A Person I Met in Jail

About two years ago, I had some interesting experiences whilst been forcefully detained in prison. The following is one that particularly displays the tremendous power of Falun Dafa.

In November 2000, I was illegally arrested for appealing for Dafa on Tiananmen Square. After being sent back to a detention centre in my hometown, I was detained in the same cell with Wen, a 46-year old criminal who had often committed crimes. He had a long criminal record and at that point had spent 26 years of his life in prison.

One night when watching TV, Wen asked me what Falun Gong was. I told him that Falun Gong is a mind and body cultivation system, and it teaches people to be a good person and return to one's true nature [Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance]. Several days later, Wen told me seriously, "I believe Falun Gong is the righteous path." I never thought a career criminal could have such an understanding of Dafa. Though I was happy for him, I still didn't like his criminal look and selfish behaviour. I didn't even want to look at him.

Soon the Chinese New Year came, and the Jiangs evil regime staged the Tiananmen Square self-immolation. After the self-immolation was broadcasted, there were lots of programs slandering Falun Dafa on TV. Many of the inmates were deceived by the news and made bad comments about Dafa. When I felt pressured by the hostile environment, Wen encouraged me by saying, "This is just the darkness before dawn."

One day Wen said to me, "People called me 'baldy' before, but I started growing hair after you came." For a period of time, Wen kept telling me that he could see Buddhas and Bodhisattvas as soon as he closed his eyes. One day I missed my child especially badly. That evening, Wen suddenly said to me, "Don't worry about your child, he is all right." For a couple of days I had lots of attachments surfacing, and Wen told me, "Please keep your heart calm, I feel uncomfortable when your heart is not calm."

In the detention centre, the worst tribulation was not the loss of freedom or the loneliness. The worst was there was no one I could share understandings of the principles of Falun Gong with. Later I interacted and communicated more and more with Wen. Many of my understandings I talked to Wen about were not easily accepted by non-practitioners, yet he seemed to understand quite easily. I was surprised by his good inborn quality and learnt that I should not judge anyone based on how they look. I realised it was our predestined relationship that caused us to meet here.

Wen was arrested and sent to detention centres and prisons so many times that it seemed he did not care about anything anymore. However, I noticed he was changing. Sometimes other inmates took advantage of him, yet he endured quietly. I strongly felt that laws could not change a person; only Dafa directly targets one's mind and can fundamentally change a person.

Soon, Wen was given his sentence. Originally he was expecting more than 10 years, but his final sentence turned out to be only five years.