(Clearwisdom.net) Since the persecution of Falun Gong began on July 20, 1999, Falun Gong books have been destroyed on a large scale in China, and Falun Gong practitioners have lost all rights to appeal and defend themselves. China's people thus have no way to find out what Falun Gong is and what kind of people Falun Gong practitioners are. The only information they hear and see are the deplorable accusations and condemnation of Falun Gong, voiced by the state-controlled media. Many people wonder, what is Falun Gong? What kind of people are Falun Gong practitioners? The following stories will help answer those questions.
1. Dalian City, Liaoning Province, China
On March 17, 1997, The Dalian Daily published a report entitled, "Tribute to an Un-named Elderly Man." The report told a story of an elderly gentleman who built roads for the villagers. This man's name was Sheng Lijian, and he was over 70 years old. In just one year, he quietly built four public roads for a total length of over 1,100 meters (about 0.7 mile) for the villagers. When people asked him who he worked for and how much he got paid, he said, "I practice Falun Gong. I don't need to get paid for doing something that benefits everyone."
2. Handan City, Hebei Province, China
On July 10, 1998, the China Economic Times paper published a report, "I Can Stand Up!" The subject of the report was a Ms. Xie Xiufen from Handan City, Hebei Province. She had been paralyzed for 16 years. Starting on July 1, 1996, her husband had pushed her in her wheelchair to a local Falun Gong practice site. From then on, she diligently practiced the Falun Gong exercises daily and cultivated her moral character according to Falun Gong's principles. Two months later, a miracle occurred: Ms. Xie could stand after being paralyzed for 16 years. Her illness was cured. She said excitedly, "I was paralyzed for 16 years. It is the founder of Falun Dafa, Mr. Li Hongzhi, who has re-arranged my life's path. I now have a new life!"
3. Montreal, Canada
On the afternoon of March 9, 2002, Mr. Chen Ruqing, a Chinese immigrant living in Montreal, went with a friend to the car repair shop to get his car fixed. Suddenly, they heard a child, shouting while running, "A girl fell into the canal!" Mr. Chen ran towards the canal right away and saw a little girl struggling in an ice hole, about 10 meters away from the bank. The weather had turned and it was getting warmer. Therefore, the ice had started to melt. Kids had been playing on the ice and the little girl stepped on thin ice and fell into the canal. Without a second thought, he crept on the ice towards her, got hold of the girl's hand, and rescued her.
On November 17, 2003, the Immigration Department honored 24 citizens. They had invited them to the Quebec Parliament to honor them for selfless acts in which they had helped others in need. Mr. Chen Ruqing was one of the honorees. Ms. Michelle Courchesne, Quebec's Minister of Immigration said, "As far as I know, this is the first Asian-Canadian citizen to receive such an honor in Quebec. I am pleased for the contributions of the Chinese community and our Chinese friends to our society. I'd like to say 'thank you' to our Chinese friends."
Today, when moral standards are declining, it is rare to see people like Mr. Chen Ruqing, who would risk their own lives for the sake of others. Some people may even consider them foolish. So why did Chen Ruqing risk his life? He selflessly acted, because he is a Falun Gong practitioner and because of the principles he follows. A reporter asked him why he acted so selflessly. He replied, "Mr. Li Hongzhi taught us that as a practitioner of Falun Dafa, if you do not help stop a murder or arson when you see it, you are not a true practitioner. Consequently, if I saw someone in danger of dying and did not rescue her, I wouldn't be a qualified practitioner. Upon seeing a little girl struggling in the icy water, I did not think of anything else but to save her."
Stories like the aforementioned can be heard everywhere where there are Falun Dafa practitioners. If you ever get the chance to meet a practitioner, you would immediately recognize from their behavior and bearing what Falun Gong is and what kind of people Falun Gong practitioners are. You would see immediately that Falun Gong is just the opposite of what the Chinese official media has portrayed.
What is Falun Gong? What kind of people are Falun Gong practitioners?
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a contemporary spiritual practice with ancient roots. Its founder is Mr. Li Hongzhi. The purpose of Falun Dafa is to teach people to be upright, decent and good. The effect of following its principles and teachings is that one becomes healthy and fit in body and mind. Tens of thousand of people have experienced its benefits. Just a few of those who have benefited are the previously mentioned Mr. Sheng Lijian, Ms. Xie Xiufen and Mr. Chen Ruqing.
Ever since ancient times, the human desire for purity and goodness transcends the boundaries of ethnicity, locality and cultures. It is one of most ancient desires of the human race. Regrettably, in modern times, more and more people are forgetting this, as people's moral standard is declining daily. The older, higher standards have been replaced with the pursuit of wealth, power and comfort. People will seek self-interest by any means. Today, we see the phenomenon where the title of "an upright person," that used to command respect, is carrying less and less weight. In many people's minds, a truly good person is almost equivalent to a fool or a stupid person. During this time in history, Mr. Li Hongzhi teaches Falun Gong to the world's people. A clear voice in a chaotic world, it awakens the desire for goodness in the hearts of people. Falun Gong has brought pure goodness to humanity, and being a good person therefore becomes the standard for a practitioner of Falun Gong.
Mr. Li Hongzhi not only teaches his students to follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance, he himself has demonstrated these standards by his words and actions
When Mr. Li first brought out Falun Gong, the circumstances were extremely difficult. The first time he and a few of his students arrived in Beijing, they were unknown, just strangers in the crowd. They spent the first few nights at the crowded Beijing Train Station. They took their meals there and slept on the benches at night.
Mr. Li did not pursue fame or profit when teaching Falun Gong. According to people who attended his lectures, in comparison with other qigong seminars, the admission fee to Mr. Li's lectures was the lowest in the entire country. Mr. Li only charged 40 yuan (1) for a ten-day lecture series, and veteran students even got a 50 percent discount. The cost was only one half or one third of other qigong classes. Because the admission fee was so low, in contrast to other qigong classes, many qigong masters became rather upset. Because of that, the Chinese Qigong Scientific Research Board requested Mr. Li to raise the fee on many occasions, but Mr. Li refused out of concern for students' financial situations.
Although Mr. Li spends little on himself, he is very generous towards those who bring honor and justice to the world. On December 27, 1993, Mr. Li gave a speech at the Oriental Health Expo. The total income from that event, 4,000 yuan, was donated to the China Valor Foundation. On May 14 and 15 of 1994, Mr. Li was invited to give two speeches for the China Valor Foundation at the auditorium of the Beijing Police Academy. The money from the events, close to 60,000 yuan, was donated to the China Valor Foundation. In addition, he also donated 1,000 copies of his book, China Falun Gong (now re-titled Falun Gong) to many libraries on behalf of the foundation. The total worth was 6,600 yuan. On August 27, 1994, Mr. Li gave a lecture series in Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture, Jilin Province. The entire income from that event, 7,000 yuan, was donated to the local Red Cross.
There was a practitioner from Beijing who had traveled over ten thousand miles and attended over twenty lecture series in China, following Li Hongzhi. On recalling those times, she said, "I believed that since life is short and a person's experiences are limited. I thought that it would be impossible to try to verify or experience everything by oneself. Thus, I decided that I needed to closely observe Teacher, for if he is trustworthy, the things that he talked about must be truthful. I began to observe Teacher, including his every expression, smile, and every little act. One day after a lecture, during the twelfth class in Beijing, I took the subway home. As I waited for the train at the Wukesong Station, I saw Teacher, accompanied by his family members and another practitioner. They were carrying their lunch boxes. After the train stopped, people began to push towards the door, shoving each other. However, Teacher was in no hurry. He let others go ahead and was nearly the last one to get on. I noticed that by the time he got on the train, there were only one or two seats left. Teacher could have gotten a seat if he had hurried a little bit. But he just stayed there, and it seemed as though he didn't even notice the situation. Within a few seconds, all people had sat down, with no seats left. In the end, he was probably the only one on the train who was standing. I was deeply touched. I felt that he was so different from us, and I wondered how he handled things in this world. I finally came up with an answer, which is that he is simply 'righteous.'"
One righteous teacher has taught tens of thousand of righteous students
Since the day that Falun Gong has been taught in public, all genuine practitioners, regardless of age, nationality, or ethnic group have experienced remarkable changes, physically and spiritually. They follow high ethics, willingly help others, are diligent and responsible workers, and respect the elderly, as well as care for children at home. Their healthy bodies, pure hearts, and kind words and behavior display the beauty that Falun Dafa has brought to society. It has begun to rectify social and civil behavior and helped raise the moral standards of society.
A famous singer, Mr. Guan Guimin, said, "In 1983, I was diagnosed with early stage liver cirrhosis. I took medication and stayed in the hospital, but was not cured. Later I tried qigong, but I was not completely successful. After practicing different qigong schools for a while, I felt that I had reached a dead end. I was looking anxiously for a better practice. That's how I found Falun Gong. In the past, being healthy in both mind and body was only an elusive dream for me; I did not know what it truly meant. But now, through practicing Falun Gong, I have experienced it myself."
Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Nie Shuwen told others, "My illnesses affected every internal organ of my body, except my heart. I practiced tai chi for 20 years and it did not get rid of my illnesses. But after two years of practicing Falun Gong, all my illnesses disappeared ..."
A Falun Gong practitioner from Changchun City described her changes, "In the past, I always looked for how others had mistreated me. After I started practicing Falun Dafa, I realized that my thinking had changed and I thought like other practitioners. I now look within to find if I had mistreated others ..."
Another practitioner from China said, "It is easy to have the attachment to fame and self-interests. Therefore, when a promotion at work comes up, people will fight and compete for it. Since I studied this book (Zhuan Falun), I am seeing these things as less important."
Falun Gong practitioner Ms. Feng Lili, a Chinese-American scientist, said to a reporter, "Since the world has become this chaotic, there is a need for a group of courageous people to stand up and say: I have a responsibility. So who is this group of people? I can tell you that Falun Dafa has made me become one of them. I have a responsibility; I can change for the better. I believe that once I become better, I can help change those around me and help them become better, then the world will become better."
There are so many stories to tell. The story of "sharing water" from the mountain region of Hunan Province also tells of how Falun Dafa changed people. In this story there are two villages, Nanbian and Shuizhuang, sharing the same water canal. Because of the limited water resource, Nanbian Village, which is located upstream, had always monopolized the water, especially when needed during the summer dry seasons for their rice fields, for 20 years. In July 1995, Falun Gong spread to Nanbian Village. All 176 villagers practiced Falun Gong and their moral standard had quickly changed. Everyone started to treat others with kindness. Instead of fighting for water, they shared the water with Shuizhuang Village. The two villages have since eliminated their rivalry and live in peace and harmony.
In the early summer of 1998, China had a big flood. During that time, the TV station in Wuhan City frequently broadcast news about donations from businesses and individuals from all around the country. There were stories about donations from Falun Gong practitioners almost daily. At one of the flood-fighting sites, there were over a dozen people working from early morning to late evening. They did not seem to tire. A visiting official asked them about whom they worked for. They told him that they were volunteers. After a few more questions, it turned out they were all Falun Gong practitioners.
The changes Falun Gong brings to its cultivators are equally evident in non-Chinese practitioners
Canadian practitioner Zenon said, "I know Falun Gong is good because I have been practicing for three and a half years. Because of practicing Falun Gong I have been able to get over drinking, smoking, doing drugs and many other bad habits, all of which polluted my heart, mind and body. Just before I found Falun Gong I was going to leave my family, friends, and society, because I felt hopeless. I was going to go live in a mountain. Instead, I began to practice Falun Gong and have been able to transcend all my addictions and began removing all the bad things that filled my mind. Now, my mind is filled with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance."
Another Falun Gong practitioner, Carlos, said, "I am healthier than ever before in my life. My outlook on life has changed. I gave up the mentality of competitiveness. I learned to look within and cultivate myself."
Falun Dafa, taught by Mr. Li Hongzhi, has received much praise and many awards from governments and people from all walks of life
In December 1992, Mr. Li Hongzhi and some of his students attended the 1992 Oriental Health Expo in Beijing. Mr. Li received more awards at the expo than any other qigong master.
In December 1993, Mr. Li Hongzhi and some of his students attended the 1993 Oriental Health Expo in Beijing. Mr. Li was awarded the top prize of the Expo, "Greatest Contributor to the Progress Being Made in Cutting Edge Science." He also received the "Special Gold Prize" of the Expo and was named the "Most Popular Qigong Master."
On December 27, 1993, Mr. Li Hongzhi was awarded an Honors Proclamation by the Valor Foundation at the Public Security Ministry of China.
On August 3, 1994, The Houston City Government in Houston, Texas, United States, issued a proclamation , which honored Mr. Li Hongzhi as the "Honorary Citizen of Houston," and as "Goodwill Ambassador."
On October 12, 1996, the mayor of Houston proclaimed that day as "Li Hongzhi Day" in Houston.
Since 1996, Mr. Li Hongzhi and Falun Dafa have received over a thousand proclamations and awards from around the world, because of its positive effects on people's health and mind. The number of proclamations and letters of gratitude to Falun Gong and its founder from governments, congressmen and various organizations have reached 1,223; countries where Mr. Li and Falun Dafa have been honored include the United States, Canada, Australia, Taiwan, China, many European countries, New Zealand, Japan, Indonesia and Peru.
As the Mayor of Houston said when he proclaimed Li Hongzhi Day, "Falun Dafa transcends cultural and racial boundaries. It resonates the universal truth to every corner of the earth and bridges the gap between East and West. Li Hongzhi has worked tirelessly to convey Falun Dafa from China to the rest of the world. Along the way, he has touched the lives of countless people in many countries, earning an international reputation."
(1) Yuan is the currency in China; 500 yuan is equal to the average monthly income of an urban worker in China.