(Minghui.org) Lucerne is the most populous town in central Switzerland and is a well-known tourist destination with its beautiful lake, river, and nearby snowy mountains. Despite the cold weather this winter season, many tourists, including quite a few from mainland China, have journeyed to this historic city to take in the sights.
Ms. Pan, a Falun Gong practitioner, came to Lucerne as she usually does, as a volunteer and on her own time, to greet tourists and introduce the ancient meditation practice. “Falun Gong is being practiced in more than 100 countries now, but it is still persecuted in China,” she explained. “Because of the hate propaganda from the communist party, many Chinese are hostile towards Falun Gong and its principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It is so important to help them know what is really going on.”
After talking with Ms. Pan, quite a few Chinese tourists have changed their minds and agreed to sever their ties with the notorious communist regime. “One day 52 Chinese tourists decided to quit the communist organizations,” Ms. Pan recalled.
Ms. Pan explained that the communist organizations include not only the Party itself, but also its two affiliated youth organizations – the Communist Youth League for secondary schoolers and the Young Pioneers for elementary school students.
Renouncing the Communist Party Organizations
As soon as Ms. Pan asked a woman visiting from China if she was a party member, the tourist shook her head and said, “The communist party is rotten to the core. Just look at those corrupt officials—all of them are Party members. Right? There is no way I would join such a regime.”
Ms. Pan asked whether she had previously joined either of the two youth organizations. The tourist said she had, adding, “I didn't have any other choice because everyone around me had joined. But now I am clear that the communist party is indeed bad. I don't want to sink with it.”
“If that is the case, why don't you quit them? More than 300 million people have already done so. This way, you will avoid the same fate as the Party,” Ms. Pan explained. The tourist nodded and agreed.
As they talked about Jiang Zemin, the former communist party leader who began the suppression of Falun Gong in 1999, the tourist said that Jiang was one of the worst offenders because he was not only corrupt, he also betrayed China's interests for his own personal gain. After Ms. Pan told the tourist about the evidence of forced organ harvesting from persecuted Falun Gong practitioners in China, as well as the staged self-immolation incident at Tiananmen Square, the tourist agreed with her that the communist party had spread much hateful propaganda. She thanked her for clearing up her confusion.
The Tian Guo Marching Band, made up of Falun Gong practitioners, performs at a public plaza in Lucerne on October 6, 2018.
Blessings for Righteous Minds
Curious about Falun Gong, the tourist asked Ms. Pan about the health benefits of the practice. Ms. Pan explained how the practice improves both mind and body. The tourist said she had suffered from several chronic illnesses that were still incurable. “Then you can try Falun Gong. It works for me and many other practitioners,” Ms. Pan replied. “In fact, with so many innocent practitioners being persecuted just because they want to become better citizens, even if you just sincerely recite 'Falun Dafa is good' and 'Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are good,' you will benefit.” Ms. Pan gave several examples of people with incurable diseases who had improved their health by reciting the two phrases.
“Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are good; I trust you!” said the tourist. Turning to the group of tourists who were waiting for the bus, she recited aloud the two phrases that Ms. Pan told her. Surprised by her loud voice, some tourists looked at her with a smile and some were in disbelief.
After the woman repeated the two phrases several times, Ms. Pan talked with the whole group to explain why she was reciting those words. She said that traditional Chinese culture believed that good is rewarded with good, while evil meets with karmic retribution. She said that if someone had vowed to devote his or her life to the communist party when they joined the CCP or its affiliates, he or she could face serious consequences when the Party is punished by heaven. By announcing that one wishes to quit the regime, one is choosing to follow what is righteous and will therefore be blessed.
One after another, the tourists agreed to renounce their membership in the communist organizations. Before leaving, several left their contact information and thanked Ms. Pan again. “When you go back China, call me and let's have a happy reunion,” said one.
