Dear [...],

How are you?

Being friends for so many years, we haven't gotten in touch for quite a while. Although everyone has his unique life path, no matter how different they are, people all pursue a fundamental quality of life. That's why I'd like to discuss some issues regarding Falun Gong with you. Over the past year, the Falun Gong issue has shaken the whole world. No matter if you have tried to avoid the topic or keep a distance from it, you could not have remained untouched. Truly, this important event that occurred at the turn of the century could not have nothing to do with your life. If you are a reporter, could you have mixed good with bad in order to keep your job? If you are a government official, could you have assisted the evil force just for the sake of your personal interests? Even if you were not directly involved in it, have you sympathized with or hailed the unfortunate tribulations that occurred to numerous Falun Gong practitioners? Although you may have no interest in all these, how could you avoid the eternal subjects of life, aging, illness and death? No matter what high-ranking position you occupy or how much wealth you accumulate in the human world, they are nothing because they cannot be brought in at birth or carried away after death. Instead, the principle of good being rewarded with good and bad with bad and human reincarnation always holds true.

On the matter of Falun Gong, I have gone through a lot of pain in coming to the right understanding. As a journalist, I have come into contact with quite a number of Falun Gong practitioners, including professors, senior engineers, and well-established intellectuals. As a matter of fact, I was very amazed by my findings: all those practitioners are of great integrity. They not only have a high moral standard, but also have in-depth rational understanding of the universe and life. Later, to my greater surprise, my best friend in high school went to Beijing to appeal for Falun Gong. An employee under me, a kind-hearted and innocent girl, also went to Beijing for that reason. At that time, I tried every means to track them down, and even followed them to Beijing. After they came back, however, I realized I made a mistake. Meanwhile, I witnessed many miraculous phenomena. After my classmate was forced to denounce Falun Gong, all her diseases that had disappeared after practicing Falun Gong came back to her again. Later on, she went to Beijing to appeal again, and went on a hunger strike 3 times in the detention center. It turned out that her health became good again. My employee underwent harsh tortures in the detention center. On the 12th day of her hunger strike, a reporter from the Xinhua News Agency and I went to get her out. On our way back, we encountered a traffic accident. Surprisingly, after 12 days without food and water, she jumped out of the car and rushed to the spot to offer help. Even I could not match her speed.

After seeing many such things, I deeply felt there were too many phenomena about life and the universe that are unknown to human beings. Only the people who have tried a peach know the taste of a peach. For those who haven't, no matter how they claim that a peach tastes bad, their words are not convincing. For some time, our newspapers published a lot of articles attacking Falun Gong. But I was aware that none of the writers had read the books of Falun Gong or given a try to the practice of Falun Gong. Even worse, none of them even know the truth about Falun Gong. As a journalist, I sadly felt that the sense of justice in China's media circle has been degenerating for a long time. The Chinese people are being deprived of the chance to know the truth.

By telling you about the journey on which I came to understand Falun Gong, I hope it can also be useful to you. For a long time, like most people, I was used to perceiving things from a political point of view and obeying orders from my superiors. However, gradually I came to understand why mankind never stopped admiring Gods and Buddha throughout ancient history, despite the frequent changes of political power or dynasties. The heavenly principles are different from the human principles. Likewise, the cosmic law is different from the human law. No emperors or other figures in power can do what Gods or Buddha do. Can our superiors be responsible for our lives? However, since human beings cannot see the truth, they do whatever they like without restraint. In fact, they are hurting themselves. Over the past year, I did not write any articles on this subject, because I was afraid to write and my conscience would not allow me to. Ironically, during the "Cultural Revolution", we overthrew Liu Shaoqi (President of China during the Cultural Revolution) and Deng Xiaoping (former Communist Party Leader), but no one knows who on earth we overthrew! Now so many Falun Gong practitioners believe that their Teacher is a Buddha [an enlightened person](I also believe so). If one day it is proved that all the actions against Falun Gong are wrong, it will not just be a matter of persecuting the wrong people. China has adopted harsh measures against the group, which has invited condemnation from many other countries in the world. However, all practitioners never feel regretful even when their lives are in danger. How could that be possible if they did not have personal experience and were awakened to nothing? Many people judged the matter with post-natal perceptions they formed in their life. But do their perceptions represent the truth? In addition, some people vilify Falun Gong out of their religious affection. But does their religion still keep its original purity?

Please do not use customary judgment to judge this matter that occurs at present. Indeed, cultivation practitioners are not interested in worldly competition, and many practitioners do not even care about what politics is. Only because even their basic rights cannot be guaranteed did they go to appeal to the central government. A cultivation practitioner can give up anything in this world: he can "endure" when he is beaten up, scolded, or his belongings are taken away. That's because he chooses the path of cultivation practice. Now that they are not even allowed to practice cultivation, doesn't that mean cutting off their final way out? At that point, don't they have a right to voice their concern? If they want to voice their opinion, does that mean being "intolerant", and "intervening in politics"? Think about it: if someone tears down Buddhist temples, or Christian churches, how would they respond? In the same scenario, when the village cadre for no reason suddenly tears down an honest peasant's house, robs him of his property, and injures his family members, then that peasant goes to the county government to petition for a settlement and is labeled as "creating trouble and resisting the government", is that reasonable? For Falun Gong practitioners, when they suffered brutal persecution of detention, beatings, or even murder, they did not adopt any violent measures but simply exercised their lawful rights by continuously appealing to the government in a peaceful manner. Isn't that also " being intolerant"? Actually, cultivation practitioners have no other goals but to strive for their fundamental rights, at the same time offering salvation to ordinary people. Because the media reports in China were one-sided and covered up the truth, some people with pre-destined relationship with Dafa were deprived of the opportunity, and many were consequently unable to tell the truth from the false and good from evil. Some even destroyed Buddha and slandered Buddha, leading to their self-destruction.

I told you these all out of one good wish: I hope you can use your conscience and intelligence to think about the issue objectively, so that you will not do harm to yourself just because of a wrong thought. Only when I myself have benefited from something and believe it's good, will I recommend it to my family members and friends. If I think it's not good, or I discover potential danger lying ahead in it, I certainly will warn my family members and friends of it by any possible means. Although you may not believe what I said, you do not have to suspect my motive. It's only a wish I have long wanted to let you know.

Heartfelt blessings to you!

Your friend: [...]

March 2001