Concerned People Telling the World about Falun Gong and the Persecution in China: Clear Wisdom [Monday, August 22, 2005 ]

One day in 1991, while travelling on a train, a team of medical personnel heard a cry coming from underneath a seat. A baby girl, whose umbilical cord was still intact, was found in a cardboard box. After getting permission from relevant authorities, Mrs. Lu Changlan adopted the child and gave her the name Lu Tianjiao. Tianjiao was then left in the care of Lu Changlan's parents, Lu Qingzhai and Shi Shengying who were more than happy to be her grandparents.

In the spring of 1996, Grandma Shi was badly injured in a car accident. The sixth and seventh vertebrae of her spine were broken, and it was believed that she would most likely have to be bedridden for the rest of her life. Three months later, someone recommended Falun Gong to her, a cultivation system known to have given miraculous healing results. She was given a copy of the book, Zhuan Falun. A few days after reading the book, something unexpected happened to Grandma Shi - she managed to sit up in bed. About two months later, she even managed to walk again. All of the people who knew her found it to be a most remarkable recovery.

Grandma Shi was indeed grateful to have been introduced to Falun Dafa. To show her respect, one day she hung Teacher's portrait on the wall. An amazing thing then followed - little Tianjiao walked into the room, saw the portrait, and immediately kowtowed to Teacher on her knees - a traditional gesture of utmost respect to someone. At age six, Tianjiao was a playful girl. For a child who has not been brought up in the old traditions, to follow a ritual commonly rejected as old-fashioned in this generation, Tianjiao's behavior was an amazing sight to behold.

"What are you doing, Tianjiao?"

"Isn't this our Teacher? Isn't it proper to pay respect to our Teacher?" Tianjiao answered.

Some days later, Tianjiao said, "I saw Teacher last night. He was dressed in the same garment, but his hair was curly and blue. He even taught me to recite passages from Zhuan Falun."

After the persecution began on July 20, 1999, Tianjiao fell ill. Her body temperature was high and she was admitted to the hospital. Examination revealed that the lower lobe of her right lung had collapsed. Surgery to remove it could only be carried out after autumn. Grandma Shi brought Tianjiao home and encouraged her to do the Falun Gong exercises regularly. Miraculous things then started to happen. Every time after practicing the exercises, Tianjiao coughed up a lot of sputum. One day, the little girl told Grandma Shi that she had been hearing a voice that said, "Don't be afraid, your lung will be all right soon." Sure enough, a month later, she recovered completely without taking any medication.

On October 15, 1999, Grandma Shi was arrested in Beijing for protesting the persecution of Falun Dafa. Two days later, her second daughter Lu Changliang, also a practitioner of Falun Dafa, was also arrested in Beijing and sent to a detention center. Seeing Grandpa Lu's worried face, little Tianjiao began to cry. "Grandpa, will they come back?" she asked. Six months later, after having been tortured, burned by electric batons, and paying a fine of 2,000 yuan, Grandma Shi was allowed to go home, whereas her daughter Lu Changliang was sentenced to a year of forced labor at the infamous Masanjia Forced Labor Camp.

Six months after her release, Grandma Shi was arrested again. This time, she was sent to Masanjia Forced Labor Camp, where, for the first time since her first arrest, she met her daughter again, who was so badly beaten that she could not walk and had to be carried.

Tianjiao missed Grandma Shi so much that she called out her name day and night. Tianjiao had learned to be very patient and understanding with Grandpa Lu; she never brought problems home to worry him and she was careful not to make him upset. Occasionally she missed Grandma Shi so much that she would quietly ask, "Grandpa, when is Grandma coming back?"

Grandma Shi was tortured to the limits of her endurance before Masanjia Labor Camp finally released her. Since her return, Tianjiao followed her almost everywhere she went. She could not bear to lose her again. One day, while Grandma Shi was preparing lunch for Tianjiao who was about to come home, a group of officers from the 610 Office came and arrested her again. She had hardly recovered from the previous tortures when they took her away to a labor camp. Three days later, those people came back and took Grandpa away as well. Tianjiao was now completely alone.

After about a month of physical and mental torture at the brainwashing classes, and being driven to the limits of her endurance, Grandma Shi was finally released. On November 30, 2004, while trying to expose the atrocious persecution and clarifying the truth in a park, Grandma Shi was again arrested. This time she was sentenced to four years of forced labor in Shenyang Prison.

The last few years of persecution have drained the Lu family financially. Grandpa Lu, now 70 years old, has to find work to support the family. Tianjiao is now 13. Every day, she brings food to Grandma Shi as well as money to pay for her stay in the prison. Moreover, they are still under constant pressure from the 610 Office, as well as from the people in the neighborhood, who have not understood the reasons behind Grandma Shi's arrest.

With this article, we hope to expose the atrocities and implore the public to give their generous support to this young girl called Tianjiao who has now become a victim of the persecution as well.

Ms. Kong Fanrong Tortured to Death in 2003, Her Family Still Suffering Persecution (Photo)

(Clearwisdom.net) Mr. Kong Fanrong, a Falun Dafa practitioner from Shulan City, Jilin Province, and her family have been suffering persecution from since 1999. On May 11, 2003, Kong Fanrong died due to torture she received in detention. Her husband, Bian Hongxiang, was arrested in March 2005. By the time he returned home, he was nearly dead from torture. Their daughter, Bian Lingyun, was arrested at the end of July.

Ms. Kong Fanrong

On January 14, 2003, Kong Fanrong, who was working out of town at the time, was arrested in Hua Jiao, Changchun City by Shi Yongliang, Liu Qiang (superintendent), and Huang Huichen, among others, from the An Qing Road Police Station in the Green Garden District of Changchun City. When Huang Huichen took 4,000 yuan from Kong Fanrong, he hid behind a cardboard box and counted the money. (Often when police officers search a practitioner and find money, they keep it. When the police find valuables or cash in a practitioner's home, they frequently come up with excuses to confiscate these possessions and keep the items themselves.)

After Kong Fanrong was brought to the An Qing Police Station, the police yanked her by the hair and slammed her head against a wall. They tortured her by kicking her repeatedly in the lower torso with their heavy boots, stomping on her toes, shoving toothpicks under her fingernails, forcing her to sit on a tiger bench, and poking her eyes with their fingers, all the while cursing her with vile profanities.

Kong Fanrong was transferred to the Shulan City Detention Center from the An Qing Road Police Station, where the torture continued. She died on May 11, 2003 due to torture by the officers of the An Qing Police Station and the Shulan City Detention Center.

After receiving the news of her death, her son brought a camera with him to collect photographic evidence of the torture his mother had been subjected to. Looking at her body, he couldn't believe what he saw. There were bruises all over his mother's body, and too many wounds to count. He could barely recognize her. When he took a picture of his mother, several police officers came in and snatched his camera, saying, "If these pictures are publicized, you will be condemned as a political criminal and find yourself in a worse position than your mother was in."

The government not only failed to investigate the murder, but forced Kong Fanrong's family to sign papers authorizing the cremation of the body in order to eliminate the evidence of the crime. The superintendent of the Nancheng Police Station in Shulan City and Li Jiazhe, the Assistant Section Chief of the Political and Security Section at the station, spoke to Kong Fanrong's son alone and asked him, "Do you want some money?"

He said, "I won't take a penny. I want to expose the murderer who killed my mother, and I want him to pay for it with his life."

As they often do when faced with this situation, the police employed the method of holding someone hostage in order to compel the family to authorize cremation. The police arrested more than ten practitioners and told them, "We will release you today if Kong Fanrong is cremated today. We will release you tomorrow if she is cremated tomorrow. If she isn't cremated within ten days, we will never release you."

On May 19, the leaders from the Shulan 610 Office and the police station came calling on the three remaining members of Kong Fanrong's immediate family and tried to coerce them into signing the paperwork for the cremation. They said, "We will cremate her today whether you sign the paper or not. If you refuse to sign, we will arrest you all and order the cremation ourselves." The three held each other in their arms and cried.

Even their attorney told them, "There is no one to appeal to. Vice Premier Li Lanqing has control of this case." In this way, the authorities got their way and disposed of the evidence of their crimes.

In 2004 a practitioner surnamed Cao was arrested. The police force-fed him with hot pepper juice and mustard oil while interrogating him as to the whereabouts of other practitioners. Mr. Cao said nothing. The police roared at him, "You'd better talk! Didn't we kill Kong Fanrong even though she was very steadfast? Didn't she die for nothing? If you don't talk, you'll share Kong Fanrong's fate!"

On March 3, 2005, nine police officers arrested Kong Fanrong's husband, Bian Hongxiang, at the Changchun Store and was tortured until his life hung by a thread. When the police realized that he was on the brink of death, they sent for his daughter to take him home. While Mr. Bian was recovering, the perpetrators continued to go to the family's home to harass them.

On the afternoon of July 21, after 4 o'clock, Yan Jianhua, superintendent of the Huan Cheng Police Station in Shulan City, raided the home with several officers and took away Kong Fanrong's daughter, Bian Lingyun. Her 8-year-old child was terrified and crying loudly. Bian Lingyun's 93-year-old grandmother (who can't take care of herself and is reliant on Bian Lingyun) was also terrified and trembling, and couldn't say a word. A formerly happy family has been violently persecuted, resulting in the death of one member and separation of the rest.

Since 1999, there have been 11 practitioners who have died from persecution in Shulan City. The experiences of Kong Fanrong's family clearly illustrates the evil nature of the Chinese Communist Party.

August 1, 2005

Mr. Zeng Hongfu from Suining City, Sichuan Province Went Blind, Then Passed Away in 2004 As a Result of Persecution

(Clearwisdom.net) Dafa practitioner Mr. Zeng Hongfu from Daan Township, Sichuan Province was persecuted repeatedly, causing him contract a serious disease and go blind before dying under the surveillance and harassment of the police.

Zeng Hongfu was arrested in January 2000, and his home was ransacked. After being tortured for one month in the Wu Jiawan Detention Center, his family was extorted out of 3,000 yuan in order to secure his release. After Zeng Hongfu returned home, the police came by his home many times to harass him. After he had been home for two days, Zeng Hongfu was arrested again, taken to the police station, and tortured. The police didn't release him until they extorted another 350 yuan from his family. On April 20, 2001, the police came to ransack his home again, so Zeng Hongfu left, becoming destitute and homeless in order to avoid further persecution.

The authorities inquired as to where Zeng Hongfu had gone. During the period that he was homeless, he developed diabetes and, in 2002, had to return home. The police found out and returned to his home to harass him again and try to force him to write the three statements, but Mr. Zeng rejected their attempts. A local official wrote the document and asked Mr. Zeng to sign and place his seal on it, but Zeng Hongfu refused. So that person took Mr. Zeng's stamp and sealed the document.

Later, Zeng Hongfu went blind, but the officials still kept him under 24-hour surveillance. Under such enormous pressure and stress, Mr. Zeng's health deteriorated and he died in July of 2004.

August 4, 2005

A Blind Grandmother Is Tortured and Forced into Homelessness

(Clearwisdom.net) Ms. Lu Haizheng is a blind grandmother living in Group 26, Sector 5 of Anju Community, Xinfu District, Fushun City, Liaoning Province. On June 27, 2005, the Chinese Communist Party Secretary, a woman surnamed. Hou, led a group including Liu Liancheng, Sun Wu, Zhao and Cao of Xinfu Police Station, and broke into Ms Lu's house and arrested her. While at her residence, they stole many of Ms. Lu's personal belongings.

Led by policeman Zhao, the perpetrators tortured and mercilessly beat Ms. Lu. They tried to force her to reveal the source of the truth-clarifying materials that were being distributed in the area. Afterwards, Ms. Lu was taken to a detention center. The detention center personnel refused to accept her because she had been tortured so severely that she could not pass the health inspection. The police then brought Ms. Lu back to the police station and threw her into a special cell.

Ms. Lu was then forced into the brainwashing class in Luotai Shanzhuang, Fushun City, Liaoning Province. Twelve days later, she was sent home. However, even at her home, Ms. Lu was constantly threatened and harassed by the Political and Judicial Committee of the CCP of Xinfu District, officer Hou from Anju Community and policemen from Xinfu Police Station.

According to several sources, those vicious people had decided to continue persecuting Ms. Lu by sending her to Masanjia Labor Forced Camp in Shengyang City. They also planned to arrest Ms. Lu's son. When she heard this, Ms. Lu and her son had no other choice but to flee their home, leaving her injured husband without care. Now, the police have begun a manhunt for Ms. Lu and her son.

Information on personnel who participated in the persecution of Ms. Lu Haizheng:

Policemen from Xinfu Police Station of Xinfu District, Fushun City, Liaoning Province: Zhao, Liu Liancheng, Sun Bing, and Cao. Among them, Zhao (male) beat Ms. Lu.

Phone number of Xinfu Police Station: 86-413-8301155

Secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) of Anju Community, Xinfu Jiedao, Xinfu District, Fushun City: Hou (female): 86-413-8857591 (Cell phone)

Phone number of Anju Community: 86-413-3980091

Residents of Anju Community who took part in the persecution:

Wang Fuhai (male), originally worked at Hedong Police Station, then Qiange Police Station, then became a policeman in Gebuxincun

Wang Fuhai's wife, Lin: 86-413-2345132 (Home phone)
Li Ke (female)
Li Ke's husband, Cui Tiecheng

Luotaishan Brainwashing Class, Fushun City, Liaoning Province
Section chief: Kou (male)
Political and Judicial Committee of the CCP at Xinfu District, Fushun City: Zhang Sufen (female)

Other people who took part in the persecution:
Jiao Dashu (male)
Wei (male)
Zhang Guoqing (assistant instructor, male, lived in Gebuxincun area)
Chen Yin (assistant instructor, female)
Liu Qingwen (assistant instructor, male, lived in Jiangjun area)
Luo (assistant instructor, male, lived at Daojie of Xinfu District)
Zhang Fenglian (assistant instructor, female)
Fu (assistant instructor, female, lived in Wanghuqu, Fushun City)
Zhang (assistant instructor, female)
Xia (assistant instructor, female)

Dafa Practitioners Beaten At Wafangdian Prison, Authorities Cover up Their Crimes

(Clearwisdom.net) We learned in early 2005 that many Falun Dafa practitioners detained at Wafangdian Prison in Dalian City, Liaoning Province were severely tortured. During detention, they were constantly beaten by guards and inmates. As a result of cruel torture, three practitioners suffered broken ribs and many others were severely injured.

Article 248 of the Chinese Criminal Law stipulates: "Personnel in detention centers and correction centers who beat up and physically abuse inmates or detainees, in a severe case, will be sentenced to three years in prison. In an extremely serious case, he would be sentenced from three to ten years in prison. If the torture results in permanent physical or mental damage or death, one should be severely punished according to Article 232 and Article 234." Armed with this information, in April of 2005, over ten Falun Gong practitioners detained at Wafangdian Prison jointly filed a lawsuit with the Liaoning Provincial Bureau of Labor Camps against Lu Chuangui (the instructor of Wafangdian Prison), Li Xu (division instructor), Liu Chenglin (division instructor) and other personnel who were involved in the torture.

In May of 2005, the Bureau of Labor Camps ordered Wang Tao, the deputy director of the Discipline Committee in Wafangdian Prison, to represent the prison and investigate and resolve this issue. However, during the process, Wang Tao twisted the truth. Regarding the issue of Falun Gong practitioners being tied up on a death bed, beaten and not allowed to use the toilet, Wang Tao claimed: "It is not a 'death bedâ€™, it is a 'multi-function bedâ€™ used for isolating infectious patients. It is commonly used in prisons."

Does this imply that all patients with infectious diseases need to be tied up and beaten? When practitionersâ€™ families asked why the practitioners had bruises all over, Wang Tao claimed, "You saw the bruises, but I did not see them. You cannot see the bruises now."

During a visit, practitioner She Yue told his/her mother, "My rib is broken due to the severe beating. It is now still protruding. You can feel it." At that moment Lu Chuangui who was monitoring their conversation shouted: "Stop your conversation!" Later Lu Chuangui promised to She Yueâ€™s mother that this would never happen again. One week later, when she visited She Yue, she saw many new bruises on his/her face and neck. This kind of incident happens at Wafangdian Prison frequently. The families of Falun Gong practitioners can testify to it. Wang Tao denied all of these facts and said, "Even if all of your family witnessed it, what can you do if Lu Chuangui denies it?"

As law enforcement workers for the nation, they dare not admit their crimes because they know that everything they are doing violates the law. Admitting it is to announce that they are guilty and this will subject them to punishment by the law. Therefore they try everything possible to cover up and deny their crimes. But how can they dare to do so? Because they have mistakenly attached themselves to the Chinese Communist Party, which stands above the law, human rights and morality, and which is about to collapse.

July 29^th 2005

Atrocities at Nanmusi Women's Forced Labor Camp in Sichuan Province

(Clearwisdom.net) Xinhua Forced Labor Camp in Mianyang, Sichuan Province used to persecute Falun Dafa practitioners by forcing them to carry burning bricks inside the brickyard kiln. Each person only had two minutes to go in and come out; people often collapsed on the ground unconscious. Each person had to work 8 hours a day, and their gloves were often burnt through. Later, practitioners went on a hunger strike to protest against such mistreatment while practitioners outside wrote an article entitled "Brickyard Kiln at Xinhua" and posted it on the Clearwisdom/Minghui website. Since then, Xinhua Forced Labor camp no longer dared to force practitioners to carry burning bricks. Even the criminal inmates inside the camp felt the positive change in the environment and thanked the practitioners for bringing about the change. Therefore, we should also expose the atrocities committed by Nanmusi Forced Labor Camp in order to stop the persecution there.

In mid-November 2004, policewomen Wu Minghui, Li Xia, Yue Xiuqiong and Li bound Ms. Yang Zhengru, a practitioner from Shifang County, Sichuan Province, onto a metal Hills Hoist (rotary clothes line) in the spread-eagle position with handcuffs and shackles. The policewomen beat Ms. Yang severely with high voltage electric batons, causing her to fall unconscious. A criminal inmate named Chen Qi was then ordered to press the acupuncture point above Yang Zhengru's lips to wake her up. When Ms. Yang came to, they demanded that she say she had fallen unconscious for no reason. If she refused, Chen had to continue beating her. Ms. Yang is now very weak and emaciated due to frequent beatings.

Policewoman Li Qi, a team leader from Sandaqi Brigade, incited criminal inmates to beat Chengdu practitioner Ms. Xu Peiqi numerous times. They deprived her of all freedom and put her under strict control.

Li Qi also forced criminal inmate Qing Xiurong (from Xi Chang City) to beat Ms. Tong Guiqiong, a Dafa practitioner from Ermei, as she refused to cooperate with the prison rules and sang Dafa songs. Li Qi and other perpetrators beat Ms. Tong so frequently that Ms. Tong suffered a mental collapse and physical disfigurement.

Li Qi and perpetrators Chen Qi and Zhang Yuqiong (these two criminals have since been released from jail) often beat up Dafa practitioner Ms. Yang Guiying from Luzhou. Ms. Yang is now extremely weak.

Li Qi and perpetrator Li Yan beat Dafa practitioner Ms. Lu Yuancui from Xichang numerous times with steel wire because she refused to be brainwashed. She was often beaten unconscious. These perpetrators also threatened Ms. Lu so that she would not tell anyone about the abuse.

Li Qi ordered Chengdu practitioner Ms. Su Shihui to write defamatory statements against Dafa when she was writing her end-of-jail-term summary report. Ms. Su refused. Li Qi then forced criminal inmates Chen Qi, Ning Limei, Yang Huali, Yang Yuanyuan and Li Yan to beat Ms. Su. Her screams of pain could be heard for a long distance. Practitioners and other inmates couldn't help crying upon hearing such heart-wrenching cries. Li Qi and other perpetrators then stuffed Ms. Su's mouth with a cloth and continued to beat her. Nanmusi Women's Forced Labor Camp later transferred Dafa practitioners under the age of 44 to the Fourth Brigade or other brigades, for fear that the abuse they suffered would be exposed.

Policewoman Zhang Xiaofang (former head of the Seventh Brigade) confiscated 300 yuan from Dafa practitioner, Luo Haiquan from The Agricultural Bank, Leshan Branch, Sichuan Province, when she was detained at Nanmusi Women's Forced Labor Camp. Ms. Luo was once beaten unconscious while in the spread-eagle position.

The above are just some of the atrocities at Nanmusi Women's Forced Labor Camp. The persecution is still taking place there.

Information on Seven Elderly Falun Gong Practitioners Who Died as a Result of the Persecution

(Clearwisdom.net) Mr. Zhang Zhonglu, 60, a resident of Niuwangmiao, Chengdu City, Sichuan Province, had suffered with a stomach flu for decades, but quickly regained his health after beginning the practice of Falun Gong in 1997. He spread Dafa in the tea shop that he managed, and played videos of lectures by the founder of Falun Gong for fellow practitioners on his only TV. Since the beginning of the persecution, on July 20, 1999, the evil staff members of the 610 Office threatened, monitored and attempted to brainwash Mr. Zhang. As a result of the illegal harassment and threats by the neighborhood committee, street office and police station, Mr. Zhang passed away in December 2004.

Mr. Hu Mingxiang, 59, a retired employee from the Electricity Bureau of Leshan City, Sichuan Province, was diagnosed with cancer before 1997. Soon after he started to practice Falun Gong, the cancer disappeared. After the Chinese Communist Party began to persecute Falun Gong, he was put on the "blacklist" because he had been in charge of Dafa truth clarification materials for the local area. The local police confiscated his property and a lot of the materials. Because of the persecution, Mr. Hu suffered a relapse of the cancer and died.

Mr. Bi Yuefa, 78, was a resident of Nong'an County, Changchun City, Jilin Province. He went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong on February 13, 2000, and was detained at a local detention center. Mr. Bi protested the illegal treatment with a hunger strike, but passed away in August 2000, soon after he was released.

Ms. Yu Shuzhen, over eighty years old, lived in Jilin City, Jilin Province. She was steadfast in studying the Fa and practicing the exercises. When her granddaughter was sentenced to three years of forced labor, she lost her good cultivation environment, eventually resulting in her death on July 15, 2005.

Another Nong'an native in Jilin Province, Ms. Xu Shulan, 68, benefited from Falun Gong after learning the practice in 1996, and had several illnesses cured. After she appealed to the provincial government on behalf of Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, she was frequently harassed by the local police, sometimes several times a day. In addition, Ms. Xu's husband, daughter, and son-in-law were also taken to the town government or police station for brainwashing, where they were forced to hand in their Falun Gong books and renounce Falun Gong. In the face of such intense mental and physical persecution, Ms. Xu stopped practicing Falun Gong. In February 2000, her two daughters appealed for Falun Gong in Beijing. They were detained in the detention center of Nong'an County, and both of them were fired from their jobs and were charged 12,000 yuan. Ms. Xu was even forcibly body-searched when she visited her neighbor. Under this high pressure, Xu Shulan eventually died in February 2004.

A Guizhou practitioner, Mr. Yang Wenxue, was frequently harassed by corrupt officials and was reported to the police by his family members. As a result, he died at 78 years of age in January 2005.

Ms. Lu Guiying was a Hunan Province Falun Gong practitioner in her seventies. After beginning the practice of Falun Gong in 1996, she enjoyed good health and happiness until July 20, 1999. Under extreme mental pressure brought about by the persecution, Ms. Lu died in August 2001.

News and Events from Around the World

"Nine Commentaries" Wins National Journalism Award in the U.S. (Photos)

MINNEAPOLIS - The value of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party was highlighted when it was honored with a National Journalism Award in the category, Asian American Issues - Online by the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA) on Thursday, August, 18, 2005.

The Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party wins National Journalism Award in the category, Asian American Issues - Online by AAJA

Journalists from more than 1,000 newspapers, journals, television stations, radio stations and networks attended the grand occasion. This year, eleven awards were given in four categories including newspaper, online, broadcasting and TV reporting. Among more than 100 entries, the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party published by the Epoch Times won top honors in the category "Asian American Issues - Online."

The author or authors of the Nine Commentaries must remain anonymous--their lives and their families' lives would be in danger if their identities were known by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). In their place, Epoch Times editor John Nania had been nominated for the award. In Minneapolis, he accepted the award on behalf of the Epoch Times, and took the stage along with approximately eight other winners.

Other award winners included Ben de la Cruz, Senior journalist, Washington Post, Amy Waldman, foreign correspondence, New York Times, Ruby de Luna, reporter, KUOW National Public Radio, Seattle, and Sue Kuang, CBS 5 San Francisco from among other organizations.

The featured speaker at the awards luncheon was Walter Mondale, former U.S. Vice President and former ambassador to Japan. Mr. Nania had an opportunity to chat briefly with Mr. Mondale, who accepted a copy of the Nine Commentaries with interest. "I'll read this!" Mr. Mondale replied.

Representatives from the Epoch Times introducing the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party to former U.S. Vice President Walter Mondale.

Founded in 1981, AAJA is a national, non-profit educational association based in San Francisco that has more than 2,300 members. Today, AAJA encourages young Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to enter the ranks of journalism, to work for fair and accurate coverage of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders, and to increase the number of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and news managers in the industry. More and more journalists from Tokyo, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Bengal become AAJA members. The AAJA includes among its members some of the top journalists in the country, from network news anchors and reporters to Pulitzer Prize-winning writers, editors and photographers, to national radio show producers and major magazine editors.

Every year during the AAJA annual convention, National Journalism Awards are awarded for several categories including network, photo, radio, television, print, and journal. AAJA National Awards recognize and encourage excellence among Asian American journalists and outstanding coverage of Asian American issues.

The 2005 AAJA convention had abundant programs including more than 50 special topic discussions, career service, individual assistance, and social gatherings. Discussion involved topics on practical issues faced by Asians in the U.S., the American media's view on Asian Americans, news reports on the tsunami in Southeast Asia, as well as ethics in media work.

The Nine Commentaries is a series of essays revealing--for the first time--the full, shocking history of the Chinese Communist Party. The Nine Commentaries was first published in Chinese in the Epoch Times newspaper in November 2004. It was then translated into English and posted on the Internet and put in print. Now it is available in 20 languages. Since its publication, the series of essays aroused broad attention and up to the present, more than 3.8 million people have peacefully and publicly resigned their membership in the CCP and associated organizations, with a daily average of 20,000 to 30,000 resignations.

Appendix:

Award winners of the 2005 AAJA Convention

Network:

Ben de la Cruz, Senior journalist, Washington Post
John Nania, editor in chief, the Epoch Times

Print:

Traci Jan, staff writer, Boston Globe
Alison Overhalt, contributing writer, Fast Company Magazine
Amy Waldman, foreign correspondence, New York Times
Noreen O'Donnell, reporter, The Journal News, White Plains, NY
Marcella Rojas, reporter, The Journal News, White Plains, NY

Radio

Ruby de Luna, reporter, KUOW National Public Radio, Seattle
Dmae Roberts, executive producer, Media Rites, Porland, OR

Television:
Sue Kuang, CBS 5 San Francisco
David Ono, KABC-TV, Los Angeles

Source: http://english.epochtimes.com/news/5-8-19/31392.html

United Kingdom: Practitioners Demonstrate the Falun Gong Exercises and Raise Awareness of the Persecution at the Start of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Photos)

(Clearwisdom.net) UK Falun Gong practitioners were once again invited to take part in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which is held annually in August. The Festival originated in the 1940s and according to the organizing committee, this year's event attracted many tourists from all over the world.

On August 6, at the start of the festival, Falun Gong practitioners introduced the practice on Prince's Street and informed the public of the persecution in China. They demonstrated to people the five sets of Falun Gong exercises. Their peaceful and serene performance was in stark contrast to their display of the photos of the brutal persecution and torture taking place in China.

Signing petition in support of Falun Gong

Demonstrating the Falun Gong exercises

Practitioners talked to curious onlookers about the persecution. Some signed the petition to show their support and wished the practitioners good luck.

Falun Gong is also known as Falun Dafa. It is a high level cultivation practice of the Buddhist School and was introduced to the public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi. Practitioners follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance to improve their mind-nature. The number of practitioners grew rapidly and prior to the beginning of the persecution in 1999, the Chinese media estimated that there were around one hundred million people practicing Falun Gong.

In 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) started the comprehensive, brutal persecution of Falun Gong. More than 2,700 practitioners have been persecuted to death according to human rights organizations.

Despite the persecution in Mainland China, Falun Gong has spread to more than seventy countries around the world and received more than one thousand awards from various governments and organizations. Its founder Mr. Li Hongzhi, was also nominated several times for the Nobel Peace prize.

The peaceful protests of Falun Gong practitioners have been noticed more and more by the world's people, media and governments. The CCP's persecution of Falun Gong has been widely condemned by human rights organizations around the world.

Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200508/28365.html

Switzerland: Introducing Falun Gong and Exposing the Persecution in the City of Thun (Photos)

(Clearwisdom.net) On August 7, 2005, Swiss Falun Gong practitioners held an activity to promote Falun Gong in the famous tourist city of Thun. Following the sound of traditional Chinese music, we found the Falun Gong booth. Practitioners demonstrated the five sets of Falun Gong exercises and people stopped to watch. Some sighed and said, "This music is so wonderful. It's like music from heaven." However, when people saw the display boards disclosing how Falun Gong practitioners are being cruelly tortured in China, they were shocked. Some said, "This is terrible. It's horrible. Such miserable things happen today in the 21st century. Is this real?" Our fellow practitioners said, "These are practitioners being persecuted whose names and home addresses we know. What these facts disclose is only the tip of the iceberg. There remains a great number of persecutions hidden from the public knowledge."

People learn about the persecution facts

Through the practitioners' careful explanations about Falun Gong and the persecution, people gradually came to understand the situation and asked for informational leaflets. They signed their names to help rescue practitioners persecuted in China. Some asked about where the exercise sites were and said that they'd like to learn to practice Falun Gong.

"I'm touched by your patience"

Two middle-aged women at first did not understand Falun Gong and said something bad about it. When fellow practitioners explained it in more depth to them, they said that they did not understand China and they were not interested, either. They did not sign their names to help the rescue efforts and did not take any leaflets. But they did not leave, either. The practitioners believed that these women were truly nice people and the reason why they acted this way was because they did not understand Falun Gong. So, a practitioner said, "Could you patiently listen to me about Falun Gong?" The women did not say a word. Our fellow practitioner started to talk about how Falun Gong cures illness and make people healthier, and how Falun Gong raises people's morality. Falun Gong teaches "Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance." Whenever something happens, practitioners look inward and try to be kind and think of others first. As these two ladies began to listen, they asked, "Do you feel tired when practicing Falun Gong?" The practitioner pointed at those who weredemonstrating the five sets of exercises, who clearly looked peaceful and relaxed. The two women nodded their heads and said, "Falun Gong is a good thing. But why is the Chinese Communist Party persecuting Falun Gong?" The practitioner pointed at Jiang Zemin's photo and said, "The former Chinese Head of State was terrified when he saw so many people practicing Falun Gong. So, he ordered the persecution. Various propaganda tools, such as TV stations, newspapers, etc, were used to make up negative stories about Falun Gong; and a large-scale, nationwide arrest campaign started. Currently, the number of Falun Gong practitioners persecuted to death is 2,739."

By this time, a lot more people had come to listen to the introduction about Falun Gong. The two ladies said, "The ex-President is a bad guy. How can we help you?" A practitioner said, "Please sign your names to rescue the mother of the student studying in Switzerland. She was put in jail only because she is a Falun Gong practitioner and because she wants to be a good person." Everyone present signed their names. The two ladies gave their thanks again and again to our practitioner for such a detailed introduction. They said, "Your patience makes us feel touched, which enables us to truly understand Falun Gong. It is our first time to meet such a group of nice people. Falun Gong is magnificent. You are magnificent." Our practitioner responded, "It is Falun Gong that is magnificent. Please remember that Falun Gong is good! Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance is good!"

The Whole family supports Falun Gong

Signing petition in support of Falun Gong

A few families came together to sign their names to support Falun Gong on this particular day. One family, with both elderly and young members, came to the Falun Gong booth and said to the practitioners, "Finally we found you. We were all in tears watching the informational VCD about Falun Gong. It is so miserable, what is happening in China. So many nice people are cruelly killed. What a wonderful practice being persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party. There are no human rights in China. It is hard to accept that there is no freedom of belief. Every one of our family members feels they want to help Falun Gong. Please let us know how we can help you." A practitioner said, "Please sign to support the rescue of the mother whose child is studying in Switzerland. Please tell your friends and family the truth about Falun Gong and appeal to people to help stop the Chinese authorities' persecuting Falun Gong. This is the greatest help to us." They all agreed, and the whole family signed the petition. They expressed their best wishes to Falun Gong and wished Falun Gong success.

"The Chinese Communist Party has gone crazy!"

A middle-aged woman was seen around our booth several times. A practitioner went to tell her about Falun Gong. She said, "I know that all those practicing Falun Gong are nice, honest people. The Chinese Communist Party loves to humiliate people. We farmers are no exception. The Communist Party occupied the farms by force and ordered over a hundred policemen to suppress those who resisted. When farmers go to meet with the higher authorities in Beijing, they are abused and sent to prison by policemen."

She also mentioned that she was in Beijing when the so-called self-immolation at Tiananmen Square happened. Some Falun Gong practitioners told her that it was made up by the Jiang regime to slander Falun Gong. She said, "The Chinese Communist Party is crazy. You Falun Gong practitioners are great to endure such suppression and to persist in your belief of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance. I admire you. Please give me some Chinese informational materials." Before she left, she also said, "I hope to see that you hold out until the last minute. Victory will definitely come your way."

After a long day, though the practitioners were tired, everyone felt happy from the bottom of their heart to see so many people learn the truth about Falun Gong.

Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200508/28366.html

Taiwan: Falun Gong Children's Summer Camp Ends Joyfully (Photos)

(Clearwisdom.net) From August 12 to August 14, Tainan Minghui School held a summer camp for little Falun Dafa practitioners. Schoolteacher Ms. Wang, the organizer of the camp, said that the goal of the summer camp was to help children to discipline themselves according to Falun Dafa's "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" principles and learn the sense of independence and mutual care in a large group.

Morning group practice

Studying the teachings of Falun Dafa

Ms. Wang said the camp received nearly 110 applications, with applicants ranging from preschoolers to high school students. While such a diverse group is very hard to manage, all the volunteers worked very hard to solve all the challenges and never complained. As they are all practitioners, they reviewed their work daily and helped each other in order to better serve the children.

The 2-day summer camp offered a lot programs for the children, including Fa study, group exercises, storytelling, experience sharing, movies, crafts, games, a talent show, and other activities. Children could even learn new things during mealtime and before going to bed.

Schoolteacher Ms. Wu teaching how to make artwork

Children making artworks

Children's fine artworks

Schoolteacher Ms. Jiang Huimin brought three children to join the summer camp, and she also served as team leader of the junior group (from 3^rd to 6^th graders). She said that the children were very well behaved. For example, during dining time, they always acted thoughtfully, handing plates and food to others.

Two brothers caught the reporter's attention as they were both very serious about Fa-study, exercise practice and sending righteous thoughts. The younger brother is exceptional. He always finished his plate completely and cleaned up his table. Upon seeing his good demeanor, many others also followed his example.

Fun time

Ms. Lin Huijun, the team leader of the youngest group (toddlers to 2^nd graders), has a son in first grade. However, she treated all the children in her group the same. She said that she was so touched by the children's innocence and trust.

Schoolteachers Mr. Lin Zhiqing and Ms. Sun Guoying didn't have any children participating in the summer camp, but they still volunteered their time to serve the camp. "The most rewarding thing about this work is seeing the positive changes occurring in the children. They cultivated very hard during these two days and learned a lot," Mr. Lin said.

Ms. Lin also said, "Four students who were not talkative in the past also shared their experiences courageously - what a big step!"

The summer camp had a big impact on a high school student. She and her young brother are both new practitioners. Before coming to the camp, they had only read the teachings of Falun Gong and hadn't tried the exercises. They learned the five sets of exercises during morning group practice. Though she felt quite lonely at the beginning, as she was the only high school student, she gradually found a way to communicate and share with the other youngsters. In the end, this young woman felt that the summer camp was quite good and joyful.

Feedback from the children was also enthusiastic. They all felt that the activities were exciting and the facilities were wonderful. Some even asked, "Can the camp extend for another week?"

On the last day, there was a talent show where the children had a chance to exhibit what they learned from the camp in various ways: plays created based on stories given by Master Li in Zhuan Falun, singing, story-telling, etc.

The camp concluded in an atmosphere of joy and relaxation. The children said goodbye to each other and promised to come back next year.

Talent show

Media Coverage

Houston Chronicle: Falun Gong speak for those in China who 'are not seen'

Group is touring Texas and hoping to win the support of President Bush

Aug. 21, 2005, 12:57AM

Hong Kin Wong fled China in 2001, shortly after her husband was sentenced to 10 years in prison for criticizing the Chinese government.

She left behind her 2-year-old daughter, In Sin.

"It was very painful," said Wong, who left her daughter in her mother's care while she worked to bring In Sin to the United States. They were reunited last month.

Wong, a practitioner of Falun Gong, a spiritual self-improvement belief system, is among 25 people touring Texas this weekend to raise awareness about China's orphaned children whose "tears are not seen and whose cries are not heard."

The group is spending most of this weekend traveling between Austin, Houston, College Station, Dallas and Waco, and ending up at President Bush's ranch in Crawford, in hopes he will help rescue children whose parents were persecuted.

Chinese President Hu Jintao is scheduled to visit with Bush in mid-September.

Far-reaching effects

Falun Gong, introduced to the public in 1992, combines spiritual beliefs and physical exercise, and promotes health and inner peace. Millions practice it worldwide.

The Chinese government banned the movement in July 1999, [slanderous charge by Chinese Communist Party omitted]. The Chinese government has jailed and tortured thousands of practitioners and killed perhaps hundreds more, according to a U.S. State Department report. [Editor's note: as of August 21, 2005, there have been 2,781 confirmed deaths of Falun Gong practitioners due to persecution.]

The children of those practitioners have no one to care for them, and are often persecuted themselves, those protesting in Houston said Saturday. Some children live with their grandparents, while others are sent to orphanages. Countless children--precise numbers are hard to obtain--have been deprived of their educations, driven to homelessness, placed in adult prison cells and, in some cases, killed.

Local believers in Falun Gong say the weekend protests are the beginning of a coordinated effort to reunite children with their families or find ways to care for those who have been orphaned.

Yiyang Xia likened the Falun Gong children to the "Pedro Pan" children of Cuba.

Between 1960 and 1962 more than 14,000 Cuban children were sent by their parents to the United States. The parents wanted to spare their children from Cuban leader Fidel Castro's communist regime. They were known as the Pedro Pan children, a tag coined by a Miami news anchor in reference to Peter Pan.

"This is a worldwide campaign," Xia said. "We need to tell the Chinese government, 'You have already killed their parents, you should let them go.' The kids are innocent."

Italian Newspaper "Unita" Publishes an Article on the Persecution of Falun Gong

(Clearwisdom.net) On June 13th, 2005, the Italian national newspaper "UnitÃ " published an article by journalist Flaminia Lubin on the persecution of Falun Gong, the article has been summarized as follows:

From New York to Taiwan, they tell people about the persecution of the spiritual practice of Falun Gong. It all started because the former Chinese president Jiang Zemin declared that the practice threatened the stability of the country.

I was taking a walk in New York City. On the corner of Fifth Avenue near Grand Central Station, many Chinese people were giving out fliers to passers-by and telling their stories. They seemed very concerned and needed help. The fliers they gave out described the gross human rights abuses currently happening in China. I spoke to them to find out more. These Chinese people then started recounting to me the tragedies that happened [in China].

They said the government in Beijing persecuted a spiritual practice called Falun Gong. The practice was founded by Mr. Li Hongzhi and was made available to the public in 1992. Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa, is a high level cultivation practice of the body and mind. In a short period of several years, it has spread widely among the population. In 1999, however, the former Chinese president Jiang Zemin declared Falun Gong a threat to the stability of the country and started the brutal persecution of its practitioners and promoters.

Falun Gong practitioners in China, however, did not succumb to the pressure and organized a peaceful demonstration outside the Chinese Communist Party's central compound. There were thousands of practitioners. This shocked the government, because they did not expect such determination and courage from the practitioners. Out of fear, they continued the crackdown. [Editor's note: this event is referred to as the "April 25" event; practitioners went to the Central Appeals Office, which is close to the government compound, to ask for justice for Falun Gong and the release of practitioners who had been arrested.]

Chinese Falun Gong members were taken away from their homes and exercise sites in parks, and sent to prison or labor camps. It has been very difficult to expose and verify the persecution, because Falun Gong is banned in China and anyone showing support for the practice would encounter problems from the government. The Chinese living in the US, however, felt that they could expose the persecution without any fear of consequences.

A female practitioner, who had escaped from Beijing and is now living in the US, had been detained, tortured and beaten because she refused to renounce her practice of Falun Gong. She is now living in Queens. She could only speak Chinese, so her friends translated for her.

"My name is Amy Lee. I had my family in Beijing and my job was a fashion designer. I've lost everything but I will not give up my faith in Falun Gong. My nightmare started in the same year when the persecution started. I was immediately put into prison. I was forced to watch brainwashing propaganda day and night, and was forced to listen to other inmates denouncing Falun Gong. All these efforts were to force me sign a guarantee statement to renounce the practice. Because I refused, I was sent to Chang Ping psychiatric hospital. The horrific things which took place there were beyond anyone's imagination, they tied me to a bed with belts and tortured me; they shocked my head and body with electric batons. I would often lose consciousness, and when I woke up, I saw six inmates come in and I was tortured to the brink of death. At that point, they released me because they saw I was very feeble and thought I would die at home for sure."

She continued, "They forced my husband to divorce me and separated me from my daughter. I then moved to another area. On the first day I was without water, electricity and heating. After a few days, I was again taken away by the police and tortured. After they released me, I began to hide. I had no home to return to and did not know where to go. Eventually, with the help of my relatives, I escaped to Hong Kong and then came to New York."

"Why is Falun Gong so important to me? Before practicing Falun Gong, I was very sickly and I was miserable, but after doing the five sets of Falun Gong exercises, I felt full of energy, and my body and mind had become healthy. My mind was very peaceful," she said.

International organizations had helped Amy's daughter come to the US. They finally re-united after several years and Amy showed me the photos of her daughter and of their reunion at the airport.

Why is Falun Gong persecuted to such an extent in China? What is this practice all about? And why has it become so popular? Professor Thomas Bernstein from the East Asian College of the University of Columbia explained: "The crux of the matter is the Chinese authorities are fearful of any factor which could potentially overthrow the government. They are afraid of instability. In particular, they were afraid of Falun Gong because its practitioners came from all walks of life, even from the senior positions; they were farmers, city people, soldiers or even government officials. Therefore, it could potentially become a force which could resist and overthrow the government. Its ability to call on the members had made the government fearful." [Editor's note: Falun Gong is not a membership organization and it is in no way political and seeks no political power; the teachings of Falun Gong forbid involvement in politics.]

So I went to Taiwan, an island about 160 km east of the Chinese coast. Taiwan likes to call itself democratic and liberal, and a "good China", outside the reign of Beijing. Here, the practice is not persecuted; instead, it is very popular. The practitioners here are very active against the persecution.

On a Saturday morning in Taipei, on the beautiful square of the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, there gathered at least seven-hundred practitioners. Falun Gong practitioners often perform the exercises for two hours in the early hours of the morning before going to work. The scene in front of me was incredible. Every practitioner was wearing a yellow track suit. We met Professor Zhang Qingxi there. Professor Zhang taught economics at the University of Taiwan and he practiced Falun Gong. He told us that Falun Gong teaches the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance; Falun means " law wheel" and Gong implies the cultivation of self. He said it is a spiritual cultivation practice, not a religion, and that the practice is very peaceful.

Zhang said, "The practice is called Falun Dafa. It is widely known as Falun Gong because when it was initially introduced in China, it took the form of a qigong practice. Essentially, Falun Dafa is Falun Gong. It is a practice of both body and mind, and the two aspects are inseparable. We nurture our mind and exercise the body, so the practice benefits us both physically and mentally. The exercises are easy to learn and perform and its healing ability is evident which makes it very popular. People are free to come and go and there are no fees involved. There is no registry of membership. When Jiang Zemin began the persecution, there were at least one hundred million practitioners. Jiang hated the practice perhaps because there were more practitioners than there were Chinese Communist Party members."

Chen Gang was another Falun Gong practitioner from China. He was nearly tortured to death; in order to survive, he signed the guarantee statement, which said Falun Gong was not good [Editor's note: Mr. Chen signed against his will, under extreme physical and mental pressure]. Chen said: "I was detained at Tuanhe labor camp for 18 months. I almost died and was treated inhumanely, worse than an animal. The sole intention of the inmates was to carry out the order of the 610 Office, a government body not within the jurisdiction of the Chinese Constitution." [Editor's note: the 610 Office was created for the sole purpose of persecuting Falun Gong].

He continued: "Each time an inmate 'transformed' a Falun Gong practitioner, he would be rewarded, the reward was about two months worth of living expenses for a family; but, if they were unable to transform any practitioner, they would be punished financially. As a result, the guards would be bent on 'transforming' practitioners with all means, they shocked me with electric batons, not just with one baton, but several at the same time, it felt as if you were burnt by fire. I was wounded very badly and was thrown under a bed for long periods of time. They did not let me sleep. What if the practitioners missed their families? The guards would bring in the family members, for example, the children, and ordered the children to slap their parents on the face and forced them to denounce their parents: "It's all your fault. You have caused all our miseries. You are a real criminal." Many of my friends died in prisons, labor camps or psychiatric hospitals. I did not endure and signed the guarantee statement, this has pained my heart very much."

The Beijing government is unrelenting on the issue of Falun Gong, no one is allowed to interfere with their policy. Former US President Bill Clinton and President Bush have both condemned the persecution, but they only condemned it and could not interfere with China's national affairs. Many US politicians have worked very hard to have the international community pay attention to this issue.

In Taiwan, Theresa Chu was one of the practitioners responsible for exposing the persecution. She is an international human rights lawyer. She told us the recorded number of deaths of practitioners is unofficial because it is very difficult to verify the real numbers [ed. note: due to the information blockade in China]. There were, however, at least 3,000 practitioners tortured to death in China. The real number could be far more than that. This conservative figure equates to nineteen deaths per month. Many female practitioners were raped and children are also beginning to be subjected to torture and murder.

Ms Chu said: "The lawsuit filed by Falun Gong against the Chinese Communist Party is the largest human rights lawsuit in history. There are currently lawsuits in fourteen countries. As long as the persecution exists, we will continue our resistance. The international community cannot keep quiet about this. Every year, many renowned human rights organizations publish documents to expose these acts of terrorism. The Chinese Communist Party wants to eradicate Falun Gong and they have carried out verifiable acts of criminal genocide."

Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200508/28349.html

Croatian Newspaper "Vecernji List": Falun Gong Practitioners Protest (Photo)

Published Sunday, July 24, 2005

A peaceful protest by Falun Gong practitioners took place on Zagreb's business square. The theme was: "End the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China."

During this event, Croatian practitioners of this ancient Eastern cultivation way, which purifies the body and mind, distributed flyers that depicted the brutal torture, which is suffered by like-minded people in China.

The Croatian Falun Gong practitioners invited all citizens to join in the group exercises and meditation today between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. in Zelengaj Park.

Source: http://clearharmony.net/articles/200508/28364.html

Originally published in German at: http://www.clearharmony.de/articles/200508/25654.html

Open Forum

Because of Saving Many Lives, My Father's Life Was Extended by 20 Years

(Clearwisdom.net) That good is rewarded with good and evil meets with retribution is a heavenly principle. This is what my father used to say when he was alive. After he retired, I was in the midst of the busiest time of my career and had very little time to look after my parents. One day, in between business meetings, I took time to visit my parents' home.

At that time, my father had just recovered from a severe illness, and was sitting outside when I arrived. I pulled up a stool and sat next to him. My father's complexion didn't look too bad and was quite rosy. Just as I sat down, a fortune-teller passed by and said loudly,

"Hey, sir, you don't look too bad. But, it looks like you must have just been through a big illness. Don't worry, don't worry; you still have many years to live from the extra years the heavens have given you. The devil does not dare to take you."

Then he started to laugh. I felt annoyed and gave him some money, saying, "You want money don't you. Here, take it and now go."

My father smiled and said, "Don't go so quickly," and wanted me to bring a seat for the fortune-teller. In order to make my father happy, I had to obey. After the fortune-teller sat down, he and my father had a good long discussion. The fortune-teller's main points were: My father had saved lots of people during his life, so he had gained lots of virtue. Originally, his natural life was to last 64 years, but because he saved lots of people, the heavens gave him another 20 years. This way, he could live to be 84 years old, and would live to see many grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

The fortune-teller finally finished. Before he left, he said, "In your life, whatever is yours you will not lose; whatever is not yours, do not fight for it. The business world will disappear like smoke; to gain prosperity and good fortune, the only way is to increase virtue and to do good deeds." After he finished, he glanced at me as if he were talking to me.

I grumbled, "Ruffian from the streets, no proper employment." My father said, "This is all true. I know you don't want to listen and don't understand, but you must remember these words."

After we went inside the house, my father suddenly became serious.

"I don't want to get involved in your job, but remember one thing: Don't bully people just for the sake of it. I have become clearer about the way the Communists bully people. Amongst you and your sisters, I am most worried about you," he said.

He continued, "The Discipline Committee, actually, this is a tool that the Communists use to bully people. The fortune-teller was right, I really did save the lives of the people in a village. That year, you were only eight years old."

Below are my father's memories:

In 1958, father was accused of being a "rightist" (counterrevolutionary) and the whole family was forced into the countryside. The entire family ended up living under an awning, against a wall of someone else's house. Immediately opposite was a shed housing cow feed. The village people felt sorry for us and helped us to build three walls.

Not long thereafter, the county government brought a message that said, because my father's original birth family was very poor, he would now no longer be designated a "rightist" and could return to the factory to work. Actually, my father was the head of the technical department in the factory, and after he was kicked out, the factory could not solve its technical problems, and several machines stopped working, seriously affecting production.

After receiving this letter, Father became very angry, and refused to return to the factory. He said, "The village people are good to us, we can be socialists anywhere. I don't have to go back." So, my father did not return to his factory.

Not long after, my father became the leader of the First Team in the village. At that time people were encouraged to grow food, cotton and oil, and every village had a large community kitchen. All food grown by individuals had to be given to the government.

In 1958, everyone was encouraged to produce steel instead. Every family took out their pots and pans and threw them all into kilns. Not one bit of food was put into storage, and the food in the village's warehouse became scarce. Most the food was handed to the level above, in order to increase the area's production statistics. Furthermore, the county government was coming to the village to check that all food had been handed in. My father became so worried he started getting ulcers in his mouth. During the night, he discussed with the village's Party head how to save the last bit of food.

Following my father's lead, a group of people dug a hole in the ground in a very secluded location and hid the food. Another group of people, under the village head's lead, quickly harvested the last few acres of yams in the fields. This was all done at night, with everyone working under the moon and the stars, since they were afraid to turn on the lights. The villagers were afraid to speak loudly and did not even dare to light a cigarette. Even the women helped in the fields. Some people were pulling up the yams, while others worked their oxen, turning the fields. The men carried the yams to the hole in the ground.

By dawn, all of the yams had been harvested, and all the food had been hidden. My father relaxed for a moment, but then fainted on the ground. The villagers carried my father back home. The whole family was so scared that we all cried.

When the sun came up, my father went to deal with the inspection personnel from the county government. The fields had already been planted with wheat. At the meeting, the inspection group praised my father for being the first to complete the task of winter sowing. However, they scolded my father for being the most conservative, because his team had handed in the least food rations. My father at the time said he had tried his best. "I will do my best in handing over food rations next year," he said.

When my father reached this point in the story, he felt he had to explain himself.

He said, "In my entire life, this was the one time that I stole and became a thief, a big thief. I led the entire village of people to steal. In order to have the inspectors not doubt me, at lunchtime I told the kitchen to cook them a big pot of yams, which was brought to the food warehouse. Although they were from the county government, they also could not get enough food. Before they left, I had them take two yams home for their children to eat!" [Note: at that time, there was a commune policy which stated that everything belonging to the people also belonged to the government. In order to validate the central government's propaganda announcements, the local party officials had no choice but to hand in farmers' own rations in order to increase the quota to "expected" propaganda levels. In the end, this resulted in a widespread famine that caused the unnatural deaths of 30 to 40 million people.]

After awhile, my father said, "I stole just one time, but I saved the lives of an entire village. There were more than 100 families, so the heavens increased my life by 20 years. Heaven is fair. Now, thinking back on those years during which people starved to death, it is truly chilling. In some villages, more than ten entire families died. In our village, nothing bad happened. If anyone came to our village, such as a villager's in-laws and their grandchildren, we provided meals and water for them. I never let anyone who came to our village die."

My father continued his recollection, "When spring arrived in 1960, there was still not much food left in our village. Food is the village's whole life. Every day and night, two village authorities and I would take shifts safeguarding the food-hiding place. One morning, I just finished doing the last shift, and at dawn I was walking back to the village, when I passed the bean field closest to our village. As I approached the field I saw a person face down on the ground, and soon realized that she was an elderly lady. I called to her a few times, but she did not reply. I squatted down and shook her, and quickly realized she had already starved to death. Her mouth was filled with bean sprouts."

At this point, my father could not continue any further. I was also shaken by his story.

After stopping for a while, my father began again.

"I went back to the village and found a few people to bury the elderly lady. I did not attend her burial. It was all so miserable and sad. I had to do another shift that day. If only I had found out earlier, and had given her a hot yam, she would not have died. Even if it had been just a bowl of hot water, she would not have died."

I could see that my father was in the depths of self-blame. Perhaps this blame had followed him for years. I could not find the words to comfort him, so I mechanically passed the teacup to him. My father drank some tea and continued.

"So many years have passed, I dare not think back and remember those times. Dried yam sprouts were usually used to feed cows. During those years, people used to eat them. People even ate cow feed. In the end, we survived until it was again time to harvest the wheat. Then, the whole village again had a continuous food supply. As the new wheat was harvested, we had finally passed death's door. At this time, the county government passed a message down asking me to go back to my original work unit (factory in the county). This time, I had no choice but to leave. As I was leaving, the entire village, the authorities, and the team leaders cried, pulling on me and asking me to stay.

My father smiled happily, and said, "My whole life, I did not want to be a government official, but in the end I became an official of a village for two years. During that time, I saved the lives of an entire village, so heaven gave me another 20 years to live. I am already 80 years old this year, so I have another four years to live. There are some things you just have to believe."

Then he declared, "I remember when your grandmother was still alive, she said that a fortune-teller had told her that I would live to be 64. But when I did not die at 64, I thought that the fortune-teller had made a mistake. Today I finally know the reason I have those extra years. It is because heaven gave me another 20. We must live properly, do good deeds, and gather more virtue. If I die when I'm 84, that means that the fortune-teller is correct. You should not believe the Communist Party's rubbish that there are no gods. You must still educate your children to do good deeds and gather virtue. Tell my story to the children. If I do not live to be 84 or 85 years old, you can choose to believe or disbelieve in gods. Irrespective, gods will still exist even if men do not believe in them. Just remember to do good deeds. This is good for you and your children.

My father lived to be 84 years and 112 days old.

Two years after he died, I was lucky enough to discover the practice of Falun Gong, and start my cultivation path. I have wanted to tell my father's story for a long time.

First, this is what my father wanted before he died, and secondly I want to tell all those atheists under the poisonous influence of the Communist Party: You will do yourself harm if you do bad things.Good will be rewarded with good, and evil will meet with retribution. These are heavenly principles! The gods will punish the Communist Party even though communists do not believe in gods. For over 55 years, the Chinese Communists have committed millions of evil deeds, and killed 80 million people. The gods have it all recorded. Now that the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party have been published, retribution is coming to the Chinese Communist Party.

July 1, 2005

Practitioners Exchange Experiences and Insights

Breaking Through the Test of Life and Death by Looking Inward and Digging out the Root of Our Attachments

(Clearwisdom.net) As the overall situation of Fa-rectification advances rapidly, I would like to share my experience of a life and death tribulation that has taught me an important lesson. My fellow practitioners encouraged me to do so, in order to help those who encounter similar "sickness karma," so that the damage it can cause will be reduced, and so that we can walk well the final steps on the path of Fa-rectification.

In October 2004, I began to have an uncomfortable feeling in my foot not long after I returned from clarifying the facts in my hometown. My foot appeared to be slightly swollen. Several days later, I lost my appetite. The swelling spread to my knees, legs and abdomen. I started to experience real difficulty in walking.

My first thought was that it must be persecution by the evil. So I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil and to completely negate it. Nonetheless, the effect was not good. I continued to go to work. After returning from work, although I was very tired, I continued to study the Fa and practice the exercises. I believed that Master would definitely help me, even though I had loopholes in my cultivation that could be taken advantage of by the evil.

As the months passed by, the interference increased, and the symptoms worsened. The swelling expanded to the upper part of my body and in the end, my entire body was swollen. My face was disfigured. My colleagues advised me to go home and see a doctor. I stayed at home for half a month, and during this period, my family and friends kept advising me to go to the hospital. I firmly believed that this was the evil persecuting me and taking advantage of my gaps. I tried to find my loopholes, but I couldn't. The symptoms worsened so badly that I needed ten to twenty minutes to go up one flight of stairs. I felt dizzy when I went to the bathroom. I felt every organ in my body aching. My body was so hard that you couldn't even pinch it. I had difficulty breathing and felt like I was suffocating. I could hardly speak. My body lacked blood circulation so badly that my face was yellow, my lips were pale and I had no appetite.

Now as I think back, I felt that my life was being suppressed by black substances that were as thick and heavy as if a mountain was bearing down on me. I felt that if my righteous thoughts were even slightly weakened, I would fall down and never be able to stand up again. Fortunately, I was very clear-headed. I told myself: "I cannot die, and I cannot bring any damage to Dafa. I have Teacher and the Fa. I cannot collapse."

I endured the pain and managed to acquire Master's articles and the Minghui Weekly as usual and did not miss a single issue. In the 179^th issue of the Minghui Weekly, a fellow practitioner wrote an experience sharing article entitled, "To Clearly See the True Nature of the Evil Chinese Communist Party and Deny the 'Three Statements' Written by Your Work Unit on Your Behalf" [Editor's note: Click on hyperlink for a definition of the three statements]. I was shocked. It was obvious that the specter of the evil Party tried to prevent me from seeing the problem mentioned in that article. But it did not succeed, and I understand it now. Before this, I did not realize that the statements written by my work unit on my behalf were also a form of persecution against me. I actually felt that my boss in my work unit was pretty good. He did not interfere with my practice and he too was able to keep his job by writing the statements for me. So we did not bother each other at all, right?

Teacher said in Guiding the Voyage:

"I said: what is a Buddha? "Tathagata" is what human beings call someone who's come with the truth and the power to do what he wants, whereas real Buddhas are guardians of the cosmos and are responsible for all righteous elements in the cosmos."

Although I had been saying that I firmly believed in Master and Dafa and that I would deny the arrangement by the old forces, I was in fact still accepting the old forces' arrangement and had compromised with the evil. Isn't this a serious attachment?

I began to realize that I needed to seriously dig out the root of the problem. After communicating with fellow practitioners, I gradually saw the true culprit that was responsible for persecuting me - the evil specter of the Chinese Communist Party. Why was this poisonous element able to affect me so much? I had finally found my fundamental attachments. When I abandoned one such attachment, my body felt much lighter. When I abandoned another, my body felt even lighter.

After digging out the deeply hidden attachments, my body recovered quickly. The swelling and pain in my body vanished without a trace within just a few days.

I learned about the seriousness of cultivation from this lesson. Without a firm belief in Teacher and the Fa, perhaps I would have passed away after a couple of months. I deeply feel that every sentence spoken by Master carries tremendous inner meaning. But due to my negligence, I was not able to enlighten to it. Even when I sent forth righteous thoughts, my righteous thoughts were constantly interfered with by those human notions beneath the surface, so that they could not achieve a very good effect. In addition, without the help from my fellow practitioners, as well as the timely experience sharing, it would have been very difficult for me to overcome this on my own. I deeply feel that we are one body.

I would like to finish my article with Master's words:

"Yet for cultivators, fear or lack thereof proves [one's] humanity or divinity, and it is what differentiates cultivators from ordinary people. It is something that a cultivator must face, and the biggest human attachment that a cultivator must remove." ("Study the Fa Well, and Getting Rid of Attachments is Not Hard", Master's comments on the article "The Only Thing Falun Dafa Disciples Have a Role in Is Saving People ** With Teacher's Commentary")

How Coordinators Should Deal With Coordination Work in the Fa-Rectification Period
- A Discussion on Issues Concerning Pre-Persecution Coordinators Who Reassumed Their Former Roles

(Clearwisdom.net) In the ever-accelerating Fa-rectification process, many pre-persecution assistants and coordinators have reassumed their roles after gaining release from detention, joining the immense force of the Fa-rectification. This is definitely a good thing, but we have encountered problems, some of which are even serious, which need to be addressed. I hope that everyone can benefit from this article.

1. The Frequency and Scale of Experience Sharing Conferences

For example, quite a number of experience sharing conferences have been held in a specific province over the past six months. This has even extended to "holding small meetings daily, and big meetings frequently." It appears as if some areas are competing with each other. The opinion is being fostered that the number of conferences judges whether coordination is good and whether practitioners cultivate well in a particular area. Some arbitrary decisions were even handed down, which require that "practitioners working at truth clarification materials production sites must participate." This is a very serious situation

Teacher told us to "Compare in studying, compare in cultivating." (From "Solid Cultivation" - Hong Yin). Today is the Fa-rectification period, where individual cultivation has become Fa-rectification cultivation. Large conferences certainly involve the participation of many fellow practitioners, as do frequent small-size conferences. However, such conferences draw attention and bring with them significant security issues for fellow practitioners. Especially for practitioners who man the materials production site, more than one issue develops, including individual safety as well as the safety of the entire materials production site, and even the safety of the materials source for the entire vicinity. Potential security breaches could result in unrecoverable losses, and may even cost the lives of practitioners. I have no alternative but to bring this issue to the attention of all practitioners.

Teacher said in Essentials for Further Advancement:

"Large conferences for sharing cultivation experiences that are organized by the general assistance centers at the provincial or city level should not be held on a national scale. A national or an international one should be organized by the Research Society, and it should not be held too frequently. Once a year should be good (except for in special cases). Don't turn them into a formality or competition; instead, make it a solemn Fa conference that can truly bring about progress in cultivation." ("The Fa Conference")

2. The Purpose of an Experience Sharing Conference

I would like to share with you my thoughts concerning experience sharing conferences. Such conferences should in essence provide helpful points of reference for practitioners. They should help practitioners become clearer regarding the old forces and the evil persecution, put emphasis on how to completely negate the old forces' arrangements, help practitioners understand more clearly Fa principles, and share methods used by practitioners in clarifying the truth. It is important to talk about how to improve in saving sentient beings through truth-clarification, how to use the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party to save more people, and help practitioners who have not understood the Nine Commentaries to truly understand them based on the Fa. We should not forget to find ways to help practitioners who have not stepped forward to understand truth clarification activities based on the Fa, so they can play their part. In my opinion, if experience sharing conferences will address the aforementioned issues, they will serve their purpose and will certainly be truly successful. We should not hold a conference for the benefit of a certain vicinity or in honor of a particular person. Regrettably, this trend has become notable in certain areas.

3. Direct Contact Between Two Practitioners Does Not Equal Disunity Among the Larger Group

When some pre-persecution coordinators wished to take up where they had left off before their imprisonment, they found that practitioners no longer maintained such close contact among the larger group. Thus, they might feel anxious. Therefore, they brought practitioners together in an interlocking or crossover network, claiming to "build up the group of particles from the ground up" and described the one-way contact as "a state of disunity."

Their frame of mind can be understood, as they had missed out on much that had happened. But, one must understand that it is the Fa-rectification period. The current situation is very different from pre-persecution times. If practitioners maintain contact with each other as before, irreparable damage may occur when one person or a given link runs into problems. In some areas, a great number of practitioners have been arrested by the evil because of this. Why can't we bring attention to this potential problem?

As a matter of fact, "one-way contact" has become the norm among Fa-rectification period disciples. This experience has arisen from the lessons learned through serious losses, including the loss of life. Small groups of practitioners spontaneously communicating and working together do not equate to a state of disunity. We need to remember that with Dafa practitioners, "together there's a form, and separated there are particles," and "a great way has no form." We can adopt different forms, fitting different situations, especially in the current situation of many practitioners encountering persecution and sentient beings waiting to be saved. We should adopt the most advantageous format to validate the Fa and save sentient beings.

4. Firmly Regard the Fa as Master. Do not Idolize!

We read in the article by a fellow practitioner, "Sharing With Practitioners in Mudanjiang, Walk Our Paths Righteously,"

"In the autumn of 2004, several materials production sites were destroyed. One of the fellow practitioners was busy at producing a lot of materials daily, but was unable to calm down to study the Fa and cultivate his heart. He always looked at the attitude of several practitioners from Harbin and copied them, such as producing and distributing ordinary people's article like, 'The Iceberg Is Difficult to Depend On," setting a certain day of a certain month as a candlelight vigil (this is originally a way for practitioners outside of China to clarify the truth), collecting signatures for The Global Coalition to Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice and causing a ripple effect among practitioners. ...some people collected signatures among practitioners, because Harbin was doing the same. Regardless of what others do, why don't we read the articles with Teacher's comments and notices from the Minghui/Clearwisdom editors regarding not collecting signatures?"

Speaking about the incidents in Mudanjiang, we can't always sustain losses and only then wake up and realize the seriousness of the problem.

Some practitioners idolized certain coordinators before they stepped forward during the persecution, and discussed why so-and-so had not stepped forward. They said that if he would organize us, it would be a great thing. Therefore, when the coordinator stepped forward to validate the Fa, others immediately formed a mentality of adulation and of reliance on that coordinator. They moved further away from regarding the Fa as Master and became irrational. If only one person thinks that way, it is not too serious, but in some areas, many practitioners thought like this and thus the coordinator became their main focus. The coordinator began to have more tribulations, and afterwards, the Fa-rectification situation in the whole area was severely interfered with.

Teacher said in "Teaching the Fa at the Meeting with Asia-Pacific Students":

"It caused her to form attachments--see what happened now? You led her to do things her own way. That's why I tell you that you need to study the Fa a lot and use the Fa as your standard. Whenever a person cultivates well in some regard, that's because she has cultivated well in the Fa, not because she is better than the Fa. So if you follow somebody's example instead of learning from the Fa... [remember that] before the person has finished her cultivation she still has flaws, and when she's good in one regard it doesn't mean she's good in every regard. Now it's really happened, you've triggered the student's attachment. Be careful with this type of thing."

5. Let Go of Fame, Interest and Sentiment, Take Praise and Criticism at Face Value

When a certain vicinity held an experience sharing conference, some of the coordinators would speak for several minutes, after which some practitioners from other vicinities were invited to share their experiences. Originally it was not wrong, but after a time of sharing, the sharing gradually turned into a situation where that practitioner was validating him or herself, as well as validating a particular vicinity. It caused some practitioners to idolize a particular person and area and form a small clique. After some time, the people in such cliques could no longer accept any negative comments or criticism. Some practitioners who were members of the clique knew that they were not acting in accord with the Fa, but they did not dare speak out. Some practitioners were deeply disturbed by the situation and submitted an article discussing the problem to the Minghui/Clearwisdom website. However, the practitioners in question did not look inwards, but rather attacked other practitioners. They criticized the practitioner who wrote to the website. Therefore, the practitioner did not admit that he was the writer.

Some practitioners have recognized the problem, but do not point it out because they fear to offend the coordinators. Instead they give praise and flattering remarks. Is this cultivation? Is this truly for the good of fellow practitioners? Once a coordinator hears too many flattering remarks, they won't listen to any constructive criticism. Thus, this has caused a serious problem for the practitioner who is a coordinator. When the problem occurred again, it was difficult to be resolved. It turned serious, to the point of threatening the practitioners' safety, including that of the practitioners who sang the praise. We must cultivate our speech, as cultivation of speech is cultivation of our heart.

Teacher told us in Essentials for Further Advancement:

"For a cultivator, all the frustrations he comes across among everyday people are trials, and all the compliments he receives are tests." ("A Cultivator is Naturally Part of It")

6. Fa-rectification and Truth-clarification Projects Can't be Stopped Except Under Special Circumstances

In one area, two kinds of truth-clarification materials were suddenly stopped for more than three months, for no other reason than individual personality conflicts and coordination problems. It is now the Fa-rectification period, which is different from the individual cultivation of the past. Truth-clarification materials are to save people, and cannot be compared to publications of everyday society. These materials must not be sabotaged. Saving sentient beings cannot afford the loss of even a second. We must make the best use of time. We should not stop the flow of truth-clarification materials because of personality conflicts, or because we see a threat to our authority. The salvation of sentient beings is actually the most important task at this time, and delaying it is no small matter.

7. Rationally Deal With Safety Issues and Fear

Regarding the issue of safety and fear, we find that some coordinators still regard neglecting safety precautions as "completely negating the old forces." Such thoughts are known to be incorrect even by new practitioners. There are some areas where a wrong attitude towards safety has reached the point where one is no longer able to talk about safety issues. If the issue of safety is mentioned, one is said to have an attachment of fear. Then, the entire area is considered to hold the attachment of fear - not just certain people. This insinuates that the entire area does not cultivate well or do well. In the end, nobody dares to bring up the safety issue.

For example, it is well known that we should not bring cell phones to a conference, or at least we should remove the battery from the phone, or switch it off and keep it in another room. Yet, some coordinators insist on bringing their phone, and claim that they negate the old forces by doing so. It was observed that one coordinator was followed, and fellow practitioners reminded him to pay attention to safety. Afterwards, this coordinator went to the conference and said, "Someone told me that I was followed. I do not acknowledge it, I negate it. I do not care if I was monitored [by Chinese government authorities] on my way to the conference."

In fact, aren't safety precautions also a manifestation of the Fa on the human level? If we do not care about safety precautions, aren't we flawed in this regard? Our heart is important, not the form. Taking necessary safety measures does not connote an attachment to fear, but is the manifestation of non-omission and righteous thoughts, and is a manifestation of truly and completely negating the old forces.

I must point out that although practitioners were released from detention into an improved environment, these coordinators should realize that the evil won't easily miss any opportunity to persecute us. Therefore, all coordinators should take security measures seriously.

8. Understand the Difference Between Fa-rectification Period Cultivation and Individual Cultivation

Many of the pre-persecution coordinators had excellent organizational skills. They should be able to organize practitioners without any problem. But, due to the long-term detention, they lost a great degree of contact with the external environment. Therefore, after they are released, until they catch up, they lack a deep understanding of validating the Fa and Fa-rectification period cultivation. This can't be avoided. This is the main reason for many of the aforementioned problems.

Recently-released coordinators' organizational abilities in comparison to the practitioners who were not imprisoned, are most likely better. But, during the past years, those on the outside have accumulated much experience and understanding as to how to do the three things of the Fa-rectification period well. They have established good patterns, and have a deeper understanding of Fa-rectification and Fa-rectification period cultivation. Their opinions are actually worth considering. Therefore, I think the coordinators who were recently released should consult them more, keep an open mind and ask them for ideas. In this way, the coordinators can quickly catch up in whatever area they lack due to their long absence from Fa-rectification activities, and do the coordination work even better.

Finally, I would like to quote two paragraphs from Teacher's lectures. In "Teaching the Fa at the Meeting with Asia-Pacific Students," Teacher said,

"The coordinators among Dafa disciples are in fact just coordinators, points of contact, and people who relay information. Don't think of them as Master, and don't have such high expectations that you rely on them as you cultivate and expect them to handle everything just right. It's not like that. If the coordinator were really like Master, or able to consider things from all angles and never be wrong, then a lot of people in that area couldn't cultivate successfully, since with him thinking things through so well there'd be nothing left for you to think about. If he were to do everything just right you wouldn't have a chance to show your great qualities. You see the idea, right?"

Teacher told us in "Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference,"

"Each of you is like an Assistant, each of you is a particle of Dafa, each of you is immersed in and being tempered in the Fa, and each of you knows what to do. The Dafa disciples in Mainland China have already verified, in their actions and without the benefit of Master's presence, that Dafa is indestructible. As long as you do what Dafa disciples should do, everything can be resolved."

Providing Good After-School Classes In an Adverse Environment

(Clearwisdom.net) At present it is an urgent issue to clarify the truth to students in elementary and high schools in China. Out of this consideration, I started offering after-school classes in 2003. The students ranged from first to fifth graders with a few from junior high school.

Initially there were 30 children. Insults and fighting were very common among them. In order to rectify their behavior, I read them "New Children's Stories," stories from "PureInsight.org" and some truth clarifying materials during lunchtime. I asked them to be good, following the principles of "Truth, Compassion and Forbearance." The effect was good. After a while, the behavior of insulting and fighting decreased significantly. Now they do not fight any more.

We also play the Dafa music "Pudu" and "Jishi" for them. Initially, some children were noisy. We then sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil beings interfering with them. Gradually, children started accepting it and got used to listening to Dafa music every day.

While trying our best to provide high-quality service, parents feel that this class is truly different from classes of everyday people. We then take this opportunity to clarify the truth to the students and their parents. When we asked the children to say, "Truth, Compassion and Forbearance are good," their parents had no reason to oppose it. When we clarify the truth to the parents, some can accept it and others cannot. We do not force the issue. Over time when parents eventually accept it, they say positive things about our classes. As a result, more and more parents send their children here. Sometimes the classroom is full in the evenings.

We sometimes teach children to recite the poems from Hong Yin. They are all willing to do so. In the supplementary language class, we teach meaningful stories and fables educating children to cherish virtue and learn the principles of being a good person.

July 30^th 2005

Rotating Faluns Manifest During Truth-Clarification Activity in Singapore (Photos)

(Clearwisdom.net)

The two photos, which captured many rotating Faluns, were taken at the Falun Gong truth-clarifying site at Merlion Park. As you can see, all the Faluns, the bright energy circles, were flying toward tourists who were reading practitioners' informational posters. It is a great encouragement to us to validate Dafa and save sentient beings and also is a manifestation of how Master is saving people.

In the past 6 years, some veteran practitioners have been clarifying the truth to citizens and tourists almost every day. Though there has been some interference, with righteous thoughts and acts, as well as with compassion and wisdom, practitioners always managed to dissolve the interference peacefully.

In the past, we mistakenly thought that people can only be saved by taking our truth-clarifying materials and carefully reading the information. However, there are always people who don't accept our materials for various reasons: tourists from China may have been ordered by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) not to accept Falun Gong materials before they come abroad; some people may fear being reported by informants; it might not be convenient for some people to take the materials, etc. We used to think that those people had missed their opportunity to be saved. However, these photos tell us that this isn't the case. While people read our posters, as shown in the photos, Faluns were flying toward them to cleanse any evil factors and the CCP's spirit control.

Therefore, the impact of our truth-clarifying efforts is far bigger than we understood previously, as there are always a lot of people coming to read our posters. In addition, we now understand that people actually have obtained a future opportunity to be saved, through listening to our truth-clarification, watching our exercise demonstration or listening to Dafa music, as long as their hearts were touched a little. Our good demeanor can also give people an opportunity to be saved. For those who accept our materials and read them carefully, they must have laid a better foundation for their future.

Just as Master told us in "Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference":

"Everything that Dafa disciples are doing today and everything in society you encounter, I can tell you, you are saving all beings. So no matter what kind of person you meet, what strata of society he's from, or what profession he's in, don't think that you're just going to him to explain the truth merely because evil is persecuting Dafa disciples. I'll tell you, saving all beings is first and foremost, and clarifying the truth is the way to save people. When people understand the facts and find out how wicked the persecution is, people will naturally know what to do. And if afterwards you ask him to lend support and do something about it, that's him choosing a future. So with those people who've been deceived in the persecution, all the more so, how could you not give them a chance? If you don't tell them the facts they will lose their futures forever."

The photos also tell us that Dafa disciples are not saving sentient beings solely by themselves. Master's Fashen (Law Bodies) are helping us. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many Faluns flying toward tourists. This indeed validates Master's teaching at the 2005 Manhattan International Fa Conference:

"... as there were gods and Master's Law Bodies around, there was gong, and the side of you that had been fully cultivated was there. ... and the field Dafa has formed in the world has become enormous, with its density being very high now. The main thing the field is doing is helping Dafa disciples in saving sentient beings and in restraining the evil beings, particularly the major ones. ... [Dafa's] field not only helps Dafa disciples with what they are doing, it also encourages the world's people, builds up the courage of the Chinese people both inside and outside Mainland China, helps them to free themselves from the control of those evil factors, and has a positive effect on all fronts."

During the last leg of Fa-rectification, Master has once again showed his great compassion and encouragement to us by showing us so many Faluns. We should strive to do better in the coming days and be worthy of the honorable title of Dafa Disciples during the Fa-rectification period.

The above is just my personal understanding, please kindly point out any shortcomings.

Maintain Righteous Thoughts and Actions, Always Measure Things with Dafa

(Clearwisdom.net) I used to read the Fa silently, but now, I read it aloud. This change was due to some unforgettable experiences.

I have a very old lamp at home. If I turned it on for more than half an hour, the base of the lamp would start to make a sharp noise. The longer it was on, the louder the noise became. If I padded it or pressed something against it to stop the noise, that didn't work. It wasn't worth fixing any more, but I was reluctant to throw it away even though it had become a headache.

I wasn't quite clear about the meaning of the phrase "to step out of humanness." I knew that it is to step away from the human notions, but I felt that "human notions" is too broad a concept and couldn't find a breakthrough in how to understand it. There seemed to be a barrier in front of me. One day when I read Hong Yin II, I noticed a sentence, "When Disciples Have Sufficient Righteous Thoughts, Master Has the Almighty Power to Turn the Cosmos Around." In the past, I just read it and didn't think much about it. But this time, I felt that Master was saying that himself. The words penetrated into my mind. Looking at the words, I became lost in my thinking. Soon the lamp started to make noises again. All of a sudden, the barrier in my mind disappeared. I understood to a certain extent the meaning of "stepping out of humanness." In the past, when someone mentioned "sentient beings," I automatically thought about humans. I might also consider birds and other animals. After studying the Fa, I counted plants in as well. I never took anything else as sentient beings. They were merely "things." In "Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Washington DC Fa Conference" Master says, "Every blade of grass, every tree, every speck of soil, every stone, from people to things--all the beings have come for this Fa."

Looking at the lamp, I no longer had any complaint toward it. I thought about the interference of the old forces to the Fa-rectification and their arrangements for all beings in the persecution. Then I said to the lamp as if talking to a person, "See how many lights we have at home? In the different rooms, there are seven altogether. I only study the Fa with you. How lucky you are. This is the Great Law that saves all sentient beings. Here is a chance for you. If you could stop making noises in ten minutes, I will read aloud so that you can hear it." Then I continued reading. After a while, I noticed that the noise was reduced. I looked at the lamp in surprise. It looked like a naughty kid with his head down upon realizing that he was wrong.

I touched it and said, "You are good. You will be saved. I know you are not a bad being." At the same time, I asked for Master's help to strengthen it. After a while, the noise got even softer. In the end, it seemed that there was only a tiny bead jumping in the lamp base. I pressed my finger to that point and sent out a thought: Go back to your place.

All of a sudden, the room became quiet. I looked at the clock, nine minutes had passed. I couldn't get used to the quietness. My mind was blank. I was thrilled inside and out. It was hard to describe my feelings. I didn't have to ask someone to fix it. With one thought the problem was solved. I walked around the room in excitement. I came to a further understanding of what Master says in Zhuan Falun, "Cultivation depends on one's own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one's master." and "It is good enough if you have this wish. It is the master who actually does this, as you are simply unable to do it."

Through this incident, I realized that we usually see certain phenomena with preconceived ideas. Since we grew up with certain views of things, we usually think that other things are like that too. We don't realize that these are actually illusions created by the old forces to damage Dafa and destroy Dafa disciples so that all their cultivation will be in vain. We are always preparing for the tests, but when tribulations do come, we sometimes forget that we are in a maze and a world of illusion.

My understanding of "stepping out of humanness" is to give up the behavior and thinking that ordinary people are used to--that is, living for sentimentality and thinking about one's self first. In the end, we will return to our original true self. Whether a practitioner has a righteous mind at critical moments, or whether he or she measures things by Dafa or by human interest, fame, and sentimentality, is largely decided by whether he or she truly studies the Fa. When one does not study the Fa much, human notions will pop up. Human notions are so deeply rooted. How can one, as a cultivator, break away from human notions? The answer is in the Fa. When we have more and more of Dafa in our minds, there will be less and less human notions. Hence, when studying the Fa more, immersing ourselves in the Fa, and having every thought come from the Fa's perspective rather than from human notions, the Fa will help us break through the maze and let us see the truth when we encounter a problem. Then we can do things well. If we don't study the Fa much and don't have a strong righteous mind, the human thoughts will take over. When we hesitate on how to deal with things, we tend to look at how others deal with them and follow suit. Therefore, we have stumbled again and again. Master told us disciples how to step out of humanness and how to strengthen the righteous thoughts a long time ago. In Zhuan Falun, Master says, "Your Main Consciousness Should Predominate" and "Your Mind Must be Right."

Master doesn't want us to follow the everyday people's ritual of bowing to a master. Master only wants us to have righteous thoughts and actions, and always measure things with Dafa. As long as we are firm with this thought, we will experience how immense the Buddha Law is and how great the Buddha's benevolence is.

Though this incident took place a long time ago, whenever I think about it, I feel that it has just happened. Now when I study the Fa, I first send out a thought: "Don't interfere with my Fa-study. Listen, now I am going to read aloud." Then I start reading. Deep in my heart, I feel it's like studying the Fa with other practitioners as we did before the persecution started.

August 3, 2005

People's Hearts Determine Their Future

Stories about My Husband's Respect for Master

(Clearwisdom.net) My husband is in his thirties and he is a kind and simple-hearted man. There are five of us in our immediate family, and our three children and I all practice Falun Dafa. Although my husband does not cultivate in Dafa, he also believes in Master Li and respects the Fa.

"It was probably Master Li who was telling me not to do wrong"

My family lives in a city in Henan Province. We have a truck and my husband supports the family by transporting goods for others. One afternoon, my husband came home after driving and as soon as he stepped into the yard he said, "My lower back aches, I can hardly stand it." I asked him what caused the pain, and if it was because his back was injured while loading and unloading the goods or if it was caused by fatigue from driving. He said it wasn't caused by anything that he knew of.

I was puzzled: my husband had always been healthy and never had pain in his back. After we started to practice Falun Gong, he should have directly benefited from our practice too. He should not have had any problems. Then I asked him: "Have you done anything that you should not have done?"

Hearing what I said, my husband started to recall. Then he slapped his forehead and sat up in bed. He said to my shyly: "I remember now. When I was transporting goods for a construction company today, I saw a pile of bamboo fencing in the field. So I put two of them into my truck, thinking that it would be convenient to use them to block two sides of the truck when I transported the goods again. As soon as I put them into the truck, my back started to ache and it's has been aching all day long. Upon your asking, now I understand that I should not have taken such petty gain unfairly. It was probably Master Li who was telling me not to do wrong."

I then told him: "Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. We correct it once we make a mistake. We don't want these two pieces of fence. Let's take them back to the field when you transport the goods again."

My husband said, " Ok, Ok." While he was speaking, his back stopped aching. My husband jumped out of bed and said to me with a smile: "Dafa is truly amazing! I won't dare to do wrong any more in the future."

My husband reminds me to send forth righteous thoughts

My husband is very supportive of our cultivation. He strongly supported us to buy a tape recorder to use for our practice. He can also understand our stepping out to clarify the truth. Even during the period when the evil was most rampant and lots of Dafa practitioners nearby were arrested and cruelly persecuted, he never opposed our going out at night to clarify the truth or hang Dafa banners. He believes that Dafa practitioners are the best people who do the most righteous and good things. Every day, I was busy doing housework as well as farming. I also had to squeeze in time to practice the exercises, study the Fa, and clarify the truth. I was busy and tired every day, so that I did not do well in sticking to the global simultaneous sending out of righteous thoughts at midnight. It often happened that I went to bed at around 10:00 p.m. and immediately fell asleep. When I woke up, it was already dawn. I was very upset about missing sending righteous thoughts. Seeing this situation, my husband bought an alarm clock, set up the time and reminded me of the time. Since we have had this alarm, I have been doing better at sending righteous thoughts at midnight. When my husband transports goods out of town and stays over, he will call home at midnight to tell me that he is safe, as well as to remind me to send righteous thoughts.

Deep respect for Master

I obtained the Fa in 1999. Several months after that, the cruel persecution of Dafa started. During the Spring Festival when all families gather together and lanterns and streamers were decorated, we Dafa disciples in Mainland China miss our Master overseas even more and appreciate even more Master's grand compassion and infinite grace. So every eve of the Spring Festival, my children and I elaborately prepare desserts, fruit and dishes and respectfully present them in front of Master's picture. Then I lead the children (three little fellow practitioners) to press both hands together in front of their chest to wish happiness for our Master and Master's family during the Spring Festival, expressing our most sincere appreciation to Master, and showing our determination to do the three things well and fulfill our holy mission. Every time, my husband always stands outside of the room and watches us in silence. Then when we go to the kitchen and are busy in there, my husband would stand in front of Master's picture alone and without being seen, press both of his hands in front of his chest and greet Master.

Written on August 10, 2005

Factory Manager Asks His Staff to Protect Practitioners

(Clearwisdom.net)

Village officials turn the police away

An official of a certain village in Zhoukou City, Henan Province had met with Dafa practitioners a number of times, and was told the truth of Falun Gong. He had also read some Dafa truth clarification materials. Once a policeman came to the village to harass the practitioners and asked the village official to call the practitioners in for fingerprinting. The official replied: "Those practitioners are all good people. Why do you want to fingerprint them?" Thus the police left empty-handed.

A teacher discussed the facts of Falun Gong with the students

My niece paid us a visit one day. I took the opportunity to tell her about Falun Gong. During our conversation, she recounted what had happened in her class at school.

One of her teachers had just come back from a trip abroad. During the class, the teacher digressed from the lecture subject and began to converse with the students and talked about politics and religious beliefs. She said that while she was abroad, someone handed her a few flyers and pamphlets. They turned out to be materials about Falun Gong.

She raised some issues with the students: Why does China ban Falun Gong but other countries do not? Why do so many people still practice it if it is harmful like the Chinese government says it is? The students and the teacher discussed the issues together from all angles and came to the consensus that one needs to be rational rather than simply accept things blindly. One needs to find out the facts and base one's opinion on fact.

A factory manager asks his staff to look after practitioners

The local perpetrators harassed a practitioner who works in a factory in Sichuan Province and forced her to leave the factory in June simply because she clarified the facts about Falun Gong. The factory manager asked her colleagues to tell her to come back to work after an adequate period of rest, and that she could live in the factory so she need not go home and be harassed. At the same time, the manager called a meeting and told the factory employees: "We have to keep this a secret. We need to look after our colleague."

The practitioner had told her co-workers the facts about Falun Gong many times. Some of them were particularly interested in the booklets about prophecies. They wanted to keep these booklets, saying, "I want to have it. I will show it to my family members after I finish reading it."

The factory is quite small, and the management is also relaxed. But everyone does his or her job well, and orders keep coming in. As a matter of fact, once a person knows the truth about Dafa and does good things for Dafa, he will have blessings awaiting him.

News from China

Latest News from China - August 10, 2005

(Clearwisdom.net)

[Liaoning Province] More than 100 Falun Dafa Practitioners on Hunger Strike at Masanjia Forced Labor Camp
[Anhui Province] Practitioner Mr. Wang Jian Abducted and Sent to a Brainwashing Class
[Jinan City, Shandong Province] Dafa Practitioner Ms. Liu Ping Sentenced to One Year of Forced Labor
[Huangmei County, Hubei Province] Dafa Practitioner Lu Guie and Li Xiaoqiao Arrested for Distributing Truth Clarification Materials
[Dalian City, Liaoning Province] Dafa Practitioner Ms. Cui Defeng Illegally Sentenced to Forced Labor

[Lushan District, Jiangxi Province] Dafa Practitioner Ms. Ding Weihong Abducted by Police When Posting Truth Clarification Materials
[Baoding, Hebei Province] Pang Guoxing Arrested When Distributing Falun Dafa Truth Clarifying Materials
[Meishan City, Sichuan Province] Liu Fuming Forcibly Sent to Brainwashing Class
[Wei County, Hebei Province] Gao Mingping Arrested for Browsing Falun Gong Information on the Internet
[Xiantao City, Hubei Province] Zhan Jingmei Arrested When Distributing Falun Dafa Truth Clarifying Materials
[Jinan City, Shandong Province] Su Shuzheng Suffers from Tuberculosis in the Shandong Province Prison
[Wuchang City, Heilongjiang Province] Song Wenjuan Arrested for Reading Falun Dafa Books
[Nanning City, Guangxi Autonomous Region] Liang Bixia Sent to Prison Again for Clarifying the Truth About Falun Dafa
[Liaoning Province] He Xin Arrested When Visiting Her Husband in Prison
[Beijing] Tu Changfu and Zheng Bailin Sentenced to Two-and-a-Half Years of Forced Labor
[Inner Mongolia AR] Wang Guoli Detained Four Months Past His Detention Term
[Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province] Liu Zenghua Arrested and Sent to a Brainwashing Class

1. [Liaoning Province] More than 100 Falun Dafa Practitioners on Hunger Strike at Masanjia Forced Labor Camp

More than 100 Falun Dafa practitioners being held in Division 1 of the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp have held a group hunger strike since July 1, 2005, to protest their illegal detention and torture. The labor camp authorities do not allow the practitioners to meet with their families and they block information about their persecution from the outside world. The guards force-feed the practitioners, detain them in solitary confinement cells, shock them with electric batons and inject them with unknown drugs. The practitioners are currently suffering under very difficult circumstances.

2. [Anhui Province] Practitioner Mr. Wang Jian Abducted and Sent to a Brainwashing Class

Dafa practitioner Mr. Wang Jian worked at Anhui Province Library. He was sentenced to three years in prison for practicing Falun Gong. After his release in January 2005, he was fired from his job. On the afternoon of June 8, Li Yanjiang, Head of Ningguo Road Street Party Committee, phoned Wang Jian and told him that he had spoken with the head of the library, who had decided to restore Wang Jian's job. He asked to meet with Wang Jian. That was the last time Mr. Wang's family saw him.

On June 10, Wang Jian's family went to the people in charge of the library. They contacted Wang Jian's supervisor and Li Yanjiang. Li Yanjiang phoned Wang Jian's parents and told them that the Central Political and Judiciary Committee stated that Falun Gong practitioners who refused to "reform" must attend a brainwashing class for one month. When Wang Jian's family inquired about the location of the class, Li Yanjiang said, "You don't need to know."

3. [Jinan City, Shandong Province] Dafa Practitioner Ms. Liu Ping Sentenced to One Year of Forced Labor

Dafa practitioner Ms. Liu Ping was arrested by officers from Zhangzhuang Police Department in Huaiyin District, Jinan City, and was later transferred to a detention center. The perpetrators from Zhangzhuang Police Department fabricated charges against her and sentenced her to one year of forced labor. She has been sent to Division 1 of the Jiangshuiquan Forced Labor Camp. The labor camp authorities have never allowed her to meet with her family.

People responsible for Liu Ping's persecution

Liu Yuhou and Ji Changjun, Political Security Section of Huaiyin District Police Department: 86-531-85990204, 86-531-85083246

Liu Wenqi, head of the Huaiyin District 610 Office: 86-531-87589278, 86-531-2277610 (Cell)

Jinan City 610 Office: 86-531-82038134

Liu Guorong: deputy head of the Jinan City 610 Office: 86-531-82038103, 86-531-82868818, 86-13969093610 (Cell)

4. [Huangmei County, Hubei Province] Dafa Practitioner Lu Guie and Li Xiaoqiao Arrested for Distributing Truth Clarification Materials

On July 26, 2005, Dafa practitioners Lu Guie and Li Xiaoqiao were arrested when distributing truth clarification materials in the countryside. They were both held at the No. 2 Detention Center, Huangmei County, Hubei Province.

On June 15, 2005, practitioners Xiao Shuimu, Wang Dongjiao and Zhou Luhua were abducted from home by police officers from Ruichang City, Jiangxi Province. Practitioner Xiao Shuimu was held at the Pencheng Police Department in Ruichang City. He escaped with the power of righteous thoughts and is currently living a homeless life.

5. [Dalian City, Liaoning Province] Dafa Practitioner Ms. Cui Defeng Illegally Sentenced to Forced Labor

Dafa practitioner Ms. Cui Defeng, in her 50s from Dailan City, was abducted around July 20, 2005 at the hands of officers from Xinggong Street Police Station. Ms. Cui was distributing truth clarification materials at the time. She has been sent to the Masanjia Forced Labor Camp.

6. [Lushan District, Jiangxi Province] Dafa Practitioner Ms. Ding Weihong Abducted by Police When Posting Truth Clarification Materials

On July 23, 2005, Dafa practitioner Ms. Ding Weihong was abducted by police officers from Gaolong Police Station in the Lushan District. The next day, the police ransacked her home. Ms. Ding is still being detained.

7. [Baoding, Hebei Province] Pang Guoxing Arrested When Distributing Falun Dafa Truth-Clarifying Materials

On July 14, 2005, personnel from Beijing's 110 police office [an emergency dispatch agency, similar to 911 in the U.S.] and from the Baima Police Station arrested practitioner Pang Guoxing from Laishui County, Baoding City, Hebei Province, when Pang was distributing Falun Dafa truth-clarifying materials. Pang Guoxing is being held at Baoding City Forced Labor Camp.

At around 9:00 a.m. on August 7, 2005, personnel from the National Security Bureau, and the Baoding City Police Department abducted practitioner Ms. Yang Jinying who lives in the eastern suburb of Baoding City. It happened in the daytime as she was riding her tricycle to deliver some goods to a grocery market. At present, Ms. Yang is being held in the Shijiazhuang City Detention Center.

Phone number of person responsible for Ms. Yang's abduction

Zhang Haitao: 86-13582052828 (cell), 86-312-4700028 (home)

8. [Meishan City, Sichuan Province] Liu Fuming Forcibly Sent to Brainwashing Class

On the morning of August 3, 2005, more than 10 officers from the Tonghui Street Community Office, the Armed Forces Department, and the Chengguan Police Station in the Dongpo District, Meishan City broke into Liu Fuming's home. They handcuffed Mr. Liu and dragged him away. It is reported that Liu Fuming was taken to the Liyuan Resort in Wansheng Town, Dongpo District, Meishan City, where the local government ran a brainwashing class.

Phone numbers of related units

Dongpo District 610 Office: 86-833-8111360

Yang Guoquan, Chief: 86-833-8101400 (office)
Lu Jianwei, Secretary of the Political and Judiciary Committee for Dongpo District: 86-13909036166 (cell), 86-833-8113166 (office), 86-833-8116133 (home)

9. [Wei County, Hebei Province] Gao Mingping Arrested for Browsing Falun Gong Information on the Internet

Ms. Gao Mingping, 40 years old, lives at Beiliuzhuang Village, Xiheying Town, Wei County, Hebei Province. The officials arrested her and confiscated her newly purchased computer because she browsed Falun Gong information on the Internet. Ms. Gao is still being held at Wei County Detention Center.

10. [Xiantao City, Hubei Province] Zhan Jingmei Arrested When Distributing Falun Dafa Truth Clarifying Materials

Personnel from the Xiliuhe Town Police Station arrested practitioner Ms. Zhan Jingmei from the Xiliuhe Town Hygienical Institute, Xiantao City, as she distributed Falun Dafa truth clarifying materials in Xiliuhe Town. Ms. Zhan is currently being held at the Wuhan City Women's Forced Labor Camp.

Practitioner Ms. Fan Junxia is also being detained there.

11. [Jinan City, Shandong Province] Su Shuzheng Suffers from Tuberculosis in the Shandong Province Prison

Mr. Su Shuzheng, 34 years old, a practitioner from Pingyin County, Jinan City, went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Dafa in 2001 and was later sentenced to three years of forced labor. After his release, he went to Jinan City to find a job. In April 2004, Mr. Su was arrested again and was sentenced to four years of imprisonment. Now he is being held at the Shandong Province Prison. Due to extended torture in the prison, coupled with bad living conditions, Su Shuzheng contracted tuberculosis. After his wife got the message, she came to the Provincial Prison from her hometown to visit her husband, but the prison authorities denied the visit with the excuse that Mr. Su had not given up practicing Falun Gong. The prison authorities even refused to pass some nutritional supplements to Mr. Su. It has been heard that some practitioners in the prison also suffer from lung disease. According to the prison regulations, those prisoners who are suffering from severe contagious diseases should be released on bail for medical treatment; the prison authorities not only did not release practitioner Su Shuzheng, they also forbade his family from visiting him.

12. [Wuchang City, Heilongjiang Province] Song Wenjuan Arrested for Reading Falun Dafa Books

At noon on July 19, 2005, a gang led by the head of the Niujia Town Police Station in Wuchang City arrested practitioner Ms. Song Wenjuan from Wuchang City, Heilongjiang Province when she was reading Falun Dafa books at home. About two days later, Zhan Zhigang, the city's National Security Bureau chief, led some policemen to ransack her home. They confiscated two copies of Zhuan Falun and a few pages of truth-clarifying materials. Up to now, nobody knows where Ms. Song is being held. It is said that she was sentenced to two years of forced labor.

13. [Nanning City, Guangxi Autonomous Region] Liang Bixia Sent to Prison Again for Clarifying the Truth About Falun Dafa

In March 2005, practitioner Ms. Liang Bixia from Nanning City, Guangxi Autonomous Region, was released on bail for medical treatment. Ms. Liang has been clarifying the truth since she got out of prison. In mid-June, she was arrested and put into the women's prison again. Ms. Liang is on a hunger strike to protest the illegal detention.

14. [Liaoning Province] He Xin Arrested When Visiting Her Husband in Prison

On June 21, 2005, practitioner Ms. He Xin from Shenyang City went to the Wafangdian City Prison to see her husband, practitioner Mr. Li Shangrong, who was sentenced to ten years of imprisonment there in January 2000. The people responsible for Ms. He's detention are policemen and personnel from the Dongling District Political and Judiciary Committee and from the 610 Office. Ms. He Xin showed her ID when she checked into a hotel in Wafangdian City. The police discovered she was a practitioner through her ID number. They arrested her when she went to visit her husband at the prison on June 22. He Xin is now deprived of her freedom, detained at the Shenyang City Detention Center.

15. [Beijing] Tu Changfu and Zheng Bailin Sentenced to Two and a Half Years of Forced Labor

Personnel from the 610 Office and from the town police station arrested practitioner Tu Changfu from Donggezhuang Village, West Tiangezhuang Town, Miyun County, Beijing City, and detained him at the county detention center. On March 24, 2005, Tu Changfu was sentenced to two and a half year of forced labor and is currently being held at the Daxing County Tuanhe Forced Labor Camp.

Zheng Bailin is a Falun Gong practitioner from Donggezhuang Village, West Tiangezhuang Town, Miyun County, Beijing City. Personnel from the 610 Office arrested him and put him into the county detention center. On April 14, 2005, Tu Changfu was sentenced to two and a half years of forced labor and was sent to the Daxing County Tuanhe Dispatch Center in Beijing City.

16. [Inner Mongolia AR] Wang Guoli Detained Four Months Past His Detention Term

Wang Guoli is a Falun Gong practitioner from Qidaowanzi Village, Saliba Township, Aohan Division, Chifeng City, Inner Mongolia AR. On March 20, 2001, Gong Chuanxing, from the National Security Bureau, and the Aohan Division Police Department arrested Mr. Wang for distributing truth-clarifying materials. Although his detention term expired four months ago, he has not yet been released. His family called the detention center and requested his unconditional release. The police stated that if Mr. Wang refuses to give up Falun Gong, does not write the "five statements," or refuses to verbally abuse Falun Dafa, he will never be released.

Wuyuan Detention Center in Baotou City, Inner Mongolia AR: 86-478-5558241

17. [Shijiazhuang City, Hebei Province] Liu Zenghua Arrested and Sent to a Brainwashing Class

Practitioner Mr. Liu Zenghua, from Zanhuang County, Shijiazhuang City, works at the City Architecture Bureau in Zanhuang County. On June 20, 2005, his employer forcibly sent him into the Capital Brainwashing Center in Hebei Province.

August 9, 2005

205 People Declare that their Words and Deeds Under Forced Brainwashing are Null and Void
A Total of 284208 Declarations Have Been Published To Date

(Clearwisdom.net) A "solemn declaration" is a person's public statement declaring to the world that whatever he or she has done or said under duress or deception that was against Falun Dafa is null and void. Most of these statements have come from Falun Dafa practitioners in China who wished to express regret that, in the face of physical torture and brainwashing, they had signed documents renouncing Dafa and guaranteeing not to practice again. Also, as more and more people in China learn the truth about how they have been deceived and lied to by the Jiang regime, many non-practitioners are also submitting "solemn declarations."

Here are some examples of the Solemn Declarations:

Dafa Practitioners' Solemn Statements [5/31/2005]
Solemn Declarations By People Who Have Awakened to the Truth about Falun Gong [6/2/2005]
Solemn Declarations by Young Dafa Practitioners [5/22/2005]

Please click here for more Solemn Declarations.

Summary of Other Articles and News - August 8, 2005

(Clearwisdom.net)

Facts of the Persecution

1. Officials from Jilin City Establish a Brainwashing Center in Changyi District

In July 2005, after the shutdown of the brainwashing center in Chuanying District, Jilin City, Jilin Province, officials from the 610 Office established a brainwashing center in the Changyi District. Several practitioners were harassed by the newly-established brainwashing center. On the evening of August 3, 610 Office personnel broke into practitioner Chang Yahui's house and forcibly took him to the brainwashing center.

http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/8/8/107970.html

2. Wu Tainxing from the National Security Bureau of Guangde County, Anhui Province Arrests and Extorts Money from Falun Dafa Practitioners

Wu Taixing from the National Security Bureau of Guangde County, Anhui Province made a fortune by arresting practitioners and extorting money from them for several years. Almost 50 Falun Dafa practitioners have been illegally arrested, sentenced and had their homes searched and ransacked by Wu Taixing. Wu sentenced practitioners who did not compromise and give him money. For example, Wu Taixing wanted to extort money from Tang Deheng's family, circumventing the normal release procedure. Wu got nothing during Tang Deheng's four-month detention, therefore he was very angry and sent Tang Deheng to a forced labor camp on December 9, 2004.

http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/8/8/107942.html

3. The Barbaric Slavery at Anhui Women's Forced Labor Camp

In the Anhui Women's Forced Labor Camp, inmates were forced to work from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. and often worked until midnight and 1 a.m. in the morning. Accidents like workers' hands being injured by machines have occurred repeatedly, due to inmates getting insufficient sleep. Falun Gong practitioners were treated even harsher. Shao Bixia, Ji Bangxia, Tang Deheng, Wu Jufeng and Nie Yinzhen were forced to work more than 18 hours every day. They are all in their 50s. The police ordered them to move heavy goods back and forth between the second and third floors. Wang Ping was put in solitary confinement for a long term. Duan Gunhua was shocked with an electric baton on her face, leaving a permanent scar. At the end of 2004, police officer Chen Xiaolin, tied Shao Bixia's hands and feet and force-fed her medicine four times a day and poured cold water over her head.

http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/8/8/107937.html

4. Farmer from Anhui Sent to Forced Labor Illegally, Threatened with Three More Years of Detention if Family Files a Complaint; Other Practitioners Arrested

Practitioner Ms. Cong Lina, an honest farmer from Fuyang City, Anhui Province was sent to a forced labor camp in May of 2005. Her family intended to file a complaint but was threatened with three more years of detention from the police. Mr. Ji Bangxia from Taihe County was illegally sentenced to one year by the officials from the Public Security Bureau, and the police demanded money from his family. Ms. Ping Yan from Yingshang County was held in the Taihe County Detention Center because she practices Falun Dafa. She was forced to carry around a heavy object for one month as punishment in the detention center. Afterwards, it was a month before Ms. Ping could stand up straight. Ms. Ming Xiulan from Yingshang County, Fuyang City, was harassed by the police because they suspected that she was connected with Falun Dafa. She became destitute and homeless in order to avoid the persecution. Ms. Ming's family was broken apart and her more than seventy-year-old father was affected by the persecution.

http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2005/8/8/107941.html

TV Programs

Pure Heart, Clear Mind #168

We will begin this week's episode of Pure Heart, Clear Mind with the Falun Dafa News Review, which will be followed by Conscience. We will then have a discussion with Elizabeth and Haiying, which will be followed by our Artwork of the Week program. We will conclude this week's episode of Pure Heart, Clear Mind with instruction of the Falun Dafa exercises. We hope you enjoy the show.

FLDF News
Conscience
Elizabeth and Haiying
Artwork of the Week
Exercise Instruction

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Background:

Pure Heart, Clear Mind was established in early 2002 by a group of volunteers who were interested in Falun Gong andÂ had the wish to introduce the truth and beauty of the practice's exercises and teachings to the public. They worked nights and weekends to produceÂ the show, wanting to create a program that was both interesting and rich in content.Â They also had the goal of letting the public know about how the practice was being persecuted in China, since Jiang Zemin's faction has gone to great lengths to conceal it. After several years of hard work, Pure Heart, Clear Mind is now broadcast on television stations across North America, crossing cultural boundaries to create a show that everyone can enjoy.

Our Mission:
Pure Heart, Clear Mind is dedicated to displaying the beauty and truth of Falun Gong. By showing its beauty, we hope to let more people learn about the practice and understand what Falun Gong is.Â We also provide information that exposes the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong in China, and how practitioners are speaking out and taking action in an effort to end it. We are dedicated to producing a show that is both rich in content and enjoyable to watch--one that will help the world better understand and benefit from the principles and exercises of Falun Gong

The Show:
Each Pure Heart, Clear Mind show consists of several segments: Falun Dafa News Review, Artwork of the Week, Interviews, Documentaries, and Exercise Instruction. With its wide variety of subject matter, Pure Heart, Clear Mind has been praised for its high-quality programming and originality. You can find Pure Heart, Clear Mind programs in Online Archives, or find where and when it is aired in your area. Click here

Please be sure to check out our webpage: www.pureheartclearmind.org

Clearwisdom Digest

Clearwisdom Digest (Issue 42, August 2005)

Download Clearwisdom Digest:

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Table of Content

News and Events from Around the World

New York: Falun Gong Practitioners from Taiwan Clarify the Truth in Manhattan
Japan: Wonderful Performances at the 2005 World Exposition, Aichi
Evidence from Former Chinese Diplomat Exposes Harassment of Falun Gong Practitioners
Philadelphia, U.S.A.: "Compassion" Art Exhibition Touches People's Hearts

Facts of the Persecution

Ms. Ji Fengqin Tortured to Death in Wanjia Forced Labor Camp, Harbin City on July 30, 2005
Exposing the Atrocities at Shanghai Women's Prison
Five Falun Gong Practitioners from Hubei Province Unjustly Receive Severe Sentences
The Persecution at the Brainwashing Center at Zhangshi Forced Labor Camp, Shenyang City
To Conceal Evidence of Its Crimes, Daqing Prison Blocks Mr. Xu Jishan's Family from Seeing His Body
Falun Gong Practitioners' Noble Actions in China
Falun Gong Practitioners Detained in Forced Labor Camp Protest the Persecution with Righteous Thoughts

The People Awaken to the Truth

Understanding the Truth about Falun Gong, a Village CCP Secretary Resists the Persecution

Voices of Justice

U.S. Congressman Chris Smith: Chinese Communist Regime's Atrocity Must Be Stopped
US Congressman Rush Holt Calls for Immediate Release of All Imprisoned Falun Gong Practitioners in China
Speech by Michael Horowitz of Hudson Institute at the July 21, 2005 Anti-Persecution Rally in Washington, D.C
Speech by Rev. Dr. Clark Lobenstine of the InterFaith Conference of Metropolitan Washington at the July 21, 2005 Anti-Persecution Rally
Rev. Dr. Keith Roderick of Christian Solidarity International Speaks at the July 21, 2005 Washington DC Anti-Persecution Rally

Media Reports and Opinions

European News Agency: Falun Gong Exposes the Crimes of Genocide in China
RFA: The World Organization for Human Rights Sues Xu Guangchun, Secretary of Henan Provincial Committee of the Communist Party
Spain's Largest News Agency EFE: Falun Gong Appeals to Stop Genocide of People Asking for Freedom of Belief

Clearwisdom Weekly

Clearwisdom Weekly - August 15 ~ August 21, 2005