Like a Phoenix Rising from the Ashes - Looking Back at the April 25th Spirit

Righteousness and evilness, benevolence and ruthlessness, are qualities that are most easily discovered at times of conflict and when people fight for personal gain. It does not matter how the conflict began, the benevolent person will choose to resolve it peacefully, reason well, or even sacrifice personal gains to achieve a beneficial end. The bad person will choose to solve the conflict with an eye on personal gains, using extreme means, including criticism, deception, or violence.

Remembering the April 25th 1999 incident, when over ten thousand Falun Gong practitioners peacefully appealed, one can see clearly the distinction between righteousness and evilness, benevolence and ruthlessness.

Those who want to justify the persecution of Falun Gong said the April 25 appeal threatened "social stability." Let's analyse what happened. First of all, the appeal was peaceful. The appeal itself was based on trust in the Chinese leadership and with the hope that practitioners who were beaten and imprisoned would be released. They hoped for an end to the unjust treatment toward Falun Dafa and those who practised "Truth, Compassion, Tolerance." If Jiang's regime had not violently suppressed and banned Falun Gong at that time, but had listened and guaranteed the fundamental freedom of belief, practitioners would have continued to practise peacefully. This way more people would have become healthy, morality would have improved, and society would have become more stable and prosperous. Instead, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) chose violence, regardless of the financial and spiritual loss to the Chinese populace, because of the persecution. They CCP has backed themselves into a corner.

Because of the CCP's lack of morality, the CCP leaders couldn't value Falun Gong practitioners' goodness and moral standards. The April 25th incident showed clearly that practitioners were not afraid to appeal to the authorities.

Under the CCP's firm control, after the ten years of the Cultural Revolution and the horror of the 1989 Tiananmen massacre, what did most Chinese people expect would happen if they were to openly express opposition to a CCP decision on such a large scale? What kind of consequences would result? Ordinary people couldn't have done it. Such opposition could only be achieved by those with great courage and strong morals.

The purpose of the April 25 peaceful appeal was to make the most of Chinese citizens' fundamental rights and to give the CCP an opportunity to mend its ways and listen to the will of the people. However, Jiang Zemin and the CCP regime missed this opportunity, and used instead extreme actions to eradicate the belief in "Truth, Compassion, Tolerance." It has been six years since the persecution started.

Six years since that first day of the persecution! The present circumstances of Jiang Zemin and the CCP regime shows people clearly the difference between righteousness and evilness, benevolence and ruthlessness. The persecution was built on deceptions and violence and it has created a dilemma for Jiang's regime. Before the persecution, Falun Dafa was widely spread in China and many people practised it. The practitioners were healthy, physically and mentally. They were kind and forbearing. All these benefited society and the country. Jiang's regime not only lost this god-given opportunity, but acted against heavens will and suppressed it ferociously.

China has abundant natural resources and the Chinese people are wise and industrious. The history of 5,000 years of civilisation makes the Chinese people and their environment unique. However, the prolonged suppression against Falun Gong consumed a vast amount of China's fortune and resources and resulted in a great number of outstanding and talented people, as well as ordinary labourers, being detained in prisons and held in darkness. During the past 6 years, natural and artificial disasters in China have increased many times. It seems there is no end to them. The ancient belief that "heaven and earth are one" can clearly explain these disasters. Gods are punishing and warning the wrongdoers.

The persecutors have pushed themselves to the point of no return with deception and violence. The CCP brought its experience with criticism, fighting, deception, and propaganda from the past several decades into full play in the persecution of Falun Gong. Jiang's regime has lost people's hearts worldwide. Who would trust and support a party that accuses people for what they didn't do? It's time for people to see clearly the evil nature of the CCP. The CCP has completely lost people's hearts by persecuting "Truth, Compassion, Tolerance." The "Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party" triggered the phenomenon of quitting the CCP, and have so far helped over 1.2 million people break away from the CCP's mind control. The CCP is facing an unprecedented crisis to its existence, like Mencius once said, "An unjust cause finds scant support."

At the same time, Falun Gong practitioners time and again resist the evil force peacefully and rationally. This has made every Falun Gong practitioner like a phoenix arising from the ashes. The practitioners became more rational, compassionate, and steadfast. The persecution made more people feel the power of "Truth, Compassion, Tolerance." The bearing shown by Falun Gong practitioners, after uncounted for tribulations, is uplifting. It is of deep spiritual value from which mankind can learn and benefit.