(Clearwisdom.net)
Part 1: http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2006/7/22/75777.html
During the Christmas and New Year holidays in 1998, more than 30 Falun Gong practitioners living outside of China spent their holidays to join Fa study and experience sharing in China.
Afterward, the environment became rough in China as Chinese Communist Party (CCP)'s persecution of Falun Gong was launched full-scale in July 1999. Practitioners dropped off at Dalian City where several police cars stood by. Once we studied the Fa together in a conference hall and some plainclothes officers popped their head in and looked about to size up what practitioners were talking about. We simply opened the door to let them listen freely. Since all of Dafa's activities are open to the public, they could listen in without impediment. Meanwhile, if they realized the truth about Falun Gong, they could properly position themselves.
There was a graduate student among the practitioners. He translated for us. Afterward he suffered a mental breakdown from brutal torture in prison. As a key figure of Dalian Falun Gong Assistance Center, Gao Qiuju, was locked away in prison from the beginning of the persecution where he remains to this day. He wrote a poem entitled "Chant in Prison" which is as follows:
"Freedom may be precious as a mountain,
but Teacher's grace is larger than the sky.
He teaches me the Buddha Fa.
Thus I understand the Truth.
I shall lead my life in morality and in dignity.
I shall temper my will in fiery tests.
I shall validate the Fa with my actions.
The bitter tribulations I suffer to validate the Fa will taste sweet to me.
My life may be as important as a mountain,
but the Truth is more important than the sky!"
Many practitioners could not help but have tears well up in their eyes while hearing this song. There are still several practitioners whose faces often appear in our memories. We are very concerned about them and have no idea as to their living conditions. Dafa is good and unadulterated pure land. Several cultivators who follow "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance," however, suffered brutal persecution by Chinese Communist Party tools for no reason. Furthermore, many practitioners have, indeed, had their organs harvested when they were still alive. The evildoers' behavior is not acceptable according to heavenly principles. Both heaven and humanity are indignant.
More Than Ten Thousand Dafa Practitioners Perform the Exercises
In Dalian City, many people cultivate Falun Gong. A lot of practitioners performed the exercises at different places throughout the city every morning and evening in those days. On New Year's Day, practitioners did the exercises on the square of Central Dalian. There were about eight to ten thousand practitioners who performed the exercises from New Year's Day to Jan. 3, 1999. About five, eight or even ten thousand people did the exercises everyday. The scene was spectacular. With the practice music adorning the atmosphere, everyone's movements were neat and tidy. Practitioners concentrated their attention to perform the exercises. The energy field was very strong and very pure. Before that day, I had never felt such a feeling as though I were a single drop immersing into a vast sea. I felt especially broad-minded and pure.
The last morning, practitioners performed the exercises at the beach. We formed orderly ranks along the seaside to create an unforgettable scene.
After doing the exercises, the coordinator announced that practitioners visiting from outside China would be returning home that day and asked local practitioners not in a hurry to get to work to please stay for a while.
Many practitioners remained behind. If you could just imagine this exquisite scene of a boundless sea of practitioners as they waved farewell to us. Then we went around the stadium nearby and made our adieus. Under the warm applause, we waved our hands, wept and walked slowly through practitioners who stood in a row. Dalian practitioners clapped and waved their hands. They smiled with a mix of tears. Everyone's faces glowed resplendently. This scene is deeply imprinted in many practitioner's hearts and remains a precious memory.
Now long after returning home, when I do the exercises, it seems as if I can still see them in Dalian that day. Those kind and familiar faces appear before my eyes. Although several years have passed, whenever practitioners who visited China get together and reflect on our visit to Mainland China, the wonderful and magnificent feelings spontaneously arise within us.
The persecution of Falun Gong has lasted over 7 years. Those of us living outside China have not seen Mainland practitioners again. When we work to raise awareness abroad to rescue practitioners in China, the loving concern of Mainland practitioners who were so very cordial and hospitable during that unforgettable visit remains in our hearts. Many practitioners have written moving songs and poetry to convey our yearning that the world take heed and stop the persecution. In the meanwhile, we also look forward to having group exercises with practitioners in China once again.
We believe the end of the persecution will take place very soon. We had just begun to practice Falun Dafa when we took that memorable sojourn. When we reunite, after practitioners have weathered such monumental tribulations, it will be like a gigantic cosmic system rising from the ashes--the indomitable Buddha Fa's return to the human world. We are Dafa practitioners who walk on the path to godhood. Indeed, we will meet, greet, and celebrate Falun Dafa in a glorious hour of transcendental splendor.
