PREFACE

 

Throughout history there has been little more cherished than peace and liberty. Yet history has also told a tale of contrasts: The desire for peace and liberty on the one hand, and using force as the means of accomplishing it—however unlikely—on the other. The irony of fighting for peace and liberty has befallen countless nations and peoples, marring history with painful discord.

Yet history also remembers a number of great, noble leaders of high moral and spiritual qualities—individuals who saw that peace and liberty were not to be found through forceful means and coercion, so much as through looking inward at oneself. These individuals have sought peace and liberty by embodying higher principles, even perfecting them. They have brought about peace and liberty by exemplifying virtues such as truthfulness, benevolence, forbearance, not by demanding it from others.

History has shown us the power of truthfulness, benevolence, and forbearance. While the seemingly strong and invincible quickly fade from memory, the virtuous and meek are long remembered for their achievements. We remember their sacrifices and treasure the lessons they have taught us about the power of principles. History teaches us that peace and harmony are ultimately accomplished by the benevolent actions of brave and upright people who are willing to suffer for the sake of higher principles. Principles cannot be touched, weighed, or measured. Yet principles, when exemplified, have proven powerful and enduring.

As we enter the new millennium, we witness, unprecedented in China, a mass civil disobedience movement manifested by Mr. Li Hongzhi, founder and teacher of Falun Dafa, and his students. Not one person, but thousands of Falun Dafa practitioners step forward courageously, selflessly, to uphold the higher principles they know to be true. As China’s communist regime seeks to erase Falun Dafa from the face of the earth, these practitioners are matching their oppressor’s hatred and violence with Truthfulness, Benevolence, and Forbearance—the guiding principles of Falun Dafa. They do not fight back with harsh words or even physical means. Rather, they look within for their own shortcomings, and look to the world for support. They sacrifice daily the self-interests basic to human beings, including material interests, their jobs, their education, their futures, their families, their personal safety, and even their own lives. All this for the right to practice their beliefs, and so that others may know the truth. Around the world, practitioners of Falun Dafa have joined in this cause. Through all of this, every practitioner has remained uncompromising in his or her commitment to peaceful resolution.

We, several practitioners in the United States, present this report so that you may understand this more fully. History is in the making, and it is truly something to remember.