Letter: Australian Practitioner Walking from Sydney to Canberra

I will be walking from Sydney to Canberra this week, leaving Wednesday, July 11th and arriving in Canberra by the 20th.

I am not an athlete and I have never done this before, yet to me this is not anything extraordinary. I know the walk will take many days, will be very cold and will probably require many band aids to cover blisters, but I am walking to reveal the truth to the people of Australia that people are being killed and persecuted for their belief in the three universal principles of: Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.

I am a local Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) practitioner and people just like me, who practice Falun Dafa in China, are being tortured, beaten, raped and murdered for their beliefs in these principles. Arriving in Canberra on the 20th July 2001 is significant because it will be exactly two years since the crackdown officially began in China in 1999.

I am not protesting against any government, nor fighting for a country I have never seen. I am hoping to awaken the hearts of all good people around the world who know that being truthful, kind, benevolent, and also showing patience and tolerance is good. Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance are the principles of Falun Dafa; they are not just words. Since really applying these principles in my daily life, my outlook on life is always positive and my quality of life has greatly improved.

I am a 22-year old Caucasian, a Project Manager. I have been practicing Falun Dafa for almost 3 years and I am grateful to have found these principles at such an early age. Many people are reaching retirement and still looking for true inner peace and harmony.

The Falun Dafa crisis is not just a Chinese issue. Such severe human rights abuses should not be tolerated by any nation, and persecuting these principles can only bring damage to those who are causing it and even those who condone it. The death toll is well over 250.

I urge all kindhearted people to stand up for these principles and everyone's right to practice Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.

Yours sincerely,

An Australian practitioner