(Minghui.org) I was arrested and taken to a police station on November 9, 2018. The station chief threatened to destroy my source of income this time, referring to my prior detention in a forced labor camp. This had to do with my not giving up Falun Gong, especially when the Party had banned it. All these negative comments put me under a lot of pressure.
During my time at the detention center, I kept memorizing the Fa, looking within and did not cooperate with the guards' demands. After having been illegally detained for 12 days, I returned home safely.
This incident taught me that Master and Dafa reign supreme – they are in charge in any situation.
Refusing to Cooperate
Five policemen broke into my house just after 6 a.m. on November 9. The police station chief flashed his identification card and declared that I was to be arrested for practicing Falun Gong. I resisted, but was overpowered and dragged into a car. Once inside the detention center, they attempted to interrogate me and record the process . However, I refused to say or sign anything. In the end they noted “no response” and “refused to sign.”
During my detention I was interrogated three times. On the first occasion, I preempted the questioning by asking the policeman where he was from. Following his response I asked him what his name was. He replied: “I am not telling you.” That reaction was a timely reminder to me that I should not cooperate with them in any way.
Master had said:
“No matter what the situation, do not cooperate with the evil’s demands, orders, or what it instigates. (” Dafa Disciples’ Righteous Thoughts are Powerful, Essentials for Further Advancement II)
With pen and paper in hand, they fired all sorts of questions at me, including what was my name and age, and why I practiced Falun Gong. I remained silent and obstinately refused to answer any of the questions. Furthermore, I could see that printed at the top of their document were incriminating words such as illegal or criminal offense. I would not want to see even the words “Falun Dafa is good” appear in their record as that would be debasing the dignity of Falun Dafa. A blank record sheet meant no record had been taken – that was my only way to save these people. I continued with the same tactic through all three interrogation sessions.
At times I was unnerved by the interrogators - for instance when they called out my name. In order to stay calm I would repeatedly recite,
“...by staying unmoved you would be able to handle all situations...” (Fa Teaching Given at the 2014 San Francisco Fa Conference)
When they threatened to torture me unless I cooperated, I would think of what Master had said:
“In Buddhism, it is said that every phenomenon in human society is illusory and unreal.” (Lecture Two, Zhuan Falun)
Master's words reminded me that these interrogations and threats are illusory and unreal. The policemen were just puppets in this dimension, they were being controlled and manipulated by the old forces, and the evil Party specters in other dimensions. So I directed my righteous thoughts to clear out these evil elements, which resulted in the policemen becoming more humane and more restrained.
Hunger Strike
In the evening of the day I was arrested, I was taken to a city-level detention center. I did not cooperate by refusing to wear the prison uniforms, line up or eat – I went on a hunger strike.
I lay on my cot with my eyes closed, ignoring all rules around me. This way I had plenty of time to think. I mulled over why I had been targeted by the evil and did some soul searching to identify my attachments. I kept myself alert at all times, so I could better concentrate on sending forth righteous thoughts.
While sending righteous thoughts, I discovered that I still held resentment in my heart and was pursuing an outcome I had in mind. For example, I had wanted Master to help me clear out all evil elements and exact immediate retribution from the police chief who had arrested me by way of a car accident. Those impure and unkind thoughts would not have had any force in destroying evil!
I should have realized that policemen are also victims and needed to be saved just the same. They did not understand the truth and only acted badly because of the indoctrination by the Party. I directed my righteous thoughts at the minuscule living beings within the police chief. I beseeched them to act kindly towards Falun Dafa disciples and not to aid and abet in the persecution so as to avoid losing their own lives in the future.
Interfering thoughts also came up quite often. For instance, such a thought would randomly pop into my mind: “I still have truth clarification cards and paper notes stored at home. Why didn’t I distribute them earlier? Why did I not store them away safely?” Regret or not, thoughts like those interfered with my effort to send righteous thoughts.
I had to clear my head and correct myself – truth clarification cards and paper notes are for saving people, not to be used by my persecutors as evidence against me.
Master said:
“Anything that affected one’s trance and cultivation would be regarded as serious interference.” (Lecture Seven, Zhuan Falun)
Searching for the Cause of My Arrest
While in detention, I spent a lot of time reflecting on the flaws I may have had in my cultivation that resulted in my being arrested.
One matter came to mind. A small number of practitioners in our area got involved in unscrupulous pyramid schemes. When I found out about it, I had failed to act properly, that is, I failed to look within myself to expose and rid myself of any attachments in the first instance before discussing the matter in a kindly manner with those involved. I had done the opposite, just as the indoctrination by the Party had instilled in me. I investigated those involved and exposed their deed.
I was looking externally instead of looking within myself and showed a complete lack of compassion on my part.
Master said:
“If you want to achieve tranquility through some techniques or methods, I would call this searching for external help. In qigong practice, however, going awry and following an evil way simply refer to people searching for external help. With Buddhism in particular, if you search for external help, you are said to have taken a demonic way.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
Actions After Release from Imprisonment
When I was held captive, what had pained me the most was the loss of freedom to study the Fa. I only had a general understanding of the Fa and could not recall Master's exact words from Zhuan Falun. I regretted deeply that I had not memorized the Fa word for word.
No less distressing was the situation for sending forth righteous thoughts. I did not have a watch so I could not do it at the designated times and I could not sit up to do it properly.
As soon as I returned home, I used every available moment for one whole month to memorize the book Zhuan Falun from beginning to end. In addition, I sent forth righteous thoughts every hour on the hour and extended the time spent doing it at the four daily designated times. With the extended time, I aimed specifically at helping local practitioners who had been locked up.
Remaining Calm When Facing Conflicts
On my third day after I returned home, my husband’s suppressed anger finally exploded. I was going to argue with him until I remembered I had promised myself that when I returned home I would put extra effort into studying the Fa and treat ordinary people with compassion.
In the face of my husband’s wrath, I told myself to remain calm and not be affected by what was happening in this dimension. I opened Zhuan Falun and Master’s words stared back at me:
“For instance, when someone swears at you among everyday people, you do not say a word and feel very calm; or when someone throws a fist at you, you do not say a word and let it go with a smile. Your xinxing level is already very high.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun).
As I was reading the Fa, the urge to argue left me. The next day, my husband appeared to have changed. His voice became softer and his behavior was much improved. It was proof that:
“For a cultivator, looking within is a magical tool.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. IX
