A New Year, with New Changes: Montreal Practitioners Clarify the Truth to Friends and Relatives

With the Chinese New Year drawing near, Falun Gong practitioners in Montreal prepared a special feast, and invited friends and relatives who are not cultivators to spend the festival together, just like last year. The guests' understanding of Falun Gong has changed considerably since the previous gathering.

Montreal's winter is icy and windy. The host practitioner enthusiastally entertained more than twenty Falun Gong practitioners and their friends and relatives at home, and even the most distant guests felt warm and welcome. The guests brought various dishes with them, while the family members of Falun Gong practitioners prepared their own specialties in the kitchen. Enjoying the delicacies while conversing, the topic never deviated from Falun Gong.

Many of the guests were new immigrants. Mr. Zhang has lived in Canada for less than 2 years. Deceived by the Jiang group's slanderous propaganda against Falun Gong, he frankly expressed to Falun Gong practioners last year what he could not understand. His wife had been arrested and detained for practicing Falun Gong in China, so he knew of the brutal persecution. But he mistakely took Falun Gong as a political issue, thought Falun Gong practitioners were involved in politics, and thought that exposing Jiang and his follower's evil actions was anti-government.

Living in Canada's free society, he gradually came to a better understanding of Falun Gong over the past year. At this year's dinner, in a conversation with a practitioner, Mr. Guan said, "The Falun Gong issue relates to the entire nation. The persecution of Falun Gong not only harms Falun Gong practitioners, it affects every aspect of China. How we deal with this issue will impact China's future." He made a sincere suggestion to Falun Gong practitioners, "Your truth clarifying work is not sufficient. You should reach more broadly and deeply, and write good articles at every level so that more people can grasp the essence of the persecution, understand Falun Gong, and support it even more."

When Mr. Guan mentioned that Falun Gong was never involved in politics, and never against the Chinese government, he said, "It is Jiang who launched the persecution, causing over one hundred million practitioners to suffer injustice, subjecting them to brutal treatment for four years, while continuously slandering Falun Gong through media, and using his power to cover up the facts and block information of the persecution. Falun Gong practitioners expose Jiang's persecution of Falun Gong and clarify the facts to people; they don't oppose the government. When Chinese premier Wen Jiabao visited Canada last December, Falun Gong practitioners displayed a banner written in Chinese: 'Wen Jiabao, Welcome to Canada; Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice.' Here you can see that we only oppose the persecution, and Jiang's illegal suppression of Falun Gong. For four years we have been working hard to end the persecution."

After dinner they watched a video of the Inaugural Chinese New Year Global Gala sponsored by the New Tang Dynasty TV station. The program lasted four hours, and everyone watched in silence until the chorus of 80 practitioners from 13 European countries sang the Chinese melody "Coming For You" in five languages, then many people shed tears.

It is said that this song dates back to November 20, 2001, when 36 practitioners from 12 countries resolutely marched into Tiananmen Square, displaying banners in Chinese, "Truthfulness, Benevolence, Forbearance," and "Falun Dafa is Good." The lyrics translate to: "Surmount the long and trying journey, I come for you again and again. I come just because I love you. Noble Chinese, please listen attentively to my aspiration: Falun Dafa is good, do not believe the rumor that deceives the world, do not miss this one chance in all eternity."

When people can think calmly and reasonably, they will reconcile some questions. Practitioner Ms. Gao's boyfriend said that he had read part of Zhuan Falun, and does not quite understand all of it, but he can understand "Truthfulness, Benevolence, Forbearance." In a little over a year he has learned to be tolerant, forbear, and be less concerned with self interest. He often ponders whether life could be eternal. In his active conversation with practitioners, he reported great benefits. Although he had planned to stay only for half an hour to exchange greetings, he surprised Ms. Gao by talking with different practitioners for six hours. He didn't even stop to watch the program, saying, "I can watch the video at home, but the opportunity to talk with practitioners is rare." Finally he added, "My understanding is more clear after talking with practitioners. I will continue to read Zhuan Falun."

Late that night, the happy guests left for home.

More and more people came to understand the truth of Falun Gong. More and more people are seeking the meaning of life. More and more people are touched by Falun Gong.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.org/mh/articles/2004/2/2/66423.html

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