Greetings, Revered Master; hello everyone:
I would like to report to everyone on my experience and understanding of clarifying the truth during the process of submitting a lawsuit to bring the Chinese dictator Jiang Zemin to justice.
I am a lawyer. In the activities that I have participated in over the last few years to raise awareness and stop the persecution of Falun Gong we have used lawsuits to bring the perpetrators to justice and assist Master to rectify the Fa (universal principle, ythe teachings in Falun Gong) in the human world. I deeply feel that the formalities of the human world are arranged by the old forces, which play the role of mutual generation and mutual inhibition. To totally negate the arrangements of the old forces and the restrictions of the old "formalities," the fundamental issue is where we base our thinking. We need to focus on letting more people know the truth at all times and saving sentient beings. We should not worry too much about the restrictions of formalities. If we have difficulties, we should clarify the truth and not let the formalities restrict us. As far as lawsuits are concerned, we should keep ourselves unmoved, regardless of whether we are plaintiffs, whether our case is dismissed, whether we seek appeals, or even if suits are filed against practitioners in China, in Hong Kong and in Singapore. We should conduct ourselves in a dignified manner so that everyone we come into contact with can know the truth. During the entire process, the most important thing is to fulfill our mission of saving sentient beings. Everyday people cannot do anything to Falun Dafa or those who practise Falun Dafa. It is Dafa (Great Law) that saves sentient beings. Everyday people are positioning themselves whether they make a good decision or dismiss our case. We should not over-emphasize any decision that people make since they are in delusion. We cannot limit ourselves to any superficial phenomena, and we should be peaceful and benevolent so that we can meet the Fa's requirements. This way we can negate those selfish and restrictive arrangements by the old forces.
The process of submitting the lawsuit to the High Court of Auckland: Firmly believe in Master and Dafa at the crucial moment
The process of assisting the lawyer from New Zealand to submit the lawsuit to the High Court of Auckland was a lesson in firmly believing in Master and Dafa, as well as firmly believing that Dafa practitioners will definitely succeed. At the crucial moment, can we complement each other and cooperate well? Can we adjust our thoughts at the crucial moment? Can we do it? Can we completely deny the old forces' arrangements? I myself was deeply enlightened by this process.
On the morning of October 22nd, I took a flight to Auckland. That afternoon I accompanied the lawyer and two local practitioners in charge of coordination to the court to submit the lawsuit. When we presented the suit, the clerk of the court in charge of receiving lawsuits found there were no addresses listed for the plaintiffs on the lawsuit and would not agree to accept it. Our lawyer was embarrassed. He said he had no secretary and was not familiar with the details of the lawsuit format. The other practitioners told me that the lawyer's computer had been stolen, and he did not have a printer. Although time was a bit tight, we said with smiles, "We will fix it." In just half an hour, the other practitioners had made several calls and located the addresses of all eleven plaintiffs. The lawyer highly praised our efficiency. Then, however, we had to find a place to make copies, and the court was about to close. We shared our understanding, "Today is the last work day that lawsuits can be received before the press conference. We must submit the lawsuit today." So we just calmed down, found a place to make copies, and then hurried back to the High Court. It was already after four o'clock when we arrived. The court clerk said that the format of the lawsuit's front page still had problems, and she still would not agree to accept it. She asked us to submit the suit again the following Tuesday, after we had fixed the problem. The lawyer started to get a bit irritable, but we still appeared calm and collected. We communicated with our eyes and sent forth righteous thoughts. Our hearts were very steady, and we were also very serious. Then, the court clerk who handled our case changed her attitude and said she would be glad to wait for us for a while. The lawyer then said to us, "You are really tolerant." We went back to the lawyer's office and fixed the format. It was just after business hours by the time we returned to the court. A male office clerk said to us impatiently, "It's too late. The computer has been shut down. We cannot accept any lawsuits." We just sent righteous thoughts. It took a while before the male office clerk calmed down and agreed to accept our lawsuit. The Western practitioner then discovered that the check he had carried to pay the legal fee had just disappeared. We looked at each other in disbelief and did not know what to do. Nevertheless, there was no thought of blame in our hearts. Just then the practitioner who had gone to park the vehicle walked in. She happened to have brought some checks and was able to submit one to the office clerk immediately. The clerk agreed to accept the lawsuit and filed it. However, the computer had been shut down. We would not have the receipt and the serial number to show that the lawsuit had been received until the following Tuesday morning when the court returned to work and turned on the computer. The lawyer started to complain that he had never before had such trouble in submitting a lawsuit. In our hearts, we clearly knew that we just did not acknowledge all of the interferences and arrangements; we were considerate of others with the best intentions during the process. For all the things we faced and all the persons we met, we had no expectations or complaints. As to the interference coming from other dimensions, we just cleared it away.
Early that Tuesday morning, it poured down in Auckland. We planned to hold a press conference on the lawsuit against Jiang. At 9:00 a.m. when the court opened, a court clerk told us that the clerk who was handling our case was unexpectedly in a class and that only she could process our case. The lawyer looked at me anxiously. I politely said, "Please ask her to leave her class and continue the process of receiving the lawsuit for us now." After a while, she came out, but she still found some problems in the format of our lawsuit. This time, however, she offered to fix them for us. She worked unhurriedly while she chatted with her colleague. By that time, it was about 9:20 a.m. By 9:30 a.m., our lawyer started to get a bit anxious. At that moment, the practitioner in charge of coordinating the press conference outside the court rushed in and asked our lawyer to go out and negotiate with the police. He said the police would not allow us to hold the press conference in front of the High Court. The Western practitioner explained on the spot that he actually had not applied for a permit to hold the press conference. We immediately came to a common understanding that we could not have the lawyer dividing his attention. We just asked the Western practitioner to negotiate with the police. By 9:35 a.m. the lawsuit submission process was still going on and the press conference was facing an unexpected situation. However, what is tested at the crucial moment? The old forces are not qualified to test Dafa or Dafa practitioners at all. We just believe Master and Dafa in our hearts. By that time I had tears in my eyes, but I seriously and steadfastly told the lawyer, who already could not keep calm, "None of these things will be a problem. This event definitely will meet with success." We cannot acknowledge any apparent interference or arrangement. Finally the original copy of the lawsuit was completed. The clerk told us we had to staple all the duplicates. When we could not find any staples, the lawyer patiently consulted with her, "Is it okay to use paperclips?" By 9:45 a.m., we had found enough paperclips, and the serial number for our lawsuit was determined. I thought everything would now be complete after filling out the form, and I smiled. The lawyer, however, shook his head and said, "It will be official only after the person in charge of the reception office signs it." Okay, let's keep calm. I saw the clerk still chatting with her colleague when she sent the lawsuit to the person in charge, so I continued sending righteous thoughts. The practitioner who had gone to negotiate with the police was successful. The press conference could be held without any problem.
The lawyer and I finally completed the lawsuit submission process just about five minutes before the press conference began. All of a sudden, two strangers suddenly appeared. The one who carried a video camera quickly moved towards the lawyer and myself. We had been so intent upon what we were doing that we did not know what was going on. It was actually the correspondent from a nationwide TV station. He caught the exact moment when the lawyer was handed the receipt - a truly historic picture of the moment when the filing of the lawsuit was completed. It was broadcast that evening during primetime on one of New Zealand's national TV stations. We left to arrive at the press conference three minutes before it began. Standing in the pouring rain in front of the High Court of New Zealand, we began the press conference on the lawsuit against Jiang.
However, that very afternoon after the lawsuit was accepted, the High Court urgently called our lawyer back to explain some details on legal issues. We went along to send righteous thoughts. The lawyer came out of the court within ten minutes and told us that there was no problem. In the evening, a local nationwide TV station quoted our news release and speeches and presented a very positive and comprehensive report. The report told the people in New Zealand that Jiang had been persecuting Falun Gong for five years and that lawsuits had been filed against him and his followers in over twenty countries around the world. Now this official lawsuit, the largest cooperative legal effort since World War II, had come to Auckland. This showed that New Zealand Falun Gong practitioners had already sued Jiang in the High Court.
During the entire process, the lawyer saw how composed Dafa practitioners were, saw their successful coordination, and saw how we reached common understandings with righteous thoughts and righteous actions. I realized that, in the maze of this superficial time dimension, at any flashing moment when the mind is touched, if one can act as a cultivator, keep the mind righteous at that moment, and firmly believe in Master and Dafa, Fa-rectification will surely succeed and we will surely succeed, as long as we walk the path in a dignified manner. This is very serious and it is a Fa-requirement for us.
Even though each region has different conditions and restrictions, when practitioners in an area have the heart to file a lawsuit against Jiang, whether it succeeds or not depends on the understanding of the entire group of local practitioners in their coordination during the lawsuit. It will go hand-in-hand with the improvement of the practitioners involved, whether they are coordinators or plaintiffs, and their coordination with the lawyer. The road is paved by Dafa and is walked by Dafa disciples. A lawsuit is only a formality. Our true purpose is to utilize the process to clarify the truth to people in all walks of life and positively act to save sentient beings. After filing the lawsuit, the next process begins. We want to constantly remind each other, look inside ourselves, and try to do it better and with dignity.
Clarifying the truth to Western people in the political arena and legal system
At the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference, Master said:
"So when it comes to the issue of truth-clarification, since it's so important, you should do it even more calmly and level-headedly, and you should recognize more clearheadedly the different kinds of opportunities, ways of handling things, and approaches that we encounter while clarifying the truth. It's something you all need to pay attention to. You know that when I disseminate the Fa I don't pay attention to what group in society a person belongs to or his social status, and I don't differentiate between rich and poor, the various professions, or a person's status at his job. I don't look at anything except a person's heart. You should do the same when you clarify the truth. Don't think about him being some elite figure and create an extra mental obstacle for yourself, as if you're there to ask for his help. What's actually happening is that you're saving him, and you're giving him a chance to choose his future. That's for sure. So you should consider saving the world's people as the primary objective of clarifying the truth."
During the Republican National Convention and the World Summit Forum, I joined the efforts to clarify the truth to Western politicians. This was again a process to let go of my attachments. When I decided to do this, I felt uncomfortable in my heart - uncomfortable because I had attachments that I could not relinquish. It is not that I am uncomfortable in dealing with professionals or the language; rather, I don't like to dress up and put on makeup or attend very formal social activities. Now I had to let go of such dislikes, as I wanted to clarify the truth to the people in Manhattan. Several times while I was putting on makeup or choosing an outfit, I felt very uncomfortable. I realized my attachments were too strong and they were fully exposed. On the other hand, I felt Master's great mercy for giving me the opportunity to get rid of such mountain-like attachments.
The first night at the convention, I saw Caucasians everywhere. I saw hardly any Asians or practitioners. I began clearing my mind. I asked myself to stay righteous, overcome my attachments, and treat all the people there as if they were my family members. I truly wanted to save them. As I became relaxed and smiled, I found those people whose eyes came across mine change from cold to warm. We started conversations, and the opportunities to clarify the truth presented themselves to me. When they talked with me about ordinary people's things, I would look into their eyes and begin sending righteous thoughts. In my mind, I naturally sent out the thought, "I want to save you." Oftentimes, soon after this, even though on the surface we were still talking, my mind filled with gratitude, as I knew clearly that Master and Dafa had endowed me with mercy to truly save people. Now all the people around my table could understand that I spoke the truth to them. Among them, a professor wanted me to contact him and give a speech at his university. I also got a chance to talk with the Foreign Minister of Spain about the lawsuit against Jiang in Spain and the other lawsuits around the world. He immediately made a commitment that he would keep an eye on the lawsuit. I also talked with the commissioner of the European Committee about the persecution of Falun Gong in China, and he said he had already seen torture exhibits in Manhattan and now he had learned more about lawsuit against Jiang. He took a special pamphlet about the global lawsuits against Jiang. Over the next few days I was able to get in touch with experts at political think tanks. Some of them did not at first understand the torture exhibits. But nobody had a problem understanding our torture exhibits after I talked with them.
On another occasion, I met some financial professionals in Manhattan. One of the men behaved quite inappropriately towards me when we had just met. His actions were not acceptable by any standards. At this point I realized that, if I could not stay calm, I would suddenly become unsociable or turn my back on him and walk off. But then I thought that he might have come so close to me because he had a predestined relationship with me or with Dafa. So I relaxed a bit and stayed righteous. I began to clarify the truth to him. After listening, he was very impressed and became quite respectful towards me. He said he'd like to learn the Falun Dafa exercises and repeatedly thanked me as he left. From this incident, I realize that we should always think about saving people in any situation. We should not judge or be disrupted by any behavior of ordinary people who are in the maze. We should just take the chance to clarify the truth. This also helped me to see that so many times my attachments have blocked me from clarifying the truth, which could have kept many predestined people from obtaining Dafa. Once again, I realize the gravity of saving living beings. The more we get rid of the old system's restrictions, the more we are able to shoulder the responsibility of the universe and to accomplish the task of saving living beings.
Strengthening our efforts to clarify the truth about Falun Dafa and the persecution to the Chinese people
At the World Summit Forum session on "China: the Rising Force," the hall was packed with people. A Chinese ministry official chaired the session. Speakers included the former US ambassador to China, a congressman, a member of the foreign relations committee, and a Chinese professor from a well-known US university. I know that "opportunity knocks only once." When the chairman opened the floor for questions, I raised my hand to ask, "In the 2004 Annual Report on International Freedom of Religion," China is still considered to be a problematic country. Recently we saw on Manhattan streets many protests against Jiang Zemin for his persecution of 70 million Falun Gong practitioners during the past five years. Jiang has been sued in nine countries already. I sincerely ask the Chinese minister and every China expert here to comment on how to improve China's human rights." I hoped the whole audience would be able to hear the truth of what I was saying and that Dafa would ignite their benevolent thoughts, so I asked my question slowly, word by word. My question was met with applause from the audience. At that time, my mind felt very calm.
The speakers remained silent for some time. Then the former US ambassador to China said several times, "We must give the Chinese government 'continuous pressure.'" Neither the Chinese minister chairman nor the Chinese professor initially expressed any opinion. Finally the Chinese professor broke the silence and said he would like to comment on the Falun Gong issue. He said the persecution was initially a decision by an individual. He thought the decision was "ridiculous" and "non-constructive." He further explained that he personally knew some of the human rights organizations that were helping Falun Gong with legal lawsuits, which he felt were very inspiring. When the session ended, I felt a need to further clarify the truth and walked forward to give the professor some materials about the global lawsuits against Jiang. I also explained the development of the global lawsuits against Jiang to the Chinese chairman. He silently accepted the materials and put them into his pocket. After the session on China, several western lawyers and think tank experts came to talk with me. They praised my courage and said that I had presented my question very well. I gracefully accepted their compliments, words that were positioning them well. Our clarifying the truth is doing the most righteous thing in the universe. All this is Dafa's mighty power. I truly felt very happy for these beings who were affirming Dafa and Dafa disciples.
However, during the Annual Convention for International Lawyers in Auckland, the lawyers I met from China were all quite negative. For them, we need to spend more time giving out more details and clarifying the truth from different perspectives.
1. A young female lawyer from Beijing
During the Annual Convention of International Lawyers, she came to talk with me during the recess. When she learned that I was a lawyer who had sued Jiang, however, she turned hostile, demanding, "You are attending this convention only to tell this matter to other lawyers?" I said, "Yes." She said that all her best friends and neighbors practiced Falun Gong, but as a result, they had either left their homes or gone insane and burned books. All those she knew who had been ordinary people became abnormal after practicing Falun Gong. I looked into her eyes and understood that those were all arranged to poison her mind. In particular, she could not tolerate those who set themselves on fire. I was looking into her eyes and continuously sending righteous thoughts while clarifying the truth to her. Initially she was impatient but gradually calmed down to listen to me. In the end, she said that this was the first time she had met a Falun Gong practitioner abroad. She thought that I looked young and seemed rational, and she admired that I had passed the bar exam abroad. On the second day, we met again. She began treating me as her friend. She could feel my benevolent heart and told me that many people around her could not understand Falun Gong. Master mercifully gives chances to these Chinese people who are able to go abroad to get rid of the poison in their minds, and shows concern for those Chinese people who have been poisoned so much.
2. A female lawyer from Hong Kong
During the Bar Convention, I also saw two young female lawyers who sat on the sofa teasing each other. Through conversation, I learned that they were from Hong Kong. I told them that I was a human rights lawyer. They smiled and asked, "You are not working for Falun Gong, are you?" I told them I was and handed them materials in Chinese and in English on lawsuits against Jiang. At the first they did not want to read it, saying Falun Gong was bringing lawsuits everywhere and they did not understand the point. I began sending righteous thoughts while I sincerely told them my personal experiences and efforts involved in human rights lawsuits. I told them that there were at least seventeen lawyers in twenty-one countries around the world who have participated in lawsuits against Jiang and other high-ranking Chinese officials involved in the persecution. I also explained why Jiang was being sued. After clarifying the truth about Falun Gong and the persecution, they both calmed down and listened to me intently. One of them was very impressed and said she would like to invite me to talk to her law firm in Hong Kong, concentrating on human rights issues. She told me that I could teach their staff in the law firm. They were glad to learn that I had published articles on issues in Hong Kong, particularly on Article 23, and invited me to Hong Kong next January.
About eight practitioners attended this bar convention, and we clarified the truth to several hundred legal professionals. As long as there was a chance to talk to the lawyers from western countries, they all understood and accepted Dafa. We also encountered an Indian lawyer for the Dalai Lama and several judges from Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. All of them understood us and wished us success.
3. An American woman lawyer who came from northeastern China
During the Week of International Law in Manhattan, I met an American woman lawyer who came from northeastern China. She also had heard only negative things about Falun Gong. She said that she had never known that Jiang had started the persecution five years ago. At the beginning she too did not want to listen to me. At lunchtime I purposely sat close to her and clarified the truth to her. I noticed her change. She stopped eating lunch and began reading and flipping through the materials on the table, She read the English special edition on lawsuits against Jiang. Her face turned solemn, and she told me that she was a Christian. She never knew that Falun Gong had been persecuted so severely. She asked me why the US media did not have much to report on such a persecution. I told her my thoughts, which she accepted. In the end, she happily accepted the CD, which carried songs composed by Falun Dafa practitioners. She promised to let more people know about this persecution.
Also during the Week of International Law in Manhattan, we three cultivators, who are also in legal practice, acted together to clarify the truth. We met the former chief prosecutor for the Grand Tribunal on the Nazis in Nuremberg. He is now 85 years old. In delight, he accepted the materials on lawsuits against Jiang. He also took the music composed by Taiwanese Falun Dafa practitioners. In return, he gave me his articles. He wrote down our three names and then wrote us the line, "Never give up!"
It is almost two years since we began assisting Master in Fa rectification abroad through legal means. We have sued Jiang and other evildoers in more than twenty countries. We have clarified the truth about Jiang's persecution through lawsuits. We not only want to call for the international community to stop Jiang from persecuting Dafa and Dafa practitioners, but we also want to express our resolution to bring Jiang and his evildoers to justice. We definitely want Jiang punished according to the law. Especially in China, where so many lives have been poisoned, we should bring Jiang to justice. We should construct a legal environment to bring Jiang to justice in his own country. On the human level, we want to punish them through legal means in the very land where the old forces persecute Falun Dafa, and let the world's people clearly see Jiang's evil actions and his end. However, this is not what ordinary people can do. I believe Dafa disciples in China will play a critical role in bringing Jiang to justice. I hope all those who practise Falun Dafa in China step out to fully validate Dafa, clarify the truth, and awaken the Chinese people at this very last stage to legally punish Jiang and those who persecute those who practise Falun Dafa!
Please allow me to finish my speech by sharing Master's poem with you:
Having forged an adamantine will
And with no attachment to living or dying
He walks his path of Fa-rectification openly and nobly
Thank you, Revered Master. Thank you, everybody.
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