(Clearwisdom.net) In June 2006, Ms. Gao Xiumin, a Falun Gong practitioner from Nantangjia Village, Rushankou Town in Rushan City, Shandong Province, was arrested by the police when she was clarifying the truth about Falun Gong in the Xia Village, Rushan City. In August 2006, she was transferred from Rushan City to Zibo City, Shandong Province. The exact location is unknown. She and her 87-year-old mother depend on each other for survival. Her arrest has greatly affected her mother, who was almost stricken with an illness. The elderly woman, who had never left her hometown before, began to fervently seek her daughter.
She first went to the police department to request Ms. Gao's release. The officers at the police department unreasonably said, "That is not any of our business. Go to the detention center."
The poor woman had never gone to big cities before. How would it be possible for her to find the location? It took her a great effort to find the detention center, but nobody received her. She just stood in the courtyard.
Since she was worried about her daughter. and it was hot, she fainted on the courtyard. However, nobody took an interest in her at all. At noon, nobody gave her any food. In the afternoon, it began to rain. So she went into a restroom to avoid rain. After the rain stopped, she came out of the restroom. A group of people came over, and laughed at her. Among them, a young man said, "Leave soon. What are you doing here? Are you begging for money?" The woman answered, "No. My daughter is detained here. I came to see her. She never did anything bad. Why was she arrested?" The man said fiercely, "Go away. You may go anywhere you like to sue us."
After the elderly woman returned home, she did not feel like eating for days. Her daughter had been cultivating in Falun Dafa to be a better person, but she was suddenly arrested! Since the crops needed tending to and there was much work inside and outside of the household to be done, she had to go to week the fields with her weak health and bound feet. Bearing the agony of missing her daughter mentally and the burden of of making a livelihood physically, she led a hard life.
Ms. Gao Xiumin is in her 30's. She was arrested by the Rushan City Police Department and sentenced to forced labor for three years for practicing Falun Gong in 2001. At that time, she was detained in the Wangcun Forced Labor Camp in Zibo City, Shandong Province. After she was released, she continued to clarify the truth. She was arrested again. Her detention location is unknown.
Monday, August 20, 2007
Thursday, August 9, 2007
Exposing the Slave Labor of Falun Gong Practitioners in Shandong Province's 1st Forced Labor Camp
(Clearwisdom.net) Since July 1999, when the Chinese Communist Party began persecuting Falun Gong practitioners, Shandong Province's No. 1 Forced Labor Camp (popularly known as Jinan City's Jiangshuiquan Forced Labor Camp) has spared no effort in carrying out various persecution efforts. One of the methods used is to make prisoners put in long hours of hard labor.
From 2002 to 2003, one of the tasks in the labor camp was to stick labels onto medicine packages. The labels were printed by Jinan City's Tianyi Printing Company. (Formerly called the Donggang Company, it is known to the outside world as a company that produces high-class non-carbon paper.) Labels must be affixed both inside and outside the package. The contents are "Beijing's Pressure Lowering No. 0" produced by Beijing's Shuanghe Medicine, Ltd.
Practitioners in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd divisions of the labor camp must stick the "Shuanghe" label on the packages of "Beijing's Pressure Lowering No. 0." The medicine boxes are closely packaged in a bigger paper box and delivered to the labor camp. The paper boxes come in two sizes. The big box contains 2,000 medicine boxes, which are placed in two layers. The smaller box can hold 1,000 medicine boxes. In order to make more profits, the labor camp usually has the larger-sized boxes delivered.
Practitioners from the 1st, 2nd, and the 3rd divisions are each forced to finish three to four boxes each day. Young practitioners can complete eleven boxes at most in a day. In other words, everyone has to put labels on 6,000-8,000 medicine boxes; sometimes, even over 20,000 boxes.
Approximate working hours are 7:30 to 11:30 a.m., 12 to 6 p.m., and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and even 9 or 10 p.m. Practitioners have to do 12 to13 hours of high-intensity labor everyday. Long hours of labor causes extreme pain in the back, shoulders, and hands, and particularly in the neck area. The neck becomes so numb it cannot move.
Guards from the labor camp cooperate with a young man named Wang, who is assigned by the Jinan City's Tianyi Printing Company. They gave strict requirements for the labeling process. Usually, a company's label is stuck on the assigned spot in an appropriate position. But Wang demanded that the label be put on the box in a very particular and specific position, not allowing even a little crookedness. He required that the label be centered, with a specific distance to top, bottom, left, and right. Many people cannot achieve that degree of exactitude, and the labels are often crooked or the distances not right. In those cases, it is considered a wasted product. The laborer will either be bullied by the guards or be ordered to take the unqualified products back to his or her cell and redo them after the regular day's work is done. Very often, they work till 11 or midnight, and they still need to start another load of work the next day.
The guards don't ease off even on older women. Those who are young and quick with their hands don't escape constant monitoring and harassment. A young female college student from the 2nd division is quick with her hands. Everyday she has to finish more than ten boxes. One day, for some reason, she only completed six boxes. The guards ordered a "collaborator" named Su Fenghua to question her. Su asked, "With quick hands like yours, how come you finished less than the average person?" One time, fewer labels were delivered. The guards ordered some quick hands from the divisions to come and do them. One guard, Xu Ruiju, pointed to the seven or eight boxes by the table and said to the college student, "These boxes are just for you."
The 2nd division guard, Cao Dongyan, is in charge of production. She walks around and does inspections. Falun Gong practitioners are forced to work long hours. Everyday they are in an extremely stressful state. If anyone doesn't meet the quota or slacks off a little bit, she will suffer officer Cao Dongyan's wrath. Humiliation and verbal abuse become an everyday thing. Often someone faints in the production room. Practitioners who operate the sewing machine often accidentally have the machine needles punch through their fingers. In addition, one doesn't know when Cao Dongyan's hoarse and hysterical yelling will begin.
Behind every business deal between the forced labor camp and outside companies, prisoners' blood and tears are exchanged. Since Jiang Zemin's regime initiated the persecution, they've used the CCP as a tool to persecute Falun Gong practitioners who believe in "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." We have seen too much evil and too many crimes against conscience and morality. We believe in the universal principle of " Good is rewarded, Evil is punished," and "No one can escape punishment under the law in this world, nor can they escape judgment from Heaven."
From 2002 to 2003, one of the tasks in the labor camp was to stick labels onto medicine packages. The labels were printed by Jinan City's Tianyi Printing Company. (Formerly called the Donggang Company, it is known to the outside world as a company that produces high-class non-carbon paper.) Labels must be affixed both inside and outside the package. The contents are "Beijing's Pressure Lowering No. 0" produced by Beijing's Shuanghe Medicine, Ltd.
Practitioners in the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd divisions of the labor camp must stick the "Shuanghe" label on the packages of "Beijing's Pressure Lowering No. 0." The medicine boxes are closely packaged in a bigger paper box and delivered to the labor camp. The paper boxes come in two sizes. The big box contains 2,000 medicine boxes, which are placed in two layers. The smaller box can hold 1,000 medicine boxes. In order to make more profits, the labor camp usually has the larger-sized boxes delivered.
Practitioners from the 1st, 2nd, and the 3rd divisions are each forced to finish three to four boxes each day. Young practitioners can complete eleven boxes at most in a day. In other words, everyone has to put labels on 6,000-8,000 medicine boxes; sometimes, even over 20,000 boxes.
Approximate working hours are 7:30 to 11:30 a.m., 12 to 6 p.m., and 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and even 9 or 10 p.m. Practitioners have to do 12 to13 hours of high-intensity labor everyday. Long hours of labor causes extreme pain in the back, shoulders, and hands, and particularly in the neck area. The neck becomes so numb it cannot move.
Guards from the labor camp cooperate with a young man named Wang, who is assigned by the Jinan City's Tianyi Printing Company. They gave strict requirements for the labeling process. Usually, a company's label is stuck on the assigned spot in an appropriate position. But Wang demanded that the label be put on the box in a very particular and specific position, not allowing even a little crookedness. He required that the label be centered, with a specific distance to top, bottom, left, and right. Many people cannot achieve that degree of exactitude, and the labels are often crooked or the distances not right. In those cases, it is considered a wasted product. The laborer will either be bullied by the guards or be ordered to take the unqualified products back to his or her cell and redo them after the regular day's work is done. Very often, they work till 11 or midnight, and they still need to start another load of work the next day.
The guards don't ease off even on older women. Those who are young and quick with their hands don't escape constant monitoring and harassment. A young female college student from the 2nd division is quick with her hands. Everyday she has to finish more than ten boxes. One day, for some reason, she only completed six boxes. The guards ordered a "collaborator" named Su Fenghua to question her. Su asked, "With quick hands like yours, how come you finished less than the average person?" One time, fewer labels were delivered. The guards ordered some quick hands from the divisions to come and do them. One guard, Xu Ruiju, pointed to the seven or eight boxes by the table and said to the college student, "These boxes are just for you."
The 2nd division guard, Cao Dongyan, is in charge of production. She walks around and does inspections. Falun Gong practitioners are forced to work long hours. Everyday they are in an extremely stressful state. If anyone doesn't meet the quota or slacks off a little bit, she will suffer officer Cao Dongyan's wrath. Humiliation and verbal abuse become an everyday thing. Often someone faints in the production room. Practitioners who operate the sewing machine often accidentally have the machine needles punch through their fingers. In addition, one doesn't know when Cao Dongyan's hoarse and hysterical yelling will begin.
Behind every business deal between the forced labor camp and outside companies, prisoners' blood and tears are exchanged. Since Jiang Zemin's regime initiated the persecution, they've used the CCP as a tool to persecute Falun Gong practitioners who believe in "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." We have seen too much evil and too many crimes against conscience and morality. We believe in the universal principle of " Good is rewarded, Evil is punished," and "No one can escape punishment under the law in this world, nor can they escape judgment from Heaven."
Monday, August 6, 2007
Personal Cultivation Experience
As I was exploring around clearwisdom.net, I found this article which is very similar to my own experience. Here ya go!
Clearwisdom.net
I started to practice Falun Dafa just over one year ago. I want to share one of the many reasons why Falun Dafa has become such an important part of my life.
I grew up in a hot blooded, short tempered, angry, southern Italian family. I learned to fight with my brothers at a young age. We yelled and screamed and fought with each other or with any one else who crossed our path over the smallest things. Any excuse to vent the powerful destructive feeling of rage that steamed inside us.
My discontent, unhappy and angry life became progressively worse. I became a victim of my own agitated mind. I blamed society and my family for all my unhappiness. Thoughts of blame, self loathing and negativity stormed in my head in a whirlwind of confusion. I became a slave to my addictions. However, it didn't matter how much marijuana I smoked or how much alcohol I drank or who I slept with or how much money I made or how many trips I took or what books I read or what psychologist I went to see I couldn't stop my dissatisfaction with life or my anger.
I wanted answers but I didn't know where to turn. I decided to call my mom who I knew practiced Falun Dafa for some support. I had witnessed fantastic changes in her attitude towards life since she started practicing Falun Dafa. I told her how I felt. How I was so confused and tired of going around in the same vicious circles of negativity over and over again and that I needed help. My mom smiled and gave me a copy of Zhuan Falun. With all her love and compassion she said very simply to me, "Start to read this book. All of your answers are in this book."
I followed my mom's advice. I started to read the book and do the exercises. I vowed I would dedicate myself to read a little of the book each day, and also do the full set of the exercises at least twice a week for the next six months.
Zhuan Falun is the hardest book I ever tried to read. It pushed all of my buttons. As soon as I started to read thoughts of judgement and doubt filled my head. I judged and criticized what I read. I doubted the teaching. I found all kinds of things in the book I didn't agree with. I found all kinds of things that went against my beliefs. I found all kinds of things I didn't understand. The more I tried to figure it out with my intellectual mind the more lost I became. It made no sense to me. However, I was determined to stay true to my six month goal so Whenever I came across something I didn't understand or didn't agree with I just put those things aside and continued to read with an open mind.
As soon as I began the exercises I got so tired and so lazy. My mind wandered to thousands of thoughts and desires and away from the exercises. I got so restless when I sat for the sitting exercise. The music would start to play. I crossed my legs. I closed my eyes. I felt calm. I sat for a while. Then, I would spring up and walk into the kitchen to check my phone messages.
I finally made up my mind I would sit for the full hour. The music started to play. I crossed my legs. I closed my eyes. I sat for a while. My mind raced full of thoughts and pictures and desires. The pain in my legs became so intense I had to stop. I felt defeated. I then realized I had no self-control.
Three quarters of the way through the book I felt the power of Zhuan Falun. I became aware of character traits in myself that I had never seen before. I realized I grew up a very insecure, dissatisfied and selfish person. I was never happy with who I was or what I had. I always wanted more. I judged and criticized everyone I met. I looked at people as objects for my own needs. What benefit could they possibly give to me? Were they good enough? Were they smart enough? Were they attractive enough? Could they make me any money?
I had mastered the art of controlling and manipulating people for my own emotional needs and selfish desires.
Falun Dafa brought all of all my deep-rooted mental and physical defilement up to the surface and right in my face. It made me aware of who I was and how I lived.
The basic teaching of Falun Dafa is simple; Keep upgrading myself by living in accordance of the universal characteristics of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance, which Falun Dafa teaches are the true characteristics of the entire universe and of every human being. Don't fight with others. View others through the eyes of kindness and compassion. Diminish your attachments. Work hard but don't compete and stress for personal interest. Accept and understand others for who they are and look within to cultivate myself and live a peaceful life. As a practitioner one must follow the characteristics of the universe instead of the standard of ordinary people. If you can follow these characteristics then you are a good person.
When I first heard these words they sounded so peaceful. This was the answer I had looked for all my life! I was going to live by these guidelines! With this new information I felt like a new person, a kind person, a compassionate person, a tolerant person.
The next day I walked into my office with my new attitude. Within 5 minutes my brother said something that pushed my buttons. I flew into a rage and yelled and screamed as loud as I could. I left in a rage and slammed the door behind me. I boiled in negativity all the way home. I walked into my living room. The first thing I saw was Zhuan Falun on the coffee table. I sat stunned. "I understand the teachings! I know these teachings are the real truth, the real answer to my peace and happiness! Why can't I do it? Why do I slip back into my old negative and abusive patterns?" And then a story came to me. A story I witnessed some years ago of a young boy who throughout his short life had been badly abused by his mother. He had cigarette burns all over his body along with several fractures in various stages of healing. He also suffered from malnutrition. In this story a police matron is very gently and very cautiously holding this little boy as the mother is being hand cuffed and arrested for child abuse. As the police matron starts to take the child from the room, the child begins to lean over the police matrons shoulder, and reaches out to his mother. He screams, "mommy, mommy!" He screams out to the torturer, wanting desperately to go back.
I wondered why this child would want to go back to such a hell. Then I realized this negativity was all this boy had ever known. This abuse was his only familiar. He had no concept of what truth was or what kindness was or what compassion was.
I now understood that I, like that little boy, had become so familiar with my patterns of negativity that the simple and pure traits of kindness, compassion, selflessness actually felt foreign to me. All my life I had chosen the wrong paths. I knew if I wanted to build these new traits of kindness, compassion and forbearance into my life I would need support and I would need a guide. Falun Dafa has given me the support and guidance to create new choices in my life.
I thought, it's easy to look out into this world and want to stop the violence and the hate and the pain that surrounds us every day of our lives. It's easy to blame our society. It's easy to blame others. However, how often do I look at myself and take responsibility for how I act and how I treat people in my everyday life? Falun Dafa has taught me the only way I can truly make a difference in this world is to acknowledge my own short comings and choose to learn to cultivate my mind and live my life with higher morals and higher virtues so I can make the right choices.
As I continue to read Zhuan Falun over and over I find the teachings incorporate themselves into my everyday life. My old powerful patterns of negativity and fear are slowly decreasing as new patterns of compassion and tolerance become my new familiar. As I continue to read Zhuan Falun over and over everyday new lessons appear before my eyes and those things I didn't understand in the beginning are starting to make sense to me now.
My mom is my inspiration. She inspires me to persevere through my own hard times and build my determination to also succeed. I now find the pain has become my friend. It keeps me focused and alert. I also find when I persevere through the pain I build strong forbearance, endurance and acceptance in my every day life. Now when my brothers try to fight with me I say nothing. My trials and tribulations seem less intense. My mind is less agitated and more peaceful and my desire to react with anger is gone.
A friend and fellow practitioner once said to me, "It's like Falun Dafa has given me a new skin and now when start to criticize or fight with others I feel like I slip back into my old skin and it feels sticky and gross. "Sometimes I still slip back into my old skin. When I am weak and my demons of greed and lust and selfishness become too strong and devious I feel Master Li looking over me. He tells me this is a test. He reminds me I have a choice. He reminds me how strong and pure I feel when I stay true to the Law and not react to these demons. He also reminds me how defeated and painful I feel when I give in. He tells me to stay on the right path. He also tells me, in the end it is up to me. I am the master of my own salvation. It is my
choice whether I give in to these demons and drown in my own negativity or build my strength as a practitioner and persevere through this test. At times it is a huge struggle but I always feel stronger and more pure when I choose to follow the Law.
Everything that happens to me is good. "This is how it feels to release karma. Go through the suffering. Consciously endure it. You are becoming purer." My mom congratulates me and reminds me to read Zhuan Falun over and over.
I always find my peace in Master Li's words, "When it is difficult to endure it you try to endure it. When it looks impossible and is said impossible then you give it a try to see if it is possible. If you can really make it, you will find that after passing the shady willows there will be bright flowers and another village ahead."
As I endure through my emotional and physical pain and keep my mind as balanced as I can, I find my pain always passes. I feel stronger and more peaceful as I pass the shady willows and make my way to the next village through the bright flowers.
I am so glad I didn't throw this teaching away in the beginning just because I didn't understand or agree with some of the things I read or because I couldn't put up with a little pain. I'm so glad I put those things aside and continued to read and do the exercises with an open mind.
I am forever thankful for the awareness and wisdom and peace Falun Dafa has helped me build in my life. In less than two years Falun Dafa has empowered me to break the chains of illusion, ignorance and fear that has controlled my life and dominated my family for many generations.
Falun Dafa has helped me shift my perspective of my relationships with my family, my friends and with my society. For the first time in my life I feel a genuine peace and happiness with everyone I come in contact with. I also feel more content and happy with myself.
As a practitioner my new life goal is to bring the characteristics of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance into every relationship I have. With Falun Dafa as my guide, I feel fantastic strength because I know my life has a great purpose. I also feel fantastic peace because I now know my future children will learn to live in this new realm of peace and happiness and for this I am forever grateful.
Clearwisdom.net
I started to practice Falun Dafa just over one year ago. I want to share one of the many reasons why Falun Dafa has become such an important part of my life.
I grew up in a hot blooded, short tempered, angry, southern Italian family. I learned to fight with my brothers at a young age. We yelled and screamed and fought with each other or with any one else who crossed our path over the smallest things. Any excuse to vent the powerful destructive feeling of rage that steamed inside us.
My discontent, unhappy and angry life became progressively worse. I became a victim of my own agitated mind. I blamed society and my family for all my unhappiness. Thoughts of blame, self loathing and negativity stormed in my head in a whirlwind of confusion. I became a slave to my addictions. However, it didn't matter how much marijuana I smoked or how much alcohol I drank or who I slept with or how much money I made or how many trips I took or what books I read or what psychologist I went to see I couldn't stop my dissatisfaction with life or my anger.
I wanted answers but I didn't know where to turn. I decided to call my mom who I knew practiced Falun Dafa for some support. I had witnessed fantastic changes in her attitude towards life since she started practicing Falun Dafa. I told her how I felt. How I was so confused and tired of going around in the same vicious circles of negativity over and over again and that I needed help. My mom smiled and gave me a copy of Zhuan Falun. With all her love and compassion she said very simply to me, "Start to read this book. All of your answers are in this book."
I followed my mom's advice. I started to read the book and do the exercises. I vowed I would dedicate myself to read a little of the book each day, and also do the full set of the exercises at least twice a week for the next six months.
Zhuan Falun is the hardest book I ever tried to read. It pushed all of my buttons. As soon as I started to read thoughts of judgement and doubt filled my head. I judged and criticized what I read. I doubted the teaching. I found all kinds of things in the book I didn't agree with. I found all kinds of things that went against my beliefs. I found all kinds of things I didn't understand. The more I tried to figure it out with my intellectual mind the more lost I became. It made no sense to me. However, I was determined to stay true to my six month goal so Whenever I came across something I didn't understand or didn't agree with I just put those things aside and continued to read with an open mind.
As soon as I began the exercises I got so tired and so lazy. My mind wandered to thousands of thoughts and desires and away from the exercises. I got so restless when I sat for the sitting exercise. The music would start to play. I crossed my legs. I closed my eyes. I felt calm. I sat for a while. Then, I would spring up and walk into the kitchen to check my phone messages.
I finally made up my mind I would sit for the full hour. The music started to play. I crossed my legs. I closed my eyes. I sat for a while. My mind raced full of thoughts and pictures and desires. The pain in my legs became so intense I had to stop. I felt defeated. I then realized I had no self-control.
Three quarters of the way through the book I felt the power of Zhuan Falun. I became aware of character traits in myself that I had never seen before. I realized I grew up a very insecure, dissatisfied and selfish person. I was never happy with who I was or what I had. I always wanted more. I judged and criticized everyone I met. I looked at people as objects for my own needs. What benefit could they possibly give to me? Were they good enough? Were they smart enough? Were they attractive enough? Could they make me any money?
I had mastered the art of controlling and manipulating people for my own emotional needs and selfish desires.
Falun Dafa brought all of all my deep-rooted mental and physical defilement up to the surface and right in my face. It made me aware of who I was and how I lived.
The basic teaching of Falun Dafa is simple; Keep upgrading myself by living in accordance of the universal characteristics of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance, which Falun Dafa teaches are the true characteristics of the entire universe and of every human being. Don't fight with others. View others through the eyes of kindness and compassion. Diminish your attachments. Work hard but don't compete and stress for personal interest. Accept and understand others for who they are and look within to cultivate myself and live a peaceful life. As a practitioner one must follow the characteristics of the universe instead of the standard of ordinary people. If you can follow these characteristics then you are a good person.
When I first heard these words they sounded so peaceful. This was the answer I had looked for all my life! I was going to live by these guidelines! With this new information I felt like a new person, a kind person, a compassionate person, a tolerant person.
The next day I walked into my office with my new attitude. Within 5 minutes my brother said something that pushed my buttons. I flew into a rage and yelled and screamed as loud as I could. I left in a rage and slammed the door behind me. I boiled in negativity all the way home. I walked into my living room. The first thing I saw was Zhuan Falun on the coffee table. I sat stunned. "I understand the teachings! I know these teachings are the real truth, the real answer to my peace and happiness! Why can't I do it? Why do I slip back into my old negative and abusive patterns?" And then a story came to me. A story I witnessed some years ago of a young boy who throughout his short life had been badly abused by his mother. He had cigarette burns all over his body along with several fractures in various stages of healing. He also suffered from malnutrition. In this story a police matron is very gently and very cautiously holding this little boy as the mother is being hand cuffed and arrested for child abuse. As the police matron starts to take the child from the room, the child begins to lean over the police matrons shoulder, and reaches out to his mother. He screams, "mommy, mommy!" He screams out to the torturer, wanting desperately to go back.
I wondered why this child would want to go back to such a hell. Then I realized this negativity was all this boy had ever known. This abuse was his only familiar. He had no concept of what truth was or what kindness was or what compassion was.
I now understood that I, like that little boy, had become so familiar with my patterns of negativity that the simple and pure traits of kindness, compassion, selflessness actually felt foreign to me. All my life I had chosen the wrong paths. I knew if I wanted to build these new traits of kindness, compassion and forbearance into my life I would need support and I would need a guide. Falun Dafa has given me the support and guidance to create new choices in my life.
I thought, it's easy to look out into this world and want to stop the violence and the hate and the pain that surrounds us every day of our lives. It's easy to blame our society. It's easy to blame others. However, how often do I look at myself and take responsibility for how I act and how I treat people in my everyday life? Falun Dafa has taught me the only way I can truly make a difference in this world is to acknowledge my own short comings and choose to learn to cultivate my mind and live my life with higher morals and higher virtues so I can make the right choices.
As I continue to read Zhuan Falun over and over I find the teachings incorporate themselves into my everyday life. My old powerful patterns of negativity and fear are slowly decreasing as new patterns of compassion and tolerance become my new familiar. As I continue to read Zhuan Falun over and over everyday new lessons appear before my eyes and those things I didn't understand in the beginning are starting to make sense to me now.
My mom is my inspiration. She inspires me to persevere through my own hard times and build my determination to also succeed. I now find the pain has become my friend. It keeps me focused and alert. I also find when I persevere through the pain I build strong forbearance, endurance and acceptance in my every day life. Now when my brothers try to fight with me I say nothing. My trials and tribulations seem less intense. My mind is less agitated and more peaceful and my desire to react with anger is gone.
A friend and fellow practitioner once said to me, "It's like Falun Dafa has given me a new skin and now when start to criticize or fight with others I feel like I slip back into my old skin and it feels sticky and gross. "Sometimes I still slip back into my old skin. When I am weak and my demons of greed and lust and selfishness become too strong and devious I feel Master Li looking over me. He tells me this is a test. He reminds me I have a choice. He reminds me how strong and pure I feel when I stay true to the Law and not react to these demons. He also reminds me how defeated and painful I feel when I give in. He tells me to stay on the right path. He also tells me, in the end it is up to me. I am the master of my own salvation. It is my
choice whether I give in to these demons and drown in my own negativity or build my strength as a practitioner and persevere through this test. At times it is a huge struggle but I always feel stronger and more pure when I choose to follow the Law.
Everything that happens to me is good. "This is how it feels to release karma. Go through the suffering. Consciously endure it. You are becoming purer." My mom congratulates me and reminds me to read Zhuan Falun over and over.
I always find my peace in Master Li's words, "When it is difficult to endure it you try to endure it. When it looks impossible and is said impossible then you give it a try to see if it is possible. If you can really make it, you will find that after passing the shady willows there will be bright flowers and another village ahead."
As I endure through my emotional and physical pain and keep my mind as balanced as I can, I find my pain always passes. I feel stronger and more peaceful as I pass the shady willows and make my way to the next village through the bright flowers.
I am so glad I didn't throw this teaching away in the beginning just because I didn't understand or agree with some of the things I read or because I couldn't put up with a little pain. I'm so glad I put those things aside and continued to read and do the exercises with an open mind.
I am forever thankful for the awareness and wisdom and peace Falun Dafa has helped me build in my life. In less than two years Falun Dafa has empowered me to break the chains of illusion, ignorance and fear that has controlled my life and dominated my family for many generations.
Falun Dafa has helped me shift my perspective of my relationships with my family, my friends and with my society. For the first time in my life I feel a genuine peace and happiness with everyone I come in contact with. I also feel more content and happy with myself.
As a practitioner my new life goal is to bring the characteristics of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance into every relationship I have. With Falun Dafa as my guide, I feel fantastic strength because I know my life has a great purpose. I also feel fantastic peace because I now know my future children will learn to live in this new realm of peace and happiness and for this I am forever grateful.
Friday, August 3, 2007
The Staged "Self-Immolation" Incident on Tiananmen Square
(reported on Clearwisdom.net)
After July 20, 1999, Jiang Zemin's faction launched a far-reaching campaign of disinformation to justify its persecution of Falun Gong and to escape world condemnation. Since the persecution started, state-run media have flooded the printing presses and airwaves with fabrications about Mr. Li Hongzhi and Falun Gong. In early 2001, desperate to turn the tide against Falun Gong, the Chinese Communist Party attempted an outrageous stunt: a staged self-immolation of five people on Tiananmen Square. The state-run media then blamed it on Falun Gong. As with all lies, the propaganda fails miserably in the details. This staged self-immolation has been analyzed by neutral reporters and by careful observers of the same videotape that was broadcasted by the Chinese government:
1. An investigative story published by the Washington Post on February 4, 2001, revealed that Ms. Liu Chunling, one of the immolators, had never practiced Falun Gong; (See Washington Post: Human Fire Ignites Chinese Mystery Motive for Public Burning Intensifies Fight Over Falun Gong)
2. Police were mysteriously patrolling Tiananmen Square with dozens of pieces of firefighting equipment that day;
3. Liu Siying, the 12-year-old girl who was allegedly burned badly, was purported to have had a tracheotomy, but spoke and sang clearly in a TV interview, a medical impossibility;
4. Mr. Wang Jindong was shown to have been badly burned; while hair burns and plactic melts extremely quickly, his hair and the plastic Sprite bottle that he had used to dowse gasoline remained miraculously intact.
5. A slow motion analysis of the videotape reveals that a blunt object hit Ms. Liu Chunling on the head.
These holes prompted International Education Development, an NGO affiliated with the United Nations , to issue the following statement during the 2001 session of the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights: "The regime points to a supposed self-immolation incident in Tiananmen Square on January 23, 2001 ... However, we have obtained a video of that incident that in our view proves that this event was staged by the government."
Immediately after the event, the Falun Dafa Information Center in New York published a press release condemning the Xinhua News Agency for spreading unfounded, defamatory claims about Falun Gong. It also called on the PRC regime to allow the world media and international human rights groups to investigate this case to clarify the facts. No independent investigation has ever been allowed.
-Clearwisdom.net
My Thoughts:
The CCP remains driven to expose Falun Gong as a wicked practice. The self-immolation depicted Falun Gong practitioners committing suicide in the name of Falun Gong. The motivation behind this set-up is to provide layers upon layers of evidence to condone their own suspicious and evil acts. The fatal flaw in this threadbare scheme is that Falun Gong strictly forbids killing of any kind (yourself or others), and doing so results in serious consequences. The belief is that in doing such harm to a living being, you are completely ruining your cultivation. Logic also shows us that if, in fact, self-immolation were apart of Falun Gong teachings, why is everyone else so shy of jumping on the band wagon? Why not everyone follow the paths of these people? Clearly, it is because self-immolation DOES NOT reflect ANY of the teachings of Falun Gong. Not previously, not presently, and never in the future was this condoned, nor will it ever be, by practitioners of Falun Gong. The Chinese government's propaganda is only concerned with developing hatred for practitioners and expediting more deaths of Falun Gong practitioners through the persecution; it is not concerned with spreading truth, compassion, and tolerance, which are the teachings of Falun Gong. FALUN DAFA IS GOOD!
Wanna help?
The best way to help put an end to the persecution is to spread the word!
After July 20, 1999, Jiang Zemin's faction launched a far-reaching campaign of disinformation to justify its persecution of Falun Gong and to escape world condemnation. Since the persecution started, state-run media have flooded the printing presses and airwaves with fabrications about Mr. Li Hongzhi and Falun Gong. In early 2001, desperate to turn the tide against Falun Gong, the Chinese Communist Party attempted an outrageous stunt: a staged self-immolation of five people on Tiananmen Square. The state-run media then blamed it on Falun Gong. As with all lies, the propaganda fails miserably in the details. This staged self-immolation has been analyzed by neutral reporters and by careful observers of the same videotape that was broadcasted by the Chinese government:
1. An investigative story published by the Washington Post on February 4, 2001, revealed that Ms. Liu Chunling, one of the immolators, had never practiced Falun Gong; (See Washington Post: Human Fire Ignites Chinese Mystery Motive for Public Burning Intensifies Fight Over Falun Gong)
2. Police were mysteriously patrolling Tiananmen Square with dozens of pieces of firefighting equipment that day;
3. Liu Siying, the 12-year-old girl who was allegedly burned badly, was purported to have had a tracheotomy, but spoke and sang clearly in a TV interview, a medical impossibility;
4. Mr. Wang Jindong was shown to have been badly burned; while hair burns and plactic melts extremely quickly, his hair and the plastic Sprite bottle that he had used to dowse gasoline remained miraculously intact.
5. A slow motion analysis of the videotape reveals that a blunt object hit Ms. Liu Chunling on the head.
These holes prompted International Education Development, an NGO affiliated with the United Nations , to issue the following statement during the 2001 session of the UN Sub-Commission on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights: "The regime points to a supposed self-immolation incident in Tiananmen Square on January 23, 2001 ... However, we have obtained a video of that incident that in our view proves that this event was staged by the government."
Immediately after the event, the Falun Dafa Information Center in New York published a press release condemning the Xinhua News Agency for spreading unfounded, defamatory claims about Falun Gong. It also called on the PRC regime to allow the world media and international human rights groups to investigate this case to clarify the facts. No independent investigation has ever been allowed.
-Clearwisdom.net
My Thoughts:
The CCP remains driven to expose Falun Gong as a wicked practice. The self-immolation depicted Falun Gong practitioners committing suicide in the name of Falun Gong. The motivation behind this set-up is to provide layers upon layers of evidence to condone their own suspicious and evil acts. The fatal flaw in this threadbare scheme is that Falun Gong strictly forbids killing of any kind (yourself or others), and doing so results in serious consequences. The belief is that in doing such harm to a living being, you are completely ruining your cultivation. Logic also shows us that if, in fact, self-immolation were apart of Falun Gong teachings, why is everyone else so shy of jumping on the band wagon? Why not everyone follow the paths of these people? Clearly, it is because self-immolation DOES NOT reflect ANY of the teachings of Falun Gong. Not previously, not presently, and never in the future was this condoned, nor will it ever be, by practitioners of Falun Gong. The Chinese government's propaganda is only concerned with developing hatred for practitioners and expediting more deaths of Falun Gong practitioners through the persecution; it is not concerned with spreading truth, compassion, and tolerance, which are the teachings of Falun Gong. FALUN DAFA IS GOOD!
Wanna help?
The best way to help put an end to the persecution is to spread the word!
- Fax/email/write to your local congressman, or even the governer of your state.
- Hand out flyers clarifying the truth.
- Put posters up in high traffic areas, such as college campuses, coffee shops, and other places.
Thanks for reading!
Wednesday, August 1, 2007
Sending Righteous Thoughts to Suffocate the Evil
By Qingxin:
(Clearwisdom.net) A Dafa disciple should proactively suffocate the evil in validating the Fa and not let the evil damage the Fa-rectification and living beings at different levels without restraint. Wherever there is such evil, there should be a Dafa disciple validating the Fa. Wherever there is a problem, there is a need to clarify the truth.
Once, I saw a poster with materials slandering Dafa on a bulletin board in a busy market. I thought that I should not let it poison people, so I tore it up. I had the thought that the evil had been there for a while and that I should further eliminate it. I made many posters with the truth about Dafa and put them up at and around the same place. Later, I looked for more propaganda in other locations. When I found some, I would tear it up and put up posters promoting Dafa and pass out truth-clarifying materials again and again nearby.
When I learned from the Clearwisdom website that the evil was running rampant at certain locations, I would try my best to go there and send forth righteous thoughts close by to eliminate the evil. Once, I went on a trip. The taxi driver strongly recommended that I stay in a certain hotel. After I arrived there, I found out that it was a hostel belonging to the public security system. It was very close to the place where the evils gather. I started sending forth righteous thoughts when I entered. Another time, the Dafa material production sites in one area were continuously being raided by the police. A fellow practitioner and I went there to eliminate the evil together. I felt pain in my belly before finishing sending forth righteous thoughts. The other practitioner also felt something heavy upon his chest. We continuously sent forth righteous thoughts three times, 30 minutes each time, and we eliminated it. Later, we found out that we were just beside the Judiciary Bureau.
I was once trying to search for the address of an evil person on a computer, but something happened to the computer. The mouse moved around. I could not operate it at all. I knew it was interference from the evil. After continuously sending forth righteous thoughts for half an hour the computer returned to normal.
I went to a prison where Falun Gong practitioners were being detained and sent forth righteous thoughts at the gate of the prison for half an hour. I then walked around the prison while sending forth righteous thoughts. I went to several labor camps, prisons, and places where the evil was overwhelming to send forth righteous thoughts. For some vicious places where I did not have a chance to go, I would still spend time just to eliminate the evil at those places.
When Dafa disciples around the globe sent forth righteous thoughts together, I went to Beijing. During each trip, I spent two days just sending righteous thoughts. Each time, I would spend several hours on Tiananmen Square sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil.
It was very difficult to send forth righteous thoughts at the beginning. After sitting in the double lotus position, my feet turned blue. I felt almost nothing when I touched them. I persisted to extend the length and frequency of sending forth righteous thoughts. No matter if walking, sitting, or eating, I sent forth righteous thoughts if I had time. Every day, I kept eliminating the evil exposed on the Clearwisdom website. Once, I sent forth righteous thoughts toward the evil exposed on Clearwisdom continuously for over an hour. I was very sleepy at the beginning. Later, I was not sleepy at all. My mind was very clear, without any other thoughts, feeling that my righteous thoughts were covering the whole universe and that the evil was melted by my righteous thoughts even before they got close.
The evil will get more insane near the end. We should not take anything for granted and should do everything well with a clear mind. "Thoroughly annihilate the evil, and sweep the entire cosmos clean" ("Clearing Out").
The above is my personal understanding. Any comments are welcome.
(Clearwisdom.net) A Dafa disciple should proactively suffocate the evil in validating the Fa and not let the evil damage the Fa-rectification and living beings at different levels without restraint. Wherever there is such evil, there should be a Dafa disciple validating the Fa. Wherever there is a problem, there is a need to clarify the truth.
Once, I saw a poster with materials slandering Dafa on a bulletin board in a busy market. I thought that I should not let it poison people, so I tore it up. I had the thought that the evil had been there for a while and that I should further eliminate it. I made many posters with the truth about Dafa and put them up at and around the same place. Later, I looked for more propaganda in other locations. When I found some, I would tear it up and put up posters promoting Dafa and pass out truth-clarifying materials again and again nearby.
When I learned from the Clearwisdom website that the evil was running rampant at certain locations, I would try my best to go there and send forth righteous thoughts close by to eliminate the evil. Once, I went on a trip. The taxi driver strongly recommended that I stay in a certain hotel. After I arrived there, I found out that it was a hostel belonging to the public security system. It was very close to the place where the evils gather. I started sending forth righteous thoughts when I entered. Another time, the Dafa material production sites in one area were continuously being raided by the police. A fellow practitioner and I went there to eliminate the evil together. I felt pain in my belly before finishing sending forth righteous thoughts. The other practitioner also felt something heavy upon his chest. We continuously sent forth righteous thoughts three times, 30 minutes each time, and we eliminated it. Later, we found out that we were just beside the Judiciary Bureau.
I was once trying to search for the address of an evil person on a computer, but something happened to the computer. The mouse moved around. I could not operate it at all. I knew it was interference from the evil. After continuously sending forth righteous thoughts for half an hour the computer returned to normal.
I went to a prison where Falun Gong practitioners were being detained and sent forth righteous thoughts at the gate of the prison for half an hour. I then walked around the prison while sending forth righteous thoughts. I went to several labor camps, prisons, and places where the evil was overwhelming to send forth righteous thoughts. For some vicious places where I did not have a chance to go, I would still spend time just to eliminate the evil at those places.
When Dafa disciples around the globe sent forth righteous thoughts together, I went to Beijing. During each trip, I spent two days just sending righteous thoughts. Each time, I would spend several hours on Tiananmen Square sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil.
It was very difficult to send forth righteous thoughts at the beginning. After sitting in the double lotus position, my feet turned blue. I felt almost nothing when I touched them. I persisted to extend the length and frequency of sending forth righteous thoughts. No matter if walking, sitting, or eating, I sent forth righteous thoughts if I had time. Every day, I kept eliminating the evil exposed on the Clearwisdom website. Once, I sent forth righteous thoughts toward the evil exposed on Clearwisdom continuously for over an hour. I was very sleepy at the beginning. Later, I was not sleepy at all. My mind was very clear, without any other thoughts, feeling that my righteous thoughts were covering the whole universe and that the evil was melted by my righteous thoughts even before they got close.
The evil will get more insane near the end. We should not take anything for granted and should do everything well with a clear mind. "Thoroughly annihilate the evil, and sweep the entire cosmos clean" ("Clearing Out").
The above is my personal understanding. Any comments are welcome.
Stop the Persecution of Falun Gong!!
As this is my very first blog, I want to preface it by saying that it will be used solely for the purpose of clarifying the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong. Who I am and what I am about are not important. What is important is helping others in their time of great need. Therefore, I am starting a blog to inform others about Falun Gong, its plight, and its persecution. Thanks for reading!
In 2002, the Chinese Communist Party began a systematic persecution of those who practice Falun Gong. Falun Gong is a meditative practice aimed towards improving the mind, spirit, and body. Because it is misconstrued as a religion, the CCP (which is athiest) view it as a threat to their power. Therefore, it must be stopped. People in America and most other nations are in disbelief over the atrocities occuring overseas because of the seemingly inalienable right of freedom of religion. China does not observe this right. Families have been broken up over the persecution, their members being placed in torture camps and not necessarily being released. The torture methods are many; some resulting in mental and emotional distress, and some resulting in death. I am going to showcase a few of these atrocities for you.
First of all, some practitioners are being killed for their organs, tissues, and bones. These are being sold for an enormous profit under a black market scheme. The CCP is cohorting with surgeons, police, military, and prison authorities to cover up their actions. A practitioners heart can bring in upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit.
Those who are not immediately sentance to death by organ harvesting receive harsh punishment for their involvement in Falun Gong. At the Yimianpo Forced Labor Camp, practitioners are subjected to such tortures as: being crushed with baskets of large stones (weighing up to 220 pounds), brushing wounds with vinegar and alcohol, and body folding in which the practitioner is forced to bend his head down as far as it can go under a bed. The guard is then ordered to slowly begin pushing the practitioner under the bed, crushing his back. Practitioners may also be subjected to force-feeding through the nose, bamboo shoots stabbed under the fingernails, being burned with hot objects, hypothermia torture, and whatever other barbaric tortures the CCP can conjure up.
This is neither fake, nor staged. It is happening everyday and it is brutal. To date, the CCP has killed over 2898 practitioners, none of whom deserved such a brutal and barbaric death. They are peaceful people, pure in mind and wanting to help others. They do not want the power of the CCP in their hands, nor do they want to impose their beliefs upon others. They do not want to dictate or take over China. They want to live in harmony and peace. They want to help people and they want the right to speak freely and openly about their beliefs. Below I have copied some information from clearwisom.net, where you can find all other materials relating to Falun Gong and the Persecution. Who knows? Maybe you want to be a practitioner, or maybe you just want to help. Either way, getting involved in Falun Gong or helping to stop the persecution will benefit you in ways you can never imagine. If becoming a practitioner is not for you, then simply spread the word about the persecution. Our words will be heard, if not now, then soon. But I can't give up and I certainly won't give in! Falun Dafa is Good!!
What is Falun Gong or Falun Dafa?
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline for mind and body. The practice involves slow, gentle movements and meditation. It is easy to learn, enjoyable to practice, and free of charge. Its principles are based on Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance. The practice began in China in 1992 and quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China and then beyond. Falun Gong is practiced by over 100 million people in 60 countries. The main works of Falun Gong are available in over 30 languages.
Who practices Falun Gong, and in what ways do they find it beneficial?
Falun Gong is practiced by people of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds. People who practice regularly find it brings them better health, reduced stress, increased level of energy, inner peace, and deepened morals.
I'm interested in trying it out or learning more about it. How can I get started?
All practice sites offer free instruction, and everyone is welcome. To find a site near your home, you can visit http://www.falundafa.org on the Internet, or call 1-877-FALUN-99. All materials are available on-line. There are also instructional books and video tapes available from bookstores, or you can visit http://www.yc-corp.com/ to order them.
Who is Mr. Li Hongzhi?
Mr. Li Hongzhi (family name is Li) introduced the practice of Falun Gong to the general public in China in 1992. He then taught the practice publicly for two years in China, after which the practice continued to grow primarily by word-of-mouth. In keeping with Chinese tradition, Mr. Li is often respectfully referred to as "Master" or "Teacher." He is not accorded special treatment, nor does he accept money or donations from students of Falun Gong. He has ensured that the practice be available to all people, and without any terms or conditions. For his contributions to humanity he has been given over 400 honors and awards, and is a two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee.
Is Falun Gong a religion?
Falun Gong is a "cultivation practice" with emphasis on both elevating the mind and enhancing physical health. The concept of "cultivation" is not familiar to many Westerners, though in China, there is a strong sense of the concept of cultivation. The term in Chinese is xiu lian. Xiu means to "repair" or "fix." Lian means to "smelt" or "refine." The Chinese character for "lian" looks similar to and has the same pronunciation as the term "to practice [exercises]." This is only a direct translation of the characters that make up the term. To get a more complete understanding of the concept of cultivation, we can look to China's history. Around 2,500 years ago, the sage Lao Zi (also spelled "Lao Tsu" and "Lao Tzu") appeared in China. Around the same time, Buddha Shakyamuni (also known as Siddartha Gautama) appeared in India. Lao Zi wrote the book Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching), which was how most of society learned about what he called the "Dao" or the "Way." Shakyamuni spread Buddhism in India for 49 years, which was then passed on to China. These two schools then formed the basis for many spiritual practices in China. Religions, as understood in Eastern cultures, are also considered forms of cultivation. There is the religion of Buddhism, which has temples, monks, etc., and there are several different sects of Buddhism. The cultivation way of the Buddha school does not end there though, as there are many practices from this school that are not considered part of the Buddhist religion. Often these practices are comprised of simply a teacher and students, but there are no religious formalities, places of worship, etc. These are also considered cultivation ways. The same is true for the Dao school. There is the religion of Daoism, but there are also many Daoist practices that are not considered to be religions in the Eastern way of thinking. So in China, it is not considered necessary to be religious in order to achieve the goal of raising one's spiritual level, but one does need a cultivation practice. Here in the West, since we don't really have the concept of cultivation, anything spiritual or that has to do with transcending the human world has traditionally fallen under the concept of religion. Falun Gong is no exception.
Why are Jiang Zemin and his followers persecuting Falun Gong?
It must first be understood that the Communist Party is officially atheist, so anything of a spiritual nature is discouraged and often outlawed because it is not in keeping with Communist ideology. For those of us in nations with democratically elected governments, freedom of belief is considered to be one of the most basic universal rights, but in China, such fundamental human rights are rarely protected. Since its introduction in 1992, the number of Falun Gong practitioners simply grew too large for the liking of a faction of the Party leadership led by the dictator Jiang Zemin. Falun Gong's 70-million-plus practitioners in China far outnumbered Party members. Jiang ordered the persecution out of personal jealousy, and a sense that he could not totally control the people's hearts and minds. Other, smaller groups that the have not been able to be totally controlled, such as Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Tibetan Buddhists have also been persecuted.
How many people have been affected by Jiang Zemin's persecution of Falun Gong?
Since the leader of China, Jiang Zemin, began the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in 1999,hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been illegally arrested and detained. More than 500 have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 18 years. Several thousand Falun Gong practitioners have been forced into mental hospitals, an act condemned by World Psychiatric Association. Over 100,000 have been illegally sent to labor camps without trials. More than 1,000 deaths of Falun Gong practitioners caused by persecution in police custody have been confirmed and more are being uncovered day in, day out, though sources inside the Chinese government have disclosed that the actual number is many times higher.
How has Falun Gong responded to the oppression?
Practitioners of Falun Gong in China have made appeals to the Chinese government via the proper legal channels, and have resisted the persecution with nonviolent public protests. There has not been a single report of responding with violence, destroying property, or the like - despite beatings, torture, jailing, murder, and other grave injustices. Practitioners outside China have taken up long marches, staged sit-ins, launched letter-writing campaigns, staged rallies, held press conferences, documented rights abuses and started lawsuits against the responsible perpetrators for crimes against humanity.
What Can You Do to Help?
The best way you can help is to let people around you know what Falun Gong is and to tell them about the current persecution in China. Write or call your Congressman and City Council members - by raising the public's awareness of the atrocities, you can help to put a stop to them.
What has been the United States' response, and that of the international community?
The US government has been unequivocal in its opposition to China's actions against Falun Gong. In November of 1999 the US House unanimously passed Resolution 218, with the Senate concurring, which condemned Beijing's actions and called for the immediate release of all jailed practitioners. A new, even stronger resolution, HR 188, was introduced in July of 2002. The leaders of both political parties in the US have spoken out and issued statements condemning the persecution. Governments around the world have responded with similar force. Human rights groups such as Freedom House and Amnesty International, in addition to many other organizations have been outspoken in their support for Falun Gong's freedom of belief.
Thanks for reading!!
In 2002, the Chinese Communist Party began a systematic persecution of those who practice Falun Gong. Falun Gong is a meditative practice aimed towards improving the mind, spirit, and body. Because it is misconstrued as a religion, the CCP (which is athiest) view it as a threat to their power. Therefore, it must be stopped. People in America and most other nations are in disbelief over the atrocities occuring overseas because of the seemingly inalienable right of freedom of religion. China does not observe this right. Families have been broken up over the persecution, their members being placed in torture camps and not necessarily being released. The torture methods are many; some resulting in mental and emotional distress, and some resulting in death. I am going to showcase a few of these atrocities for you.
First of all, some practitioners are being killed for their organs, tissues, and bones. These are being sold for an enormous profit under a black market scheme. The CCP is cohorting with surgeons, police, military, and prison authorities to cover up their actions. A practitioners heart can bring in upwards of hundreds of thousands of dollars in profit.
Those who are not immediately sentance to death by organ harvesting receive harsh punishment for their involvement in Falun Gong. At the Yimianpo Forced Labor Camp, practitioners are subjected to such tortures as: being crushed with baskets of large stones (weighing up to 220 pounds), brushing wounds with vinegar and alcohol, and body folding in which the practitioner is forced to bend his head down as far as it can go under a bed. The guard is then ordered to slowly begin pushing the practitioner under the bed, crushing his back. Practitioners may also be subjected to force-feeding through the nose, bamboo shoots stabbed under the fingernails, being burned with hot objects, hypothermia torture, and whatever other barbaric tortures the CCP can conjure up.
This is neither fake, nor staged. It is happening everyday and it is brutal. To date, the CCP has killed over 2898 practitioners, none of whom deserved such a brutal and barbaric death. They are peaceful people, pure in mind and wanting to help others. They do not want the power of the CCP in their hands, nor do they want to impose their beliefs upon others. They do not want to dictate or take over China. They want to live in harmony and peace. They want to help people and they want the right to speak freely and openly about their beliefs. Below I have copied some information from clearwisom.net, where you can find all other materials relating to Falun Gong and the Persecution. Who knows? Maybe you want to be a practitioner, or maybe you just want to help. Either way, getting involved in Falun Gong or helping to stop the persecution will benefit you in ways you can never imagine. If becoming a practitioner is not for you, then simply spread the word about the persecution. Our words will be heard, if not now, then soon. But I can't give up and I certainly won't give in! Falun Dafa is Good!!
What is Falun Gong or Falun Dafa?
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline for mind and body. The practice involves slow, gentle movements and meditation. It is easy to learn, enjoyable to practice, and free of charge. Its principles are based on Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance. The practice began in China in 1992 and quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China and then beyond. Falun Gong is practiced by over 100 million people in 60 countries. The main works of Falun Gong are available in over 30 languages.
Who practices Falun Gong, and in what ways do they find it beneficial?
Falun Gong is practiced by people of all ages, cultures, and backgrounds. People who practice regularly find it brings them better health, reduced stress, increased level of energy, inner peace, and deepened morals.
I'm interested in trying it out or learning more about it. How can I get started?
All practice sites offer free instruction, and everyone is welcome. To find a site near your home, you can visit http://www.falundafa.org on the Internet, or call 1-877-FALUN-99. All materials are available on-line. There are also instructional books and video tapes available from bookstores, or you can visit http://www.yc-corp.com/ to order them.
Who is Mr. Li Hongzhi?
Mr. Li Hongzhi (family name is Li) introduced the practice of Falun Gong to the general public in China in 1992. He then taught the practice publicly for two years in China, after which the practice continued to grow primarily by word-of-mouth. In keeping with Chinese tradition, Mr. Li is often respectfully referred to as "Master" or "Teacher." He is not accorded special treatment, nor does he accept money or donations from students of Falun Gong. He has ensured that the practice be available to all people, and without any terms or conditions. For his contributions to humanity he has been given over 400 honors and awards, and is a two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee.
Is Falun Gong a religion?
Falun Gong is a "cultivation practice" with emphasis on both elevating the mind and enhancing physical health. The concept of "cultivation" is not familiar to many Westerners, though in China, there is a strong sense of the concept of cultivation. The term in Chinese is xiu lian. Xiu means to "repair" or "fix." Lian means to "smelt" or "refine." The Chinese character for "lian" looks similar to and has the same pronunciation as the term "to practice [exercises]." This is only a direct translation of the characters that make up the term. To get a more complete understanding of the concept of cultivation, we can look to China's history. Around 2,500 years ago, the sage Lao Zi (also spelled "Lao Tsu" and "Lao Tzu") appeared in China. Around the same time, Buddha Shakyamuni (also known as Siddartha Gautama) appeared in India. Lao Zi wrote the book Dao De Jing (Tao Te Ching), which was how most of society learned about what he called the "Dao" or the "Way." Shakyamuni spread Buddhism in India for 49 years, which was then passed on to China. These two schools then formed the basis for many spiritual practices in China. Religions, as understood in Eastern cultures, are also considered forms of cultivation. There is the religion of Buddhism, which has temples, monks, etc., and there are several different sects of Buddhism. The cultivation way of the Buddha school does not end there though, as there are many practices from this school that are not considered part of the Buddhist religion. Often these practices are comprised of simply a teacher and students, but there are no religious formalities, places of worship, etc. These are also considered cultivation ways. The same is true for the Dao school. There is the religion of Daoism, but there are also many Daoist practices that are not considered to be religions in the Eastern way of thinking. So in China, it is not considered necessary to be religious in order to achieve the goal of raising one's spiritual level, but one does need a cultivation practice. Here in the West, since we don't really have the concept of cultivation, anything spiritual or that has to do with transcending the human world has traditionally fallen under the concept of religion. Falun Gong is no exception.
Why are Jiang Zemin and his followers persecuting Falun Gong?
It must first be understood that the Communist Party is officially atheist, so anything of a spiritual nature is discouraged and often outlawed because it is not in keeping with Communist ideology. For those of us in nations with democratically elected governments, freedom of belief is considered to be one of the most basic universal rights, but in China, such fundamental human rights are rarely protected. Since its introduction in 1992, the number of Falun Gong practitioners simply grew too large for the liking of a faction of the Party leadership led by the dictator Jiang Zemin. Falun Gong's 70-million-plus practitioners in China far outnumbered Party members. Jiang ordered the persecution out of personal jealousy, and a sense that he could not totally control the people's hearts and minds. Other, smaller groups that the have not been able to be totally controlled, such as Protestants, Roman Catholics, and Tibetan Buddhists have also been persecuted.
How many people have been affected by Jiang Zemin's persecution of Falun Gong?
Since the leader of China, Jiang Zemin, began the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in 1999,hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been illegally arrested and detained. More than 500 have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 18 years. Several thousand Falun Gong practitioners have been forced into mental hospitals, an act condemned by World Psychiatric Association. Over 100,000 have been illegally sent to labor camps without trials. More than 1,000 deaths of Falun Gong practitioners caused by persecution in police custody have been confirmed and more are being uncovered day in, day out, though sources inside the Chinese government have disclosed that the actual number is many times higher.
How has Falun Gong responded to the oppression?
Practitioners of Falun Gong in China have made appeals to the Chinese government via the proper legal channels, and have resisted the persecution with nonviolent public protests. There has not been a single report of responding with violence, destroying property, or the like - despite beatings, torture, jailing, murder, and other grave injustices. Practitioners outside China have taken up long marches, staged sit-ins, launched letter-writing campaigns, staged rallies, held press conferences, documented rights abuses and started lawsuits against the responsible perpetrators for crimes against humanity.
What Can You Do to Help?
The best way you can help is to let people around you know what Falun Gong is and to tell them about the current persecution in China. Write or call your Congressman and City Council members - by raising the public's awareness of the atrocities, you can help to put a stop to them.
What has been the United States' response, and that of the international community?
The US government has been unequivocal in its opposition to China's actions against Falun Gong. In November of 1999 the US House unanimously passed Resolution 218, with the Senate concurring, which condemned Beijing's actions and called for the immediate release of all jailed practitioners. A new, even stronger resolution, HR 188, was introduced in July of 2002. The leaders of both political parties in the US have spoken out and issued statements condemning the persecution. Governments around the world have responded with similar force. Human rights groups such as Freedom House and Amnesty International, in addition to many other organizations have been outspoken in their support for Falun Gong's freedom of belief.
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