Dickson Herald (Tennessee): Walker hopes to bring an understanding to Falun Gong, persecuted practitioners

Peace simply emanates from David Lee Jerke as he speaks, the calm evident across every facial feature, He exudes the practices in which he believes, the reason he's chosen to walk from Washington, D.C. to Los Angeles.

That trip, primarily on Highway 70, put him in Dickson Wednesday.

Jerke wants to spread the word -- Chinese people are being persecuted in their home country imply for choosing to be practitioners of Falun Dafa, a meditation and balancing of mind and body method introduced to the public just nine years ago.

For that reason, Jerke is walking cross-country, and plans to fly to Beijing, China, go to Tiananmen Square and practice for all to see when he's completed the U.S. trek.

Because practitioners of Falun Dafa, or Falun Gong, don't belong to a society, congregation or club, tracking their numbers is difficult. However, estimates are that 70 to 100 million Chinese practice it and it's practiced in more than 40 countries worldwide. Its teachings are offered in at least 12 different languages.

"I want to be a voice for a people who don't have a voice over there," said Jerke, 33, a Takoma, Wash., native. "Their legal options, their appeals, have been taken away from them and practitioners of Falun Gong are portrayed as evil, that it destroys people's lives.

"My experience is that it's just the opposite."

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"My circumstances really were perfect, I had no job, no family and has savings from a well-paying career," Jerke said. "So far, though, the out-reach of the American people has been fantastic...I haven't used any of my savings yet.

"I thing, as a Caucasian, perhaps I can bring to Falun Gong a greater level of legitimacy in this country. And, to the people and politicians who think this is a Chinese thing, it's not; it's practiced in 40 countries -- its' really a humanity issue.

"It's these peoples' story of courage, of dealing with adversity in a peaceful manner that was so inspiring to me."

Falun Dafa founder Li Hongzhi wanted the meditation practice to differ from other qigong practices in that he wanted to cultivate not only physical wellbeing, but also one's moral character in daily life. Two books, Falun Gong (Law Wheel Qigong) and Zhuan Falun (Turning the Law Wheel), are available so individuals may learn the techniques on their own.

Most of all, though, Jerke simply wants people across the world to realize the benefits of Falun Gong and to lend assistance to those persecuted abroad because they choose to practice a mediation technique not endorsed by the ruling party.

"I expect to end in mid-February," Jerke said of his six-month trip. "It'll be nice to end up on the beach."

Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2001, was proclaimed Falun Dafa Day in Dickson by Mayor Donnie Weiss Jr. as a show of support for Jerke's efforts.