Walking Out of the "Family Detention Center"

[Minghui] During this unique period of China's cruel suppression of Falun Gong, a lot of practitioners are not being detained in detention centers, but instead are detained in the so-called "family detention center" instead. Even now, some practitioners still cannot resolve the difficult environment in the family. Due to family members' insufficient understanding of Cultivation practice and Falun Dafa, practitioners did not even have the freedom to study Dafa and practice the exercises and felt constrained to a greater extent when intending to do something for Dafa. Regarding this topic, I would like to share and discuss my personal experiences with all of you.

After practicing Falun Gong, my family members have witnessed that the illness that I had suffered from for more than ten years was quickly cured without any further treatment. They had also commented that this practice was good. However, they did not really understand the real meaning of Falun Dafa. After the Chinese government banned Falun Gong, they were exposed to a lot of negative propaganda on TV against Falun Gong. They tried to convince me to give up practicing Falun Gong because they were afraid of getting themselves into trouble. The more rampant the evil forces were, the more pressure I received from my family. When China undertook a complete crackdown against Falun Gong, I was then held in the so-called "family detention center" while facing my husband's beating, swearing, ripping Dafa books, prohibitions, and my daughter's brawling and persuasion. Facing the severe pressure from my family, I just decided to follow the requirement of "Ren" (Forbearance) and to upgrade my Xingxing (heart/mind nature). I knew that this was only a test for me. My heart to practice Falun Dafa was determined and would not be moved under any circumstances. I once searched inwardly, yet I only tried to find where I did not do well enough in the family environment. No matter how much I cared for them, how much I was considerate of them, endured hardships and their blame, they continued to strongly hold an opposite position. When my family was not at home, I secretly studied Falun Dafa and practiced the exercises. In order to see other practitioners, I lied to my husband and used "code words" on the phone. In the end, I became a "secret contact person" after going through all the cultivation. At that time, I did not know how to obtain enlightenment on this issue and so that I could pass this test.

After repeatedly studying the Fa, especially learning Master Li's new scriptures this year, I became enlightened: I was so attached to my own selfishness and fearfulness. I only knew the concepts of "stability and to cultivate solidly" and waited for the teacher to rectify the Fa. During that period the evil forces were outrageous, I was scared of being caught, being detained, and making trouble for my family. I was not connecting my personal cultivation to the Fa-rectification. I could only discern righteousness from evil and did not perceive that the evil should not exist and should not even appear around us. Master Li said in "Serious Teachings" that: "No matter how he 'persists in studying the Fa and doing the exercises' at home, he is being controlled by demons and is 'enlightening' along an evil path." Taking a passive attitude to endure evil was the same as encouraging evil. All beings in the universe are created by Dafa (great law and principle). We are cultivation practitioners in Dafa, and each of us is a particle in Dafa. We should be the protectors of the universe and should be responsible for all positive elements in the universe. We have to do our best to eliminate evil and sincerely act as a particle of Dafa. I also became enlightened that "Righteous Law" is not only a noun meaning that Falun Dafa is a righteous law, not an XX (slanderous word against Dafa), but also it is a verb meaning that we have to rectify the unrighteous to become the righteous and we have to act upon and do it. This is "Assisting the teacher in the human world." Of course, it is quite easy for the teacher to conduct the Fa-rectification. We are cultivating ourselves while in the process of the Fa-rectification and it all depends on how we act upon it.

We asked the government to give us a legal environment for practicing cultivation, yet I could not attain this environment even within my own family. We asked the government to release all detained Dafa practitioners unconditionally, yet I could not achieve my personal freedom from my own family. Let's take another look at practitioners who have stepped forward to validate Dafa and got detained, and practitioners who have been tortured to death because of their firm determination to practice Falun Dafa, how great they are! Yet we are practitioners of the same teacher and I cannot even break through my own little restrictive space. "If a person has obtained the Fa but isn't able to validate the Fa, does he still deserve to be a Dafa disciple?" We are righteous. Then why should we do these things furtively? The more we cannot do it openly and above board, the more our family will be preoccupied with worry, and the more they will suspect Dafa, the more strict they will watch us. If we cannot even rectify the "small family", how can we hope to rectify the "big" family" (of humanity)?

Therefore, I gave up my attachments to selfishness and fearfulness. To tell the truth to the public, I decided I should first tell the truth to my husband because he is the person who is the closest to me in the world. In "Speech by Master Li Hongzhi at the Western US Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference of Falun Dafa", Master Li said: "I think you should, as a student, as a cultivator, do these things from the perspective of benevolence as well. Inform people of the truth, tell them about it--this is also offering people salvation." Indeed, I looked at my husband from the perspective of compassion. He is honest, kind, righteous, and has worked very hard throughout his life. Under such a horrific and fearful enviroment, he was afraid that his wife would be detained, jailed, and punished. He clearly knew that Falun Gong practitioners are nice people, but he still did not have the courage to uphold the righteousness, to speak loudly the fair words, and to tell the truth. He could only act against his own conscience to persuade his family to give up practicing cultivation. How could he know that he was indulging those perpetrators of evil? This is in fact incurring karma, is hurting himself, and is against the principles of the universe. He is in fact leading a pitiful, miserable life.

I decided that I should offer him salvation, ask him to quickly wake up, wake up his righteousness and conscience, help him to discern right from wrong, and help him change his understanding. To let him know the truth of Dafa, and let him know what we are thinking and doing. We should not do things covertly, try to achieve goals, and remain afraid of him. In "Eliminate Your Last Attachment(s)", Master Li said: "All of you are already aware of the principle of mutual-generation and mutual-inhibition. If you are not afraid, the factor that would make you afraid will become non-existent." I actively found chances to tell him about other practitioners' personal experiences; let him read the information regarding the true facts about Falun Dafa; and purposefully played Master's lecture tapes to let him listen. His thoughts were gradually changing. I also asked him to listen to the broadcast program of the Falun Dafa Radio Station. He was touched. His concepts did change. Therefore, his ban against my practice was lifted naturally. One day, I was so happy to see him reading Zhuan Falun with great concentration. I then gave him other Dafa books to read. Now, he enjoyed reading the true information about Falun Dafa. Sometimes, he would bring the information to the plant where he worked to let other people read it. He also read Master Li's new scriptures. One time, I went to Beijing to do something. Before leaving, he advised me in the words of "Rationality": "Don't voluntarily let the evil take you away." Sometimes when he heard that the police had gone to other practitioners' homes and searched their houses, he would help me hide my books. When he had conversations with other people about Falun Gong, he always said: Falun Gong practitioners are all good people. Their cultivation of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" is not a crime. When other practitioners came to my house for chatting, he was also very hospitable. Sometimes, he also chatted with them about comments on Falun Gong from other countries in the short wave of radio. He also helped me to do other tasks.

Therefore, I concluded that the difficulties in the family are not that everyday people treat us unfairly. It is oftentimes that we cannot upgrade our own enlightenment quality. Their conversion process from opposition to support is also the upgrading process of our own Xingxing. Only when our Xingxing level is upgraded, the environment around us will change accordingly. Each of us is a practitioner. Isn't it quite easy to change an everyday person in our own energy field?

A Practitioner in China

December 14, 2000