Reflections on My Fa-Rectification Journey to Tiananmen Square

Nihao Li Laoshi (Greetings, Master Li) ...Wherever you really are I always feel you are near me!...Nihao (Greetings) everybody!

I didn't realize that I had so many family members here on this side of the world so far from home! Thank you for welcoming me to the Asia-Pacific Conference!

On January 23, 2002 I made a peaceful appeal on Tiananmen Square in China. My heart needed to go there to help save the lives of innocent people. Not only our fellow practitioners who stand up so bravely to protect "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" and are brutally attacked, jailed and tortured even to death but for ALL Chinese citizens who are deceived by their president to turn against their own friends and family who love Falun Gong. For over 3 years the horrible stories about tortures pour out on the website as practitioners manage to break through the information blockade and send their experiences to us. You see the President of China has locked up the country -- no truth gets in and no truth gets out. Recently he has even closed down most of the internet cafes.

I had to go in person to let them all know that Falun Dafa is practised in more than 60 countries around the world and we in the West love it and stand proudly with our fellow practitioners as they protect "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance".

PRC leader Jiang Zemin's orders in 2001 to "Exterminate the Falun Gong " and the torture-deaths of 15 women in June and the deaths of 10 men in July broke my heart and I stayed in front of Toronto, Canada's Chinese consulate for 300 hours so I could be a presence and a voice for all those who could not tell anyone about their tortures and deaths.

In August I took the news of the persecution all across Canada even north of the Arctic Circle. An elder of the Inuit nation said, "Man is not on this earth to torture other men, it must be stopped. Canadians support peaceful, good people." Wherever I went I told people that the Chinese dictator says Falun Gong is bad but look at me, I am a good person. I have practised Falun Gong since 1997 -- 2 years before Jiang gave orders to destroy it. I know he is wrong to say bad things about me and the over 100 million of us who enjoy this peaceful practice.

When they found out the truth, everyone wanted to help stop the tortures. Last September the SOS walks began. They were a global phenomena of practitioners whose hearts were moved to rescue the Falun Gong practitioners in China. I went to Portugal and across Southern Europe. In over 14 countries and 30 cities people said it was a call to the heart to rescue Falun Gong practitioners who were persecuted in China because they stood for "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance" and just wanted to be good people. They said without these three words in your heart you have nothing and are not even human! Good people, like Falun Gong practitioners, must be honoured and cherished, not attacked and tortured to death. They all signed the petitions and asked what else they could do. They sent encouragement and good luck to our practitioners and said, "Tell them never, never to give up. They are heroes! What they are doing is truly honourable and glorious!"

Because the world has let the PRC leader get away with attacking Falun Dafa, others think they can treat Falun Dafa practitioners badly too. I was pushed and body-slammed by Chinese men 9 times as I walked beside a Canada Day Parade in Toronto, Canada last year. A Member of Canada's Parliament was physically assaulted when he went to a Chinese party. The only reason for this was that we each wore a shirt with Falun Dafa printed on it. Let me tell you, this kind of action is not OK. The persecution must be stopped where it started--in China--before it undermines all the freedoms and happiness we and our ancestors have suffered for so many centuries to acquire.

When I booked my ticket to go to China I knew it was the right thing to do. The little group of practitioners where I was staying supported me when I explained to them about the peace, the clear mindedness and the determination I had from practising the exercises and reading the book Zhuan Falun. They too felt the great gift the Fa had given us to be able to go to China and look the evil in the face without fear and to tell it about the goodness of Falun Dafa. They were with me in spirit as I flew to China and went through customs with a pure heart. The sun was brilliantly warm as the enlightened beings welcomed me to China. Everyone helped me wherever I went. People on the street called out "Welcome" to me too. I knew they saw the Fa in me. Later I exercised and read in my hotel room and I sewed a white banner with red letters, SOS SOS FALUN DAFA TRUTH WALK onto my suit jacket.

On the morning of January 23, 2002, I exercised and read Zhuan Falun. I finished sewing on the banner and put the ends into my pocket and buttoned up my overcoat. Everyone smiled at me as I walked to Tiananmen Square. It was a beautiful warm sunny day. Many people asked to take a picture with me. I said OK. At Tiananmen Square I joined everyone else there and took pictures with my camera too. I intended to start at 1:30 but someone told me of others who would come to appeal also. There were many people there with cameras, but I waited until 2 pm. All the camera people had left. I looked around and thought of Teacher's words about stepping forward when there is a crowd but if no one else does then you go home. I watched the guards in their green coats passing gloves to each other and I said to myself, "I am not going home yet."

I have to deliver those Good Luck messages from all those kind-hearted people I met. There are over 100 million practitioners who need to know we care about them and stand with them. There were also over a billion Chinese citizens who didn't know they were being lied to and I had to show them that Falun Dafa is honoured and respected by all the rest of the world. Then I took off my coat, raised my arms and sang "Falun Dafa Hou." I kept singing and walking back and forth in front of the Chinese flag. "Falun Dafa Hou:" Tiananmen Square was my stage to give this magnificent performance for the Fa. The guard in green looked at me as he passed by but no one did anything until someone from the group watching me said Falun Dafa. A plainclothes officer came to look. He kept asking Falun Dafa? Falun Dafa? Then it was time to sing the words "Falun Dafa Hou" and he grabbed my arm and began to drag me into the center of the Square. Someone ran up to him and he stopped and took hold of the banner and ripped it off my jacket. It took about 7 good yanks to break all the threads I had sewn. I just kept singing "Falun Dafa Hou" and maintaining the dignity of the Fa. He rolled up the banner and grabbed my arm again to pull me towards the place where he first pulled me away from. I knew everyone was sending righteous thoughts and they were muddling his head . My voice got louder. I raised the tune an octave. The song became clearer and stronger. He tried to pull my arms down. I seemed to have incredible strength. He just said "Falun Gong!" and gave up. I smiled at him and kept singing "Falun Dafa Shi Jian Fa Fo Guan bu Jou". He found a parked police van and pushed me into it. The driver began driving and suddenly veered off into a huge circle. I thought "wow," righteous thoughts are so powerful they are really muddling this guy's head too.

Then he drove to the police station. They motioned me to go into a room and sit on a chair. Dozens of policemen crowded into the room to look at me. Someone took the banner and put it on the floor, stretched it out and pushed it with his foot. I stood up. All the policemen yelled at me in Chinese. I waved my finger at them and pointed at the banner. "You put that banner up here on the table!" I repeated. "You put that banner up here on the table now!" I told them they must respect that banner and the name Falun Dafa printed on it.

"It has visited over 14 countries and 30 cities and has always been treated with honour and you must honour it too." They picked the banner up and gently opened it on the table. I sat down and kept eliminating the evil and sending forth righteous thoughts. I told them the SOS walks were a global effort to rescue the good Falun Gong practitioners who are persecuted only here in China. I said I was there to bring encouragement and support and good wishes to all the Falun Gong practitioners in China because people all over the world are PROUD of what they are doing as they stand up for and protect Zhen- Shan- Ren. They were very excited and happy to hear me speak a few Chinese words.

Everyone calmed down and spoke in whispers. I represented the dignity of the Fa.

Soon they moved me to another bigger police station and held me for 3 or 4 hours of questioning. A female high ranking official through a translator told me I had broken a law in China and I had to be punished. I told them I don't know anything about law or politics so I had nothing to say without a lawyer and I took out my book Zhuan Falun and began to read it. The officer said again that I had broken a law in China and must be punished, just as if I had broken a law in Canada. I told her that their law hurts innocent people and forces people to torture others to death. In Canada we have no laws that hurt other people or order people to be tortured to death. If there was one we would vote it out. It's too bad you don't do that here. I told them, "Your law not only turns you against your own people and forces you to persecute friends and family but it is such a BAD law it even stops people from visiting their moms and dads. Who could follow a law that stops you from visiting your mom and dad? You might as well have a law against the air coming down or against the sun shining or against breathing in and out or against your heart beating. You can't stop Falun Dafa-- it's the law of the universe. It grows in your heart.

"I've heard that the law you speak of is against your own country's Constitution. It also stops people from getting visas so they can visit their friends and family. If someone does get into the country the 610 office ...do you know the 610 office?" She nodded yes. "Well that 610 office hunts them down and tortures them. It's so sad. I can't understand how you can allow yourself to be so deceived by your leader's lies that you harm millions and millions of your own men, women and even children and babies."

"Falun Dafa has been practised in the West for 7 years now and there are no deaths or murders or insanities. Why do you report so many just in the last few years of the persecution ordered by your leader? Your government gave awards and praise for 7 years before these orders. We have cases of hundreds of torture deaths verified by United Nations and Amnesty International which prove you are being terribly deceived."

The officer said she was in the Square and witnessed when the "Self --Immolation" happened. I said "Oh my, then you do know the truth! We took the very same videotape that your government spread around the world to frame Falun Gong for this sad event and we slowed it down. It proves itself that the burnings were a set-up. It was staged. It clearly shows the woman who is running and burning gets hit on the head to make her fall down dead. I also told them that western reporters are very curious for the truth and they found some people who proved that none of those people were Falun Gong practitioners as your government claimed."

I told her that life is too precious, that's why Falun Gong would never kill anyone . As cultivators, we cherish each moment because each moment we can get purer and learn how to be more compassionate and get such wise insights into ourselves. Living with Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance makes a life filled with special meanings and joys. Besides our teachings strictly forbid killing.

She told me the reason for the persecution was that a few, just a few practitioners were getting political. I told her, "IMPOSSIBLE!! Falun Dafa cannot be involved with politics because we are focused on higher thoughts and no one can use Falun Dafa for his own purposes because it is the true Law of the universe, not simply about man-made things."

They repeated that I broke a law in China and must be punished. I think I proved there is NO law in China. I followed the universal law and treated my captors as friends. I lived our Teacher's words "Others may treat us as enemies but we never treat others as enemies." They finished with "Why did you come here?" After 3 or 4 hours of questions I answered by tapping my heart with the fingers of both hands and opening my palms to them.

" Oh" they both said, " Falun Dafa." Yes, I said, " Falun Dafa Hou."

I told them I would take no food or drink while they held me under guard in sympathy for my fellow Falun Gong practitioners they were torturing to death.

I was taken to a police room and kept under double guard. The severity of the persecution really became clear. The television programs the police watched all night were filled with the persecution of Falun Gong. Each story ridiculed or mistreated or showed Falun Gong practitioners on trial. This went on all night. I slept only two hours after I had read the whole book and did the 5^th exercise. The officers were surprised at the double lotus position held for so long. I also realized they could attack me at any time and no one would care, but I maintained the dignity of the Fa and did what a cultivator must do.

The next morning I told them the TV was very, very bad. They shut it off and told me to follow them.

While in a police car I spoke to the two police girls at my sides. They asked if there were really more Falun Gong practitioners outside of China? I said, "My dears, there are thousands and thousands of us. We love Falun Dafa in the West. We have parades and conferences all over the world where we make speeches about the benefits we receive." I told them if only they could see how magnificent it is! Our parades with colourful banners and huge floating balloons and our gorgeous musical concerts!" I said, "I can see it all now, Tiananmen Square filled with Falun Dafa practitioners from all over the world, everyone doing the exercises together. It will be glorious!" They just giggled and shook their heads. They asked if I knew any Chinese words. I told them the Chinese formula before each exercise. They were thrilled to repeat the words after me. "Fo Jian Chien Shou Fa ...Shen Shen Heyi" and so on.

As the car turned a corner I saw that they were taking me to an airplane. An officer said, "You can't come back to China for 5 years. I said, "I hear your words but we'll see when I come back!"

As I stepped on the plane I turned and waved to all the policemen who lined the stairs and I said, "Just remember, Falun Dafa Hou!"

Because of Master's boundless benevolence I was kept safe.

Because of Master's boundless benevolence I was allowed to stand up for "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" on Tiananmen Square.

And now because of Master's boundless benevolence I am here with you today to bring a Western voice and presence to join all of us as one voice to say, "Falun Dafa Hou! Stop the Persecution Now!"

Shie Shie (Thank you). Zaijian (Good-bye).