touched my heart and I will cherish it forever!

I witnessed changes in some of my classmates during this period of time. Often, they used to be unruly in the work areas and living quarters. I felt it was unbelievable! They became quite serious and responsible after we started to practise Falun Dafa. They cherished being Falun Gong practitioners. Each new practitioner listened carefully during class. This shows that the Buddha Law is magnificent.

It was a profound experience for every one of us. Each classmate's inborn quality is different, each karmic relationship is different and each person's level of understanding is also different. All those cultivation experiences became the method for us to share and study together. We helped each other during study to improve our levels and improve ourselves.

The 8-day Falun Dafa study class gave my classmates a lot of deep insights. One student shared his experience on the last day of the class. Previously he had a bad temper, but after studying Falun Dafa for more than a year, he now follows the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance in his daily life. His bad temper is gone and now he can deal with matters differently. This classmate's understanding and benefits are truly as Teacher wrote in Zhuan Falun.

"As a human being, you are a good person only if you can follow this universe's characteristic of Zhen Shan Ren. A person who deviates from this characteristic is truly a bad person."

Recalling the things I did in the past makes me so remorseful. Previously, I would fight about even the smallest matters, let alone big things. I changed the extreme way I dealt with things after I startyed to practise Falun Dafa. My brand new life is beyond my description and my gratitude towards Falun Dafa is immense.

I would like to express my heartfelt thanks for Teacher's benevolence and the warm hearts of the practitioners who spared no effort show boundless compassion and tolerance to us. They taught us how to regain our self-respect and find a true cultivation path. This was the most extraordinary day of our whole lives! Certainly, we won't stop our cultivation after these practitioners return to Taiwan. Just as Teacher wrote in Zhuan Falun, "The master takes you through the entrance, and it is up to you to practice cultivation." We will diligently lead new lives, be better people and be living proof that Falun Dafa is great!