Lisa Tao, Washington DC

July 2000

Our peaceful appeal in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC has lasted 9 months. Now I would like to share with you some of my experience.

In mid-October last year, a practitioner from Virginia came to practice in front of the Chinese Embassy early every morning. Later on, two more practitioners came every afternoon. They displayed the banner that read "Falun Dafa is good" while practicing Falun Gong exercises and studying Falun Gong books in front of the Embassy.

Towards the end of October, more practitioners joined us in front the Embassy. We coordinated our schedules so that there would be practitioners in front of the Embassy everyday. We displayed banners to protest the Chinese government's brutal suppression of Falun Dafa, and to tell the world that Falun Dafa is righteous.

In the beginning, several people from the Embassy often came out to "talk" to us. But they did not really want to engage in equal conversations. When we told them the facts about Falun Gong, they just raised their voices to talk us down. We maintained our calmness and kindness, and we felt sorry for them.

But there were some kindhearted staff members from the Embassy who knew that the Chinese government had been fooling the people and misleading the world on the issue of Falun Gong. Since they were willing to talk to us in a friendly way, we showed them how the Chinese government violated the human rights of the Chinese practitioners. Once I said: "The Chinese practitioners just do Falun Gong exercises and read Falun Gong books to strive to be healthy and good people. Is there anything wrong with that? Why does the government persecute them relentlessly? They are wronged, and they are denied the right to appeal. They have suffered from inhumane tortures. Some of them were even beaten to death. I feel really sad, because they are just common Chinese people like me. They are like my brothers and sisters." He replied in sorrow, "They are like my brothers and sisters, too." I could see his kind heart, so I told him: "Then let's make every effort from different positions to prevent the situation from getting worse, and to help solve the crisis peacefully." As he was leaving, he told me seriously: "I will keep your words in my heart."

In November, the Embassy people played another trick. Staff members frequently met with practitioners. They also invited practitioners to dinner. It's quite okay to have dinner with the Embassy people, but never will we betray the Buddha!

They said: "You sit here everyday, you are bringing shame on the Chinese government."

We replied: "The government brought the shame on itself, we are just trying to clean it. The severe violations of the human rights of Chinese practitioners and the fabrications and distortions in media reports have all tarnished the image of the Chinese government. We come here just to tell the government that what you have done is wrong. If the government could correct its mistakes and stop the persecutions, the shame it has brought to itself will be cleaned away."

They said: "Do you think the US government will help you?"

We replied: "We are practitioners. We seek nothing at all, except the right for cultivation practice. The cultivation practice is legitimate in all the places in the world, except China. It is a basic human right. We come here just to appeal to the Chinese government to restore the reputation of Falun Dafa and to allow the Chinese practitioners to practice their beliefs."

A few days later, the US House of Representatives unanimously passed a resolution criticizing the crackdown on Falun Gong by the Chinese government. What a coincidence!

After that, they found little to argue with us about and said to us: "We have not said that you are illegal and that you are cult. That is for Falun Gong in Mainland China. The overseas Falun Gong is different from the one in China."

Seriously and explicitly, we replied: "There is only one Falun Dafa in the universe. Overseas practitioners and Chinese practitioners practice the same exercises, read the same books. We are students of the same Teacher - Mr. Li Hongzhi, and we follow the same principle: Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance."

There are many Chinese tourists coming to Washington DC. Some of them have been misled by the vicious propaganda in China. When they saw Falun Dafa in front of the Chinese Embassy, they were shocked. Some of them even attempted to frighten us with the way the Chinese police deal with Falun Dafa practitioners. "Get out of here," one of them yelled, "otherwise I will call the police." We just laughed at them. So they started to realize that they were in the US, that Falun Dafa is legal everywhere outside China, and that there are many "foreigners" practicing Falun Dafa as well.

Quite a few Chinese tourists took pictures of us. Whether it's a distant shot or close-up, we were just so calm and peaceful. We understood that whether it's out of good intention or ill mind, as long as those pictures were spread out, it would be promotion of Falun Dafa. We do hope they could bring the truth back to China.

Many of them really wanted to know the true stories. They picked up the materials on Falun Gong and read them very quickly. They wanted to read as much as possible, for they dared not bring the materials back to China. When they learned that the petition in front of the Chinese Embassy had never stopped, when they learned that it had lasted through the winter of ice and snow, and the spring of brilliant sunshine, they were deeply moved. One of them said: "But, you know? No matter how you insist, the Chinese government will never change." I said: "I know. But I hope they will change. If they do change, it will be good for the government, for the people, for the nation, and for the human society. Whether they will change or not is their own decision, but whether we come or not is our decision. We will never give up." People in the Embassy were shouting to the person who was talking to us: "Come over, come over. Don't listen to them." I continued: "I know everyone has a kind nature. I know you are very conscious of it. But because of various pressures, you cannot speak out. We are much luckier than you." He was nodding all the time, and I saw tears in his eyes.

How lucky that we have attained Falun Dafa! I feel honored to defend the righteousness and dignity of my faith.

One day early this year, it began to rain when I came off work around 1:30 p.m. I was somewhat hesitant whether to go there. My husband handed me a bun and added: "Don't give up." I turned around and headed for the bus station. Right out of the metro station, the rain was pouring down. When I stepped on the bridge, what first came into my view was the banner of Falun Dafa, in the wind and rain. A young practitioner was doing the standing stance exercise in the rain, without an umbrella and raincoat.

Naturally, the place in front to the Chinese Embassy became our practice site. Everyday, we sit down and study the teachings of Falun Dafa quietly. We felt we were dissolved into the truth of the universe. News from China was spread, and the moral courage displayed by Chinese practitioners in Tiananmen Square was echoed here. We exchanged our experience and let go of our attachments. On the road of cultivation, we made progress all together. We pursued nothing, yet interesting things often happened. Black hair replaced the white hair of a 79-year-old Mama Xue. Aunt Zhang said good-bye to her eyeglasses. Some people came to learn the five sets of exercises. Some came to read Zhuan Falun (the main text of Falun Dafa). A Westerner took a special trip to express his indignation over the inhumane crackdown and his respect for the courageous Chinese practitioners. An old lady asked me, as a favor, to send her regards to the suffering practitioners in China. A young man, speaking in Chinese while pointing to Chinese Embassy: "I am not afraid of them."

Passengers waved their hands towards us. Drivers honked to show their encouragement. Policemen gave thumbs up towards us in support. News reporters often came to make interviews. Various English and Chinese newspapers, TV and radio of many countries have reported or broadcast news of Falun Gong. The universal truth of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is being spread to the world, and the Buddha's light is illuminating everywhere.

Ever since July 20th last year, Falun Dafa practitioners from the US and other parts of the world gathered many times in front of the Chinese Embassy in Washington DC, in protest of the crackdown on Falun Gong by the Chinese government. We expressed our cherished wish in a most peaceful way. In the baking Sun, we meditated, silently enduring with our determined hearts. We exposed the truth to the world, calling for support from international organizations and governments of all countries, and all the people with a benevolent nature.

Ever since then, our appeal in front of the Embassy has gained support from practitioners all over the world. Practitioners made phone calls and sent messages to encourage us. Each time we meet at the experience sharing conferences, we exchanged our understanding and discussed about this. We all felt that it's righteous to defend Falun Dafa in front of the Embassy.

Some of the banners we displayed are made by practitioners from Atlanta and California. The flyers we passed out came from Canada, New York, Atlanta, Taiwan and other areas.

We have no organizations but our hearts are together. We have a common name: Falun Dafa Practitioner.

All of us cherish a common goal: to guard the righteousness of Falun Dafa, and to assimilate to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.