(Clearwisdom.net)

Deceived by the lies spread by the Jiang faction, some people regard truth-clarification efforts and exposing the evil by the practitioners to be "political." So then, do the Falun Gong practitioners really have a political agenda? The answer is no.

For the past few years, Jiang's group has tried everything they could to link Falun Gong with politics; they tried to make it look like Falun Gong had a hidden agenda and that Falun Gong wanted to ruin the Communist Party and the country. They claimed that the efforts to stop the persecution and clarify the truth were contrived so that eventually practitioners would take the ruling party's power. They tried to label Falun Gong as being against the Communist Party, the Chinese government, and China, and thereby deceive the public into supporting the persecution. Jiang's group also fabricated excuses for and hid evidence of the scale and intensity of the persecution. They tried to divert people's attention away from the brutal and illegal nature of the persecution. In China, brutal persecution of anything labeled "political," "anti-Communist Party," "anti-government," and "anti-China" is thought to be justified. No matter how bloody and brutal the persecution is and how many people die, no one will step forward to speak up and stop it. So saying that Falun Gong is "political" is a most effective way to legitimize the persecution.

However, lies will always be lies no matter how often they are repeated.

So what constitutes being political? Are appealing to the government, distributing flyers, going to Tiananmen Square to peacefully appeal, or suing Jiang political? The essence of the matter is not what you do, but what your purpose is. If Jiang were not persecuting Falun Gong, and the practitioners could freely practice, they wouldn't have to appeal, distribute flyers, or resort to lawsuits. They were forced to do these things to expose the irrationality and brutality of the persecution and to bring an end to it. They do not want to strip Jiang of his power, nor are they interested in changing the current political system. They just want to stop the calamity and to have an environment that is free of harassment. This is completely different from being political.

As a dictator, Jiang regards power as supreme over everything. He thinks everybody is like him. In fact, historically, cultivators of a righteous spiritual practice have never been interested in power or governing others, and Falun Gong is no exception. As a spiritual practice, Falun Gong practitioners pursue the elevation of moral standards, with no intention of establishing a government. They are not interested in the political system or power struggles of the human realm. In April 1992, when Falun Gong was just introduced to the public, Mr. Li Hongzhi made it very clear to the disciples that "Other than doing a good job with his work, a cultivator will not be interested in politics or political power of any sort; failing this, he absolutely isn't my disciple." "Cultivation Practice is Not Political" (Essentials for Further Advancement). Mr. Li has also repeatedly stated that any pursuit of power and interest in politics are serious barriers to reaching consummation for cultivators. True cultivators will not be attached to such things.

As we have pointed out, the persecution of Falun Gong was not a decision supported by all members of the Chinese Communist Party and the government. The persecution was Jiang's decision, based on power alone, not on the rule of law. During this persecution, Jiang has used the national propaganda media and law-enforcement facilities. Falun Gong has always made it clear that they hold only Jiang and his accomplices responsible for their crimes, and not the Chinese government per se. Although Jiang held the highest position in the Communist Party and the state, given what he has done to persecute the people, he did not represent the Chinese government or the Chinese people, just as Hitler did not represent Germany, or the Germans. The persecution of cultivators, who believe in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, is an insult to the Chinese people as well as to the image of the Chinese government. Jiang wanted to confuse the public, using the Communist Party and the government as a shield to hide behind. His efforts will certainly be futile.

In the end, no matter what the practitioners do, be it peacefully appealing, going to Tiananmen Square, distributing flyers, setting up websites, or organizing rallies, their only purpose is to expose the persecution and eventually put an end to the persecution and the lies, so people can know the truth and regain the basic right to practice. There is no intention to gain power or change the current political system. A case in point is the stark difference between how the practitioners outside of China treat Jiang and the new generation of Chinese leaders.

Before he ordered the persecution, practitioners around the world gave Jiang the opportunity to know the truth by writing to him or going through the appeal channels. Nevertheless, Jiang still decided to persecute Falun Gong. In August and September 2000, when he was visiting the United States, Jiang lied to the whole world during an interview broadcast on CBS. He smeared the practitioners and the founder Mr. Li Hongzhi, and made excuses for his illegal actions and failure to uphold China's Constitution. This made him the target of anti-persecution efforts by practitioners around the world. When he was a head of state, wherever he went, he was met with peaceful protests, condemnation, and lawsuits launched by practitioners.

Falun Gong practitioners have kind thoughts for everybody, including the Chinese leaders, and give everyone the opportunity to get to know Falun Gong so they will have a bright future. On December 7, 2003, Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao arrived in New York during a four-day visit to the U.S. Wherever he went, Falun Gong practitioners held up banners with messages such as, "Welcome to the USA Wen Jiabao," "Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice," and "Falun Dafa is Good." They also peacefully demonstrated the exercises to express their sincere hope for Wen to know the truth, stop the brutal persecution, and bring Jiang, the main culprit behind the persecution, to justice.

One of the participants in the welcoming group, Ms. Zhao, a California real estate company manager, said, "Falun Gong practitioners treat everybody nicely, including those that are hostile to them, such as police officers, because they [the police in China] have been deceived. We are kind to all governments and all people including the Chinese premier Wen Jiabao. We would like everybody to have information so they can judge for themselves. During Wen's visit, Falun Gong practitioners naturally used the opportunity to help the premier understand the traditional cultivation practice rooted in ancient China and understand how Falun Gong is spreading in free countries. We hope the new generation of leaders in China can discard Jiang's evil way of governing and work with all people to stop the crimes against humanity that are occurring now."

Some people believe that to risk one's life to expose the evil and clarify to the truth to governments and people is like hitting a rock with eggs; it's just not effective, or it's not necessary. Some people even tried to persuade Falun Gong practitioners with this argument: "If you think the practice is good, just do it at home. Why risk your life to go out to talk to other people? You know Jiang is cooking up lies. That's good enough. You don't have to care whether other people know it or not. If people are fooled, that's their problem. It has nothing to do with you." But this is not how Falun Gong practitioners see things.

On the surface, the victims of the persecution are Falun Gong practitioners. In fact, that's not true. All people share the feeling that the moral standards of society are going downhill; and many people are going down with it. The practitioners are reversing that trend by being good people. As a result, moral standards are improving, which helps stabilize society. If the persecution does not allow these people to believe in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, who would want to be kind? Who would even want to be a good person? How could society maintain moral standards and social conscience? If people only care about themselves, and do not feel guilty about doing bad things, how can we feel safe? What will happen to happiness? Therefore, Falun Gong practitioners are not the only victims; all Chinese people, including the perpetrators of the persecution and the rest of humanity, are victims. As people who believe in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, how can the practitioners do nothing about such a situation?

From a different point of view, things happen for a reason. Many people believe that it is an eternal truth that good is rewarded with good and evil with evil. Nowadays, no matter how people look at Falun Gong, most people embrace Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, which are the essence of traditional Chinese culture and the essence of humanity. On the other hand, what does it mean to be against Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance? Isn't that embracing lies, evil, and violence?

If you believe what Jiang's regime says, and dislike Falun Gong and its practitioners, are you doing a good thing or a bad thing? Since good will be met with good, evil with evil, what will await you in the future? Even if you don't agree with Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, doesn't our constitution give people the right to believe in it? When you are trampling people's freedom and rights, is that good or bad? What will await you? How can Falun Gong practitioners, with their belief in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, witness people being deceived and used and hurting themselves and their families, without clarifying the truth to them?

Since July 1999, when Jiang started the persecution of Falun Gong, natural disasters have been continuously occurring in China. In fact, over the past five years, many people involved in the persecution and their accomplices have received karmic retribution. Media outside of China have reported their cases. People within China do not know about this because the government blocks the flow of information within and into the country. Falun Gong practitioners do not want more people to be punished, and therefore, they step forward and risk their lives to awaken people's consciences and righteous thoughts.

Like everybody else, Falun Gong practitioners have families, know the preciousness of freedom, and look forward to a happy life. Falun Gong practitioners know the price they have to pay for appealing to the government and telling people the truth. If they only thought about themselves, they wouldn't do this. No one forces them to do such things. However, Mr. Li Hongzhi teaches people to be selfless and think about others first. That's why practitioners see others' future and happiness as being more important than their own lives. With their suffering, if they can awaken their fellow countrymen so they can have a bright future, the practitioners think it's worth their efforts.

It's their wish for all Chinese people and people around the world to have a bright future.

A Falun gong practitioner once wrote in an open letter, "Dear country, we wish that in our motherland, moral standards could be restored and people would treat each other with kindness. Only this can bring hope to the country. For the future of the country, please give Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance the position it deserves.

Dear fellow countrymen, this is the wish that comes from the hearts of the Falun Gong practitioners.

Posting date: 11/13/2004
Original article date: 11/12/2004
Category: Open Forum
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2004/10/28/87663.html

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