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Experiences of a Chinese American in Beijing: Using Compassion to Spread Falun Dafa and Save the People of the World

March 10, 2002

(Clearwisdom.net)

1. Why Did I Go to Beijing to Verify Dafa?

I've been practicing Falun Dafa for over four years. The more I practice, the more I feel that Falun Dafa is righteous, and the more courage I have to go to Tiananmen Square and clarify truth to the Chinese people. I made a two-meter long banner with the words "Falun Dafa is Good." On February 19, 2002, I traveled to Beijing to rectify the Fa. About twenty minutes after the airplane took off, I could sense our compassionate Master outside the airplane, watching and protecting us along the way.

2. Putting Down the Attachment of Sentimentality

Before I left, I knew that I would be able to come back home, but my human thoughts emerged nonetheless. When I left a letter to my son, I reminded him to do some housework. Some bad thoughts surfaced also. I repeatedly recited Master's articles and thus completely put down all kinds of impure thoughts.

I had not been back home to see my parents in China for over four years. They are more than 70 years old and it is possible that I might never be able to see them again. But I also thought, if my trip is for Fa-rectification and clarifying truth, I need to have the purest mind. Even a trace of attachments at this time would bring trouble to my Fa-rectification. Then those people with predestined relationships who are waiting for me would lose their opportunity to be saved. So I decided not to go to my hometown.

3. Eliminating My Last Attachments

Before leaving for China, I repeatedly told myself that no matter what happened to me, I should not be frightened or panicked, because I was doing the most righteous thing. But all of a sudden my imagination could not be controlled. I found myself thinking about how bad I would be beaten; after a while I was even thinking that I would be beaten to death and my body thrown away. I immediately told myself that if my mind was so impure, then I preferred not to go. I knew that I must use my purest mind to save the people. On the airplane, I repeatedly cleaned myself out and dug deeply until I eliminated all attachments that hadn't yet been put down. I continued to do this until I felt very clear in my mind.

I arrived in Beijing at 6:30 PM on February 19. I stayed at a hotel close to the airport, and planned to go into the city the next day. The check-in procedure was very strict, especially since American President George Bush was to arrive the next day. That night, a little past ten o'clock, the police came to check each room. My first reaction was that I would not let them take away my banner. I immediately hid the banner among my clothes. Then I heard the police knocking at the door, saying something. I didn't open the door immediately, but rather, let myself calm down. They subsequently skipped my room and went to the next door. It was really Master's protection. I remembered that before I left New York, again and again I had asked Master to strengthen me to walk onto Tiananmen Square and let me not be intercepted by the evil forces. From this experience I found that my human thoughts came out. I had given in to fear and used the human's way at a crucial moment. Again I rectified myself.

The driver who drove me to the hotel looked very honest. When I saw him the next morning, he told me that Tiananmen Square was under military guard because President Bush would arrive that day. I thought that even if I could not get there during the morning, I would go during the afternoon. On the way to Tiananmen, I took the opportunity to clarify the truth to the driver. After he understood, he said that he had been trying to learn Falun Dafa but he could not find anybody to teach him. So I gave him my copy of Zhuan Falun that I had with me. He was very pleased. I also told him again and again to protect this book well, because Falun Dafa is the highest Buddha Fa of the universe. He solemnly promised.

Tiananmen Square was heavily guarded. There was a policeman about every three feet, not including the plain-clothes agents. I got out of the car to the southeast of Mao Zedong Memorial Hall, then entered the passageway, and turned right towards the southeast of Tiananmen Square. Just then the police stood together and blocked the center of the Square, saying that President Bush would come out in a few minutes. I thought it would not be possible to get to the center of Tiananmen, and it didn't make sense for me to go there anyway, with no tourists around. I therefore chose a direction where there were many people walking towards me. In a relaxed manner I put down my bag and pulled out the banner, unfolding the words, "Falun Dafa is Good." I also shouted, "Falun Dafa is Good!" to the crowd. After I shouted three times the crowd stopped. I immediately told them not to believe the propaganda on TV, that it was all fake, that Falun Dafa is the righteous Fa. At that moment nothing else was moving, and all the police around me seemed to be frozen. Then I folded my banner with ease, put it back into my bag, and started to walk away. I hadn't walked very far when a cop grabbed my left arm and pushed me into a police van in front of me.

4. Use Every Opportunity to Clarify Truth with Compassion

I was taken to a Tiananmen Police Substation. With my heart full of compassion, I told myself that I cultivate Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance. I'm the most righteous, the most just and honorable. I will use my actions to let them know that Falun Dafa is the most righteous Fa. When the police asked me questions, in order not to give them the chance to create karma, my answers were all very direct and simple. When they tried to take my photograph, I refused. I covered my face with my hands and they wasted four or five pictures. My guiding principle was to not give them any opportunities to commit crimes against Dafa -- which was also a benevolent way to save them.

I had always treated these policemen as savable sentient beings. In front of me, dozens of them tried to persuade me in turn with the false statements that were instilled into them by the evil regime. I also used this opportunity to patiently remove the misconceptions that they had against Dafa in their minds. Since they often made contact with Dafa practitioners, it was very important to clarify the truth to them. I explained to all of them the truth I knew about Dafa. The majority of them believed wrongly that once the government made a decision, nothing could be done except for following the decision. I was detained for twenty-three hours at the Beijing Exit and Entry Administrative Bureau. I was kept in a very dirty room, with iron railings outside. There were two to three policemen watching outside in turn. I sat inside and clarified the truth face-to-face to them. I forgot completely that I was detained in such a dirty room. Nearly all the policemen said, "You have stopped us from enjoying a happy Spring Festival. Several days ago, when the western Falun Gong practitioners came, they spoiled our Spring Festival." I told them very seriously, "You are wrong. It is not the Falun Gong practitioners' fault. The crime lies with Jiang. If Jiang did not persecute the cultivators who believe in 'Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance,' no one would go to Tiananmen to rectify the Fa. Then not only could you have a happy Spring Festival, I would not have to travel tens of thousands of miles and far across the sea to just tell you that Jiang is wrong in persecuting Falun Gong, either." One of the policemen asked, "Why don't you American Chinese donate some money to the national 'Hope Project,' but instead come home to make trouble?" I told him sternly, "How can you still mention the 'Hope Project'? How can a government that persecutes 'Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance' have hope? Only if Jiang stops persecuting Falun Gong can this country have hope." Some policemen were really rude. They came over and cursed in front of me. I did not care, but continued to tell them that Falun Dafa is the righteous Fa. In this way, I told them from my several years of personal experiences why Falun Dafa is the righteous Fa. When they asked about my profession, I told them that I was a teacher. They asked, "Do your students know that you are a Falun Gong practitioner?" I told them, "They practice Falun Gong together with me." They were very surprised to hear this. Immediately I told them about how these students improved their conduct and behavior at school and outside of school after they practiced Falun Gong. After this I found out that what they knew about Falun Gong all came from the TV propaganda. After continuously talking with them, the environment was improving a little bit. A policewoman asked me to sit outside on a sofa. I had small talk with her and also clarified the truth to her. This senior policewoman was very rude to me at the beginning. Later I found out from what she said to me that she taught her kids to be tolerant in handling things. I made use of this point and tried to arouse her kind-heartedness and positive attitude in addressing Dafa. Before parting with her, I told her that Falun Dafa was the righteous Fa and I asked her to remember to do good things for the future of both her children and herself.

When they sent me to the airport, a senior policeman drove the vehicle. There was also a young policeman who had just recently graduated from the Police Academy and a policewoman. After we arrived at the airport, they took turns setting up my travel arrangements and I was left with alternating police officers watching me. I made use of the information that I learned about the police officers while talking with them alone. I tried to make them understand that it was very important that they remember that Falun Dafa was the righteous Fa. I told them that they should not follow the evil regime's propaganda and that they should be responsible to their own eternal beings.

Before I went to board the plane, the senior policeman said, "You are not allowed to enter the country for five years." I answered them, "I understand that it is your job. But I will probably come back next year." I told them again to remember, "You will have boundless beneficence if you treat Falun Gong kindly."

The above is my experience from going to Beijing this time. I had many experiences, which are summarized as follows.

  1. Our mainland countrymen are severely poisoned by the government's propaganda. We should make unremitting efforts in clarifying the truth.
  2. The false evidence fabricated by Jiang's regime includes some by those who have attacked Dafa in the name of practitioners. There are some collaborators who have already deviated from "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance." We should also fully prepare for this in clarifying the truth.
  3. Whomever we meet are the persons to whom we should clarify the truth. We should treat them with kind-heartedness and save them with compassion.
  4. A practitioner is not an ordinary person. Whatever happens to us, we should use it to cultivate ourselves. This includes both the good and the evil predestined relationships that we have made in our many lives. Some of them we cannot actually see. What we need to do is eradicate the evil that controls Chinese people so as to save them. Teacher said in the article "Clearheadedness" "...I often say that if all a person wants is the well-being of others and if this is without the slightest personal motivation or personal understanding, what he says will move the listener to tears. " From here, I was enlightened that "without the slightest personal motivation or personal understanding" refers to getting rid of all the attachments, and using all our compassion, and that once this is done things will be different. Not only will the sentient beings be saved, the greatness of Dafa will also be imprinted in their hearts. After this trip to Beijing where I rectified the Fa, I have a deeper understanding of Teacher's statement, "spread the Fa and offer people salvation with benevolence."
  5. When we go to Beijing to rectify the Fa, we should use our words and deeds to clarify the truth, not just the statements we shout on Tiananmen Square. This was done when there was no way to appeal for Dafa and in order to arouse the world's people and to warn the evil regime to stop committing this crime. Besides this, we should make use of every opportunity to clarify the truth to all the people we meet, including, for example, the policemen who beat and curse us in the detention center. In this kind of environment we need to exhibit more of the great benevolence of a Dafa practitioner. This can only be obtained from cultivation in Dafa.
  6. As an overseas Chinese person, I was arrested by the policemen only because I spoke a fair sentence for my beliefs at Tiananmen Square when there was no other way to appeal. Now, I cannot go back to China for five years. This is a violation of my freedoms of belief and speech by Jiang's regime. Because of my nationality I did not suffer from the severe beating and long-term torture that the mainland fellow practitioners suffer. Regardless, this kind of criminal action in which Jiang's regime violates the constitution and the International Human Rights Covenant is totally unacceptable. So my trip to Beijing to rectify the Fa has not ended yet. I will use my personal experience to expose to the American people and government the evil nature of Jiang's regime.

I still found many attachments as I peacefully summarized my experiences. I should further get rid of my attachments.