(Clearwisdom.net) Why do brainwashing centers still exist? As practitioners, we should think it through and look inward. Below I want to share with fellow practitioners my understanding of why brainwashing centers still exist and the urgency and necessity of eliminating them.
In 2004, I was arrested and sent to a brainwashing center. Just before that, my child had been admitted to a university. My friends and relatives all came to my home to congratulate us, and I relaxed in doing the three things Teacher asks us to do. I was therefore taken advantage of. In a public place, seven or eight police officers arrested me and took me away in a police vehicle. They didn't produce any ID or pay any attention to condemnations from the crowd that had gathered. I shouted, “Falun Dafa is good!” Their faces turned green and their hands trembled. They said in a panic, “We will send you home within a month. We guarantee it.”
On the road, I clarified the truth to them because they are victims of the persecution themselves. Since many people were squeezed into a small car, I gave my seat to one of the officers. I squatted there and continued to clarify the truth to them. They were moved and said, “You are really good people. We really have no other choice. The higher authorities force us to do it. You don't know how much pressure we are under.” I did not harbor hatred for them in my heart because I knew they were controlled by the evil forces.
I was taken to a brainwashing center. My mind was peaceful and I was not afraid. I felt I had come to this place to dissolve the evil. At noon, a local 610 Office director presented a big bowl of rice for me to eat. I told him kindly, “Thank you. It is a big bowl and I cannot finish it all. Please do not waste it.” He put down the bowl and shook my hands with tears in his eyes, saying, “You are a good person. You are a good person.” I looked at the several dozen officials here and felt pity and sympathy for them. I thought, “Since I came here, I must save them and eliminate the evil and rotten demons that control them.”
There were nine practitioners detained at the brainwashing center including me. I heard that there had been a few brainwashing sessions held here before, and many practitioners were “transformed.” The officials got a lot of bonuses. So besides clarifying the truth there, I focused on sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil. Four to five collaborators were sent to brainwash me in turn. I just sent forth righteous thoughts and did not talk to them. And I did not hear them at all. They beat me and yelled at me. I did not hate them, I only had mercy for them. After they stopped beating me, they started to cry and said, “We are sorry. We won't beat you anymore.” Two young girls from the residence committee were sent to live with me and watch me. They cried and wanted to go home every day and did not care about me at all. I sent forth righteous thoughts and practiced the exercises every day. Later they sent an over-50-year-old woman to watch me. I clarified the truth to her. After she understood the truth, she also asked to go home. Her husband called her and told her, “Please come home as soon as possible. Never do such a stupid thing again. There is no good end for doing that.” She also went home. Finally the last young girl also left. I lived in one room alone. During the night, I rarely slept. Instead, I sent forth righteous thoughts and practiced the exercises.
Some of the detained practitioners went on a hunger strike to protest the persecution. Some were force fed and brutally persecuted. Some were given drugs agains their will. I thought I could not do a hunger strike. Instead, I needed to eat more and use the energy to send forth righteous thoughts. About three weeks later, the other eight practitioners had been forcibly “transformed.” I was very sad and cried. This was truly unworthy of Teacher's compassionate salvation. I did not lose my confidence, though, and focused on sending forth righteous thoughts even more.
The newly “transformed” people later came to “transform” me. I helped them to improve based on the Fa. The collaborators could not do anything to me and they gave up. Later, a 610 Office official and a guard came to me. They berated me, and one of them said, “You are the only person who refused to be 'transformed.' Because of you, we won't get our bonuses. You ruined everything. We almost had a transformation rate of 100%. I just don't believe that you are made of steel. Now you have two choices: First, a six-year sentence. Second, cooperate with us for the 'study'.” I said, “I do not want the sentence or to study your brainwashing propaganda. I listen only to my Teacher and follow the arrangements he made for me. Your words do not count.” They tried to hit my head with their fists, but they could not touch my head. Their fists were very close to my face, but they simply couldn't hit me. My mind was calm and I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil factors and rotten demons that controlled them behind their backs.
About the 26th day or 27th day, the 610 Office director told me, “Your husband comes to our office every day to ask us to release you. He said he will go to Tiananmen Square to display a banner if we do not release you.” While talking to me, he received a message on his cellphone. He showed it to me. It was a message sent by a practitioner saying, “Jiang Zemin has stepped down. Please release the practitioners immediately.”
The other seven practitioners were released. One practitioner was in bad health and could not walk, due to severe mistreatment. I was the only person who wasn't “transformed.” All the officials were against me. I could not relax. I believe in Teacher and the Fa. With Teacher and the Fa, I had nothing to fear. I am a Dafa disciple during the Fa-rectification period. I absolutely had the power to eliminate the evil forces. I needed to fully use the divine power Teacher bestowed me with to thoroughly eliminate all the evil in that dark den.
On the 28th day, suddenly all the officials and collaborators were gone. There were only the guard at the gate and the 610 Office director. The director told me, “You are really good. You made all the officials here sick. They are all in the hospital now for treatment. My head also really hurts.” On the 29th day, I suddenly saw my two nieces rush in. They loudly asked the guard, “What did my aunt do wrong? Why are you keeping her here? There is nothing wrong with practicing Falun Gong. Falun Gong is good.” They pulled me toward the gate to leave with them. The guard was in a panic and called other guards, “It's urgent. Her family rushed in and helped her to blame us.” The brainwashing center was heavily guarded. I asked my nieces how they got in. They told me that they had simply asked the guards where to open the door to visit, and the guards just opened the door. I understood that it was all Teacher's arrangement. The guard called for help to come in and drag them out, but they did not leave and waited outside the gate to demand my release. That night, a 610 Office official drove them back home. I still firmly kept doing what I should do, sending forth righteous thoughts continuously. I told the 610 Office director very kindly, “I hope you do not persecute Falun Gong practitioners anymore. We are really good people and have benefitted society, doing no harm at all. It is not good for you, your family, or your children that you persecute Falun Gong practitioners. It is indeed for your own good; it is a predestined relationship that let us meet.” He said, “I really do not want to do this anymore. I feel bad every day and my head hurts every day. I am not having a good day. I am thinking of quitting this job and opening a business with you. Would that be OK?”
I smiled.
On the 30th day, the local 610 Office sent people to pick me up and take me home. I heard they never held another brainwashing session again.
Above was my experience in the brainwashing center. When practitioners are arrested and taken to a brainwashing center, if all they think about is how to get out, it is still selfish because they are not thinking of saving sentient beings, sending forth righteous thoughts, and eliminating all the evil beings that control the officials to persecute us.
Some practitioners who had been persecuted in the past immediately thought of going home when they were detained at the brainwashing center. They did not think that, since they had been taken there, they had the opportunity to clarify the truth to the authorities there. Even if they were able to walk out with righteous thoughts, the evil authorities still continued to persecute practitioners. The practitioners who did not have strong righteous thoughts or still have strong human notions still suffer from persecution. Sentient beings are still waiting to be saved. The people who were persecuted not only include the practitioners, but also the people who persecuted them. The old forces are fundamentally destroying sentient beings. Teacher said,
“Master wants to save all sentient beings. But the evil forces are truly committing sins against Dafa by using all sentient beings, with the ultimate purpose of destroying them.” (“Dafa is Indestructible,” Essentials for Further Advancement II)
The old forces created the evil brainwashing center to persecute Falun Gong practitioners. It is a persecution imposed on practitioners in order to “test” them. It cannot be acknowledged and cannot be allowed to exist fundamentally because its goal is to destroy the sentient beings.
Why do brainwashing centers still exist? In some areas they are still very widespread and active. It is actually related to the status of the practitioners in the whole area. It is our omission that is taken advantage of by the old forces. They use brainwashing, forced labor, sentencing, and all kinds of brutal ways to persecute practitioners. They know some practitioners are afraid of this environment, so they reinforce this environment. Not only did practitioners who were sent to brainwashing centers not pay attention to this fundamental fact, neither did the practitioners outside. The fundamental goal of dissolving the brainwashing centers is to save sentient beings.
Many practitioners were imprisoned and persecuted in prison for four or five years or even longer, but they were not “transformed.” Soon after other practitioners were detained in the brainwashing center, they were “transformed.” Certainly we do not acknowledge such “transformations,” but they show the large number of evil factors behind the brainwashing center. The practitioners who are detained inside should change from being “afraid of being 'transformed' and only wanting to be released” to having the righteous thought of dissolving the brainwashing center while inside. It is great to get out of the brainwashing center, but our mission and goal is to dissolve the evil inside and save the sentient beings. We are Dafa disciples walking the path to godhood. If all practitioners who are sent to the brainwashing centers have righteous thoughts, believe in Teacher and the Fa, let go their fear and all kinds of attachments, don't cooperate with the evil, and refuse to be “transformed,” then can these brainwashing centers still continue to exist? In addition, if all the practitioners outside can realize the necessity of dissolving these brainwashing centers and send forth righteous thoughts together to dissolve them, can the evil still survive? They would have been dissolved long ago. In a word, it is our omission that we did not form righteous thoughts as a whole to dissolve these brainwashing centers.
I hope we practitioners can form a whole body, eliminate selfishness, and rectify our omissions. Then the brainwashing centers will be completely dissolved. The evil will self-destruct since it will have no basis to survive.
