Interview with a Wheelchair-Using Falun Gong Practitioner

During some international large-scale activities, I met a wheelchair-using practitioner from Northern Europe many times. I imagined how difficult it was for her to participate in these activities. Last May I was happy to see her again in the famous Stephen Square in Vienna, while she was practising Falun Gong exercises in her wheelchair along with other Dafa practitioners. I managed to talk to her and asked her some questions:

Question: How did you start to cultivate Dafa?

Answer: In 1996, I planned to compile a qigong book. After finishing the book, it struck me that there were several volumes of the book Zhuan Falun in my home. In order to find some information for reference, I started to read the book. After reading the book, I felt that it is really a great book. I thus started to practise the exercises together with my family members. Right after I practised the exercises once, my long-existing backache was unexpectedly gone, and I no long had to burn Chinese herbal medicine to cure my backache. However, I didn’t know what cultivation was at that time, and I still fought and quarrelled with my family members as in the past. After I read some articles written by Dafa practitioners about their cultivation experiences in 1999, I finally realised what cultivation was, and started to require myself to practise the principles of “Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.”

Question: It is said that you still have a job and your patients also practise the exercises with you, is that so?

Answer: I work for an acupuncture clinic for half a day every day. Most of my patients are westerners. They have often said to me, "You are especially kindhearted." When elderly people came to our clinic, I would try my best to help them and charge them less. When my patients were not of good manners or haggled over the charges, I would remain peaceful and not argue with them. I shared my personal cultivation experiences with my patients, explained the facts about the persecution in China to them, and showed them truth-clarification materials. Many people thus signed their names in the appeal signature books I prepared. A western practitioner practises the exercises with me. His health is getting better and better. He told me that he felt himself becoming like a youngster in his early twenties with a lot of energy. Encouraged by him, another female patient started to practise the exercises. She has reached a satisfactory result, and no longer has to be treated with acupuncture. She has been around various places to tell people how wonderful Falun Gong is. We three people thus set up a practising site. They come to my clinic to practise the exercises together every day.

Question: As a physically challenged person, you work and practise Falun Gong at the same time. How did you enlighten to the importance of participating in Fa-rectification activities?

Answer: I practise the exercises in the morning every day, and try my level best to participate in Fa-spreading activities. I go to a square to spread Dafa along with other practitioners every weekend. I distribute truth-clarification materials, explain the facts of the persecution and gather appeal signatures. As a Dafa practitioner, I think it is our responsibility to raise people’s awareness so as to oppose this persecution completely.

Question: I was told that you have also participated in the production of an exclusive programme for the media. Is that true?

Answer: I have been involved with a programme for a local radio station. I am responsible for the production of the programme, including conducting interviews, writing scripts, editing, and recording, etc. I do all these things myself. In the beginning, I was not familiar with anything. Starting from learning computer operation, I learned all the necessary skills step by step. To conduct interviews, I make phone calls to China almost every day. Sometimes, I invited the interviewees to listen to the programmes I produced, and they were often moved to tears because no one had helped them to appeal against the injustice they have suffered, and their hearts were comforted for the first time. They are thankful to me, and even salute me. Therefore, they provided me with more information about the persecution. In the course of the interviews, I often mentioned Falun Gong to them and guided them to analyse the facts about the self-immolation incident in Tiananmen Square. One of them is a celebrity who said, “The Chinese government’s persecution of Falun Gong is wrong. The persecution of belief is the persecution of human rights. Therefore, the persecution against Falun Gong is the persecution against me.” I also interviewed a female who had suffered inhumane treatment in a significant injustice case in China. She mentioned that she might have died in the jail due to giving up hope, if she had not been saved by a Falun Gong practitioner incarcerated there. She thought that Falun Gong practitioners are indeed great, and she would like to appeal for their grievances.

Through this programme, we are able to spread the sound of justice to the world, and give hope to the people being persecuted in China. The appalling persecution cases emerging one after another have helped people deeply realise the Jiang regime’s atrocities as well as the frenzy of the persecution of Falun Gong. Over time, sometimes I found it very wearying, monotonous and exhausting to produce the programme. In that case, I might receive phone calls from listeners wanting to extend their appreciation to us saying that they were moved to tears after listening to our programme. I know that it is Master Li that gave me the strength, and I shall do my best to make the programme better.