PureInsight | December 8, 2003
[PureInsight.org] Hello! My name is I. I am from Saint Petersburg, Russia, and have been a Falun Gong practitioner since 1997.
During the various stages of my cultivation path I have felt in my heart Master's profound care and attention. I have come to realize that Master guides us through many trials on our return to our origins and the truth and I more than ever sincerely feel it during this time. Master assists us in letting go of our attachments, gives us chance after chance, protects us from falling down and being left behind and guides us on the way we are supposed to take.
I understand that everything has been arranged perfectly and exact during the Fa-rectification be it large or small. Each practitioner has a different cultivation path. Master had arranged our cultivation paths long ago. All we have to do is steadily move forward, not deviate and do everything a Dafa disciple is supposed to do. Our roles are of great importance, and our influence is also very significant. Looking back on the path we had already walked, I realized we already had done lots of fact clarification preparation, laying the groundwork for the main thrust that came later on.
For example, we had already clarified the facts about certain incidents to legislative agencies, including many of the departments within the Ministry of the Interior and the Security Agency, and we believed that we had done this well. But on one occasion we noticed a signpost with the name of a legislative agency not known to us. We made an appointment because we wanted to tell them about the true situation and later on we had a long conversation with them, telling them about Falun Gong, the persecution in China against Falun Gong, and we disclosed the lies that the Chinese Embassy was spreading throughout Russia. Lastly, we taught the exercises to one of the civil servants and also gave him a book.
We had recently celebrated the 300th anniversary of Saint Petersburg. The above-mentioned agency was responsible for gathering security information to ensure the safety of this holiday. Even though the Chinese Embassy had alleged that Falun Gong would disturb the festivities and spread hatred against the Chinese Government, their lies were ineffective, since we had already clarified the truth to the agency. The civil servant to whom we had given a Falun Gong book was named as the person responsible for the information center during a meeting of leading government employees. When the conversation turned to Falun Gong, he spoke well of It, and told them he had been in contact with us and knew us well.
During one occasion, while protesting in front of the Chinese Embassy, we clarified the facts to the Chief of Police. Later on a high-ranking Chinese delegation came to visit Saint Petersburg and were "received" at the airport by Dafa disciples. We displayed our banners as their motorcade passed us by. At first they thought we were just everyday people who had come to welcome them, so they waved at us. But as soon as they noticed the banners captioned, "Falun Dafa" and "Zhen–Shan–Ren," their smiles disappeared and they stopped waving. They asked the Russian Police later on to grant them greater security and make certain they would not have to see Dafa disciples. The Chief of Police escorting the delegation was no other then the one we had previously met outside the embassy. He told the delegation that he knew us and was absolutely certain we were good people and would not commit any bad deeds. The delegates from the Chinese Embassy told the police that we were terrorists that would harm their lives and breach security. At the risk of losing his job, the Police Chief told all of them, "I personally guarantee that no harm will come to you." If the Police Chief had not spoken the way he did we believe there may had been problems. Our informing him of the truth had touched his heart. There are many more such examples.
Once we clarified the facts in one area, the evil in another area would also be eliminated. Thus, when Luo Gan visited Moldova, I also went there to clarify the facts. We had 5 days to clarify the facts. Thus we divided into different teams and clarified the facts to as many people as possible from early morning till late evening. Consequently, a large number of citizens heard the truth about the Chinese Communist Party's persecution of Falun Gong, and thus they saw the true face of that murderer Luo Gan.
The minute we boarded the train to Moldova we began clarifying the facts. Two nights were spent on the train, traversing through three countries and custom stations. During this whole time we distributed lots of facts clarification materials.
We traveled to Moldova to save the Moldavians by informing them of the persecution through the lawsuit in their country against the head of the "610 Office," Luo Gan. We exposed the brutal persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party to the Moldova media, government and human rights organizations. For me, the lawsuit against Luo Gan in Moldova was a great opportunity to clarify the facts. I wanted to call forth an echo in the international community about the global lawsuits against the chief perpetrator as well as other Chinese Communist officials who must bear responsibility for persecuting Falun Gong. We did not pursue results from the lawsuit. Therefore, we were able to lodge our charges with the Attorney General's office, the Department of Interior and the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Moldova. We consulted extensively with human rights organizations, attorneys, legal professionals and UNO representatives in Moldova before filing our complaint.
When clarifying the facts to these people and while seeking their legal advice I had always thought that I would use this event to save them; and it appeared that they had felt this intention. They made a lot of effort in advising and assisting us as they were sympathetic with our situation and everyone we spoke with made great efforts to help us.
We visited the Senior Prosecutor and Attorney General's office three times before filing the complaint with the Attorney General's office. When visiting the Attorney General's office for the first time we discussed with him the legal problems facing the lawsuit against Luo Gan in Moldova. He took great pains to listen carefully as we clarified the facts. He suggested the best attorneys for our situation. At the end of the meeting, he told us it would be impossible to hear our complaint, since Moldova's people weren't persecuted. Furthermore, he could not remember any precedent addressing this particular issue. As we left he said unexpectedly, "Come and see me if you need help!"
We really were in need of his advice. We selected some attorneys who might be willing to accept the case. They studied the materials extensively and told us our accusation could not be heard in Moldova. As we were saying goodbye, the attorneys wished us good luck. Also, on our first visit to the Attorney General's office the Senior Public Prosecutor suggested that we go to the International Court of Justice. At the end of our visit he repeated, "Come and see me, if you need help!" I saw that good overpowers evil and throughout each of our approaches I felt the awakening of compassion.
The judge at the highest court of justice listened as we clarified the truth and then suggested we again contact the Attorney General's office. During our third meeting with the Senior Public Prosecutor I continued sending righteous thoughts in order to awaken his compassionate side. We wanted him to understand that we were not doing this for ourselves, but for the sole purpose of his salvation. We were convinced that this suit must be heard in Moldova. It is vital for a democratic country like Moldova who upholds human rights, to take an official stand on this issue. We are fully aware of the implications of our case being heard. It would mean Moldova recognized Luo Gan's guilt. The Senior Public Prosecutor accepted and signed our case. We are fully aware that this was only possible because of the cooperation among all participating Dafa practitioners and we are also certain that Master guided us and that we did what we were supposed to do.
Dafa practitioners' joint clarification of the facts throughout the world had a significant influence on the results of our efforts. Moreover, I constantly felt their support and participation. Fellow practitioners who sent fact clarification materials via fax and e-mail were a tremendous help. The first published article in one of Moldova's well-recognized newspapers, exposing the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist regime and Luo Gan, was put together by using different Dafa information sources from other regions of the world.
Unfortunately, our wish to meet with the Foreign Minister did not materialize. We sent fact clarification materials to him, and I introduced myself as a Falun Gong practitioner when contacting the Editor of the Foreign Ministry's Press Liaison's Office. The editor immediately broke out laughing, "We were already informed by your friends abroad and I admire your vigorous efforts!" Actually, I had decided to personally deliver fact clarification materials to that office, but the editor said it was no longer necessary; he had already read our truth clarification material via the Internet. He also had translated the information into Romanian and had it delivered it to the Foreign Minister. I thanked him from deep in my heart for his ability to be fair.
Two fellow practitioners were responsible for the distribution of fact clarification materials to the media. It took them three days to visit all the media centers in the capital of Moldova. They explained to editors and reporters the truth of the persecution, giving them fact clarification materials and CD's. Hence, by the time we held the press conference, all reporters from all media outlets knew the truth about Falun Gong and the truth of the horrible deeds of Luo Gan.
A UNO official suggested we arrange a press conference by using one media outlet and then notifying all the other media. We discussed doing this in a lengthy conversation with the Vice Director of a particular media outlet. She appeared very cautious. She did not turn us down immediately, but tried to free us of the idea of a press conference. Her opinion was that no one from Moldova was affected by China's persecution and no one would be interested in attending the press conference. She suggested we not waste our time, money, or efforts.
This was a test for all of us. When a practitioner had almost the same opinion as that lady, I then realized the old forces were exploiting our remaining attachments. Just then a rock-solid and righteous thought within me said we should not look at this opportunity with the mind of an ordinary person, but from within the Fa. I asked, "Is a press conference good for Dafa or not?" Everyone shared the same answer: "It is good for Dafa!" Even if no reporters show up, we could disseminate the news having many people hear of our press conference. This would be a heavy blow to the evil in other dimensions. This affair not only concerns us; it concerns all Dafa practitioners. We have to be worthy of the title of a Dafa practitioner and we have to do well with this affair. We were certain that it was up to us to organize this press conference.
During that time I continuously felt Master's guidance. And although I slept and ate little, I was always energetic.
Many other practitioners also hoped for the success of our mission. We formed into a unit, but we unfortunately also had some gaps. Sometimes even disagreements and extensive arguments occurred among us, but we would always get through them. All of us understood the importance of this undertaking. We were rock solid, unbeatable and stopped the evil from exploiting our gaps.
On the first day, I had a conflict with a practitioner. Another practitioner noticed this and realized this would disrupt our mission and so she suggested we study the Fa together. I had brought the lecture, "Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference," with me, and I don't think this was accidental. Master had mentioned in that lecture that "At present there are some frictions among students, and you all need to watch out—you can't let minor things affect the important things that Dafa disciples are supposed to do." After studying the Fa together I felt the magnificence and power of Dafa. The conflicts among us were no more than a trifle. The things we are supposed to do are so holy and magnificent! I felt ashamed that I was unable to control myself, especially because I had done something that made the evil happy and our Master sad.
Speaking of the press conference, we called the Association of Journalism and asked for their help in securing a place for the press conference. We told them the theme of the press conference. Meanwhile, one of the employees showed us a document from the Ministry of Culture, which said something to the effect that the Chinese Embassy had asked them not to rent a place to Falun Gong. Since the words "Falun Gong" were not translated correctly, the employee suggested that perhaps they weren't talking about us. We answered that they were certainly talking about us. Accordingly, we clarified the facts and gave them the correct name. An employee from the Chinese Embassy called while we were visiting the Association of Journalism and were told that Falun Dafa practitioners wished to rent a place. The Chinese Embassy informed the association that they had not heard of us, and were therefore not against us. After the employee put the phone down he said, "Since they have nothing against it, we agree to rent the place to you."
I was under the impression that the news of Dafa practitioners suing Luo Gan had already been publicized all over town. A few hours before the press conference we were successful in filing a charge with the District Attorney's office. After we had finished copying materials to hand out to reporters we returned to the Association of Journalism and there we were told that they were forced to withdraw their decision of renting us a place. The reason being that the Chinese Embassy had put pressure on the Foreign Ministry of Moldova. The embassy had also put pressure on the Association of Journalism through the Ministry of Culture. The employee of the Association of Journalism who we had previously met apologized and I saw that she felt bad about it.
We however did not cancel our press conference and held it in nearby park. Many journalists came and received our materials. Some media persons even interviewed us. The next day, several major newspapers published articles both in Russian and Romanian based on the materials we had distributed to them.
During those few days in Moldova we had met a number of people who were interested in practicing Falun Dafa. For example, the assistant to both the Attorney General and the highest public office had already read Falun Gong prior to meeting us and had arranged meeting with us. The director of a Russian radio station had been given, on a trip to China a few years ago, Zhuan Falun. He had read it, and had wanted to learn the exercises ever since.
Everyone we came in contact with wanted to help us. One of the reporters called one of the television anchorman and asked him to meet with us. After we met, this anchorman wanted to present a series called "Morality, Qigong and Falun Dafa." Ever since, I have kept in touch with him. He read the book and practiced the exercises. He asked us to come back to Moldova and teach the people the exercises. So in the near future we will return to Moldova, as it is extremely important for the people there.
Master said in "Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference", that "If an ethnic group or a country doesn't have Dafa disciples right now, it will bring them a ton of difficulty–and that's at a very minimum. So no matter how few Dafa disciples there are in a certain place, that is hope for that ethnic group."
We achieved a lot during our five days in Moldova and it felt as if a month had passed by. We utilized every minute for clarifying the facts. Before leaving, we visited the Chinese Embassy to deliver fact clarification materials. Even while shopping in the market we distributed materials. It was a wish from deep in our hearts for Moldavians to learn the truth.
During the process of clarifying the facts, I came to an understanding that Master takes care of everything. We are only there to fulfill our mission during this historical moment of the Fa-rectification period of the cosmos. Being diligent and doing everything well is what we must do. We can't wait for our conscience to bother us because of not doing well, because Master and sentient beings have such great hopes for us. I wish that all of my fellow practitioners, including myself, continue without flaw on our cultivation paths, look inwards, search for attachments and eliminate them, so that the evil forces fighting their life and death struggle are unable to exploit our gaps. We have to deny everything arranged by the old forces. The Fa-rectification of the human word will soon be here. Under no circumstances can we miss this historic opportunity Master has granted us.
I would like to thank Master for his compassion and for all he had to bear for us. Also, I would like to thank Master for granting us the honor of being part of this magnificent historical time in the Fa-rectification period of the cosmos, which established Dafa and the opportunity to save all sentient beings.
