The Human Rights Torch Relay (HRTR) and Rescuing People

By a Falun Gong practitioner in the U.S.A.

(Clearwisdom.net) The Human Rights Torch relay has begun to catch the attention of the media and the general public, including people inside China. This is an excellent opportunity to clarify the facts, although I have seen some specific issues of concern that I want to share with fellow practitioners. Please point out anything inappropriate.

1. Master repeatedly told that us the goal of everything we do right now is to rescue people.

With the Human Rights Torch Relay, numerous individuals and organizations in ordinary society have expressed support for Dafa and condemned the Communist Party's persecution by participating in the HRTR. Through it, we can help the world see what is right and what is wrong by informing people in the international community, especially the Chinese people, about righteous support for Falun Gong and disdain for the Party.

Nowadays, Chinese people can barely make a distinction between the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the real China as a result of the Communist regime's years of brainwashing people with the Party culture. In addition, the CCP has twisted the facts and incited extreme nationalism, leading the Chinese people to think the world is boycotting "China's" Olympics. In actuality, what the world opposes are the CCP's lies, hatred and persecution, not China. If the Party stops persecuting Falun Gong, stops harvesting practitioners' organs and releases all incarcerated practitioners, "boycotting the Communist regime's Olympics" would naturally be unnecessary.

The Party has intensified its violations of human rights with the pretext of preparing for the Olympics. The biggest human rights issue in China right now is the persecution of Falun Gong. It is imperative that we explain the matter deeply and thoroughly.

What is the Olympic Spirit? It is in immense contrast to the Party's terrible human rights record during the past eight years and the large-scale arrest of Falun Gong practitioners, using the Olympics as an excuse, since 2007 in various parts of the country, including Liaoning, Jilin, Heilongjiang, Hebei, Hubei and Sichuan Provinces.

The Party included Falun Gong practitioners on a "list of unwelcome persons," which is part of a classified document entitled "Notification on Strictly Carrying Out Background Checks on Applicants for the Olympics and Test Events," issued by the Ministry of Public Security. This document delineates 11 types and 43 categories of people who are excluded from the Games, including "enemy elements, Falun Gong, religious infiltrators, detrimental media personnel, and NGOs," among others. Obviously, the Party is going against the Olympic principles of harmony and justice, thereby bringing embarrassment to the Olympics, to China and to the Chinese people.

2. From the perspective of Fa-rectification and from the viewpoint of Dafa disciples, why would the Olympic Games, a long-running tradition, be held in China next year? As everything came for the Fa, how can this be a coincidence?

Master said,

"Really, no matter what the old forces do, that's what will happen under the effect of the cosmos's [law of] mutual-generation mutual-inhibition--whatever it does will amount to advertising on the Dafa disciples' behalf." ("Fa Teaching at the U.S. Capital" 2007)

Doesn't the Party's attack on the Human Rights Torch Relay serve as an opportunity to clarify the facts? We are not afraid of them spreading any lies, as we can rescue people through disseminating the truth. Of course, we must do well, or we would cause great losses.

We must do well with the three things and achieve the goal, as Master has told us,

"The focus for you right now is simply to find ways to do better, to be more efficient, to have a greater impact, and to save more people." ("Fa Teaching at the U.S. Capital")

Dafa practitioners must be clear on the Fa principles, and have strong righteous thoughts.

The HRTR is an event in everyday society. Its purpose is to expose human rights violations under the Communist regime while calling for the international community to oppose the Party's persecution. (We must make it clear that the persecution of Falun Gong is the biggest human rights issue in China.) Practitioners participate in the HRTR to direct attention to the issues and enlist the international community in this endeavor. Our ultimate goal is to end the persecution. The same principle applies when we expose the Party's true nature in order to clear the barriers that block people from seeing the facts, and thus to rescue people, but we do not seek to overthrow the Party.

From the perspective of Dafa disciples, we can fully utilize this opportunity to explain the facts and rescue people from various social strata, including politicians, corporate businessmen, athletes, human rights groups and religious organizations, who otherwise have little contact with us.

Dafa disciples should not worry whether or not the Olympics will be successful in China. We should not have any intention of relying on ordinary people to end the persecution. If during the process, practitioners have personal attachments and regard the boycott as our goal and motivation, then instead of effectively rescuing the world's people, we will have made a mistake. Or if we are afraid of the evil's slander and attacks, then the evil will take advantage of our fear and adversely impact the outcome of our efforts to clarify the facts. If we lean on ordinary people and see ourselves as powerless victims, this will reflect on those people, thereby reducing the effect of their righteous actions and interfere with their understanding of this activity.

The thoughts of people in society follow those of Dafa disciples. When the Party accuses us of "opposing the Olympics" and being "against China," we should indeed think about whether some of us still harbor misconceptions and attachments in this regard.

Master said,

"As I've said, everything that happens today in the ordinary society is the result of Dafa disciples' thoughts. Even though the old forces do exist, if you don't have those thoughts they can't do anything. When your righteous thoughts are strong enough the old forces can't do a thing." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.")

Are we ourselves overly concerned whether the Olympics will take place? Do we regard the Games as more important than ending the persecution and rescuing people? Are we confused regarding the concepts of the "Communist Party" and "China? Are we terribly afraid of people saying we are "getting involved in politics" and being "against China"? If the answer is yes, then these notions are preventing us from rescuing people. We should discard them as soon as possible, as time is pressing!

Right after the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party was published, many practitioners who were not clear on the Fa principles were afraid of having anything to do with politics and of being accused of "meddling in politics." As a result, the evil manipulated people to accuse us of exactly that. Some practitioners were thus blocked and stopped spreading the Nine Commentaries and helping people quit the Party.

Past lessons should make us clearheaded and more rational. We should know what we are doing and not allow any remaining ordinary notions to move us. Let us look inward during conflicts, and steadfastly do what Dafa disciples should do. As long as we do not deviate from the main course of rescuing people and do whatever we can to achieve that goal, we will never stray.

The above is my personal understanding.

Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/8/28/161669.html

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