2004 European Conference: Overcoming Difficulties by Clarifying the Truth

Honourable Master, fellow practitioners,

I am Huang Sifan from Munich, Germany. Munich is the capital of the German federal state Bavaria, which is the most active state in trading between Germany and China. In May this year, the first stop of the Chinese Premier Wen Jiabao’s European tour was Munich. During the application of permission for our activity, the police and the city administration council, under pressure from the Chinese embassy, refused to approve our display of the banner “Bring Jiang Zemin to Justice” at the Chinese embassy and at the hotel where Wen Jiabao would reside and put many restrictions in our activities. Before Wen Jiabao’s visit, the Munich police and representatives from the city administration council discussed with us certain things regarding Wen Jiabao’s visit, and we used this opportunity to tell them about the brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China. But they still did not agree with the display of our banner.

There were all sorts of interference. We didn’t have many Dafa practitioners in our city and many of us encountered interference in different degrees. The two practitioners who used to clarify the truth to the Chinese visitors in the tourist centres had to temporarily leave the city for some reasons. I was interfered with serious sickness karma, and couldn’t breathe properly when speaking, and this seriously affected my Fa [law or principles, the teachings of Falun Gong] study and truth clarification. Another practitioner also had a similar symptom. Many practitioners from the surrounding areas came to Munich and went to the police stations to clarify the truth.

Just after hearing the news that we were not allowed to display our banner, I thought that we must at least try again: this is the banner that the evil is most afraid of, and we must display it; this banner was allowed to display in other countries and other German cities; why not in Munich? I went to see the relevant people in the city administration council and hoped that they would approve our request. But they firmly refused my request and said that if I don’t agree with their decision, they would cancel permission for all our activities. Their attitude was very stubborn and our non-stop sending forth righteous thoughts did not seem to have any effect. Both sides were put into an awkward situation. My thought then was not very righteous and I told myself that having our activity without the banner would be better than nothing, and I agreed with their decision of not displaying the banner.

After returning home, I felt more and more that the decision was not the right one and that I didn’t really let them fully understand the truth. Master mentioned in the <>: “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.”

So I called a fellow practitioner in Berlin to discuss the situation. One sentence from this practitioner really hit me greatly like a hammer. She said: “If they made such a decision, it would not be good for their future. We must let them clearly understand, and help them.” I was astonished that I did not consider the others first. The practitioner also mentioned that if we conceded such a fundamental issue, then the evil would push for more; in key issues we had to keep our principle. She suggested to me to call the relevant people in the city administration council again, and then to have a countrywide conference call. Just before I wanted to call the relevant people, their call came first and they imposed further restrictions on our activity. The situation feared by the fellow practitioner really came true.

In the conference call that evening, many practitioners from Munich and other cities made lots of good suggestions, and fully clarifying the truth was mentioned most. Many practitioners mentioned that Master said that when we encounter a problem, we had to face it instead of passing it side ways. A western practitioner and I decided to visit the city administration council again the next day. All of the practitioners said that they would send forth righteous thoughts to help us.

After Fa study next day, I went to the city administration council. For some reason I felt very low: “Today is already Friday. Many officials in the city administration council would have left for break and would only leave a secretary there. The activity at the Chinese embassy will start tomorrow, and Wen Jiabao will come the day after tomorrow. We would not have enough time to clarify the truth clearly and we wouldn’t have any hope.” I sat outside the city administration council waiting for the western practitioner with a heavy heart. But suddenly I remembered what the fellow practitioner from Berlin said and a feeling of responsibility arose from my heart. I must be responsible for their future. Regardless whatever the outcome, we had to clearly clarify the truth to them, let them understand us and thereby reach the right decision. Thus when faced to the superior of the relevant people used to deal with us and even higher officials, I only had one thought in mind: is it’s for their good.

We easily found the officials at the responsible department, and everything seemed to be like master already arranged. The officials seemed to be specially waiting for the truth. We talked to different officials and told them that Falun Gong does not oppose the Chinese government; we only want to appeal peacefully and have no political aim; we welcome Wen Jiabao’s visit; the Jiang regime is the prime culprit of persecuting Falun Gong. We talked about the lawsuit against Jiang, and showed them the pictures of the banner “Bring Jiang to Justice” being displayed at the Chinese embassies around the world by Dafa practitioners. The Jiang regime used vast amount of the nation’s income to carry out its persecution of Falun Gong and committed the crime of genocide against Falun Gong. If the persecution is continued, the Chinese economy would be brought to collapse which would affect the trade between Germany and China. The officials listened very carefully. One official had little knowledge about China’s persecution of Falun Gong. They were very shocked by the pictures of the brutal punishment, and stayed silent for a long while.

We specifically stressed that we understood their situation and the pressure they were under. But we hoped that they would provide moral support for us and let us speak out in a democratic country what the Falun Gong practitioners in China could not say openly. We also introduced to them that just a few days ago, the German Federal Department of Domestic Affairs formerly admitted that their restrictive action against Falun Gong practitioners living in the Berlin’s Adlon Hotel during the former Chinese president Jiang Zemin’s visit to Germany was illegal and that both sides reached a formal settlement agreement in the Berlin’s administrative court.

During the truth clarification, one of us sent forth righteous thought. In my heart I also told their clear side that they had to position themselves well and be responsible to their own future lives. In the course of the truth clarification, my eyes filled with tears twice. From the surface, my tears were for the practitioners in China. In fact I cried for the lives of these officials sitting opposite to me and for the German nation. In the whole process, my mind was very clear and my breath was normal with very few coughs. Who would have imagined that just a day ago I had great difficulty to speak? Later, they asked us what they could do for us. The last official we visited told me that he really wanted to continue our conversation, but he had to go to deal with a few other matters; otherwise the office workers would have gone home. After he said farewell to the officials, we went outside and sent forth righteous thoughts together. We also briefly summarised what aspects we did well and what problems we still had and how to improve in the future. We reached a common conclusion that whatever the outcome, the truth clarification must be continued. Then we left.

In less than five minutes, the secretary of the concerned department in the city administration council phoned me and she happily informed me that we could display the banner we wanted to display. Her attitude changed completely from yesterday. Every sentient being has an understanding side. Putting down the phone, I sat down at the side of the road and cried. I was touched by the Dafa’s mighty power and was pleased with the sentient being’s attitude towards Dafa. I was moved by Master’s giving the chances to sentient beings again and again. Master’s Fa in Zhuan Falun [Turning the Law Wheel - a book containing the teachings of Falun Gong] appeared in my mind: “When you are overcoming a real hardship or tribulation, you try it. When it is difficult to endure, try to endure it. When it looks impossible and is said to be impossible, give it a try and see if it is possible. If you can actually do it, you will indeed find: After passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead!” On the way to home, many unfamiliar people smiled at me.

This event greatly encouraged practitioners in the region. That western practitioner told me that he thought then that it would be totally impossible to get the permission, and he did not realise that the truth clarification would be so powerful. He also thought of Master’s teaching “the impossible can become possible”. After the event, I talked about the whole story in the Fa study session. In the course of the sharing, my mind gradually became clearer. When I laid down my strong self and gave up the attachments that we must display our banner, we must do well in our activity, our activity must not be interfered by the evils, and why we could not display the banner in Munich etc, I would have the real compassion to consider for others and think for others, not letting them to commit the sin against Dafa, letting them make decision for the benefit of their people and giving them chance. When we changed our thoughts, everything around became OK. Master said in <>: “Remember: Wherever a problem occurs, that’s where you need to clarify the facts. (Applause) As for whether the result is good, don’t look at the other party, it comes from your minds. If you want it to be good then it will be good. And if you don’t intend to make it good, or if your mind is unsteady, then it won’t be easy to rectify things. In other words, you need to have strong righteous thoughts. If you’re thinking, “I’m truly saving you. I’m truly telling you the facts,” then the result will be good.” “In clarifying the truth, when you hit upon a person’s fundamental issues, and at the same time he feels that Dafa disciples are truly saving him, then I think the side of him that’s clear about things will show itself.”

Finally please allow me to use Master’s poem for mutual encouragement with fellow practitioners:

Disciples full of righteous thoughts, Master has power to change the universe.
[From Hong Yin (2) - A Collection of Poems]

Thank you, Master! Thank you, everyone.