Sunday, March 25, 2018

Prison Couldn’t Change Me—But This Did

“Only God could change him.” This is what people said behind my back. I was a thief, a bandit, a drug addict, and a spoiled brat. But when they saw the change in me, they couldn’t believe their eyes.

This is the story of how I turned my life aroundeven when it seemed there was no hope.
For many people, going to jail would be a wake-up call that signalled they were on the wrong track in life. For me, it was a training ground to learn how to be a better criminal.
The first time I was sentenced to prison I was just 18 years old—I got caught stealing motorbikes from my neighbours.
My parents were extremely ashamed of what I had done, so even though the crime was relatively minor, my dad insisted I be put behind bars in the hope that it would teach me to choose the right path. They were heartbroken, but felt they had no other choice.

Dong Thap in his youth.

Looking back, my predominant qualities of greed and laziness started at a young age. My mom was often sick, so I was sent to live with my grandparents. My family was quite rich and well-known in the area, and it seemed like I was raised more by money than by parental love and guidance. I was defiant and felt entitled, and by grade 2 I had started sneaking out at night to play billiards. I would return having spent all my money. My grandmother would scold me but I didn’t care.
When I was in grade 5, my grandma sent me home to my parents because she could no longer handle my rebelliousness and wayward behavior. After that I was mostly alone, but I was given anything I wanted—except for the love and attention I truly craved.
My parents spent most of their time at work, so they made up for their absence by giving me money. Around that time I had more than 1 million Vietnamese dongs (VND), the equivalent to the average person’s salary for a month. Needless to say, I spent it all frivolously and it was gone in an instant.
By grade 8, I was living a life that other kids envied. I hung out playing games or lazing around day and night and I didn’t bother going to school. I manipulated my mom into giving me more money, sometimes up to 10 million VND. When she realized I was turning into a spoiled brat she stopped giving me what I wanted, so I began to steal money at home. When that was no longer enough I plotted bigger schemes.
I started stealing motorbikes from my neighbors and brought them to a nearby pawn shop to exchange for money. Both my parents were prestigious people, so it was easy for me to get away with it for a while. But as I became more brazen, I sold the stolen property for higher prices and got busted. I was sent to jail when I was barely 18.
(Photo by Mitchel Lensink on Unsplash.com)

In and Out of Prison

I was released from my first jail term after 9 months. The time I spent there didn’t move me to change my ways at all; on the contrary, I considered it an extraordinary experience. I changed for the worse. I learned to get what I wanted through force and manipulation. I preferred violence to get things done. I felt like the boss of my town, and when someone spoke to me in a disrespectful manner I would get back at him in a brutal way—even if he was a relative.
I went from a rich kid to a true bandit. I was like a yakuza and collected “protection fees” or “greetings fees” from shop owners, street vendors, and at markets. I turned to marijuana as my drug of choice. It gave me life satisfaction and enabled me stay in an illusional world where I could forget everything I had done.
My dad was very distressed. He tried to get me back on track a few times but eventually decided to give up on me. Though my mom still loved me wholeheartedly, there was nothing she could do either.
At the age of 26 I officially threw away my youth by being sent to jail yet again—this time for 4 years. I was over 30 by the time I got out. The law might have restrained me but on the inside I was still the same beast. I sometimes felt pity for my parents and wished I had been different. Other times, I wished I could just drop dead so no one would suffer because of me.
After getting out of jail I was determined to start over. I asked my mom for 100 million VND to open a store and promised I would change for good. However, the business was not as successful as I expected, and most of my customers were my friends. I was impatient, and before long I shut down the business. I returned to my hometown and went back down the same destructive path I had been trying to escape. I knew I was hurting my mom, but what else could I do? Making a fresh start seemed out of my reach and impossible.

(Photo by Rainer Taepper on Unsplash)

Narrowly Escaping Suicide

Although I was a disgusting human being, deep down I still had a conscience and often felt torn apart inside over the suffering had I caused over the years. This led to suicidal thoughts. One day, with no hope left, I made my way to a nearby bridge. Without much hesitation, I jumped off. I just wanted the shame, hatred, and negativity of this life to be over.

Yet when death was right in front of me, my desire to live was stronger than ever. I swam frantically in the freezing water and screamed for help. I escaped death by a whisker. Through this experience I learned that I had so much left to do.
I went back home as I had nowhere else to go. My dad didn’t want to see me but my mom believed I deserved another chance. Her love was so strong that it truly touched me. Once again, I tried to change. She found me a wife, who cared for me and wanted to spend the rest of her life with me. However, I was a mess. I kept losing money on my business and I was still obsessed with the lifestyle I once had. My wife cried many tears because of me.
To make matters worse, my parents’ fortune was all gone because of me. My dad was so resentful that he became bad-tempered and was quite aggressive whenever he saw me. The atmosphere most of the time was heavy and tense. I couldn’t bear it, so finally I chose to leave home for two years. During that period I didn’t receive any phone calls or hear from my parents at all. It felt like they were relieved when I left, and I was very disappointed.

How I Learned To Change

Life hadn’t completely given up on me yet, however. I didn’t have much of an education, but I got a job at a factory in Binh Duong and started to earn money legitimately.
One day on the way home from work I noticed a man sitting cross-legged in a park, completely still, for quite a long time. I approached him and heard peaceful, harmonic music coming from his CD player. The music was unfamiliar, but it seemed to light up my soul and enliven my mind.
I sat next to him for about half an hour. When he finally moved I asked what he was doing. He explained that he was practicing Falun Dafa, or Falun Gong, an ancient Buddhist qigong practice based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. He said practicing the five Falun Dafa exercises every day is beneficial for the body and the mind.

Dong Thap practicing the Falun Gong meditation.

I was excited to know about this self-cultivation method that he described, so I immediately borrowed some discs containing the Falun Dafa teachings from him. He told me to just keep them and didn’t ask for anything in return.
I went back to my apartment and put on the first disc. A feeling of warmth and intimacy surrounded me, and the words spoken by the Falun Dafa teacher in the lecture awakened a sense of goodness in me. The teacher spoke of humanity, compassion, and dignity, and I burst into tears with shame. I realized I did not do anything to contribute to my family or society, yet I felt hatred toward my parents for giving up on me.
The next day after I got home from work I played the second disc. I meditated and voiced out loud my desire to practice Falun Dafa diligently and improve myself through following the teachings. Every day I spent time listening to the lectures and I felt like my mind was being purified. After all nine lectures, I started doing the five exercises—four different standing movements and one seated in the cross-legged position.
Although the exercises are very gentle they are also very powerful, and at first I almost passed out after a few of the moves. My body ached for three days and I could hardly walk. Surprisingly, on the fourth day I could sit up straight, which I had been unable to do for a long time due to some health problems. I also felt completely energized. The exercises were miraculous, to the point where it seemed surreal. As I started to feel Falun Dafa’s healing strength, I tried to practice a bit more each day.
I attentively read “Zhuan Falun,” the main book of Falun Dafa, trying to understand the inner meanings and to let go of my destructive tendencies and other negative attachments. The exercises also improved my capacity to function better, and the result showed clearly day by day.

Dong Thap studies “Zhuan Falun,” the main teachings of Falun Dafa.

My Parents’ Dream Comes True

Through practicing Falun Dafa I gave up my bad habits and learned to listen to and be tolerant of others–in other words, I put the other person before myself, as laid out in the teachings. I changed my ways and pushed myself toward truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. I quit drinking and smoking. I relinquished negative thoughts and feelings, and returned home to sincerely apologize to my parents and my wife.

Dong Thap with his mother after reconciling.

At first my dad didn’t want to see me because he believed nothing could truly change me. I had asked for too many chances already. For my sake, my mom repeatedly begged him to forgive me. Eventually, he did forgive me but he didn’t trust me completely. I didn’t care though, because I knew I would prove to him that this time I had changed for good.
When my parents were prepared to give me yet another chance, I returned to Binh Duong to work. I tried my best to incorporate truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance into everything I did, and my business developed smoothly. I had also reconciled with my wife, and every day our relationship grew stronger. She soon gave birth to a baby boy. My wife understood well that Falun Dafa had saved me and brought me back to her, so she often reminded me to study the teachings.

Dong Thap with his wife and young son.

Some years later, when I had a made a good amount of money, I returned to my hometown to be a farmer. My parents could really see how I had turned my life around and they were over the moon with happiness. My neighbors often joked, “You’ve changed, I don’t recognize you anymore!” They asked how such a transformation could be possible, and I told them about Falun Dafa.
Inspired by the change in me, my parents and my neighbors began to learn the practice too. They formed exercise and study groups and have practiced together ever since. They all agree that they have experienced wonderful benefits from Falun Dafa—physically, mentally, and spiritually. In my hometown, the number of Falun Dafa practitioners has grown tremendously.
I have truly been through thick and thin. I used to be steeped in the criminal life and was not able to distinguish between right and wrong, good and bad. I thought no god could save me and that I would live a shameful life until the day I died. Luckily, fate did not give up on me.
It led me to a stranger who helped me change my life by telling me about Falun Dafa. I honestly don’t know how I would have ended up if I hadn’t learned this ancient Chinese practice. It truly led me—an ex-con who couldn’t change his ways even after being jailed several times—to a fulfilling, responsible life and a happy ending.
*Editor’s note:
Falun Dafa is a cultivation practice of mind and body that teaches truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance as a way to improve health and moral character and attain spiritual wisdom.
For more information about the practice or to download “Zhuan Falun,” visit: www.falundafa.org All books, exercise music, resources, and instructions are available completely free of charge.

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WATCH What is Falun Gong?


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8幅美丽的画——西方画家笔下的东方传统之美

【大纪元2018年03月15日讯】(大纪元记者田云编译)丰富的油彩,流动的线条,汇合在画布上,讲述当代的励志故事,描绘善良、勇气和人间奇迹。两位西方艺术家,以谦卑的心弘扬东方传统文化,画出心灵的彩虹。

一个心愿

年轻画家罗思‧普拉特(Rose Pratt)来自英国的康沃尔郡,她开设了“一个心愿工作室”。她在脸书上写道:“‘一个心愿’以纯净的心绘画,呈现美好的事物,与世人分享。”
水彩画《兰花掌》是普拉特为神韵艺术团举办的脸书美术竞赛而作。她说,“当时我很担心,生怕赶不上截止日期。就在那时,我向窗外看去,看到天边出现了半个彩虹。这似乎传递了一个信息,我要试着推出整道彩虹……”
令普拉特欣慰的是,这幅画不仅顺利入围,还获得了竞赛的第二名。
《金莲》是普拉特的第一幅油画,作于2014年。她谈到创意时说:“莲花出污泥而不染,圣洁纯净。画中的金色恰好说明我第一次体会到神奇力量的那种感觉。我努力表现身边的美好与神奇,就是在遵循法轮大法的指引,纯洁的心愿就会变成现实。”

罗思‧普拉特(Rose Pratt)绘制的《金莲》。(Rose Pratt/NTD.tv)

传统与纯净

画家瓦塔纳‧波(Wattana Bo)住在美国纽约州的金斯顿市。他告诉新唐人记者,他的美术作品都是“有目的的艺术”。他的创作宗旨是:以古老的传统和精神绘画,激发人们心中的善良美好。瓦塔纳在脸书上说:“完美的美丽就像纯净的水,恬淡自然。”

《静坐的艾伦》(Wattana Bo/Facebook)

法轮大法于1992年从中国传出,26年来洪传全球,迄今吸引了全世界一百多个国家的各族裔民众修炼。在海外许多国家,都有“洋人”炼习法轮功,这一点也不稀奇。
《莫莉》同样刻画了静坐者的宁静。华人女子莫莉,身穿蓝色的传统服装,神情祥和地打坐炼功。一簇莲花环绕着她,还有碧绿的荷叶。净莲出尘,象征着莫莉内心的纯净无忧。

《莫莉》(Wattana Bo/Facebook)

紫衣仙女,纤指抚琴。悠悠清韵,回荡天上人间。据瓦塔纳介绍,他创作此画,受到了神韵艺术团演出的启发。此画引人遐想:在古代神州,德音雅乐,都是发自心灵的咏叹。

《弹古琴的飞天》(Wattana Bo/NTD.tv)

《真、善、忍》这幅画捕捉了法轮功游行队伍中的一个镜头。三位少女,素服端庄,分别手举“真”、“善”、“忍”三个大字。她们在提醒看客:请不要忘记,有成千上万名善良无辜的中国人,为了坚守真理,为了信仰的自由,献出了生命。

《真、善、忍》(Wattana Bo/NTD.tv)

作为一名艺术家,瓦塔纳一直致力于唤起公众对法轮功受迫害的关注。他利用自己的才华向世人发出呼呼:让我们共同制止迫害。

《停止迫害》(Wattana Bo/NTD.tv)

在《停止迫害》里,画家把三个人物置于图画的焦点:一位青年法轮功学员闭目打坐。在他身旁,一个穿绿色制服的警察一手抡起警棍,另一只手扯著一条写有“真、善、忍”大字的横幅。还有一位女学员坐在地上,手里攥著横幅的另一端。女学员抬起手来,似乎在对警察说:不许打人!
19年来,这一幅景象,在天安门广场,在大陆的千百个角落,都曾经出现过许多、许多次,直至今日。然而,恐怖和磨难,都不能摧毁修炼者的坚定意志。“法轮大法好”的声音,传遍了中国的大江南北。

《集体炼功》(Wattana Bo/Facebook)

漫天风雪,法轮功学员不畏严寒,坚持在户外炼功。尽管气候恶劣,修炼人却能以苦为乐。画家还附诗一首,题为“冬天的暖流”。一片白茫茫中,“法轮大法好”的横幅清晰明亮。天地间,法轮飞旋,见证修者的真心。
责任编辑:苏明真
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观看: 江泽民为什么迫害法轮功?


1305121921312100【九评之五】评江泽民与中共相互利用迫害法轮功

[VIDEO] 连环画音像片:评江泽民与中共相互利用迫害法轮功

Saturday, March 10, 2018

‘Like Suing Hitler’: This ‘toad-like’ leader has over 209,000 lawsuits piled up against him—who is he?

Who is the silliest and most evil political leader in modern history? Most people would say Kim Jong-un since news coverage of his absurd nuclear ambitions are widely reported by the mainstream media. But, other than Kim Jong-un, there’s a shameful Chinese leader who is utterly beneath contempt.
Born on Aug. 17, 1926, former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin has a broad mouth, and wears a thick, square-rimmed glasses over his small, sneaky eyes.
©Getty Images | Minoru Iwasaki-Pool
Attributable to his “toad-like” appearance, clumsy manners, and penchant for donning high-waisted pants over his bulging belly, the 91-year-old Communist Party official has been given the nickname “toad”—otherwise known as hama (蛤蟆) in Chinese—by netizens.
©Getty Images/AFP | Wang Zhao
Judging from his foolish and crafty outward form, the “toad-like” Jiang is a sly and ludicrous tyrant.
And yes, he is.
Jiang climbed the political ladder through endless scheming and plotting, as stated in Epoch Times’ serial “Anything for Power: The Real Story of Jiang Zemin.”
©Epoch Times | Luis Novaes
He is outrageously lavish and corrupt.
“He spent 900 million yuan (over $US 110 million) to buy a luxurious plane for his use. Jiang often drew money from public funds, by the tens of billions, for his son to do business,” the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party wrote.
And he lives a lustful life, having many mistresses, including military singer, Song Zuying.
©Getty Images | Feng Li

After the inception of a new law—which allows citizens to lodge criminal complaints against a current or retired Party leader—by China’s Supreme People’s Court on May 1, 2015, unprecedented lawsuits against Jiang began to pour in.
As of July 15, 2016, over 209,000 Chinese citizens have filed lawsuits against Jiang for his atrocious cruelties, according to incomplete data compiled by Minghui.org.
He has also been sued for genocide, torture, and crimes against humanity in 30 countries and areas, including United States, Switzerland, Australia, Belgium, Spain, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Germany, and Canada.
This wave of lawsuits against notorious Jiang, comparable to the suing of Hitler after World War IIbecame the largest international human rights lawsuits of the 21stcentury.
©Epoch Times | Edward Dai
So, what heinous crime did this senseless Jiang commit?
During his tenure as the leader of the Chinese Communist Party from 1989 to 2002, Jiang did immeasurable damage to China, and committed the silliest offense by launching a brutal persecution to eradicate Falun Gong, an ancient cultivation practice based on the values—Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance, on Jul. 20, 1999.
Initially, most high-level officials in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) refused to stamp out Falun Gong, as they know the practice improves people’s health, and uplifts their morality.
But, the foolish Jiang insisted, out of his personal jealousy, and fearing the 70 – 100 million Falun Gong adherents—coming from all institutions and at all levels of society—would pose a threat to his party’s authoritarian rule. 

“Can it be that we Communist Party members, armed with Marxism, materialism, and atheism, cannot defeat the Falun Gong stuff?” Jiang wrote in a letter to top Party members, The Epoch Times reported.
As a result of his imprudent decision, ten of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners are being tortured inhumanely in prisons, detention centers, mental hospitals, and labor camps without trial.
Torture reenactment by Mr. Zheng Shoujun: Tied up | Image: en.minghui.org
Hoping to eradicate Falun Gong, the wicked Jiang has gone completely over-the-top. He mobilized military police, public security bureaus, special agents, and poured huge amounts of resources for his terror campaign.
To turn public opinion against Falun Gong, he blatantly spread lies in the international community, and utilized the CCP’s overwhelming propaganda machine to disseminate slanderous fabrications about the practice to the whole world.
©Epoch Times | Luis Novaes
The most hideous was the staged “self-immolation” incident on Tiananmen Square on Jan. 23, 2001, which was broadcasted endlessly on TV to frame Falun Gong.
The incident has been proven by NGO International Education and Development Agency at the United Nations in Geneva, as a government-staged plot to deceive people.
He even implicated the practitioners’ family members, or work unit supervisor, and issued a directive that “to ruin [Falun Gong practitioners’] reputations, bankrupt [them] financially, and destroy [them] physically,” and “if a Falun Gong practitioner is beaten to death, it is counted as a suicide.”
©Epoch Times | Benjamin Chasteen
Hence, Chinese Communist authorities can do whatever they want with Falun Gong adherents. They harvested their organs forcibly, and sold their bodies to plastination companies, including von Hagens’ corpse factory in Dalian—for profits.
Ethan Gutman, renowned UK-based investigative writer and researcher, said anestimated 65,000 Falun Gong practitioners have been secretly killed for organ transplantation.
In fact, former Minister of Health for the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) General Logistics Department, Bai Shuzhong, revealed it was Jiang, who ordered the organ harvesting, in a September 2014 undercover investigative call conducted by the World Organization for Investigating the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG).
“Back then it was Premier Jiang … there was an order, a sort of instruction, that said to carry out such things, organ transplantation. … Because back then after Premier Jiang issued the order, we all did a lot of anti-Falun Gong work …,” Bai said in the telephone conversation.
©Epoch Times | Benjamin Chasteen
To keep the persecution on the hush, Jiang enticed foreign governments, and international media with political, and economic incentives.
However, in spite of Jiang and Chinese regime’s efforts to cover up their deeds, no lie can live forever.
©Epoch Times | Luis Novaes
For more than 18 years, Falun Gong practitioners around the world have been tirelessly clarifying the truth, and exposing the persecution to the international community.
“So many practitioners’ families have, due to the persecution, been broken up; some have been killed for their organs, so how can we remain indifferent?” said Hong Kong millionaire interior designer, Zhu Keming.
Zhu was one of the first person to file a criminal complaint against Jiang with China’s highest courts on August 25, 2000.
©Getty Images | Feng Li
Ultimately, good will triumph over evil.
Based on the flood of lawsuits against the tyrant coming in from China and abroad, it is only a question of when, not if, Jiang Zemin and his gang will be held accountable for their historic crimes.
Now, the “toad” is undoubtedly in boiling stew! He must be crouching in fear awaiting his 92rd birthday.

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WATCH Why Jiang Zemin & Falun Gong’s Persecution

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