Written by a Falun Dafa Practitioner from North America
(Clearwisdom.net)
In the endless flow of history, human lives are as ephemeral as a flower's
bloom. In the boundless firmament of the universe, human wisdom is as
insignificant as a tiny mustard seed. How many wise sages have searched
arduously, with the hope of finding the everlasting, true meaning of life?
1. Falun Dafa is Introduced to the World
Ten years ago on May 13, 1992, during the height of the Qigong's nationwide
popularity in China, Mr. Li Hongzhi held the first series of lectures on Falun
Gong in the city of Changchun. At this time he formally introduced to the public
a set of beautiful and gentle exercises - Falun Gong - whose purpose is to bring
people to the highest level of cultivation. In his lectures, Mr. Li Hongzhi for
the first time spelled out clearly that in order to attain Gong [cultivation
energy], practitioners must cultivate their mind and heart nature and
upgrade their moral standard by following the principle of "Truthfulness,
Compassion, Forbearance." Because of its clear principles, easy-to-learn
exercises, and the fact that it is good for both young and old, Falun Gong
spread quickly and became enjoyed by many Qigong lovers who had been searching
for the truth of Qigong. China's Qigong Science and Research Institute at that
time fully acknowledged the principles, the practice and the positive effect of
Falun Gong, and thus named it as one of the Qigong schools directly affiliated
with the Institute. It also offered much help and support to promote the
spreading and teaching of Falun Gong. Since then, more and more people have come
to understand the meaning of life and have found the true purpose of living
through studying and practicing Falun Gong.
From May 1992 to December 1994, invited by the local branches of the Qigong
Science and Research Institutes all around China, Mr. Li Hongzhi held 54
classes, (9-day seminars) lecturing on the Fa [great Law and principles].
Tens of thousands of students attended the lectures. In January 1995, the main
book of Falun Gong, Zhuan Falun, was published and issued by the China
Broadcasting and TV Publishing House. That same year, on January 4, in the
auditorium of Beijing Public Security University, a ceremony was held honoring
the initial publication of the book Zhuan Falun. In this ceremony, Mr. Li
Hongzhi announced that the time for teaching the Fa in China in the format of
the popular 9-day seminars had come to an end. Since it was published, the
demand for the book Zhuan Falun continually exceeded the supply. In 1996,
it was listed by Beijing Youth Daily as one of the ten most popular books
in Beijing. In March and May 1995, Mr. Li Hongzhi was invited to go to France
and Sweden respectively to lecture on the Fa, and so began the Fa's spread
overseas. He also caused the people of the world to admire China's brilliant
wisdom and civilization even more, and so won great international prestige for
China. In the seven years from May 1992 to July 1999, Falun Gong, just by word
of mouth, had spread throughout China and to 30 countries overseas, and has been
enjoyed by one hundred million people.
2. The Persecution
However, because of his extreme jealousy and hunger for power and
dictatorship, Jiang acted willfully and forcefully. On July 21, 1998, the First
Bureau of the Public Security Department issued regulations in violation of the
Constitution. Document No. 555 [1998] "On the Notice to Investigate Falun
Gong" was issued by the Public Security Department to "find Falun Gong
guilty first and then make the investigation." On June 10, 1999, the
Central Government "610 Office" was set up to specialize in
coordinating and implementing the persecution of Falun Gong. July 20 of the same
year saw the nationwide systematic, large-scale arrest of Falun Gong
practitioners. In the afternoon of July 22, CCTV broadcast the decision made by
the Civil Administration Department to ban the Falun Dafa Research Society.
Further, the Public Security Department announced the "Six
Prohibitions," and China Central Party Committee (CCPC) released the
announcement that Party members were not allowed to practice Falun Dafa. Since
that time, the brutal nationwide persecution began, with the goal "to
defame (Falun Gong) in reputation, to cut them off economically and to eradicate
them physically."
According to incomplete statistics, within the past three years beginning on
July 20, 1999, more than 410 practitioners have been verified as being tortured
to death in over 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. However,
according to the government's official internal statistics, the actual number of
practitioners who died after being arrested had reached 1,600 by the end of
2001. In addition, there are at least 6,000 Falun Gong practitioners who have
been illegally sentenced to prison. Over 100,000 practitioners have been
sentenced to forced labor camps. Thousands of practitioners have been forcefully
sent to psychiatric hospitals to be tortured with injections that are damaging
to the central nervous system. Large groups of Falun Gong practitioners have
been forcefully sent to local brainwashing classes, where they have been
subjected to both physical and mental torture. Many more practitioners have been
severely beaten and had large sums of money extorted from them. When large
numbers of Falun Gong practitioners are beaten to death, injured, and their
families are broken up, when they have to leave home and go from place to place
because of the persecution, millions of Falun Gong practitioners' families,
relatives, good friends and colleagues are also implicated and brainwashed to
varying degrees.
3. Peaceful Protest
Just as the Falun Gong practitioners solemnly announced at the beginning of
the persecution: this wicked persecution was destined to fail. During the last
three years of brutal persecution, instead of being suppressed and destroyed,
Falun Gong has instead spread further, faster and gained more support around the
world with its consistent peacefulness and rationality. In the midst of
tribulations, "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" is shining ever
more brilliantly.
Please look at the facts below:
The freedom to speak and obtain information freely outside of China enables
people to easily see the true nature of this persecution and the truth about
Falun Gong without [having to experience] any mental pressure. Regarding
the staged "Tiananmen Self-immolation" incident during the Chinese New
Year, Amnesty International pointed out in a brief article published in August
2001, "The fact that the government approves of the use of violence against
Falun Gong practitioners was also reported in detail by an article in the
Washington Post in August 2001." "According to the article, after
local government officials unwillingly and unsteadily carried out a 18-month
long anti-Falun Gong campaign, but to little effect, the CCPC plotted a new
policy, which was aimed at rooting out this organization...[they]
instigated hatred in the public and the media for Falun Gong. The propaganda
used an incident of self-immolation at Tiananmen Square on January 23 by five
people who claimed to be Falun Gong practitioners, including a 12-year-old girl.
After the incident, the government repeatedly played the grisly video of the
girl's burnt body on state-controlled media in addition to reporting materials
slandering Falun Gong, all in an attempt to change the public's opinion of Falun
Gong."
From March 20-22, 2002, with group exercises and other peaceful activities,
Falun Gong practitioners and supporters from more than 40 countries held a
peaceful protest during the 58th Human Rights Commission meeting in Geneva.
Shocked by the grievous injustice and the persecution in China, a deeply
concerned Swiss senator wrote, "Why does China reject the ancient
principles of Truth, Compassion, Tolerance, which are crucial for the whole of
humanity? This form of qigong cultivation can improve the cultivator's physical
and mental health, and at the same time it shows a most complete respect for a
person. Why would something like this make the Chinese government scared?"
4. Break Through the Information Blockade, Clarify the Truth and Advance
Towards Maturity
Even more notable is the fact that Jiang thought he could eliminate Falun
Gong in three months, but after three years of tempering, Falun Gong
practitioners have even firmer belief in "Truthfulness, Compassion,
Forbearance," and more and more practitioners have stepped forward from
their homes into society. Falun Gong practitioners worldwide are becoming
increasingly more steadfast and maturing through peaceful appeals while
clarifying and safeguarding the truth.
1) Step out of the limitation of individual cultivation and break through
the information blockade Before 1999, most practitioners in China and abroad just studied the Fa
and practiced quietly, and introduced their personal experiences and the
benefits they gained after practicing Falun Gong to their family members and
friends. After July 20, 1999, in order to clarify the truth that was
distorted by the Party's propaganda, despite the risk to their lives, Falun
Gong practitioners in China stepped out of the limitation of individual
cultivation and used all kinds of methods to clarify the truth to general
public, such as appealing, protesting in Tiananmen Square, handing out
flyers, truth-clarifying articles and VCDs, and face-to-face truth
clarification. They have used every possible channel to change the people's
uninformed views of Falun Gong. The overseas practitioners also made every
effort to support the practitioners in China. During these three years,
starting from learning how to send emails, practitioner in China and abroad
volunteered their time to set up content-rich Falun Gong websites one after
another. Starting from learning how to compile single page flyers,
practitioners now have made all kinds of flyers in different languages and
for different occasions, and created many truth-clarifying brochures,
magazines and several Chinese newspapers with refined and rich content
intended for the general public. Starting from understanding the meaning of
words, "Congress", "human rights organizations" and
other terms, little by little, practitioners touched people's hearts with
their words, deeds and the truth, and gained the sympathy and support from
legislatures, human rights organizations, non-government organizations and
the general public worldwide.
After three years hardships, with practitioners' righteous thoughts,
rationality and wisdom, through individual funding, practitioners outside
China have established websites, newspapers, radio stations and TV stations
targeting the general public, and obtained a certain capacity to broadcast
to China. During the past three years, practitioners in and out of China
have become firm and mature from the perspective of the Fa, and many
practitioners in China have been able to break through the information
blockade.
2) Making Falun Dafa Day an Important Day for More People On May 13, 2002, the day that marked the ten-year anniversary of the public
introduction of Falun Dafa, six cities in the Canadian province of British
Columbia proclaimed May 2002 to be "Falun Dafa Month." These six
cities included Armstrong, Belacara, Parksville, Cranbrook, Cumberland, and
Duncan. The mayors of these six cities issued proclamations praising the
traditional cultivation ways of Falun Gong, bringing benefits in both body and
mind for people all over the world, recognizing Falun Gong's contribution to
promoting the healthy development of society, and expressing admiration to
Falun Gong practitioners for their great compassion and forbearance in the
most severe environment.
In order to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the public
introduction of Falun Gong and May 13, Falun Dafa Day, Falun Gong
practitioners all over the world held all kinds of celebrations, entering a
climax on May 13. Dafa is spreading in the world, and we celebrate for all the
beings in heaven and earth. In defiance of the evil, we should sing and dance
with joy.
Epilogue
During the past few decades of harsh dictatorship, isn't it true that the
Party can take away lives and property alike with impunity? Isn't it true that
whoever is targeted by the Party has been destined to suffer in silence while
waiting for their innocence to be reinstated? However, violence and deception,
the two fortes of Jiang's regime, are being rendered powerless in the face of
the peaceful Falun Gong practitioners. After learning the truth, people cannot
help but praise Falun Gong practitioners, "Truly honorable! Falun
Gong!" "Righteousness will eventually defeat evil!" "Final
victory will be yours!"
Indeed, based upon the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion,
Forbearance," Falun Gong will continue to greatly benefit people's mind and
body until the end of time. Millions of Falun Gong disciples, who will maintain
righteous faith and righteous thoughts, will for certain have a wonderful future
beyond comparison. As the truth about Falun Gong is being clarified throughout
the world, Jiang's regime will for certain end up with the most severe
punishment. Those people who have a good attitude towards Falun Gong will be
fortunate enough to see that magnificent day, and they will be shaken to the
core and never forget that day.
After discovering the true meaning of life, millions of people with similar
lives and professions like you and I have emerged from this selfish, superficial
and illusory society. They have become the pioneers of the new morality and
culture, and they practice it through their actions. With the power of belief,
Falun Gong practitioners have led people around the world to find out the truth
about Falun Gong. They succeeded in spite of the slander and the brutal
persecution backed by an entire country's financial, military and propaganda
resources. Within three short years, they have stepped out of the darkness of
being persecuted and into the state of "The Buddha light illuminates
everywhere." In the past ten years, the true principle of
"Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" has been so powerful that it
has not only fundamentally purified and elevated millions of practitioners'
minds and bodies, but also enabled them to clarify the truth without complaint
or regret during the relentless persecution, in spite of indifference,
misunderstanding, attacks and curses. They have awakened countless kind hearts
and created a wonderful future for so many lives that were close to ending.
So many things have passed by like wisps of smoke, and the genuine gold will
reveal itself after the mud and sand are washed away. In an era and society when
people routinely forget the true meaning of "morality" and seek
materialism and pleasure instead of the true meaning of life, it may be hard to
immediately realize the special historic role of these last ten years. However,
in the near future, all those who are fortunate enough will be amazed by the
extraordinary experiences and selfless sacrifices of Falun Gong disciples all
over the world in the past ten years. At that time, people will clearly see that
it is during these ten short years that millions of Falun Gong practitioners
have re-established the pure meaning of morality through their own practice.
They awakened the human nature of valuing kindness and truly saved human beings
who were on the edge of being eliminated. Moreover, these ten years not only
made a path for modern people to return to their origin, but also left a
historic reference for future generations. Although seemingly plain and modest,
it is indeed magnificent and truly remarkable, an unprecedented historic event.
Everyone will clearly understand this and consider May 13, the date that Falun
Dafa was introduced to the public, as a most significant historic date to thank
the Lord of Buddhas for compassionate salvation as well as marking the beginning
of a new era for human beings.
These ten years, 1992 to 2002, have been truly magnificent due to Falun
Dafa's spread throughout the world. What Falun Dafa has experienced in this
world is unforgettable and will be recorded in history forever!
May 13, 2002 is the World Falun Dafa Day and also the tenth anniversary of the
introduction of Falun Dafa to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi. Such a seemingly
ordinary date has not only been quietly marked in history, but will also become
a significant, brilliant and everlasting day of celebration in the future
mankind's culture.
Posting date: 5/17/2002
Original article date: 5/17/2002
Category: Truth Clarification
Translated on 5/14/2002
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2002/5/13/30107.html