December 3, 2003
(Clearwisdom.net) On November 14, 2003, the Dehui City Court conducted an illegal trial against thirteen practitioners who had been detained for a long time. This illegal trial shook me greatly. The evil elements are decreasing, the old forces and ghosts that interfere with Fa-rectification are being eliminated, and practitioners are becoming mature when dealing with Fa-rectification issues. At such a time, it is a great insult to Dafa that these forces can arrogantly hold an illegal trial against practitioners. This is an opportunity for every practitioner in Dehui City to search within for the source of these problems.
These thirteen practitioners had been illegally detained for over a year. They had gone on hunger strikes numerous times. With the help of practitioners who are free, the court couldn't start the trial as planned. On July 22, 2003, the Chinese Supreme Procuratorate issued the regulation that "prolonged confinement is an illegal detention." The family members of the thirteen practitioners came out to clarify the truth and requested that the local officials release the practitioners. They, with the help of the practitioners, reasoned effectively with the officials. They pointed out to the officials the police's methods of torture, abuse and prolonged confinement. The families and practitioners validated Falun Dafa in the Judiciary Office. The officials would hide when they heard that the family members were appealing. They didn't even dare to tell the practitioners their names.
The detained practitioners steadfastly resisted the persecution. As of November 14, they had been on a hunger strike for a month. Around December 10, the TV news reported on the "prolonged confinement is an illegal detention" regulation. Why, then, would the Dehui City Judiciary Office suddenly go against the regulation and conduct a trial against the practitioners? Besides knowing that it was Jiang's corrupt regime at work, I remembered that Teacher said in "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.," "As I've said, everything that happens today in the ordinary society is the result of Dafa disciples' thoughts." We as practitioners should look within ourselves. The following are some of my own understandings on this current situation of the rescue efforts and the trial:
1. We understood the basic requirements for rescuing practitioners.
Because our basic position is pure, we always refer to the fact that Falun Dafa is a righteous Fa and that excessive detention is illegal. We talked about the persecution, how the police went against the laws, how they tortured and abused the practitioners, and how they always hid from our inquiries. The Legal Institute, the "610 Office"* and the Political and Judiciary Committee failed to answer our answers and inquiries. But, because practitioners failed to understand the Fa from the position of the Fa, we ended up trying to save the practitioners from the point of view of personal freedom. We were moved by sentimentality and we failed to fight back with the right answers when these corrupt officials defamed Dafa. Finally, they still illegally tried the practitioners.
2. We failed to understand the basic nature of the evil forces that were driving this illegal activity.
Since October 15, the detained practitioners had been on a hunger strike to protest the illegal trial. This was a pivotal moment for the family members, who were mostly practitioners, in their rescue efforts. Some practitioners couldn't see that the Fa was their Teacher or use the Fa to eliminate the corrupt influences behind the official's plans. They started using the methods of ordinary society, such as trying to persuade them with gifts [a common practice in China] and relying on hearsay. The police, with their false kindness, persuaded some of the practitioners in detention to start eating; thus, the police caught the practitioners in their weakness.
Another reason for our failure was because the detained practitioners were relying on their family members too much, and failed to stand up for themselves. Some practitioners felt that all they needed to do was send forth righteous thoughts. They felt that since the evil beings are very few, they couldn't do much at this time. In this situation, sending forth righteous thoughts became just a formality. They failed to understand just how wicked these beings are before they are eliminated. The increased resistance on the part of the evil beings before their final elimination is one of the reasons for the illegal trial.
3. We didn't form enough of a unity.
Our Teacher said in "Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference," "You have to rescue your fellow cultivators and Dafa disciples--we can't let the evil persecute them wildly and without restraint." The yearlong excessive detention of the thirteen practitioners and the illegal trial is persecution against practitioners as a whole. Some practitioners failed to see this and felt that this was a personal tribulation for the detained practitioners. They failed to get out of the mentality of personal cultivation and see that we are one body. The detained practitioners sent letters out hoping that we could go to the judicial offices and request their release. Some practitioners, failing to see what they could do to help, started criticizing the detained practitioners about how they weren't doing well enough. And some felt that rescuing the practitioners might affect the process of bringing salvation to sentient beings. Some felt that the situation of the detained practitioners was not related to them. Others feared that rescue efforts might take energy from their own personal cultivation. Some came to help, but it was because other people were doing so and not because they truly wanted to do Fa-rectification work. During the process of rescuing the practitioners, we were not communicating or helping each other out. We didn't form a strong body of Dafa practitioners. On the day of the trial, there were a dozen policemen, security and plainclothes agents. They hired thugs and had over a dozen vehicles guarding the courthouse. It was like a war to them. Before the trial began, a loudspeaker, not far from the courthouse (behind the police station), started broadcasting Dafa truth-clarification information. The police were extremely surprised. We needed the practitioners to coordinate efforts as a whole body in critical moments, but less than 20 practitioners went to the courthouse, which defeated our opportunity.
4. We didn't completely resist the evil's plans.
The evil forces conducted this unlawful trial. But practitioners failed to defend themselves (some had been on the hunger strike for 30 days, others had been paralyzed by the torture and had to be carried into the courtroom). This occurred 3 months after the "prolonged confinement is an illegal detention" regulation was issued. During the trial the police acted as if it were a battle. They were equipped with shields and batons and they looked intimidating. As a matter of fact, this was an expression of extreme fear. The practitioners and family members weren't decisive and didn't try to prevent the trial. We were fearful of the superficial appearances and didn't suppress the evil force's plans. A few family members went in and they were being watched. Some of the practitioners on trial could have spoken up, but didn't do so, and so we let the trial follow its own course.
5. We didn't let go of our own self during this process to resist the persecution.
The story of "Golden Buddha" was very inspiring to me. In that story a cultivator used someone else's heart to test boiling water, instead of testing it personally. In our process of rescuing the practitioners, I saw that I was trying to let the family members do the rescuing; let them talk to the legal offices, let them inquire for their release, let them protest the trial and let them resist the persecution. This is using someone else's heart to test boiling water and I hid myself in safety. I didn't take the path of a Dafa practitioner. The trial is just a form; it is a test for all practitioners. If we can as one body let go of our old selves and our human hearts, use our real thoughts to save the practitioners, without relying on the laws of the ordinary world, then the situation would be different.
This process is not over. We have to understand who the actors are and what their supporting roles are in this persecution. We need to do what we have to do -- understand the Fa from the standpoint of Fa. We need to let go of our personal interests and validate Dafa, and then the results will surely be different.
* The "610 Office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.
For Part 1, please see
http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2003/11/29/42691.html