(Minghui.org) The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has installed surveillance cameras and automatic facial recognition systems in railway stations, bus stations, piers, banks, and all other public areas. Last year, these cameras and systems were also installed in residential communities. The CCP has turned all of mainland China into a large prison.
Surveillance in My Community
There are only four buildings in my community, but the authorities have installed more than 20 cameras of various shapes. More than 10 cameras have signs on them that read, “collecting images.” The large gates at each building have electronic access control and automatic facial recognition. Whoever wants to use the door key to gain access is asked to have his or her photo taken for the record. Surveillance staff is on duty around the clock.
Street lamps are being installed every 20 meters to light the outside of my apartment to be as bright as day during the evening. This is one of the Party’s facial recognition projects to prevent Falun Dafa, also called Falun Gong, practitioners from distributing truth-clarification materials. In contrast, none of the old equipment at any of my family members' residences has been changed or updated.
Based on articles I read on the Minghui website, I learned that these cameras can clearly read the license plate of a car parked over 200 meters away. Additionally, police have been using the pictures/videos they collected through their “knocking on doors” campaign to compare with the videos taken through the surveillance cameras to monitor Dafa practitioners’ whereabouts and patterns for future arrests, raids, and even sentencing.
Master said,
“The persecution is essentially a matter of wicked, low entities and things obstructing our efforts to rescue people. But as beings at very high levels see it, this serves to test Dafa disciples and facilitate their cultivation. So that is what’s going on.” (“2018 Fa Teaching Given in Washington, D.C.”)
At first, the mental burden felt very heavy, I was afraid and panicky, and I did not know what to do. I had always wanted to move to a relatively good neighborhood, but that was easier said than done. The practitioners who came to my home for group Fa study (at a fixed time) were harassed many times, and some were photographed and recorded. Worrying that fellow practitioners would be recognized by facial recognition put me in a stressed and passive mindset. I had to study the Fa more and send righteous thoughts more.
Later, a fellow practitioner also felt unsafe and said she had to stop coming for a while, and that whether she would come in the future would depend on the situation. Just before this, I had a very clear dream that I could not figure out if it was a hint from Master or a deception created by the old forces. I did not mention my dream to this fellow practitioner. Since she brought up the issue and nothing is accidental, I then agreed to stop the Fa study because of concerns regarding fellow practitioners’ safety.
In the dream, the gate outside my building was too heavy for a child or an elderly person to push, so someone used a rock to hold the gate open for easy access. The surveillance staff would see this and lock the gate again. But then, some resourceful person opened only half of the gate; the other half with electronic door switch and facial recognition device remained closed. That meant the gate was open all day. I realized that everyday people were helping me. My first thought afterward was to resume our Fa-study sessions.
From remote history up to today, Dafa disciples’ lives were created by Master, and everything of ours was given by Master. We are to do what we should because we came for Dafa. There is no other choice. We must walk well only on the cultivation path arranged by Master to save sentient beings, to reach Consummation, and to follow Master to return to our original, true homes.
Mental Struggle
I was ashamed of my fear and felt sorry and regretful that I didn’t pass this test. At the key moment, I was controlled by my selfishness instead of following Dafa. How could I deserve to be a Dafa disciple? How far is this from the requirements of the Fa? I was embarrassed.
Master said,
“What's important for cultivators is righteous thoughts. When you have strong righteous thoughts, you are able to withstand anything and do anything. That's because you are a cultivator: someone who is on a divine path and who is not controlled by the factors of ordinary people or low-level principles.” (Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles)
“Some demons manage to harm our Dafa disciples because the disciples can’t see them, and so the disciples think that they are powerless to turn things around. So those demons have taken advantage of this fact.” (“2018 Fa Teaching Given in Washington, D.C.”)
“That is to say, don't pay any mind to whatever the reality of today's mankind is or however rampant the evil is: The people who have come to this world are waiting for you to save them! (Applause) All the adverse things that come about are tests for Dafa disciples related to increasing mighty virtue.” (“Fa Teaching at the U.S. Capital,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. VIII)
The Communist Party is now using surveillance cameras and facial recognition to scare away and monitor Dafa disciples, obstructing our efforts to rescue people. This is wishful thinking on their part because we are going to overcome the situation with righteous thoughts and actions.
The Minghui website has published many good articles to reference for overcoming such tribulations with righteous thoughts. I will share what I have learned from such articles, along with my own experiences and understandings, to provide examples and suggestions to help fellow practitioners who encounter these issues.
Nine Considerations to Overcoming the CCP’s Surveillance System
1. I was most impressed by one example published on the Minghui website: a practitioner had been putting up posters for 12 years and never had a safety problem. She said that every time she went out, she thought: “Have the camera not work; it will only have light but no image.”
2. When we go out to save sentient beings, in the face of monitoring, we can use righteous thoughts and call out to Master to strengthen us. When we firmly believe in Master, as long as we have strong righteous thoughts, the monitoring will not work on us.
3. We can communicate with all the surveillance cameras to have them remember “Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,” and have them listen to Dafa disciples instead of assisting the evil.
4. We can send righteous thoughts to eliminate all evil factors behind the monitoring devices by saying, “The Fa rectifies the Cosmos -- the Evil is completely eliminated. The Fa rectifies Heaven and Earth – immediate retribution in this lifetime.”
5. A practitioner said, “The electronic device is so weak; it fails as soon as we send righteous thoughts to clear it out.”
For example, a practitioner drove his car and was later notified through his cell phone that he was given a traffic ticket. When he went to the traffic department to resolve this issue, he sent a thought to deny this persecution. In the office, the person assisting him checked one computer and then another,and then said, “It's all right, you can go.”
6. It is also effective to send righteous thoughts to erase all images and information about oneself taken by the surveillance cameras or send righteous thoughts to simply have the camera break if you sense danger afterward. This method can also be used on cameras in your neighborhood.
7. One can also take precautions to remain indistinguishable, such as wearing sunglasses or light-colored glasses, wearing a mask or a large hat, using an umbrella in hot weather, frequently changing into different colored or sizes of clothes, and not always wearing the same color or style of shoes.
8. When going out to distribute truth-clarification materials, it is best not to use a seniors’ bus card because that card contains one’s information. It is best to use a traffic card that has no personal information. Don’t go to the same place over and over and often change the ride route, destination, and walking route so that there is no specific pattern.
9. Fellow practitioners should take turns hosting group Fa study and schedule it at different times; this can reduce the risk of being monitored.
At present, according to reports on the Minghui website, most persecution cases occur when practitioners talk to people about Falun Gong, hang banners and stickers, or distribute Dafa materials. These incidents are initiated by the police who use the surveillance cameras and facial recognition or by a misguided member of the public who reports the practitioner to the police. No matter what the situation, we must remember to call out to Master for help at key moments.
If necessary, we can use supernormal powers, for Master has granted such power to us. Our lives belongs to Dafa. When we are aligned with Master and the Fa, nothing is impossible.
Let us keep in mind what Master has said:
“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,” Essentials for Further Advancement II)
Category: Improving Oneself
