Our Anti-Torture Exhibits Should Reflect the Strength and Dignity Shown by the Practitioners Facing the Real Thing in China

Falun Dafa practitioners have held many anti-torture displays in recent months. I heard many experiences from fellow practitioners who took part in the displays about Falun Dafa disciples' being tortured, and I would like to share my insights.

In most anti-torture displays, Falun Gong practitioners were shown as miserable victims, which to my understanding, should not be. There have always been two choices in front of Falun Gong practitioners, either sign their name to give up cultivation and escape the cruel torture, or keep their faith and go through the torture. What is the difference between what they have to face and what Jesus' disciples had to face? If you were known to believe in Jesus, you would be pushed in the lion's cage, unless you said, "I do not believe." Our fellow practitioners must choose between life and death every moment in China. What kind of mindset must our fellow practitioners have to choose between believing and not believing? What kind of images do our fellows have when choosing between being gods and humans?

Whenever I read Chinese practitioners' experiences, I only feel their nobility in my heart! I believe during the torture, and during righteous thoughts to resist the evil persecution, it looks like our fellows are being tortured, but in other realms, they are reborn from human to gods, and it is a process of the old forces being completely eliminated.

I recall the report of a story in which several Falun Dafa disciples were paraded around the street while bound up. At first many in the audience cursed and threw things at them. Suddenly, some in the audience saw these disciples turn into images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas¹, and thus the cursing stopped.

Let's think about it, if those images of miserable victims were presented as those fellows who were bound and being paraded in the streets, would they stop the cursing or would they only win some sympathy? What are the images of Gods or Buddhas being tortured?

A different performance would result in different effects. I remember one practitioner was performing the part of a victim of the hanging torture in Washington DC. Although she was being tortured, her calmness, firmness, and nobility moved many passersby. Many journalists and audience members took pictures of her.

We are not simply being tortured. In order to be responsible to all righteous factors, and to our sentient beings, we are brave enough to face the evil. On the human side, we might be enduring tortures, but in the other realms, we are eliminating evil. We should display Dafa disciples' dignity when facing the battle between righteousness and viciousness.

Terms:

1. Bodhisattva - Enlightened being with Fruit Status in the Buddha School