Saturday, June 29, 2013

A Song for the World: Interview with Singer Drew Parker (Photos)

“What is most miraculous about Falun Dafa is that it really has the mighty power and virtue to change people’s hearts, since it is not just a concept. Whenever I run into conflicts, the first thing on my mind is Dafa principles, and naturally I can control myself and calm down. I always wanted to become a friendly and peaceful person, and Dafa is making my dream a reality. I’m getting closer and closer to being the type of person I desire to be.”

June 24, 2013 | By Heyu, a Minghui reporter
(Minghui.org) Drew Parker is a popular singer and songwriter from Canada. His Falun Dafa-themed song “Mother China” received honorable mention in the 2010 Billboard World Song Writing Contest and ranked in the top 500. His album “On My Way Home,” which includes “Mother China,” made it onto the 2009 Grammy Awards entry ballot.
'通俗歌手、词曲作家德鲁·帕克'  
Singer and songwriter Drew Parker
Drew graduated from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro with a computer science degree and is now a video game software designer. He and his wife, along with their three lovely children, live in Toronto, Canada.
Born into a musical family, Drew has been sharing his talent and passion for music on stage since he was young. At the celebration of the 21st anniversary of Falun Dafa’s introduction to the public in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 8, 2013, Drew performed a song titled “Changed in the Maze,” in which he wrote about how Dafa cultivation has changed his life.
'二零一三年五月八日,加拿大首都渥太华国会山前,德鲁与妻子及儿子在法轮大法传世二十一周年庆祝活动现场'  
Drew, his wife and their son in front of Parliament Hill in Ottawa on May 8, 2013.
Changed in the Maze
Drew started Falun Dafa cultivation in 2000 while he was still in college. A young man with a keen interest in traditional Chinese culture and spirituality, he happened to come across the Falun Dafa website while surfing online. After he finished reading Zhuan Falun, he realized it was exactly what he had been looking for:
“What struck me the most at the beginning was Dafa’s emphasis on the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance that one should follow to be a good person. The very first time I read Zhuan Falun, I got a strong feeling that Dafa is so pure and sacred. I’d tried many other spiritual things in the past, yet never had this feeling. Unlike other [qigong] schools, Dafa is totally free of charge, yet what it gives me is priceless.”
Soon, Drew found himself changing from the deepest layers within:
“I’d read a lot of books in the past, but none of them seemed able to change me. I still had trouble controlling myself whenever there were conflicts. I used to be a quick-tempered person who appeared nice but would fly into a rage when annoyed.”
“What is most miraculous about Dafa is that it really has the mighty power and virtue to change people’s hearts, since it is not just a concept. Whenever I run into conflicts, the first thing on my mind is Dafa principles, and naturally I can control myself and calm down. I always wanted to become a friendly and peaceful person, and Dafa is making my dream a reality. I’m getting closer and closer to being the type of person I desire to be.”
Singing was once Drew’s whole life, but it also brought him a lot of anguish:
“When a singer performs on the stage, he always wants to bring happiness to his audience. However, I found that for the most part I was trying to show off my talent and as such often felt anxious about the results. When the performance didn’t go so well or smoothly, I’d throw a tantrum at my team. I always felt it was other people’s fault. I worked hard for my reputation and fame, and my obsession with perfection bothered a lot of people. I didn’t know why I had to behave that way.”
“After my Dafa cultivation, the answer gradually became clear to me. My problem resulted from my lack of confidence. I always felt that I wasn’t a good enough musician. I knew that only through cultivation could I change myself.”
As he kept cultivating and improving his xinxing, Drew finally got rid of his show-off mentality and constant desire to get attention:
“This was a wonderful change in my life. Now I sing with a pure heart, and I only think of my audience. I hope to help them with my songs, and I am no longer the old me who only wanted to feel good about himself.”
As a composer, Drew feels that the most important part of a song is a good theme, one that resonates with the audience and brings light and hope to them. “Changed in the Maze” is one such song, which he uses to share his wonderful experiences in Dafa:
“I was once deeply mired in personal troubles, and there seemed no way out. I always failed to control myself during conflicts with others and thus caused tremendous harm to my family. I’m sure many people have similar experiences. Nobody wants to live that way, but somehow they have trouble mitigating conflicts, which eventually spiral out of control. The end result is everyone is angry and sad.”
“We all want to be saved but see no miracle happening. Can you imagine that kind of helpless and desperate situation? For a long period of time I lost any sense of shame and saw my hope shattered. I doubted if I’d ever recover and bounce back. ‘Changed in the Maze’ is an accurate depiction of what happened to me.”
“It is Dafa that changed me and saved my family from breaking up. Everything that I was about to lose came back to me, and the endless worry and anguish were gone. I saw light in my life again. What a wonderful thing to be saved in despair! Falun Dafa is good! It changed me in the maze.”
Mother China, Please Tell Me Why all This Happened to You?
Drew was extremely shocked when he first learned of the brutal persecution of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) practitioners in China:
“People [are] killed for practicing Falun Gong and following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance just like me? I was in disbelief and had to check the news online every day to see if there was a turn for the better. When I saw the death toll growing, I knew everything was true. Reading about the victims’ plights pained my heart and made me cry.”
Being jealous that the number of Falun Gong practitioners in China exceeded the number of Communist Party members, then Party chief Jiang Zemin launched the nation-wide crackdown on Falun Gong in July 1999. Under his policy of bankrupting practitioners financially, ruining their reputation and annihilating their physical bodies, hundreds of thousands of practitioners were sent to forced labor camps and prisons, where they were tortured and injected with unknown substances.
Drew explained: “The state-controlled media fabricated one lie after another to fool the Chinese citizens. Every day we see innocent people harmed. It is not a new tactic for the Chinese totalitarian regime to pit one group of people against another one considered ‘outlaws.’ Several decades ago, Hitler used the same tactic and killed 6 million Jews. It’s extremely important to tell China and the world the truth of the persecution.”
In order to appeal to the Chinese regime to stop the persecution, some Western practitioners made the long journey to Beijing to have their voices heard. On February 24, 2002, Drew stood on Tiananmen Square and unfurled a banner reading, “Falun Dafa is good,” together with over 40 other practitioners from the United States, Canada and Europe. They were met with beatings, detention and, eventually, deportation.
Upon returning home, Drew began to use music to inform people of the persecution that is still happening in China today. In 2004, he composed a song called “Mother China,” in which he wondered why Falun Gong practitioners were being framed, defamed and even killed for upholding benevolent traditional values.
The message about the persecution deeply touched people’s hearts, and the song received honorable mention in the 2010 Billboard World Song Writing Contest. Drew’s album “On My Way Home,” which included the “Mother China” single, also received multiple Grammy nominations.
On September 18, 2005, Drew performed another song on the subject, titled “Child, I’ll Take You Home,” at the Orphan Rescue Concert held at Sanders Theatre at Harvard University. Many people were moved to tears.
'二零零五年九月十八日,德鲁在哈佛大学圣德思剧院营救法轮功孤儿慈善义演上演唱《孩子,让我带你回家》(飞越风雨的和平鸽),令很多观众感动落泪。'  
Drew singing “Child, I’ll Take You Home” at the Orphan Rescue Concert held at Sanders Theatre at Harvard University on September 18, 2005.
Drew said: “Falun Dafa teaches people to follow the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to conduct themselves. Even if a person cannot commit to cultivation, he can still benefit from following this principle. Attack on this principle equates to telling people to be bad. No wonder no one in any normal society ever agrees with the persecution of Falun Gong. They all think it’s too crazy to persecute such a group of people who work hard to be good.”
“Chinese people are deprived of the right to be good and are persecuted instead. This is scary injustice.”
Looking Forward to the Day When Everything is Renewed
Drew once sang a song composed by another practitioner, called “When Seawater Turns Sweet.” The soul-searching lyrics hit home with many people; they couldn’t help but shed tears.
Drew’s deep voice and excellent delivery has further made this song a favorite piece for many:
Seawater is so salty, but why, oh why? 
A poet quietly replies, 
“It’s from thousands and thousands of tears, 
bitterness and suffering for ages and years.
I look forward to the day, 
when seawater turns sweet.”
When all good people all over the world, 
Together, finally, have made it through 
to the spring in which everything 
everything is renewed.
When seawater turns sweet.
Why is sea water so salty to the tongue? 
It’s said a sage left this answer once, 
“It’s from Buddha’s tears of compassion, 
Because of all his lost children.
I look forward to the day, 
When seawater turns sweet.”
When all good people all over the world, 
Together, finally, have made it through 
to the spring in which everything 
everything is renewed.
When seawater turns sweet.

(http://youtu.be/igqFFdR8TL4)

This song depicts the struggle of lost souls during the seemingly endless reincarnations and shows their desire to return to their true home. It also reminds people that we were all once beings in higher realms, and that Gods and Buddhas have never given up on us and are awaiting our return.
Drew and Falun Dafa practitioners all over the world are working diligently to wake up lost souls. We all look forward to the day when the persecution ends and everything is renewed. 

法光遍照各国城镇(图)

迄今弘传于世界一百多个国家的法轮大法(法轮功),其揭示的“真、善、忍”法理和五套功法,使学炼者普遍道德提升、身体健康,让亿万人身心受益。不仅各国大城市与旅游景点随处可见法轮功学员炼功的身影,许多乡间小城或偏隅小镇的居民也有幸得到法轮大法的福泽,越来越多的民众知道了法轮功,开始走入修炼行列。

【明慧网二零一三年六月十九日】(明慧记者唐恩综合报道)二零一三年六月九日,乌克兰克里木半岛法轮功学员参加辛瓦斯多波尔市的“历史大道节”,展现法轮大法的祥和美好。当地居民和游客纷纷前来观看功法演示,在一旁学习功法动作,还不断询问有关中共迫害法轮功等问题。主办单位特意为参加该节日的法轮功学员发来感谢信,祝贺词写着:“祝你们成功和兴盛”。
乌克兰法轮功学员在“历史大道节”展现祥和美好
确实如此,法轮功的成功和兴盛早已举世有目共睹。迄今弘传于世界一百多个国家的法轮大法(法轮功),其揭示的“真、善、忍”法理和五套功法,使学炼者普遍道德提升、身体健康,让亿万人身心受益。不仅各国大城市与旅游景点随处可见法轮功学员炼功的身影,许多乡间小城或偏隅小镇的居民也有幸得到法轮大法的福泽,越来越多的民众知道了法轮功,开始走入修炼行列。许多国家的法轮功学员都参与当地社区的艺文活动、节日庆典与校园弘法,让更多有缘之士相偕沐浴在“真、善、忍”的法光之中。
大法福泽十方 不分畛域
二零一三年五月三十日至六月九日,位于法国南部的帕沙克(Brassac)市举办了为期十天的第一届帕沙克沙龙艺术展。居住在附近从事雕刻艺术的法轮功学员,带着自己创作的雕塑作品参加了艺术展,帮助该市民众了解法轮大法的真相。
法国南部的帕沙克民众在艺术展展厅学炼法轮功

二零一三年六月一日是德国“器官捐献日”,法轮功学员在埃森(ESSEN)和斯图加特(STUTTGART)两个城市同时举办了信息日活动,人们纷纷停下脚步,了解中共迫害法轮功的真相,并在反迫害和反活摘器官签名表上踊跃签名。六月八日,法轮功学员也在德国中部城市威斯巴登(Wiesbaden)举办信息日,学员们演示功法,将法轮大法的美好带给威斯巴登,并揭露中共对法轮功的残酷迫害,针对中共活体摘取法轮功学员器官的暴行向民众征集反迫害签名。
明白真相后的德国民众在征签簿上签名支持反迫害

被真相震惊的市长
六月七日,英国古城约克举办真善忍国际美展。塔德卡斯特市(Tadcaster)是靠近约克城的一个小城镇,市长史蒂夫·科布(SteveCobb)专程来参加开幕式,从来没听说法轮功的他被美展画作呈现的法轮功真相所震撼。
英国塔德卡斯特市市长史蒂夫·科布说:“一个人不应该为自己的信仰被监禁和遭受酷刑折磨”

史蒂夫·科布表示:“展览作品清楚揭示出的信息非常令人警醒。在中国,对个人信仰的剥夺仍然存在,对坚持自己信仰的艺术家的压制更是让人不愿相信。这太荒唐了!我们的媒体应该早就让我们知道这个。”
孩子们学炼法轮功
二零一三年五月二十八日明慧网报道,意大利南方著名的私立小学教室里纯真可爱的孩子在教师的带领下,聚精会神跟着大型电子教学屏幕上的教功录像学炼法轮功,悠扬的炼功音乐回荡在教室里,学校笼罩在一片祥和之中。
意大利的小学生们学炼法轮功

这所学校大厅的主墙上镶嵌着“真、善、忍”三个金色的大字,教师在日常教学中贯穿着“真、善、忍”理念,教导孩子在日常生活中要真诚待人,讲真话,不说谎,做事认真;要心地善良,为他人着想,乐于助人;学会忍让,宽容等等,教导孩子从小就做一个真正的好人,让“真、善、忍”的教育伴随孩子的成长。
有缘人学功 闻福音、明真相
二零一三年五月十一日是美国印第安那州印第那波利斯市(Indianapolis)一年一度的亚洲节,当地的法轮功学员在展位前宁静祥和的炼功场面,使很多游人驻足观看,了解法轮功真相。有的人当场学功,很多有缘人听到了大法的福音。
美国印州法轮功学员向游客演示功法和讲述法轮功真相

四月二十四日是加拿大卑诗省齐里瓦克市(Chilliwack)Sardis高中的健康生活日(Healthy Living Day),该活动的组织者今年特别邀请了温哥华法轮功学员为学校师生介绍法轮功。老师们表示,感受到很强的能量场,非常想学功。很多师生询问什么时候有法轮功学习班。来自中国上海的留学生表示,一定去看更多的法轮大法资料。
加拿大卑诗省齐里瓦克市Sardis高中的师生们学炼法轮功

民众签名声援反迫害
二零一三年四月二十、二十一日,波兰法轮功学员在古都克拉科夫(Kraków)市举办法轮功真相图片展和制止中共活摘器官的征集签名活动。展板上令人震惊的事实,使波兰民众纷纷在征签簿上签名,强烈谴责和反对活摘法轮功学员器官的罪恶行径。在六个小时中,有六百六十多位明白真相的游客签名反迫害。
波兰克拉科夫古城广场的游客观看法轮功真相展板
波兰民众签名反对中共迫害法轮功

仅仅最近两个月间,至少就有这么多欧美城镇的民众沉浸在“真、善、忍”的祥和氛围中,随着真相大白于天下,法轮大法的纯正美好终将无远弗届地传播到世界的每个角落,更多的民族和人们会感念法轮大法的恩泽。
背景介绍:
法轮大法(又称法轮功),自一九九二年五月由创始人李洪志先生传出以来,弘传于一百多个国家与地区,使上亿人身心受益;法轮功书籍已经被翻译成三十多种语言在世界各地发行;法轮功在海外获得了超过二千多项褒奖与支持议案。法轮功强调重德修善,祛病健身效果卓著,不收金钱、来去自由的修炼形式,不凭借广告宣传,仅以“人传人、心传心”的方式在社会流传,在世界各地广泛赢得人心。
一九九九年七月二十日,中共开始全面迫害法轮功,至今已证实被迫害致死的法轮功学员至少有三千六百多名,被关进监狱、劳教所的法轮功学员以数十万计;被送入精神病院并遭强迫注射破坏中枢神经药物的法轮功学员达数千名;无数学员被送入洗脑班、或为躲避迫害而流离失所;很多劳教所被揭露活体摘取并盗卖法轮功学员器官的骇人听闻暴行。
二零零六年三月初,中共在苏家屯等集中营活体摘取法轮功学员器官以牟取暴利并焚尸灭迹的反人类暴行被海外媒体曝光。来自国际律师、医学专家和媒体的调查结果显示,活体摘取的器官主要来自被非法关押的法轮功学员。从二零零零年至二零零五年这六年间,在中国有超过四万一千五百宗移植手术的器官的来源无法解释。二零一二年二月“重庆事件”后,中共竭力掩盖的薄熙来、周永康与江氏集团利用政法、军队、医疗系统以活体摘取、贩卖法轮功学员器官的滔天罪恶成为世人瞩目的焦点。

Thursday, June 27, 2013

A Childhood of Suffering: Both My Parents Imprisoned for Practicing Falun Gong

Father was released in winter 2004. He was extremely thin.

When I first saw him, many emotions were welled up in my heart and my tears were uncontrollable.

I threw myself in his arms and cried loudly. 

June 26, 2013 | By Xiaotong
(Minghui.org) My mother was arrested and taken to the Xincheng Police Station in Qitaihe City in late October 1999, when she went to Beijing to appeal for the right to practice Falun Gong. When our entire family went to see her, hoping to bring her home, the police told me that she was not allowed to go home unless she signed a statement saying she would stop practicing Falun Gong. Instead of being released she would be sent to a forced labor camp. I was young and very scared. I cried for a few hours until I passed out. My heart has since been weak, and I have had to avoid strong emotions.
My mother was illegally sentenced in December 1999 for refusing to give up her belief in Falun Gong. She was sent to Jiamusi Forced Labor Camp. At the same time, my father was taken to Qitaihe City Detention Center, where he was detained until New Year’s Eve of 2000.
My father was sentenced to forced labor six months later. I was only ten years old. My elder brother and I lost parental care and were left at home without our parents.
I was born in 1989 to an ordinary family in Qitaihe City, Heilongjiang Province. When I was young, my father smoked and drank, and heavily relied on medication. He took medicine every day, and he also had tuberculosis. The cost of his medication was more than his monthly earnings. My mother fell from a great height in the early years and experienced health issues due to concussion sequelae. She had bad headaches on rainy and windy days. Because my father smoked and drank so much, my mother often argued with him. I grew up in a noisy family.
My parents started practicing Falun Gong in Spring 1997, and subsequently became healthy. My father stopped drinking and smoking, and no longer quarreled with mother. It was amazing. We had a happy family. Although our family condition was average, it was filled with love, and we no longer fought. I had love and care from my parents, and I enjoyed the time we spent together.
However, our happy family did not last long. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a large-scale persecution of Falun Gong on July 20, 1999. The decade-long rampant persecution of Falun Gong practitioners, including my parents, deprived me of a warm family home, and it took away my happiness. I began suffering tribulations, and started my journey to adulthood in a financial crisis and with mental challenges.
My father’s parents passed away before I was born and my mother’s parents live far away in Sichuan. After my parents were illegally detained, my brother, who was two years older than me, and I were left to fend for ourselves.
In the icy cold winter, brother and I had to light the wood stove and cook our meals. How could we manage the house at such young ages? It was very difficult for us. We didn’t know how to ignite the stove. The boiler and heater froze up because of the low temperatures. We often woke up at night feeling icy cold, and we huddled together to warm each other. I could hear mice squeaking at night, and sometimes one would come under the quilt on the bed, which frightened me, and I screamed and cried. Brother and I sometimes hid in bed, looking at photos of our parents, quietly wiping our tears, and then encouraged and comforted each other.
We knew our parents were doing the right thing. Our family benefited greatly from Falun Dafa. When Falun Dafa was treated wrongfully by the CCP, our parents went to tell people the facts about Falun Gong and so safeguard the reputation of Falun Dafa. My parents educated us in word and deed, and wanted us to be honorable and grateful. Although we missed them so much, we were very proud of them.
We had never had to cook before, so we had no idea how much water to add to make rice. When we cooked rice for the first time, it was as hard as rocks. But because we were so hungry, we had to eat it with tears in our eyes. We did not have winter clothes. There were holes in our shoes, and our toes protruded from them. That winter was unusually cold, and my feet were frozen. We had to wear the winter clothes that were thrown away by adults. The clothes were too big for me, and they didn’t keep me warm. The cold wind penetrated my body. I felt pained and missed my parents even more.
We had no income. In order to survive, brother and I used school holidays to recycle garbage. Every morning at six o’clock, we went to the dump to pick out cardboard, plastic bottles, and glass scraps. Half a kilogram of cardboard sold for 20 cents (RMB), a plastic bottle was 5 cents, better ones were worth 10 cents, glass scrap was 5 cents for 500 gm. The glass scrap often cut our hands and legs, leaving scars on us, which are still visible. Bleeding was a common thing. I was only 3′ 9” tall, and wasn’t very strong. My brother looked after me and did not let me lift heavy things. We were small and skinny due to chronic malnutrition.
We were very careful how we spent our hard-earned money. We tried hard to control the urge to buy an ice block on hot days, because we could not afford it. We had to save money for school tuition and only buy delicious food on rare occasions. The hardship of making a living and not having my parents around, changed me from a cheerful girl to a very quiet person.
In these difficult circumstances, despite financial and spiritual persecution, we did not fall behind in our studies. Both my brother and I had excellent scores each semester.
Mother was released in late December 2000, which was a great relief for me and my brother. However, mother had been a housewife, and had no job or source of income. In order to keep us in school and support the family, mother learned to make tofu. She was less than five feet tall, and weighed less than 90 pounds. She got up at midnight every day to make tofu until 5:00 a.m., then went out to sell the tofu. Winter mornings in northeast China are freezing cold. A north wind blows full force, stinging people’s faces. A big bucket of tofu weighs 75 pounds, but my mother weighed only 88 pounds. When it snowed, it was difficult to push the trolley with the bucket. One person simply could not move it. Mother came home very late on days that it snowed.
During the winter school holiday, brother and I helped mother to push the trolley, by tying a rope to the front and pulling the trolley, while mother pushed from behind. Sometimes it was still difficult to move around in the deep snow. After we sold the tofu, we had to discard the leftover water, which we had to move little by little. We also needed to wash the cheesecloth used to strain the tofu. By the time everything was done, it was almost noon.
Mother’s hands became very rough in winter from the hard work. Both of her hands had cracks in the skin and even bled sometimes. She worked so hard, but only earned 200 yuan per month. In order to afford our education, mother lived frugally, and never bought clothes for herself. She took others’ old clothes to wear. As the family burden became heavier, we only had good food on special occasions. Although our condition was slightly better, I deeply missed our father. I had not seen him for over a year.
Father was released from Suihua Forced Labor Camp in December 2001. We finally reunited after nearly two years. I was in heaven, with both parents now home. My dream finally came true. My cheerful spirit returned, and I felt happy every day.
Life is full of uncertainty. Father was arrested again in May 2002, less than six months after he returned home. Again he was sent to Suihua Forced Labor Camp for two years. He was actually detained for more than two years. Home was again shrouded in dark clouds, and mother bore the heavy burden. As we saw her becoming thinner, brother and I felt so pained, but what could we do? We studied hard, did what we should, and we shared some of the chores to help mother.
When brother and I started high school, we had outstanding academic records. In September 2003, brother was admitted to the key high school with honors, after going through immense psychological pressure. I was in my third year of high school. Because of our school expenses, I hadn’t purchased any new clothes for four years. I picked up others’ old clothes, and mother made them smaller to fit me. Mother still sold tofu to support the family, while brother and I still recycled garbage during school holidays to make some money.
Father was released in winter 2004. He was extremely thin. When I first saw him, many emotions were welled up in my heart and my tears were uncontrollable. I threw myself in his arms and cried loudly. Father’s return gave me more motivation to do well in school. I was also admitted to the key high school in the city. Life became peaceful once more.
However, in March 2008, about midway through the second semester of my final year of high school, before starting university, father was again taken to Qitaihe City Detention Center, and mother had to flee and become homeless to avoid persecution. I was grown up by then. I could understand my parents even more. I wanted to seek justice for my father, so I gave up my studies, gave up the college entrance examination, and gave up university. In other words, I gave up my future career. I went to talk with people in the Public Security Bureau and the detention center. Through unremitting efforts, father finally returned home after 56 days of detention. Although I abandoned school, I continued to study at home after father returned. I eventually passed the entrance exams and was admitted to a university.
Our whole family now practices Falun Gong. Without the guidance of the great law of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, I would probably drift like so many others, and would not have my own beliefs and principles. My parents suffered so much from the CCP’s persecution. However, the pain of my childhood did not break my spirit and did not twist my mind, because I firmly believe in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, which guides me in the right way of life.
I wrote out my childhood experiences in hopes that the international community will pay attention to the tragic persecution in China. I hope the unlawful forced labor system will be abolished, as it should not exist in the first place. I hope that the international association of women and children pay more attention to the suffering of children of Falun Gong practitioners. I hope no more children or relatives of Falun Gong practitioners have to go through what we had to endure.