大海訪談｜SEA Talks｜第8期｜初心堪守天無絕路

Falun Gong practitioners of various ethnicities can be found all over the world. What underlying force is attracting practitioners from diverse cultural backgrounds? Follow "SEA Talks" to learn about their perspectives on nature, life, and society Ling-ling's family is about to arrive When you were young What kind of environment did you grow up in? My family was in the countryside I have one brother and one sister My father used to work in a factory My mother was just an ordinary farmer My mother said I was very obedient when I was young Usually, when my brother and sister went to school My mother said, You stay at home and take care of the house by yourself So, I would stay at home alone and didn't go out The whole environment during my upbringing was very simple When others said something, even when I didn't understand the true meaning for example, when what others said was actually the opposite but I would understand it directly I belong to that kind of person If you're kind, people will say you're stupid So, I thought, What should I do? Sometimes, I'm a little confused But I like reading books I used to like reading a magazine It was called "Reader's Digest" Later, they said it was too similar to the American "Reader's Digest" So, it became "Reader's", and I especially liked reading it Some Taiwanese people wrote about Their relationship with Zen Buddhism I seem to really like that kind of quiet worshipping environment kindled by faint light The feeling of a Zen master Later, when I went to school In junior high and high school, I gradually understood society But that very simple part in the heart has always been preserved there So, when I was in my second year of college one time, when our Shandong fellow villagers had gathering a classmate mentioned Falun Gong to me I didn't pay too much attention to it at the time Later, at our campus, there was a wall where they would post information like some posters or various activities One time my roommate told me she saw a notice there about a 9-day Falun Gong class She said, "I think you are very suitable for it" And she said it was related to Buddhism Well, when I heard that, I was quite interested, so I went I know some things are good in this class, but there are a lot of things that I don't understand. But there is one thing that I understand particularly well It's truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance I know that being a good person is the right thing to do I just feel very happy about it It's like, "Oh, that person should be a good person." It's just like that, that kind of feeling So, that means... You started to learn Falun Gong when you were in college Yes How did you start to persist in practicing it? Master Li talked about some things in the practice such as Taoism and Buddhism Because I had never been exposed to these things before I didn't understand them very well But I was very curious The environment I grew up in my parents... They often talked about some unnatural phenomena For example... For example, when a person suddenly becomes mentally ill but what he says is very reasonable it's like another person like someone who has passed away around him is speaking It's similar to this kind of thing Sometimes there are people in our village who go to have their fortunes read which means they can tell you about things that have happened in your family and things that will happen in the future based on the look of your facial features This is something that modern science cannot explain Although I don't understand the deep reasons behind these things when I was young... I grew up in this kind of environment, and I remember it very clearly When I was in elementary school a fortune-teller came to our house he even talked about my older brother another older brother before my present older brother Now I have a brother who is eight years older than me He said my parents had another baby boy who was born tall and strong but he died before he was one year old Only a few people in our village knew about it because it was a long time ago My parents also rarely mentioned it to us But he told us about it and he also said some things about my present older brother He wanted to take my brother to learn a practice but my father didn't agree So, when I was young, I had some exposure to these things but for very deep things I didn't understand them, but I believe... there are many things that are unnatural things that people cannot explore and I believe in these things Did you find answers to these questions after practicing Falun Gong? Yes, I did Master Li Hongzhi talked about all these phenomena in the book "Zhuan Falun," and explained why A person's life is predetermined from birth when a person is born It's about a person's future or past We can't see it But maybe those who practice cultivation can see it They can see these things You have been practicing Falun Gong for many years, right? Have you personally experienced these abilities? I haven't experienced all of them But I have experienced some things About the rotation of Falun Yes, when I first started practicing When I held the wheel in my hands Holding the wheel on both sides I felt Falun rotating on both sides And there is a small Falun rotating in the lower abdomen Just as Master mentioned in "Zhuan Falun" Rotating nine times clockwise and nine times counterclockwise I felt it Is this feeling very real? Yes, very real And I could feel that The clockwise and counterclockwise rotation were very obvious You can't see it from the outside But you understand that it's not an illusion Definitely not an illusion I felt it very rationally and clearly Another time When we practiced in the morning at campus it was around 5 o'clock my body was in a state of eliminating karma, as described in "Zhuan Falun" That day, Excuse me for interrupting, but what does "eliminating karma" mean? I understand that eliminating karma means the negative things that happen to people such as aging, sickness and death everything is caused by karma, the result of one's actions When people encounter suffering such as difficulties in daily life it is because of the bad things they did in the past It is the accumulation of negative karma What is this karma? My master said, not in his exact words It is a black substance When someone does something bad like staring at someone angrily or punching someone they will create karma They accumulate this black substance It doesn't exist in our space However, it is a form of material existence It's just that the naked eye can't see it One time, when my karma was eliminated I felt a little uncomfortable I felt like I needed to have diarrhea Then I felt a little weak Then I did a Falun Gong exercise I already felt like I didn't have the strength to lift my arm But just when I felt weak A surge of energy pulled my hand up It's like the energy lifted my hand for me.The energy pulled me along as I did the exercise My master said that for each student who truly practices and cultivates the energy mechanisms will be installed That energy guided my hands to do the exercises So, all of this is very supernatural It strengthened my belief in this practice What did you study in college? I studied Computer Science and Applications Did you get assigned a job after graduation or did you find one yourself? The persecution happened before I graduated The university required us to write a guarantee statement promising not to practice Falun Gong I refused to write it and was suspended from school Oh, how long were you suspended for? Two years. Wow It was like the sky was falling at that time I grew up in a rural area and my parents worked very hard to support my education There were very few college students from my village and I was one of the first to be admitted to college What year was that time It was in 1996 I was forced to take a leave of absence It was really painful for my parents and my brother and sister-in-law had to go to school to negotiate I didn't want to take a leave of absence, did I? but there was no other way They wanted you to say things that went against your conscience but I couldn't do it. My father started practicing because of me He thought the practice was good. He started practicing too As for my mother She wasn't well-educated and didn't understand what was good But she also thought it was good and didn't object. So my father and mother didn't object to my practicing But my brother and sister-in-law were deceived by the lies of the China government and they strongly objected That must have been a lot of pressure for you during that time Yes，When I was young although my family was not wealthy I lived a happy and simple life. But during the crackdown, I understood what heartache was My heart was in severe pain... How did you end up overseas? Well, the first time I went to appeal was in April 2000, I think In October 2000, I went to appeal again That time, I was sentenced to two years in prison In 2004, I went to work in Shanghai Because I had a classmate in Shanghai who had read the book Zhuan Falun. She thought it was very good and she had always supported my practice After she learned about some of my experiences she sympathized with me She said, "Come work in Shanghai and stay at my place first". So I went to Shanghai At first, I stayed at my classmate's place Later, I rented a place to live I also told people about the truth of the persecution of Falun Gong I was reported by someone and then I was sentenced to three and a half years in prison I was detained from January 2005 to July 2008 When I was in prison, I made a vow to myself I said that no matter what, I would leave China in the future Because this is not a place where normal people can stay Coming out of prison I married my husband My husband said let's go abroad. But my passport has not been approved. Oh I met my husband when I was in Shanghai I had just met him at that time In fact, we only met once Then I was persecuted and was sent to prison I didn't expect him to... One month after I came out of prison He called me He found me in our hometown (by phone) Then we got married It's amazing, isn't it? You guys are really lucky to have such a strong predestined relationship! You only met once, and then waited for so long Waited for more than a year, right? Three and a half years. Wow， waited for so long time So, under what circumstances did you meet? At what was the environment for your first meet? I was in Shanghai at that time. We used to go to a online technical forum to discuss professional issues Because I was doing computer science, and he does too So we met each other online Then he came to Shanghai on a business trip We met for the first time Because you both practice Falun Gong, right? So there is already a foundation like this Right, so we don't need too much language communication Later, my husband... He applied for a passport first He came to the United States first He has been here since 2012 Oh, I left the mainland in 2015. Did you go to the US directly? It wasn't. Because I didn't have a passport I was forced to smuggle into Thailand with my child The journey must have been very difficult We took a bus, the human trafficker drove us He took us through Myanmar And then we arrived in Thailand My husband had already applied for our reunion, and it had been approved It was because I didn't have a passport in China I couldn't leave the country When I got to Thailand The International Refugee Organization gave me refugee status The US Embassy in Thailand could then issue me a tourist visa So I was able to come over So you were reunited in the United States Yes, our child was not yet five years old when we came out Oh, how's the adaptation to living here? Ah, we adapted well as soon as we arrived No problem with adaptation at all And there's no problem with the language, right? Yes, although our language skills aren't very good But we can still manage basic communication The key is that... I feel like this environment is where I truly belong I don't feel any pressure at all I don't even need to go through an adaptation process It's just great What about your family now? Do you keep in touch with your relatives in mainland China? They still feel pressure, don't they? My older brother felt some pressure for a while Because when I came out I needed to get a new second-generation ID card But the police station where my household registration was located refused to issue me one They were giving me a hard time My daughter was born and didn't have a household registration for a long time Because my husband belongs to a collective household registration as a university graduate So we couldn't register our daughter And the local police station wouldn't accept me either So our child couldn't get a citizen registration Later on, my brother helped me find a friend to register us Then, because of what happened to me after I moved overseas my brother got dragged into it He and his friend who helped me get registered were both implicated He helped me, but ended up being implicated He really had to bear a lot of burden When I was trying to register citizenship for my child really needed running back and forth. I lived in Nanjing and had to go to Shandong I don't remember how many times If the child didn't have a citizen Household registration they wouldn't be qualified to go to school. It got to the point where I had no idea and had no way out For the sake of my child I sat on the floor of that police station and cried my heart out It was just too difficult. There's simply no solution at all My child was particularly happy after coming to the United States She really likes the United States She just feels that here... there's no need to worry or be afraid, and every day is very happy Your main hobby is... doing graphic design Yes, because I really like it Because I also studied graphic design myself Did you self-teach? I attended a training course, but didn't study for very long Later, I learned a lot on my own I delved into it So your life is very rich Very rich and colorful Yes, I also like photography You also like photography Hmm, this is one I took This is one you took? Yes. Wow! It's just a girl modeling for us Were the background lighting all natural? Yes, yes, it was all natural lighting, taken outdoors Wow, did you use a professional camera? Yes, I used a Canon camera to take it Oh, last year I participated in a... training class It lasted several months Every Saturday, someone would model for us and we would learn how to take pictures I really enjoyed it Actually, if I had the time... I might go out every day to find outdoor scenes to photograph But I don't have that much time Maybe when I retire, I'll specialize in photography Oh, I also like drawing. Oh! I signed up for that class... But I don't have the time to attend classes right now I'll go learn once my daughter is independent learn sketching I learned graphic design in China for about a year There was a lot of drawing still-life sketches, and such In our class, I was the best at drawing even though I was the oldest Actually, when it comes to drawing... I think it need a talent for it Without talent, even if you work hard...you might not necessarily do well My dad paints oil paintings, so even though I haven't painted... I'm better able to understand a lot of things I'm good at colors too At that time, my teacher put all of my colored drawings on the wall... because he thought they were pretty good I seem to have a natural sense for color He said that the colors I used were very clean Our teacher said this when I was in China So that's why I say you need talent to draw Not everyone can draw well Even if you work hard, it's hard to reach a high level Ling-Ling, thank you! You spent so much precious time today... chatting with me about your life experiences Thank you! Thank you too for letting me reminisce about the past