(Clearwisdom.net) On their ride back to Toronto after attending the third day of the Quebec Superior Court trial against a Canadian-based Chinese language newspaper, Les Presses Chinoises, the practitioners shared their thoughts, as follows:
I. Upholding a Righteous Environment
1. Fellow practitioner A: Two aspects should be considered for maintaining a righteous environment. One is to eliminate the covert manipulation by the old forces, and in so doing, to lessen the karma committed by the lawyer for the defendants. The other is to support the testifying practitioner with righteous thoughts, so they may keep a clear understanding of the Fa [law and principles] on the basis of Fa, and see through the intentions of the cross-examining lawyer. One intention of the defendants' lawyer was quite clear. He was trying to confuse the testifying practitioner in order to give the court an incorrect impression that the practitioner wasn't thinking clearly. We should always maintain our composure, even when the practitioner may not be answering the questions perfectly; and strengthen our righteous thoughts to eliminate interference.
For quite some time in the courtroom, when our witness was questioned, the defendants' lawyer kept turning to give the practitioners among the audience a proud, self-satisfied look. I turned around to glance at the audience reaction and found that all of us were staring at our witness with looks of anxiety. We should not have allowed ourselves to be controlled by the lawyer's action. We should always keep in mind that our purpose in being there was to support our fellow practitioners with righteous thoughts. We did not come to find fault with the practitioner on the witness stand but to show our support and make up for any omissions.2. Fellow practitioner B: After these three days of court proceedings, I have sensed the fierce conflict between the forces of righteousness and evil. Practitioners among the audience must keep a clear mind and try as best we can to remain unmoved by the actions of either side on the witness stand. We should instead concentrate on directing events positively by cleaning up and maintaining the environment with our calm and perseverance.
3. Fellow practitioner C: At first, I too was emotionally captivated by the courtroom conflict, but by around 3:00 p.m., I finally managed to step outside of the conflict. In doing so, I felt like I was entering a state of emptiness in which I was completely unaffected by human thoughts.
4. Fellow practitioner D: I didn't do well today. I allowed myself to be submissively controlled throughout the court proceedings and didn't feel like I was in the state of an enlightened being. I didn't maintain calmness and politeness, and have a long way to go in personal cultivation.
5. Fellow practitioner E: At first, the touching statement of the practitioner witness moved me, and tears were rolling down my face. Later, I realized that I was being too sentimental. There was nothing wrong with the practitioner's emotional testimony, but I should have focused on my role of extending support to him. Some other practitioners were also getting anxious, and I would like to reiterate that we had come there to create a righteous environment and support our fellow practitioners. We are no ordinary audience, so no matter what happens in the courtroom, we should remain unmoved by it.
6. Fellow practitioner G: I noticed that some of us were getting anxious when the testifying practitioner didn't answer questions that well, but as long as he was answering questions, we should have shown him our respect and compassion. If we were in his position, after such a long period of opposing the evil forces under such pressure, we might not even have done as well as he did. We should also have faith in the Fa, which is harmonizing and all-encompassing. It could be that something you think is not good may actually turn out to be a good thing. Sometimes, for example, when our fellow practitioners didn't react so swiftly on the witness stand, it would only lead the judge to recognize their honesty and integrity. This may have also defeated the intention of the defendants' lawyer, who had been trying to find fault with answers from the witness. By showing that Falun Dafa practitioners are not mean or calculating characters, our practitioner left the lawyer no opportunity to take advantage of any of his answers.
7. Fellow practitioner K: This experience reminds me of Teacher's words, "...the matter of Fa-rectification in the cosmic body is bound to succeed." (From "Lecturing on and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference.") So throughout the proceedings, I didn't feel worried, but instead felt quite calm. Teacher has also said, "The sentient beings need not worry/ Gods and Buddhas are already smiling." (From "Dafa is Good.")
II. Clarifying the Truth
1. I thought the practitioner who testified today did pretty well. He let others feel his kindness and compassion, and also let the judge know that Falun Dafa practitioners are noble and honest, that they do everything based on "Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance" and that they are the opposite of those typically shrewd characters in society. We clarify the truth based entirely on "Truthfulness." If our fellow practitioners would pay more attention to the skill of answering questions, they would do even better. We need to keep in mind that the lawsuit is against Les Presses Chinoises for defamation, and it would be helpful if we would come back to this point when answering each and every question. For example, we haven't brought up any of the outrageous and obvious lies that the newspaper made up and printed, such as sex with animals. How could any rational person, knowing Falun Gong practitioners' firm belief in traditional moral standards, believe these lies? Isn't it self-evident that the Les Presses Chinoises doesn't want to discuss them because it would be so obvious that it was lying?
2. Everything we Falun Dafa practitioners do today will be referenced by future generations. All that is unjust will be rectified. There is also rectification in the justice system. For example, the defense lawyer argues his case by citing "freedom of the press." He claims that these slanderous articles are seen and available in other places in Canada, as the Chinese Embassy websites still carry them. Also, various local governments have received defamatory materials from Jiang's Canadian consulates. Strangely, these arguments have actually been used to defend Les Presses Chinoises. We need to point out that in so doing, the Chinese Embassy has already violated the law and that we are preparing a lawsuit against it as well. In addition, a Toronto Falun Gong practitioner has already filed a lawsuit against an official of the Chinese Consulate in Toronto.
Freedom of the press is not equivalent to being absolutely free to say whatever one wants to say. A prerequisite for freedom of the press should be honest reporting with integrity. Reporters should be bound by the moral standards of news reporting. For example, while media around the world were covering the news of the "self-immolation" in Tiananmen Square by parroting the lies fabricated by the Chinese media, a reporter from The Washington Post made the effort to verify the facts by visiting Kaifeng City, Henan Province, the hometown of one of the victims, Liu Chunling. Neighbors told the reporter that no one had ever seen Liu Chunling practice Falun Gong. This Washington Post report was quickly picked up by other overseas media, and officials at the Chinese Xinhua News Agency were then forced to change their original story to cover up the lie. This verification through on-site investigative reporting demonstrates the integrity of factual news reporting.
3. Attending today's court proceedings, I have come to a better understanding of the basic techniques that Teacher mentioned in "Teaching the Fa at the Discussion on Creating Fine Art." The questions raised by the lawyer today were in fact all those basic questions that we need to answer while clarifying the truth, as we do every day. If we don't have an understanding of the truth, it will be impossible to clarify it to others. For example, when the event of April 25, 1999 came up, it should have been clarified in a few sentences, but we didn't seize the opportunity well. Also, I think that no matter what question the defense raises, we should never dodge it. We should do our best to answer it with wisdom, honor and rational thought, basing our answers on facts. Of course we must always keep in mind that the lawsuit is about their defamation of Falun Dafa and their hate literature.
4. One thing I sensed strongly today was that the defense lawyer was quoting texts out of context, but if we could handle this well, these instances would all be good opportunities for comprehensively presenting the facts. For example, one practitioner gave a perfect explanation in court of the Falun. As a matter of fact, if we thought them through, all the questions the lawyer raised could have been explained in simple modern words. When Teacher taught about transcending the five elements in Zhuan Falun, he explained it in modern scientific terms.
When we think of how Teacher answers our questions, we see that sometimes Teacher doesn't give direct answers, but explains the issue based on the audience's level of understanding. Keeping our thoughts straight and facing sentient beings with the attitude of a Falun Dafa practitioner is very important.
5. I feel that participating in the court proceedings is a part of our cultivation process. This has turned out to be a comprehensive examination of each and every one of us. It has also been a learning process for us. Whether we are testifying or listening among the audience, we are validating Dafa with our words and actions. As practitioners, we should manifest our spirit of assimilating to "Truthfulness-Benevolence-Forbearance." As for those tricky questions, we don't have to be put on the defensive. We simply answer them with reason based on facts. Often, the way the defense lawyer raises a question is itself misleading because he often repeats Jiang's words. When we answer the question, we should first negate the bias of his question by telling him that the question should not be phrased as such, as this is repeating Jiang's deceitful propaganda.
6. I have a suggestion. When we are testifying about events in China, we should use phrases that make sense to westerners. For example, the Appeal Office is simply a place where people file their complaints. As for the Tianjin incident and what happened on April 25, 1999, they took place after a defamatory article was published. Falun Dafa practitioners went to present the facts. The practitioners were all very peaceful and reasonable. These are the things people living in the West can easily understand, as people know that peaceful petitions are not uncommon in a free society. However, in China, military police were called in for brutal suppression. We don't have to give all the details either. The entire process of testifying is to make others understand. When it came to the "surrounding the Zhongnanhai complex" [where Chinese leaders reside and work] we could immediately call him on the fact that this question was improperly stated. That incident took place when too many people had gone to file appeals on behalf of Falun Gong. Since the Appeal Office was close to Zhongnanhai, the police directed the practitioners around the Zhongnanhai complex, so they were simply following police instructions. The then Chinese Premier properly resolved the April 25 incident. The international media favorably reported this and considered it a milestone in the Chinese government's efforts to usher in political democracy. This praise for the then Premier aroused Jiang's jealousy. Out of political calculation and personal lust for power, Jiang began persecuting Falun Gong in July 1999, with no regard for the strong opposition to this stance among other Chinese leaders. Since then, tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners and their families have been thrown into darkness and suffering.
Another thing we need to implement is using ordinary phrases when testifying. The interpreter is an everyday person, who doesn't understand cultivation terms and may not translate these terms accurately. We should also avoid using special terms such as "immense kindness and immense forbearance." We can express the same ideas by instead suggesting concrete examples of these terms, which in this particular case could be such examples as caring for others and contributing to the community.
7. The Issue of Taking Medicine
Falun Gong sets spiritual standards for its practitioners, and only those who have met these standards can be free from illness. If someone beats up or curses others whenever he feels like it, and is unwilling to change the decadent thoughts and behavior patterns of everyday people, he remains an outsider, no matter how many exercises he may practice. He is fundamentally different from a true Falun Dafa practitioner, and bound to get sick when the time comes. Such a person will have no one to blame if he doesn't take medicine in time.
On this issue, if the defense lawyer cites any of Jiang's claims, then we must immediately reject it. The court puts emphasis on facts, and will reject charges cited from third parties without verification. It is well known that Jiang has done everything possible to fabricate lies. He went so far as destroying people's lives in staging the "self-immolation" at Tiananmen Square in order to stir up hatred for the purpose of suppression. So we can tell the lawyer that his question is, in itself, a false statement.
We have statistics that speak of the effects of Falun Gong in healing illness and keeping fit. In 1998, statistical samples were gathered among 12,731 Falun Gong practitioners in Beijing that demonstrated the healthful effects of Falun Gong. The overall percentage of illnesses that were healed reached 99.1 percent, which indicates that Falun Gong is an effective practice in terms of keeping people fit and improving their mental and physical health. Dr. Hu Yuhui, a practitioner and assistant in the Economics Department at Taiwan University, published a survey on December 28, 2002, concluding that practicing Falun Gong tremendously benefited practitioners, especially in the areas of stress relief and quitting unhealthy addictions. This academic survey was based on a scientific sampling of more than 100,000 Falun Gong practitioners in Taiwan. It reported that 81 percent of former smokers sampled had successfully quit smoking, and that 77 percent had quit drinking. This data has validated the positive impact of Falun Gong on society. Dr. Hu's research also cites the improvements in mental health that Falun Gong has extended to its practitioners. Satisfaction with the condition of one's health rose from an average of 24 percent in the beginning, to 78 percent after practicing Falun Gong.
Taking medicine or seeking medical help has never been prohibited in any of the Falun Gong books, but if someone were to return to good health after practicing Falun Gong, it is only common sense that they would discontinue taking medicine for an ailment that had ceased to exist.
When lecturing on the Fa, Teacher has made it clear that people with terminal illnesses are advised not to become practitioners; they are instead told to go to the hospital. Falun Gong is a good and effective practice that brings its practitioners health and fitness. If someone who cannot obtain peace of mind by practicing Falun Gong believes they are ill, they are advised to seek medical attention.
The Chinese television series Eye Witness also brought up the issue of seeing a doctor. One excuse that Jiang's regime has invented while suppressing Falun Gong is that Falun Gong prevents people from seeking medical attention. The Chinese Central Television (CCTV) took statements out of context by showing video footage of the Falun Gong founder lecturing in Dalian City, Liaoning Province. However, during that lecture he was advising practitioners to avoid using qigong to treat other people's illnesses because doing so could easily damage their own bodies. The CCTV removed the brief clip from its context and submitted this as evidence that Falun Gong tells practitioners to avoid seeing a doctor. In Zhuan Falun (2003 version), Teacher has said, "Can hospitals heal people? Of course they can. If hospitals couldn't heal, why would people believe in them and go there for treatments?" Showing incomplete and edited footage out of context is a trick frequently employed by CCTV to distort the meaning of Teacher's lectures and defame Falun Gong.
8. Family Problems
It is Jiang's persecution itself that has resulted in the tragedies of so many families that were cited by the defense lawyer. Prior to the suppression of Falun Gong, the practice brought health and happiness to millions of practitioners and their families. Falun Gong helps its practitioners to get rid of their attachments to sentiment, which are all based on selfishness, and to replace them with compassionate benevolence. This is a more precious form of sentiment, which embodies empathy for all others by putting the needs of others, including those of one's family members, ahead of one's own needs.
Since the suppression began, Falun Gong and its practitioners have been hurt by outright lies and slander. In order to bring the truth to the entire world, practitioners have paid a dear price. In China, countless Falun Gong practitioners have been unlawfully arrested, thrown into prison or sent to forced labor camps for simply clarifying the truth. After the persecution started, Jiang personally ordered the "610 Office" to carry out policies of genocide. [The "610 Office" is an agency specifically created to persecute Falun Gong, with absolute power over each level of administration in the Party and all other political and judiciary systems.] Jiang has personally issued the orders to "destroy the practitioners' reputations, cut off their sources of income and annihilate them physically;" "beat them to death, as they deserve, possibly naming suicide as the cause of death;" and "there is no need for families to identify the bodies prior to cremation."
Based on records, at least 821 Falun Gong practitioners are verified to have died from police brutality. Over six thousand Falun Gong practitioners across China have been unlawfully sentenced to prison. Over 100,000 have been unlawfully sent to forced labor camps, and thousands more healthy practitioners have been sent to mental treatment facilities where they have been injected with harmful psychotropic drugs. A large number of practitioners have been abducted into brainwashing centers across the country where they endure mental and physical torture. Many Falun Gong practitioners have become paralyzed as a result of severe beatings. Many families have been broken-up. Practitioners and their family members have been forced to leave their homes and move from place to place to avoid unlawful arrests or other harassment. Hundreds of millions of family members, relatives, friends and colleagues have suffered "guilt by association," and have endured various degrees of harassment and brainwashing. This persecution has brought the worst tragedy of their lives to countless families.
Overseas Falun Gong practitioners have put in tireless efforts as well as their own time and money into bringing the facts of the persecution to the rest of the world. While this has reduced the time they have been able to spend at home, they are not doing this for their own benefit; they do it because they don't want others to be misled and hurt by the propaganda that is based entirely on lies and fabrication. They also do it to help rescue hundreds of thousands of innocent Falun Gong practitioners living under persecution in China, and to prevent such tragedies from ever happening to countless more families. During these painstaking efforts, some family members may not understand the sacrifices made by these overseas Falun Gong practitioners, resulting in some unhappy endings.
By practicing Falun Gong, practitioners are learning to be good people. Prior to the suppression, countless families were restored to harmony from disharmony. Many cases speak to this. In family situations where one spouse practices Falun Gong and the other doesn't, each should respect the other partner, including his or her belief. After the start of this persecution, many family tragedies ensued. In China, in order to coerce Falun Gong practitioners to give up their belief, their family members have been placed under tremendous pressure, which has accounted for the tragedies in many families. This kind of pressure has been extended overseas, as many people living there have been adversely influenced by the lies spread by Jiang's regime about Falun Gong. Newspapers such as Les Presses Chinoises have acted as Jiang's mouthpiece in defaming Falun Gong, seeding and spreading hate in Canadian-Chinese communities and bringing fear to the families of practitioners in Canada. In addition, some of the practitioners still have loved ones and relatives in China, which adds to the disagreements within these families. In the final analysis, it is not Falun Gong, but Jiang's persecution of Falun Gong that has brought tragedy to these families.
Modern society has a normally high divorce rate, but even though the unprecedented persecution has broken up some practitioners' families, the divorce rate in Falun Gong families ranks comparatively much lower than in other groups.
Even if the newspaper has called in such known liars as He Bing for witnesses, we need to face this with righteous thoughts. There are conflicts in any family, and it is unfair to blame all of this on Falun Gong practitioners. In fact, the Teacher of Falun Gong has taught us to look within ourselves whenever there is interpersonal friction. As a couple, both sides need to respect each other, and such respect would include the spouse's spiritual belief. If one spouse has failed to respect the other's belief, they will have already violated the respect for a basic human right.
Let us review Teacher's poem "Smile," from Hong Yin:
I smile -- all beings awaken.
I smile -- Dafa begins spreading.
I smile -- the ferry sets off.
I smile -- all beings have hope.
Let all of us who will attend the remaining court proceedings of the trial against Les Presses Chinoises try to maintain our righteous thoughts as a divine being does his, participate in the lawsuit with the attitude of an enlightened being and remain in a divine state. Let us clarify the facts, expose the evil, and validate Dafa with our pure righteous thoughts, peaceful appearance, kind behavior and compassionate generosity.
November 17, 2003
