A Practitioner Who Obtained the Fa in Jail Recalls Dafa Practitioner Ms. Ding Yan

By a practitioner who obtained the Fa in jail

After I learned that Ms. Ding Yan was tortured to death after safeguarding Dafa, I was very sad. The time I spent with her reappeared in front of me:

On June 24, 1999, I was detained in Shijiazhuang City No. 1 Detention Centre for a criminal offence. At first I couldn't face the reality and had a complete nervous breakdown. I did not wish to live any longer, so I tried to escape this painful life with voluntary starvation, the method of slowly committing suicide. I was constantly suffering, in tears and in pain.

That same year I was lucky to have met Ding Yan. Meeting with her became the turning point in my life. Her pleasant singing voice brought warmth and happiness to us, and her skill of cutting hair benefited everyone in the cell. She was healthy and optimistic, always doing the work before anyone else, and she often taught us not to beat or curse people and that all of us should become good people. Through her, we learned about Falun Dafa and experienced for ourselves that Falun Dafa is good. Many people wanted to practice and some people said, "I'll practice Falun Gong after I get out. If I ever have to come back here again, it will be because I practice Falun Gong!" She also taught me to live an open and aboveboard life. She taught me to recite Hong Yin and told me, "Suicide is also creating karma." I wrote to her, "I want you to be my friend, because I know you wouldn't lie to me." She drew a Falun and the movements of the first four exercises and wrote, "There is Teacher and there is the Fa, so you won't be lonely." At that time I thought what Ding Yan said was right, but I didn't understand the Fa from the perspective of the Fa. Then she wrote me another message saying, "Cultivation is serious. If you can't regard the Fa as the Teacher, I won't be able to write to you anymore, because I am also a practitioner. If you cultivate the Buddha Fa, you must be diligent, 'like a lion.'" Soon after this she was transferred away, but I didn't realize that this was our last parting!

Because of Ding Yan and other practitioners' influence, I joined in Dafa cultivation to assimilate to "Truth, Compassion, Tolerance." Although I walked a wayward path before, my conscience was not yet dead. I believe in the Truth and want to become a truly good person. I learned how to consider others first, and I learned to become generous and treat everyone with kindness. Before I obtained the Fa, I hated my father-in-law and mother-in-law, but now I don't, and I'm grateful that they are taking care of my children. Falun Dafa gave me a new life and made me forget about suicide. Dafa helped me to regain a healthy body and made me become a noble person. I often sighed, "If I learned Falun Dafa earlier, I wouldn't have been here at all!"

Ding Yan has left us, but her steadfast heart still inspires all who knew her. The article she wrote, "Let Life Glorify in the Fa Rectification" [shared at the Guangzhou Fa Experience Sharing Conference] has become the eternal witness to the fulfillment of her own vow. Ding Yan, greetings to you! It was an eternal honor for me to have met you.

Note: On October 28, 1999, Ding Yan attended a press conference held in Beijing by Falun Gong practitioners, which gave the world media the opportunity to gain a positive perspective about Dafa practitioners in China for the first time. On November 26 of the same year she was arrested when holding the Guangzhou Fa Experience Sharing Conference. The speech she gave at the conference;
"Let Life Glorify in the Fa Rectification"
encouraged countless practitioners to take the path of stepping forward to appeal fearlessly. On the night of August 18, 2001, Ding Yan was tortured to death in Chengde City Prison.

See more reports about Ding Yan:

Falun Dafa Practitioner, Ms. Ding Yan from Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province, was Tortured to Death by Prison Guards in Chengde City Prison
http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2001/9/7/13629.html

History Records the Everlasting Glory
http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2001/1/3/5465.html

Special Report: On One-Year Anniversary of the Press Conference Hosted by Falun Gong Practitioners in Beijing on October 28, 1999
http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2000/11/8/6248.html

In Memory Of Ding Yan
http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/4740.html

Source: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2002/5/24/22365.html