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Looking at Hunger Strikes from the Perspective of Saving Sentient Beings By a practitioner from China
(Clearwisdom.net) In recent issues of Clearwisdom Weekly, I have
read some well-written articles on the issue of hunger strikes. They pointed out
many problems resulting from improper hunger strikes, and are beneficial to
fellow practitioners who have the attachment of going on hunger strike. I have
the following understanding on this issue. I enlightened from Teacher's Fa that going on hunger strike is a
principle formed during the history of the old cosmos. It is not a principle of
Falun Dafa. In earlier historical periods, society respected and cherished life. Life was
treated with the utmost respect. No power or thing was more important than life.
In such a moral environment, when someone was wronged, he could express the
person's wrongdoing and achieve the effect of awakening his conscience through
hunger strike. In an environment of higher morals, one could show someone's
wrongdoing simply by saying "I was wronged." However, nowadays, morality has been undermined-- especially in China, where
people's consciences have been destroyed by atheism. People treat life lower
than power, money, or lust. They may kill for any of these reasons. The Chinese
Communist Party (CCP) has been killing Falun Dafa practitioners under the
pretext of defending its power. In China, millions upon millions have been
killed for opposing the CCP. The CCP treats life as nothing and kills without
restraint. During the so-called "Three-Year Natural Disaster" [China's
Great Famine shortly after the CCP's "Great Leap Forward" campaign,
1959-1961] millions of millions of people starved to death. But the CCP has
never cared. After each campaign of killing ends, it begins another. How could
it be possible for it to care if several people died from a hunger strike? In
its official reports, it even includes those who are beaten to death as
suicides. Under such circumstances, expressing someone's wrongdoing through
hunger strike does not work, nor does saying, "I have been wronged." Some practitioners have achieved their purpose by going on hunger strike.
What they faced, though, were lives that still had a bit of humanity. Falun Dafa
practitioners clarified the truth to them through hunger strike and
awakened their reverence for life. Although their awakened righteous thoughts
are minor, they are enough to break through the control of the evil. After
learning the truth, they never persecute practitioners again. Therefore, hunger strikes confine practitioners' righteous thoughts and
power. Likewise, their effect in validating the Fa and saving sentient beings is
limited. The above is my personal understanding. I welcome practitioners to point out
any shortcomings. Posting date: 9/14/2007 |