(Clearwisdom.net) Many sentient beings are waiting to be rescued during the last stages of Fa-rectification. However, many practitioners are still in jail because their attachments left loopholes for the evil to take advantage of. Some of these practitioners were severely beaten by the prison guards or other prisoners; some even died. I am heartbroken by their deaths. Here I want to share my personal experiences with practitioners, to help us improve together.
I am a latecomer to cultivation practice in Falun Dafa. My loopholes emerged when I first validated the Fa, leading to the evil taking advantage of me and getting me arrested and sentenced. The first people I encountered in prison were former practitioners who, out of pressure became "reformed," and went over to the other side. This greatly confused other practitioners and me, who were new in the prison. These former practitioners used to be so determined in cultivation. How could they have become completely different individuals in such a short time? The change was so great and so fast. I was very surprised. What went wrong? What should we do? These things made me realize the seriousness of cultivation, and how evil the persecution of brainwashing could be.
After witnessing this, I became much more mature and cultivated myself very seriously. I knew we shouldn't waver even a bit during such a "comprehensive and destructive test." ("Towards Consummation" from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
1. Shattering the Brainwashing Attempts
Prison officials planned to brainwash me two months after I was detained. I wanted to completely negate the persecution all at once and began a hunger strike. After I was tortured with force-feeding, I realized that my limited Fa study prevented me from raising my xinxing and achieving the standard that would let me pass this test. I stopped the hunger strike and increased Fa-study. Master said, "If you could do it all at once today, you would be a Buddha today. Thus, it is not realistic. You will be able to achieve this gradually." (Zhuan Falun)
Later on the prison officials arranged for many collaborators to attempt to brainwash me. It took a week to battle through the test and successfully resist their brainwashing efforts.
At first many practitioners worried about me, but my success in passing the test so quickly encouraged them greatly and restrained the persecutors. The process was like this: initially I was a little nervous and afraid, so I attempted to hide my fear by avoiding the collaborators. With my xinxing level, I knew I couldn't negate the persecution completely all at once. I needed to do it in a rational manner according to my current xinxing level and not blindly follow others' experiences. I needed to consider my endurance and tolerance, and thus overcome this on my own. I increased my Fa-study from memory. Whenever I was walking, sitting, or lying down, I tried my best to fill my mind with the Fa, even if it was only a sentence or a word. As long as it was part of the Fa, it worked for me. I was reciting the Fa all the time and my mind was filled with the Fa, except when I was sleeping. I firmly believe Master's words, "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" from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
I could only recite very little of the Fa then, so I kept reciting "Falun Dafa is good," "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good," and "One righteous mind can subdue one hundred evils." I recited the Fa like the monks reciting "Buddha Amitabha" in a temple--repeatedly, no matter what the collaborators said. I ignored them and recited the Fa and didn't let them influence me, and didn't think about anything they said, or how to argue with them. I focused on reciting the Fa until I fell asleep. Within three days, six or seven collaborators stopped talking to me and read newspapers by themselves, or dozed off.
I would like to share several points on how I was successful in shattering the CCP's brainwashing attempts:
1) No matter who they are, even if they are former practitioners, and no matter what they say in the brainwashing center, the old forces are using those people to damage the Fa and persecute practitioners. Master said,
"Those who are spreading evil "enlightenment" under the guise of Dafa students are, regardless of whether they were students before, doing what demons who damage Dafa do." ("A Suggestion" from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
"No matter how well they acted when arrested or beaten, all of that was setting the stage for their leaping out today to persecute the Fa and confuse students. I hope that students don't listen to or believe their evil lies." ("Suffocate the Evil" from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
As a result, no matter how well-intended their words sound, it's all evil. We don't need to think about which sentence is correct, or which sentence is wrong. We shouldn't accept or listen to anything they say. We should only peacefully recite the Fa in our minds and not let emotion move us.
2) Keep our minds filled with the Fa all the time, thinking of Master. No matter whether it was during a talk or after, or whether I was alone or not, I didn't give a thought to any of their words. Just memorize the Fa. I realized that this entire test happens to see whether or not one follows the Fa. As long as our thoughts are on the Fa, things will be fine.
3) Get rid of the fear of brainwashing and of the collaborators and face them head on. We should firmly believe in Master and Dafa. I am a Dafa disciple, I am a divine being. They are only manipulated by the evil, what do I have to fear? If you think this way you will be able to overcome fear.
Two years later, when CCP officials wanted to arrest me and take me to a brainwashing center again, I easily negated their attempt. This conformed to the principle of "without having the attachment, one will not have that tribulation." Practitioners' fear of collaborators, among numerous other attachments, is a deeply hidden notion that is the reason for their inability to negate the persecution. If we want to negate anything, we should first give up our attachments. If we can't let go, and we are afraid, and worry about it, then the old forces will take advantage of our attachments and persecute us. Even if we close the door tightly, they will dare to climb onto the balcony to get into our homes, or they will dare to arrest us while we are walking on the street, or shopping at a market. They dare to do such things in broad daylight, but only because we still have attachments. What a huge loophole-- to be fearful of collaborators, the 610 Office, and brainwashing centers! How could a great king of a future new universe be afraid of this evil specter and rotten demons? We should grasp every minute to rescue sentient beings. Even if we are nabbed and taken to a brainwashing center, there is nothing to be afraid of. Master said,
"'Now that you've arrested me, I haven't thought at all about going back. Now that I've come here, I've come to validate the Fa.' So the evil was scared." ("Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the 2003 Metropolitan New York Fa Conference")
If we can reach this realm, we can completely overcome the shadow of the brainwashing center in our minds.
Later, the CCP decided to take advantage of one of my relatives. She underwent a brainwashing session. She was not only reformed, but also assisted prison officials in attempts to reform other practitioners. I spent three days trying to dissuade her from doing this reforming work. My understanding is that Dafa disciples who used to be very determined in cultivation practice but were reformed must have had loopholes that the evil took advantage of. If I wanted to rescue her, I decided I should first send righteous thoughts to eliminate all evil factors behind her. For two days I simply sent righteous thoughts toward her quietly. Afterwards I helped her answer all the questions she had. She quickly became clear about what was going on. Once she understood the truth, she solemnly declared in front of CCP officials from the 610 Office, "Falun Dafa is righteous." She returned to the path of Dafa cultivation. Later on, the evil factors behind the 610 Office officials dwindled, and they did a complete turn-around and even told us to cultivate diligently! This showed us the importance of sending righteous thoughts. We should first send righteous thoughts toward the "reformed" practitioners, and never argue with them.
When collaborators spoke with me, sometimes their talking would interfere with my sending righteous thoughts and I was unable to focus very well. If this happened, I would put my hands in my pocket and use my fingers to write the word "Mie" ("eliminated") in the pocket, over and over again. Sometimes I used my mind-intent to write "Mie" on the collaborators' bodies and faces. I would write "Mie" in separate strokes so I wouldn't be absent-minded focusing my energy on the full "Mie" character. With this, my mind was always on the Fa. In general, it would take two or three days before the evil behind them was cleared out. By that time they would listen to whatever I had to tell them.
Although the 610 Office personnel and police agents still didn't approve of what I told them, at least they stopped behaving so ruthlessly. I discovered that after the evil that controlled these people was eliminated, some of them were shaking very badly and could barely stand up. A few of them dared not to look at me directly; others had heart palpitations and went to the hospital. Some even said, "I can't deal with this anymore, I am dying." Once, after I sent righteous thoughts toward several 610 Office officials, I asked one of them, "What is your name?" even though I knew his name. He replied, "My name is the old forces." Another police officer replied after a long pause, "My name is the Chinese Communist Party." I realized that the real evil is what's behind them, controlling their human sides from other dimensions. This is why whether we are offering beings salvation, or are engaged in activities to stop the persecution, the key is to first eliminate the evil beings controlling them. Master said,
"Since we cultivate in a righteous Fa, we should care for and save beings and the people of the world who are good. So we should act with goodness in everything we do. Yet removing the evil beings that manipulate people into damaging humankind is also protecting humankind and sentient beings." ("Dafa Disciples' Righteous Thoughts are Powerful" from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
As it turned out, the CCP officials never again sent any collaborators to talk to me. I hope that my experiences can be helpful and provide insight for practitioners who are still afraid of collaborators, brainwashing centers, or the 610 Office. I hope those practitioners are able to step out of any difficult situation and truly walk on the divine path.
2. Correcting the Prison Environment
I had many notions when I was initially incarcerated. I was afraid of this or that and needed to suppress my attachments all the time. It was really hard for me. I held several hunger strikes and experienced many tribulations, and it was serious enough that I could have died at any moment. I always felt there wasn't much change in the environment. Although certain practitioners persisted despite great tribulations, some of them couldn't persist for very long; gradually things went beyond their endurance. Practitioners with less willpower became very confused and didn't know what to do. Intense Fa-study made me realize that we were actually validating ourselves by simply enduring the physical tribulations instead of validating the Fa. We had looked outward, focusing on how to argue and compete with the persecutors, like a battle during a war. We didn't truly cultivate ourselves properly and failed to look within, thus the magnificent power of Dafa couldn't manifest in us. Fa study made me comprehend my plight from the Fa's perspective. I adjusted myself and focused on eliminating all my attachments, such as the desire to compete, fear, being afraid of death, and many others. I eliminated any emerging attachments and truly targeted my heart.
The environment really changed greatly after I got rid of human notions. When I strictly disciplined myself and calmly cultivated myself to get rid of my attachments, the attachments could not survive. Some of my attachments were eliminated within several minutes; others took several hours, and a few took several days. Not having those attachments meant that I didn't have corresponding tribulations. For example, if I feared getting beaten with an electric baton, I first told myself I was doing the most righteous thing in the universe, and I would never acknowledge the old forces' persecution. Then I sent righteous thoughts toward my fear until it was completely gone. Later on, after I had corrected the environment several times, I was never again subjected to physical abuse and mistreatment. Prison officials had made preparations to torture me on two occasions-- one time they even set up the "Death Bed." But I strengthened my righteous thoughts to eliminate that attachment. After I let go of my notion, the officials removed the device. The tribulation that was arranged to happen was negated.
What does it mean to truly let go of the fear of life and death? It means completely abandoning the fear of death, facing it head on. We also need to understand it from the Fa's perspective: that our bodies are just like pieces of clothing. If we get rid of the fear of death, naturally we can overcome the attachment to the human body. However, we still need to treasure the human body in order to continue cultivation and offer sentient beings salvation. One time I asked the prison guards for a copy of Zhuan Falun. At first they didn't give it to me. Then I wrote down for them the facts about Falun Gong and I also wrote my solemn statement. Since I had already eliminated the fear of death, they hurriedly gave me the book. During the entire process I only needed to remove my attachments and use my mouth to tell people the facts. Master said, "The Buddha Fa is boundless" (Lectures in the United States) and "Cultivation depends on one's own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one's master." (Zhuan Falun) Master does everything. I only needed to get rid of my attachments and validate the Fa.
Eventually I could practice the exercises openly, and I didn't wear a prison uniform. I had a normal haircut, and no longer did forced labor. Everything was rectified and the process became much easier. Whenever I decided to correct certain things about the environment in the prison, occasionally a few attachments would come up. Before doing anything, I would first eliminate the attachments that surfaced first. As soon as I completely got rid of the attachments, I would go ahead with correcting the situation on the human level, such as changing clothes by myself, doing the exercises normally, asking others to cut my hair the way I wanted, and stopping doing forced labor. The persecutors couldn't control me at all, and simply stopped asking about me. They were so afraid, how could they dare to control me? The reason why the people manipulated by the evil dared to persecute us was because we had attachments and loopholes that the evil took advantage of. As soon as we get rid of those attachments and maintain strong righteous thoughts that align with the Fa, how can the evil have the strength to fight the Fa-rectification of the entire universe? They will run away as soon as possible.
Doing things with rationality during the process of negating the old forces' arrangements is crucial. I lacked rationality initially and didn't take my ability to endure tribulations and my xinxing level into account, thus letting the evil take advantage of me. Through Fa study and examining myself I returned to rationality, and thus, step-by-step, I extended the scale and strength with which to correct the environment. For example, doing the exercises openly was rational during this process. I started with doing the sitting meditation pose, merely having the pose. When my heart felt nervous, I put my legs down and worked on eliminating the fear. Focusing on the fear, I recited repeatedly and silently, "Fear is dead. Fear is eliminated." After I felt calm again, the next time I was able to sit in position for five minutes. Feeling nervous again, I put my legs down and eliminated my fear for the second time. The next time I could do it for ten minutes. This fear-elimination cycle repeated. I eliminated the fear little by little, and extended the time, from five minutes to eventually one hour. And I improved from having my eyes open from time to time, to keeping my eyes closed all the time, to finally being able to do the full sitting meditation at ease. I progressed to all five sets of exercises and went from doing the exercises once every day to twice daily. Eventually I could do the exercises calmly, just like I did at home, even if I was facing the prison surveillance camera. As I got rid of my attachments, I progressed little by little, and the time lasted longer and longer. If my xinxing level didn't reach the requirements, I wouldn't do it. After my xinxing level was high enough and the attachments were eliminated, I would take action on this human level. The entire process was rational, stable, and simple, without tribulations. It was like the rise of water level in a reservoir; everything improved and ascended together (the calmness of my mind and the actions of my physical body). Everything was so natural and peaceful.
It seems like the process was very slow; had I cultivated myself diligently all the time, it would have been very quick. It took only a few weeks from my first starting to do the meditation for a few minutes to being able to do all the exercises. There was no difficulty. Solidly and stably, I transferred the fierce outside battle into completely cultivating the inner self. One would not have seen any conflicts outside. It was peaceful, calm, and harmonious, and demonstrated the power of Dafa.
3. Validating the Fa In Prison and Offering Sentient Beings Salvation
Since I validated the Fa calmly and rationally from the Fa's perspective and corrected abnormalities, the environment became more and more righteous. Prisoners and guards began to have the correct attitude toward Falun Dafa. They could freely read Zhuan Falun and other articles written by Master, and listened to the truth I told them. When one of the prison officials finished reading Zhuan Falun, Master gave him a hint by showing him a sentence in big golden and shiny characters: "Treat the Dafa disciples well and closely follow Dafa."
Some of the prisoners dared to shout out that the Chinese Communist Party is evil, and that Falun Dafa is good. They even said that each new prisoner the administration had dispatched to watch me was "one more person to obtain the Fa." One of the prisoners used to have hatred towards Dafa. But after he saw my experiences, and how I changed from suffering tribulations to doing things my own way, he was also amazed by how great the Buddha Fa is and decided to study Dafa. People from the 610 Office said to other people in an open way that Zhuan Falun is genuine scripture, and I should study it well and cultivate myself diligently. By the end of my detention, they treated me very well; if they saw other CCP agents persecute practitioners, they even called for justice. They also agreed that the Communist Party would soon be destroyed.
The environment was getting better, and the practitioners improved together. The "reformed" practitioners returned to Dafa, one by one. Each of them had a hand-copied copy of Zhuan Falun and began to do the exercises, like normal. Master's new articles arrived continuously. The remaining collaborators no longer held their heads high, and the 610 Office also lost interest in them and never again sent them to talk to true practitioners. The brainwashing center couldn't function any more. In addition to the four global sending righteous thoughts times, all the practitioners agreed to send righteous thoughts twice more each day, at eight o'clock in the morning and evening toward the prison guards being used by the evil. Many more sentient beings were saved.
As I was about to finally leave the prison, the prison head talked to me for a long time. He wanted to make sure I wasn't "reformed", and told me that once I was at home again, to cultivate diligently, until the end. It is just as Master said, "The Buddha-light illuminates everywhere and rectifies all abnormalities." (Zhuan Falun)
In the future I will continue to cultivate my inner self and work hard on my mindset. I will focus on Fa-study and cultivation, and do my best on the final leg of our journey.
These are some of my personal experiences. I welcome practitioners to point out anything improper.
