(Clearwisdom.net)
Facts of the Persecution
1) The Xincheng Branch of Beijing Public Security Bureau brutally force-fed Falun Gong practitioners. Five or six policemen brutally beat and kicked a young practitioner who did not cooperate with them. He resisted their trying to insert a feeding tube through his nose, so they pulled his hair, slapped him in the face and forced the tube in his nose, resulting in a stream of blood from his nose and mouth. This inhuman torture went on for ages.
2) Six Falun Gong practitioners of Huaihua City, Hunan Province were illegally sentenced: Chen Keming was illegally sentenced to 11-years in prison for making Falun Gong truth clarification materials. Yang Xiaofei, Zheng Hongxia, and Xiang Zaoxia were sentenced to 9-years, 8-years, 7-years respectively for printing Falun Gong truth-clarification materials. Li Shirong and Yao Jianjun were illegally sentenced to 9-years and 7-years respectively.
Practitioners Exchange Insights
1) Overcome The Issues Of Lack Of Manners And Cultural Differences By Cultivating Our State Of Mind
Some western practitioners are not used to the lack of manners of the Chinese from Mainland China. It had become a tribulation for some that could not be overcome for a long time. I also came across the same issue. However I am a practitioner. I could be at ease in different situations and use kind thoughts toward the shortcomings of others. As a practitioner if one is affected by the misbehavior of others, one must cultivate oneself. This is the basic way to eliminate negative feelings. The perspective of observation is very important. Based on the mind to cultivate, one changes from suppression to depression, to understanding others from the bottom of ones' heart and helping others with kind intention to letting others realize the problem and improve. It is really a cultivation process. You will know once you have passed it. By cultivating your mind and compassion you can overcome all the lack of manners and cultural differences. The standards and concepts formed by individuals amongst other people are limited. No matter how good they are, there is no principle as solid as diamond to persist. Why should one attach to the so-called "self standard"? All the tribulations in our Fa rectification cultivation process are related to our own limitations and shortcomings. Therefore, if we see these as opportunities to purify ourselves, we will become more mature, just like Master hopes us to be.
2) Practitioners from North Carolina Participated in a Town Hall Meeting
On July 29th, eleven Falun Gong practitioners went to a town hall meeting held by North Carolina congressmen. More residents of the city turned up than had been expected.
Practitioners helped the staff move the chairs from the basement to the meeting room. It left a very good impression on the congressmen and their assistants. When the meeting started, residents raised questions that were mostly related to health insurance, unemployment benefits, and child education, etc. Residents seemed to be disappointed and dissatisfied. Their choice of words was also aggressive.
When a practitioner got the opportunity to raise a question, the practitioner told the public about the persecution of Falun Gong in Mainland China, the lawsuit against Jiang, and the persecution of US citizen Charles Li in China. When the practitioner expressed appreciation to the congress people for their support of human rights, people gave them warm applause, the most enthusiastic applause of the evening.
Later on another practitioner got the opportunity to speak. She stood up with a flower basket in her hands, and told people sincerely with a smile on her face: "We are local Falun Gong practitioners. We are here to show our appreciation to the congress people and their assistants for their help and support of Falun Gong." People once again gave warm and friendly applause.
After the meeting, we passed out Falun Gong materials to people around us. Some came to us and said: "We are very happy that you can speak here. You can thus get people's attention." Through this meeting we all felt the importance of clarifying the truth with a pure heart and compassionate state of mind.