Saturday, July 18th, 2009
"Chinese authorities arrested Ms. Yang and sentenced her to seven years in prison for her cultivation and practice of Falun Gong. This young woman, who only desires to become a good person of high moral character, will spend the best years of her life in jail simply because of her spiritual beliefs."
Upon finishing the translation of that sentence from Chinese a few weeks ago, I started with my hour long sitting meditation, one of the Falun Gong exercises that help me stay energetic for the next day's work as an information-technology specialist in Albany.
The night was tranquil, but my heart was sad. The translation reminded me that July 20th draws near, marking 10 years of the Chinese Communist regime's brutal persecution of Falun Gong.
Falun Gong is also known as Falun Dafa. It was made public by Master Li Hongzhi in 1992 in China. It had been a private spiritual practice for thousands of years that was passed down from master to disciples. It teaches us to become better people by emphasizing the improvement of our hearts and minds, based on the universal principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance, and leads to enlightenment.
Three years ago I wrote for Voices of Faith about my encounter with Master Li's book, Zhuan Falun. I told how it helped me move away from atheism and realize the meaning of life. I started practicing Falun Gong in 1997, a year after I came to the University at Albany as a graduate student in computer science.
Through Falun Gong, I have strived to be a better person by constantly discovering my shortcomings or attachments and eliminating them. The way to improve one's mindset is to really look within whenever there is a conflict.
A survey conducted in China estimated that 70 to 100 million people began practicing Falun Gong there between 1992 and 1999. On July 20, 1999, Jiang Zemin, former Communist Party leader, feeling threatened, launched a persecution that has claimed thousands of lives and put many more in prison and labor camps.
The core values of Chinese culture - benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom and faithfulness - have been discarded since China's Cultural Revolution from 1966-76.
It bothers the regime that people with righteous faith have no fear and can judge right from wrong with their own moral standards. So it has persecuted Christians, Taoists, Buddhists and popular folk groups along with Falun Gong.
Imagine while you're at work, without warning, your boss approaches you and tells you you're fired because of your spiritual belief. Imagine while you're sitting quietly at home, police break into your house and throw you into a detention center or forced labor camp for a few months or even years. Such stories happen in China every day.
The article I recently translated is a typical first-hand victim's account of the persecution revealed by breaking through China's state-controlled information blockade. The persecution is not limited to practitioners and their families in China. In 2004, Chinese security agents abducted my friend, Leejun Taylor, a businesswoman and American citizen living in Gloversville, in broad daylight on a Beijing street while she was visiting her family. In 2003, my friend, Charles Li, a former doctor in Boston and also a U.S. citizen, was arrested when he got off the plane in China. Mrs. Taylor was detained and interrogated but was able to get out of the country. Dr. Li was jailed for three years. He now lives in California.
The regime's violence has also extended into communities in this country. Many New Yorkers have witnessed attacks against Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing, Queens, since last May.
Last month, my friends and I joined a rally of 6,000 people in midtown Manhattan calling for an end to the Chinese regime's persecution of Falun Gong. On Sunday, a four-day gathering in Washington calling for the end to the persecution will culminate with a Million Minutes of Meditation event on the National Mall.
More than 50 members of the state Assembly have signed a letter to President Obama, which urges him to demand an end to the campaign of terror.
* * *
You are welcome to print and circulate all articles published on Clearharmony and their content, but please quote the source.
more ...