(Clearwisdom.net) When Jiang came to Germany in 2002, I attended the meeting inside the German Premier's house as an Epoch Times reporter. After Jiang and the German Premier took pictures at the gate of the Premier's house, I shouted "stop persecuting Falun Gong" only 30 feet away from Jiang. A Chinese security guard standing behind me pulled me away, and turned me over to German security guards.
I have still been a reporter these past four years, and based on my understandings of the Fa now and my work experience as a reporter, I probably would not shout like I did at the Premier's house in 2002. I want to share the changes in my understandings from an ordinary person's point of view, and from my personal cultivation.
Short Term and Long Term Effects
First, I would like to present the immediate effect of that incident. Due to my being instantly pulled away, only my voice was recorded, and two reporters videoed my image from the back. Several German TV stations played my voice recordings, and mentioned this incident. While Jiang was inside the Premier's house for several hours, I was held in the security office inside the Premier's house. The German security guards were all very friendly to me. Many would look at me and smile, and one of them said he admired my courage. The journalist club I belonged to was worried they might receive a protest from the government, but there was none. One journalist made a special trip to find me among Falun Gong protesters, and said I was being genuinely responsible as a journalist passing true information on to others.
I felt what I did was right, but this incident has had a long term after-effect. Two years later, when another Epoch Times reporter applied to interview officials in the government agencies when the CCP head was visiting, the German government said they could not be sure she would not shout at the CCP head. She finally was allowed to enter after a German politician guaranteed she would not do such a thing.
This shows the German Government probably does not trust Epoch Times completely, which is a negative effect for the Epoch Times.
After Jiang visited Germany in 2002, we sued the German police for discriminating against Falun Gong practitioners under pressure from the CCP. During the legal process, I stayed in Berlin for two days, and went to see the lawyers together with fellow practitioners, who gave us some CCP slandering Falun Gong materials prepared by the CCP for the Iceland Government. The lawyer pointed to a long article, and said, "Here it says, 'In Berlin, one Falun Gong practitioner pretending to be a journalist, entered the premier's house, and shouted at Jiang.' If you do this often, they should be worried." I immediately said that I was that journalist, and showed him my reporter's identification. The lawyer learned that the CCP was lying. I realized that the CCP could use this incident to implicate people, but I may not have the opportunity to explain to all that were deceived.
What I should have done was to write a declaration immediately, to explain why I shouted, and send it to all the media while I was there. At that time we were chasing Jiang and sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil. There was a lot of media work that needed to be taken care of in other cities, so I neglected Berlin.
Overall, I think there were some good after-effects, but it seems the bad effects were greater.
The Media Effect and Clarifying the Truth to Media Workers
At that time, media reported on Falun Gong because of the incident, but only as journalists chasing the news. They only saw it as a protest, but it did not touch their hearts. They went back to the low frequency of reporting on Falun Gong after the incident, just like before.
From my experience as a reporter in past years, when reporters see what I do as a journalist, they take me as one of them, discussing the affairs of China, and thinking over the information I provide them. The results from this angle seem better than talking to the reporters as a protester, because talks between journalists seem deeper.
For example, I contacted some reporters about the CCP's crimes of organ harvesting. One chief of a news agency met with me at a press conference for the Chinese Cultural Exhibition after we exchanged several emails. We talked for one to two hours, and I extensively commented on China's current situation, and naturally mentioned that I also practice Falun Gong. He had some understanding of the nature of the CCP, and said he believes that the CCP could do such a crime. When we were viewing the exhibition, he introduced the CCP's crimes to the other reporters, but at the same time he did mention the evidence was not sufficient. Since there were only two witnesses, he could not report on the crimes yet.
I was surprised to receive his email that same evening. He said he put the news about the organ harvesting inside the report of that day's China Cultural Exhibition opening. Although he was worried that his agency would lose credit due to the lack of evidence, he tried to send the news out in his own way. He was not just passively reporting on important news, but was also trying to help Falun Gong practitioners who are suffering.
Another example is that of a chief editor of a monthly periodical who invited me to write an article about China before the organ removal incident was exposed. I told her about the shocking crimes in detail several days before our original deadline. She replied on the same day, saying this was very important, and asked if I could write an article within one to two days. As a result, my article was published almost without any changes.
I believe the reason those two media reported on the concentration camps was because the two people's hearts were moved. They will not follow their old routine in reporting Falun Gong from now on.
As a journalist a practitioner can do some things a protestor cannot do, such as clarifying the truth in his department, raising questions at press conferences, revealing the CCP's nature to fellow journalists, which can help them understand the evilness of persecuting Falun Gong. Of course the protester's role cannot be replaced by a journalist, but the two can complement each other. If a practitioner changes roles between a protester (human rights activist) and a journalist, it may not be very effective.
Personal Cultivation Aspect
When recalling my cultivation over the past several years, I found I have a big attachment to pursing an instant effect. One person said she remembered her mind was set on "today is the last day." We were eagerly doing things without a long term plan, and felt it was right. Even now I can still see this attachment in me.
When I shouted at Jiang four years ago, I did not think about the consequences later, as I just wanted to let him hear the voices of Falun Dafa practitioners. Because most practitioners were blocked outside the security line, Jiang could not see any Falun Dafa practitioners besides me. My thought was not wrong, but not very rational considering the after effect.
The attachment I had for instant success also manifested in my studies. I felt spending several years working for a degree was wasting time when we have so much Falun Dafa work to do, as so many sentient beings need to be saved. I could not concentrate on my studies for a while. It was through reading Master's words that I realized students should do well in their studies unconditionally. Master never said that because we are busy saving people, that we are allowed to neglect ordinary people's work or study. Master always wants us to balance everything well. I should emphasize the requirements for a Dafa disciple, and not my opinion, so as to validate the Fa, and not myself.
I graduated from the University in 2004 with no problem, and my immigration status and work situation have all been resolved. Our family moved to Berlin, and my clients kept growing, and my son started attending nursery school. I feel my path is now broader, because I have more free time.
Can We Achieve the Same Media Effect Without Shouting?
The Epoch Times journalist who shouted to Hu at the White House caused a huge positive media effect. My understanding is that media attention is good, but we can achieve the same effect without shouting. However, the results may not be as quick.
I remember several years ago, many Falun Dafa practitioners in Germany, including myself, wished the German media would pay attention to the persecution of Falun Gong. I was seeking help outwardly, and I tried to speak more clearly when contacting the media and making phone calls.
My mind changed as a result of an event several months ago. A columnist for the biggest weekly newspaper in Germany interviewed me for two hours, and he wrote a very positive article quoting many of my words, mentioning issues related to Falun Dafa and people quitting the CCP. This seemed to be the first time such a large scale media report was ever done since the persecution began. Many fellow practitioners heard about this article from their ordinary people friends, who congratulated them on their media breakthrough. I did not expect such a breakthrough, and it was because of the mutual effort of our practitioners.
I let go of many of my attachments in the past years, such as being eager to succeed, being conceited, jealous, not being able accept criticism, condemning others, showing off, being uncompassionate to others, wanting to be praised, fear, etc. Sometimes I experienced heart pain that was like cutting my flesh, through my bones.
I found when I got rid of more and more of these attachments, I could view things better from another angle, my articles were better written, and I could see more clearly where I was stuck when I clarified the truth. Frequently people will look to me to learn more about Falun Gong and China issues. As an example, the column editor found me, which was not a coincidence. Such changes are taking place because the Fa- rectification process has reached this point, and some of my deviated elements have been rectified, and my words and actions more and more carry the power of the Fa.
The Dafa work we do is a reflection of our progress in cultivation..
If no one had shouted to Hu Jintao at the White House, we still could have achieved the same media effect by the upgrading of our one body's xinxing. The Fa-rectification will surely reach what Master has intended. The Buddha Fa is boundless.
Now that the media effect has been achieved, we should seize this opportunity to clarify the truth deeper with the positive effects, and harmonize the negative side. We should also cultivate ourselves steadily, and keep up our xinxing requirement, as this helps to improve our environment. Because the outside environment has become easier, the requirements to our xinxing will be higher.
