Believe in Teacher and the Principles Taught in Falun Gong

1. Understanding the importance of the human rights torch relay

Last year when I was first asked to coordinate the European branch of the Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (CIPFG), I reluctantly accepted because deep down in my mind, I would rather stay at the back and do things quietly than standing at the front line. I thought that there must be many Falun Gong practitioners in Europe who would like to be the coordinator, so why don't they ask one of them. Even with this idea in mind, I reluctantly attended the weekly global online conference call at 4:00am almost every Sunday. Sometimes I gave it a miss. When the proposal of having a global human rights torch relay was put forward, it took me some time to understand the purpose and importance of the event. I thought that the goal of CIPFG was to investigate the persecution of Falun Gong in China and to organise people to go to China to carry out the investigation. Why are we doing the torch relay opposing the Olympics? Gradually I came to understand that the human rights torch relay is just one of many projects and opposing the Olympics in Beijing is to raise the awareness of the human rights abuses in China from a different angle, especially about the persecution of Falun Gong. It is providing another opportunity for more sentient beings to understand the evil nature of the party and to be saved. Whatever we do, saving sentient beings is the sole purpose. The Olympic Games are the last card the evil party is playing and this human right torch relay is directly targeting this. So long as people recognise the human rights violation in China and accept that these crimes against humanity are against Olympic principles, they can join our torch relay. This is why the Chinese Communist Party is so frightened and tried to block the lighting of the torch in Athens.

2. Believe in Teacher and the Falun Gong Teachings

When you are under a lot of pressure, it is different to talk about believing in Teacher and the principles taught in Falun Gong than when you are not under pressure. It was a hard battle in Athens to light the human rights torch. It was a global event and lighting the torch in Athens was extremely important. Without lighting the torch in Athens, this global project could not start. The whole world’s focus was on Athens. The evil party was nevertheless trying to block the event and they forced a lot of pressure on to the Greek government.

There are only three to four local practitioners in Athens and they haven’t got much experience in organising events. To organise a global event was a big challenge for them and they were under a lot of pressure. It was also the first time for me to work with Greek practitioners. Greek people are very slow at moving things forward. It seemed to me they still stand at the same spot after a long time. When they say that something will be done in the next few days, the next few days turns into the next few weeks. We had endless meetings. I sat and ate by the computer all day long. I slept about ten hours a week and I lost my voice for days because only about three to four days before the event, the plan was still changing. One day I found it very difficult to cope with this slow pace for getting things done. Worry and anxiety filled my mind. I told myself “I am not going to answer any phone calls or any emails and I will just read the Falun Gong teachings”. After reading one chapter of Zhuan Falun, I felt all I read in this chapter were the words: improve xinxing¹, improve xinxing and improve xinxing. I realised that it was not me doing things, it is Teacher’s arrangement. If I do not improve my xinxing, I may miss the path arranged for me.

The feeling of worry is an attachment as is anxiety. If you worry, it means somewhere deep down in your mind, you have not got complete confidence in Teacher and the principles taught in Falun Gong - the Fa. Put another way, because you have not got complete confidence in Teacher and the Fa, you worry and because you worry, you may miss the guidance of Teacher and the Fa as your mind is blocked by the attachment to worrying.

While in Athens, as time was getting closer to the event, I began to worry again. I worried about the arrangement of the stage, equipment etc. Only two days before the event, Greek practitioners still had no decision about which company to use for the equipment, the stage, lighting, the sound system etc. When I heard on the afternoon before the event that we had received a written note from the local Greek authority that we were not allowed to use the square for the event I didn’t know what to say. I went to a Greek practitioner’s flat to help prepare for the press conference the next day. The atmosphere was tense. Everyone was so quiet, not saying a word. Everything was shown on our faces. We all felt the enormous pressure. We knew we could not tell practitioners a word about it to avoid causing anxiety. Plus on the same day I was criticised for not having done the work well enough etc. In the evening, I felt my strength was gone. I went back to my room in the hotel and had a good cry. Feeling wronged and unsupported, pressure once again took over me.

At this time, a practitioner came to look for me and we shared our experiences. I realised I had been selfish, not putting the Fa first. At this crucial point, any feeling about oneself being wronged or not being understood is selfishness, is putting oneself before the Fa. My worry was because of lack of confidence in Teacher and the Fa. If I had complete confidence in Master and the Fa under any circumstance, believing in the battle with the evil, we definitely would win. I could have kept a smile on my face rather than tears in my eyes. Having realised this after sharing with the practitioner, I once again put a smile on my face and went to the dining room where all practitioners were reading and sharing every evening. I told practitioners about the arrangements for the next day as if nothing had happened. I had regained my confidence. I was grateful to fellow practitioner’s sharing and grateful for Teacher's guidance.

3. The importance of righteous thoughts and support from fellow practitioners

By late afternoon on the day of the event we finally received a verbal agreement that we could have our event on the square and light the torch, but the torch was not allowed to be taken to the Chinese Embassy. We agreed. However, one hour later, the order came from a very high ranking official in a southern city of Greece that we were not even allowed to light the torch. If we lit the torch the police would cut off the electricity.

The preparation work of the stage was in process. The square was full of police. Ten minutes after the ceremony started, we were told to stop the event. A group of practitioners spent the whole evening explaining to them who we were and the reason why we were holding this event. But still no agreement was reached and we were still not allowed to light the torch. We had to extend the programme so as to gain more time for negotiation. Police were standing next to the electricity main switch box, ready to cut off the electricity at any second. Some police surrounded our van, preventing us from fetching the torches. Time was ticking on slowly. Some media began to get very impatient, saying they could not wait any longer. “No flame is no flame.”

I was standing next to the journalist when he said this. I realised we could not wait anymore. The torch must be lit no matter what. Otherwise it would also be big news in the next day’s papers for the wrong reason: the human rights torch was not lit. After realising this, I went talk to a European Falun Dafa Association member and said we must light the torch now. They replied that if we lit the torch, police would cut off the electricity. I replied, “Let them cut it off. The torch would look more glorious in the dark. When they cut off the electricity, we will have already lit the torch. We will have done what we needed to do.” At this point a practitioner from Paris supported my suggestion and said “That is right. We must light the torch now. Otherwise the media will leave. Even if they cut off the electricity, we have lit our torch.” Then we were told the police had already surrounded our van and we could not get our torches. I told them the torches were not in the van – they were with practitioners. The suggestion was agreed. I arranged the last guitar to continue playing and instructed the presenters not to announce that the torch lighting will start. Meanwhile I asked the local practitioner who was in charge of lighting torches to get ready, once the guitar music finished we considered lighting the torch.

When everything was arranged, I went to the back of the square again to have a final check for any changes. When I went there, I was surrounded by Greek practitioners telling me not light the torch, saying it would be difficult for them to work with the police in the future. I was even told that I was trying to show off and that I wanted to prove myself. I just said that this is not about me and walked away. Then I was told I should wait for a bit longer. I said “No, I cannot change it any more. Everything has been arranged.” At this point, a French practitioner said to me “Don’t change your mind. Don’t back down. They are thinking only of themselves. Light the torch. Don’t wait.” This gave me so much more confidence and determination for lighting the torch. When the torches were lit in the dark, all the media was focused on the torches. So many people there were in tears. The police didn’t cut off the electricity either. Many of us went to thank the police with tears in our eyes. Even the police were in tears. It was a touching moment and I could feel a strong energy field. I felt Teacher was right beside us. I felt how important it was to get the righteous thought and support from fellow practitioners, especially at that crucial time. The few words “I support your decision to light the torches” gave me so much encouragement, confidence and determination in the decision.

I am grateful to Teacher for giving me this opportunity to cultivate myself and look inward. I have learnt so much and know where I should improve and do better in the future. What I have learnt most is: read the Fa every day no matter how busy you are. Only by doing this can you keep your mind clear and not to be disturbed by human notions.

Thank you Teacher and thank you fellow practitioners.

1. Xinxing - character or heart nature.