My Experience of Returning Home Safely from a Detention Centre

Recently I read on the Clearwisdom.net website that when practitioners' illegal detention terms expire, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) transfers many of the practitioners to brainwashing centres for further persecution. While we should expose such despicable deeds, at the same time I think we should have a better understanding based on the Fa. Here I would like to share my experience of getting out of prison and returning home safely.

I was illegally detained for three years and the term was to expire in December 2003. When my release date was approaching, I heard some police officers and prisoners say that if Falun Gong practitioners didn't give up their beliefs prior to the completion of their terms, they would be sent to brainwashing centres. Looking back, I realized that Teacher was using those people to remind me not to slack off. Some practitioners, who had been illegally detained for a long time, let go of their human notions and strengthened their righteous thoughts, and their environment became more favourable. However, when their terms were close to ending, some human notions began to surface and they began to make plans about what they would do after their release. The old forces exploited this loophole and intensified the persecution. Often, on the day of release or the day before, right after the completion of their paperwork, the police send the practitioners to brainwashing centres. As this was usually totally unexpected, some practitioners who had "persevered to the end," became so disillusioned that they gave up the practice not long after they went to the brainwashing centre, even though they had resisted "transformation" in the harsh environment of the prison. Their succumbing to such disgraceful acts at critical moments was due entirely to using human notions instead of righteous thoughts.

When I heard that practitioners might be sent to a brainwashing centre upon completion of their terms, my first thought was to completely oppose it. With my limited cultivation level at the time, I was unable to have complete faith in Teacher and the Fa. When my human notions surfaced, I thought about fleeing after walking out of the prison door. I even saved some cash for that purpose. During that period of time, I recited the Fa, sent forth righteous thoughts, and clarified the truth. Due to my strong righteous thoughts, plus the fact that my term was near the end, neither the police nor the prison head bothered me much, so I had more freedom to interact with the inmates and clarify the truth to them. In prison, if a practitioner gives in due to fear, the inmates look down upon him or her. In contrast, those who opposed the persecution without fear are respected by the inmates, who are also more inclined to accept the truth.

As the release date approached, my righteous thoughts became stronger and stronger. I only had one thought, to absolutely not cooperate with the evil and absolutely not get into the police car. When the day came, my father came very early to pick me up. As expected after the paperwork, the police did not let us go, but insisted on my getting into the police car, saying that I could go home after completing some simple procedures at the local police station. I didn't get in the police car, and my father also knew that that the police intended to detain me. It was after 9:00 a.m., and many people were present outside the administration building. Later, I realized that this was Teacher's arrangement, to ensure that the police could not take me away, as they wouldn't do it in public. My father (not a practitioner) was also very firm that day and full of righteous thoughts. When the police came to drag me into the car, he blocked them and said some strong words to them. I was also determined, and able to let go of life and death, and I absolutely would not get into the police car. The police realized that their plan would not work by force, so they tried a softer approach. A policewoman was sent to persuade me. She said a lot, but had only one goal - getting me into the police car. No matter what she said, I didn't yield. After a while she left. Teacher said,

"...by having your heart unaffected you will be able to handle all situations." ("Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)" from Essentials for Further Advancement II)

The police could do nothing but leave me there while calling for instructions. During that period of time, I began reciting the Fa, including "Dafa is Indestructible" and "Dafa Disciples' Righteous Thoughts are Powerful." At that moment, the instructor in the prison came to see what was happening. Strangely, when he got to about three meters from me, his voice became very weak, as if he did not want to be there. I suddenly realized that it was my powerful righteous thoughts that prevented him from getting closer.

"Actually, every Dafa disciple has abilities. It's just that the abilities do not manifest in the surface dimension, so they think that they don't have supernormal abilities. But regardless of whether they can manifest in the surface dimension or not, when a person's True Thoughts come forth they are very powerful." ("Dafa Disciples' Righteous Thoughts are Powerful" from Essentials for Further Advancement II)

Previously, whenever I saw the prison instructor, I had always sent righteous thoughts toward him. He subsequently no longer bothered me much nor came to talk to me. He was in fact a very vicious person, and the Clearwisdom.net website had exposed his bad deeds many times. This time I directly witnessed the power of righteous thoughts.

After about 40 minutes, a prison guard came and said to me, "You are free to go now. Follow me and I will escort you out." Father and I followed him and walked out of the prison gate. We ran into some inmates who were on labour assignment outside the prison. They were envious seeing me regain freedom. In this way, under Teacher's arrangement, the news of my getting out of prison safely was brought back into the prison immediately. This was a big encouragement for those practitioners who were still detained inside.

This battle lasted the entire morning. With Teacher's protection, and righteous thoughts from fellow practitioners outside the prison, we prevailed.

After returning home safely, I was thinking about two practitioners whose terms were also close to expiring. I asked other practitioners to contact those two practitioners' families, and tell them face-to-face how I got out of the prison with righteous thoughts. Later, I heard that with the help of fellow practitioners and relatives, they also returned home safely to join the mighty current of Fa-rectification.