Earnestly Saving our Fellow Practitioner Xiong Wei

[PureInsight.org]
Tina: I did not understand the importance of speaking out for the imprisoned Falun Gong practitioner from one's own country until another practitioner spoke on this subject using Master's words, at a regional meeting. In the Fa Lecture during "Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference," Master said, "You have to rescue your fellow cultivators and Dafa disciples—we can't let the evil persecute them wildly and without restraint." Finally, after 10 months of on and off again recording of a CD with a song about Xiong Wei, we succeeded in this endeavor. I have to admit that the most important knowledge I gained from this process, especially in regards to the issues that are important to one's cultivation, is the letting go of attachments and the ability to work as a team.

Caro: My first significant activity in regards to trying to secure Xiong Wei's freedom, whom I had the opportunity to get to know personally during the early days of my cultivation, happened to be on the eight-day SOS bicycle tour in to the Chinese embassy in Bonn. During that time I perceived the energy that manifests through our hopes. It was the strength to see oneself as a Dafa disciple and to be responsible to the Fa. At that time, I admit that I deeply cared for Xiong Wei. Though, sometimes I had the feeling that I was hiding behind the saving effort for Xiong Wei, so I would not have to talk with people about Falun Gong. This was a strange thought, as nothing was as intense as my belief in the Fa. Yet, there was something that kept me from being true to myself and at the same time be the embodiment of Zhen, Shan and Ren. And above all I needed to take hold of myself. It was egotism, grown from insecurity. I was certain that I would like nothing more than to save Xiong Wei and all other Falun Gong practitioners. However, how deeply did I involve myself in this? My environment and my background pointed often to the weaknesses in my thoughts. This then required that I recognize and change whatever was trying to make itself clear to me.

Christine: As I live quite isolated from my fellow practitioners, I looked for better means of communication. I began to organize meetings and arrange tasks referring to the coordination of Xiong Wei's rescue team. Mutual exchanges are also of great importance during the Fa-rectification period, which includes coordination and communication between Dafa practitioners, and which pertains to the advancement of the Fa-rectification and how it is being achieved. The harmonization of one body will radiate the energy that eliminates the impact of the evil that wishes to harm Dafa. I must admit that I was fully cognizant of the evil of the persecution, yet I perceived in myself aloofness and an absence of sympathy with respect to the suffering. I did not like this at all! Therefore I believed I could develop a stronger commitment through Xiong Wei's situation. I also hoped that I could develop a greater appreciation and deeper understanding through repeated listening of experience sharing reports from torture victims during this year's annual meeting of the International Human Rights Association. I sensed that this would strengthen my compassion, which in turn would be of benefit in my contacts with the media and would help me to be of greater help to my fellow humans. Therefore, from the matter of speaking out for our fellow practitioner Xiong Wei, who has been detained some 22 months in the women's labor camp, grew the necessity of establishing a rescue team. A team that is solely responsible for Xiong Wei's release. Being able to cooperate as a team that functions as one body demanded mutual elevation, and, motivation, action and commitment, during Fa-rectification. Every Dafa disciple during this special time is aware of his or her duty, call, and mission, and will improve through it. Once we gained this understanding, we developed concrete rescue operation ideas which were put into action.

Tina: In many ways I gained an understanding of how deeply our thoughts could disturb the Fa-rectification, as well as of the human thoughts I carried and brought forward over and over again. For example, I had been a hindrance to Jack's, my husband, music-related Fa-rectification activities, by playing a passive role, and wanting to have it my way. He was in the studio, and I was with the children at home or he was at a concert and I was running zigzag between two baby cribs. As I didn't begin to practice Falun Dafa until two years later than Jack, I found that, against my expectations, we developed a deep tension that was stronger than I had ever experienced. Our standard response to conflict and quarrels was, "You should look within yourself!" I often carried the thought that "Jack doesn't look within himself" when problems during Fa-rectification activities arose. Only now is it clear to me that one neglects this Fa-principle when one has a dispute with someone else, and when one expects the other to search within. During such moments one is looking at the other.

Caro: One morning I ran into a professor. I asked her if I could have a signature drive for Xiong Wei among the students. She was rather rude, shook her head, and definitely declined. She said that she didn't understand what was going on. I felt rather dejected! How could someone react like this, without asking for a thorough explanation? I reacted angrily and felt disdain. Looking back, it was again the same feeling of being attacked and the loss of advantage to self, as for example in thoughts such as, "She thinks badly of me know" and "What will happen to my exams?" Where was my compassion and tolerance? I realized that I still held a deep fear of being rejected. At the same time I noticed that when I doubted myself, others might also doubt me. Therefore, I noticed one day on the signature list that was displayed in the high school, written in large letters, "Everything is futile!" This should have been a clue that I needed to continue steadfast and righteous on my path, which would include my actions during Xiong Wei's rescue activities, as well as to continue steadily forward in my cultivation, and improve in cultivation continuously. I recalled at the same time Master's words,

A Dafa disciple… what's a Dafa disciple? He's a being created by the most magnificent Fa, (enthusiastic applause) and he's rock-solid and as indestructible as diamond. How could a few words from an ordinary, bad person count for anything? "However evil you are, you can't change me. I simply must accomplish my historic mission, and I must do what a Dafa disciple should do."

Christine: I asked myself often during activities that I embarked on, if it would be of benefit and whether people really would notice them? I expected that when, for example, I published an article in a newspaper, that the reader would sign the online petition for Xiong Wei. Now, I understand that it is not important that I expect something concrete from people, especially since I'm unable to recognize at this moment in time the changes in them, and in their heart, based on the information that I distributed. Admittedly, looking back on my cultivation path, it took some time before I acted more decisively. Also, tolerance is an absolute if one wishes to save sentient beings. In the meanwhile, it was shown to me clearly that nothing we do is senseless, as in other dimensions the effect unfolds and it should be looked at in the historical perspective. We need to understand that his "red thread" holds all, and each Dafa disciple takes his path in accordance with the vow he made.

Tina: A little later I read Master's words,

Whenever you encounter problems, you should each look inward to search for the cause within yourself, regardless of whether you're accountable for the matter or not. Remember my words: Regardless of whether the matter is your fault or not, you should look within yourself, and you will find a problem.

(From Unofficial Translation of "Falun Buddha Fa Lecture at the Conference in Europe")

It became clear to me that I felt unbalanced because of the aforementioned. I still carried the same problems I held all along – fighting and non-cooperation. Especially during Fa-rectification activities we were unable to cooperate. These words from Master showed me clearly a cultivation process, and not to hold stubbornly to the attachment of sentimentality and personal viewpoints. If I think back on how Jack and I used to fight over this CD, I still feel embarrassed over it. It started with the text for the Xiong Wei song. Jack wanted me to write the text. I thought, yes I also want to do my own thing for the Fa-rectification and yet felt as if I was being bossed around. Therefore, the text did not turn out that well and I could not swallow the criticism I received. Finally, I realized that during the Fa-rectification the Fa is the most important issue and not one's ego. It took months before we two could work cooperatively. Jack finally accepted my final version, polished it, and the text was ready.

Tina: I found the most important understanding for me was that one should help each other, Dafa disciples should care for each other, and not expect something from others that one cannot reach oneself. I believe that this is the most difficult issue in my cultivation, that is, regarding myself as a cultivator at all times.

Caro: For a time when I was motivated to call the authorities in China, while talking I played the song "Freedom for Xiong Wei" and the CD about the lawsuit against the evil. I always tried to let the people on the other end of the line understand the truth about this specific issue. If, for example someone reproached me about my call and what I had to say in my broken Chinese, I called again and played the song DeDu. They listened to this and I heard no further scolding. One day I noticed that my loudspeaker had broken down. I tried to look inside but found only things outside of me, and instead of calling again without any background music/information, I just stopped. I soon came to realize that one should not rely on the external and become stubborn. Also this is a kind of "holding on" to something. In the meanwhile I got another loudspeaker that works just fine. Sometimes I get weird ideas, such as, "What am I going to do once Xiong Wei is set free?" or "How am I going to explain the true facts?" I realized, however, that I may not carry these thoughts, as this again is a negative thought and a holding fast to the present situation. This could negatively affect Dafa work.

Christine: After I personally met Xiong Wei's brother, who resides in Israel, we developed the thought about a joint project of a German-Israeli telephone calling week for Xiong Wei. While one team of practitioners send out righteous thoughts and studied the Fa, the other group called at the same time labor camps and the responsible authorities. This was repeated daily during one week, starting in the early morning hours. We concentrated on Xiong Wei, also considered other aspects, such as the lawsuit against the head of the evil, or given death cases we found in the published articles on Minghui Net. These concentrated calls frightened the evil in the other dimensions tremendously, as it had not realized that it had been spotted, and it is scared of light. In spite of personal barriers, such as feeling anxious, combative spirits, no knowledge of a foreign language (such as Chinese or English), differing views, and so on, and each practitioner was able to find, in his own way, approaches for his participation, which enabled him to use the phone. Although many practitioners had the desire to call China, they had not been able to overcome what was restraining them. With the help of our joint agreement our sense of duty developed and the desire to take on the unavoidable and the reluctance disappeared – we simply started to act. My heart throbbed every time I reached for the phone. Yet, the unrest and anxiety became weaker and weaker. Therefore a direct contact with the people in far away China, those who waited to be saved, was established. This way I learned from doing to use my ability to communicate much better. My partners in the phone project were responsible for my thoughts becoming more active, because they asked how they could proceed. After a long telephone conversation with a soldier I got the idea that I could really talk about human activities, such as family, friends, lifestyle, travel and learning about other cultures, etc., besides the truth clarification, so he could not just see me as a Falun Gong practitioner from a foreign country, but could also learn to value my human side.

Tina: Another wonderful example about truth moving mountains in our telephone activities on behalf of Xiong Wei, during the beginning of September, is this: I couldn't participate as planned during the telephone week, because it was early in the morning, and I had to spend time with my children. I also experienced difficulties with the idea of continuously sending righteous thoughts for one hour. I still have difficulties concentrating for 15 minutes. Therefore I called China at night from two to three o'clock and tried to keep righteous thoughts while using the phone. I thought earnestly during each phone call that I wanted to break through the interferences that prevented the recipient from listening to me. I repressed all negative thoughts about the people who worked in the labor camp and the ministries. I viewed the people not as torturers, those who were in control of the persecution, but as mothers, fathers and friends. During those nights I was successful most of the time with my phone calls. One person even called me back and gave me in broken English more telephone numbers. I was shocked at the effect of the clear and righteous thoughts I held at that moment.

Caro: No matter where I am, my thoughts are often in China, and I carry the postcards for the appeal to the labor camp where Xiong Wei is imprisoned, with me. As I understand from the Fa, every person in society is someone to whom we need to tell the truth. It does not matter if I'm shopping, in the train, at the post office or on the street. Everywhere the people are happy to accept the postcard for human rights, which I am using during my rescue work. This allows me to show, at the same time, that the evil arrangements are in reverse, and to expose and eliminate the evil that hides in the other dimension. Once Wei is free, we will have a much better environment to tell the truth. We have to continue with wisdom to help the people understand and the viciousness of the persecution against the Fa during this special time.

Christine: Xiong Wei, because of her personality gives us the connection and a starting point to reach the hearts of the people, and thus helps us expose the methods of the persecution of Dafa disciples in China. We are not only opening a door for the everyday people because of Xiong Wei's situation, but also for ourselves as cultivators, since it keeps our eyes open with respect to the situation in China. The compassion that is restricted by the sentimental feeling to a specific person changes to compassion for all people.

[ Xiong Wei, a former student at Berlin University and a Falun Gong practitioner, was arrested at her home in Beijing, on January 8, 2002, after the Beijing police came into the house to search for Falun Dafa materials. Her brother is an practitioner of Falun Gong and an Israeli citizen who was actively appealing to the Chinese Embassy in Tel Aviv at the time of her arrest. He believes that his sister was apprehended in an attempt to stop him from protesting in Israel. Xiong Wei has been detained for over 22 months in a women's labor camp in China.]