Some video clips from the "Human Rights Torch Relay":

Athens	Munich	Berlin
Romania	Paris

By Florian Godovits

Epoch Times Germany Staff

Ricardo Leppe carries the torch of the "Global Human Rights Torch Relay" through the streets of Vienna. (The Epoch Times)

VIENNA—"The world should know what's happening in China", explained Ricardo Leppe, 17, who carried the torch of the "Global Human Rights Torch Relay" through the streets of Vienna on Tuesday, September 11th. He and his schoolmates from a high school in Wiener Neustadt/Lower Austria all ran "to stop the Olympics 2008 in Beijing," as one of Ricardo´s schoolmates put it.

A sudden rain shower poured down when the torch was handed over to the Austrian MP Alfred Steinhauser, Judiciary speaker of Austria´s Green Party, on Michaelerplatz in Vienna´s inner city area. Next to him, soprano soloist Melanie Fleck sang the waltz-intro of the song "Human Rights Torch in Beijing" in Chinese when the torch was handed from Steinhauser to Leppe, to then make its way through the inner city area of Vienna.

"The weather doesn't support us, but many people do", said the President of the Austrian section of the International Society for Human Rights (IGFM), Katharina Grieb. The IGFM is among many other human rights organisations like CIPFG (Coalition to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong) or Save Tibet who support the human rights torch-relay.

Members of all parties in Austria supported the event, but not a boycott of the Olympics in Beijing. Artists and athletes also spoke out at the event which was followed by a nearly 4 hour long concert in front of one of the most visited sights of Vienna, the former Habsburg-residency Hofburg.

Austrian MP and Green Party spokesperson Alfred Steinhauser receives the Human Rights torch from Romania on September 11th at Vienna´s Michaelerplatz. (The Epoch Times)

"Torture, executions, organ-harvesting, persecution of various religious and ethnic groups – you name it. China breaks each and every article of the 30 articles of the UN´s Human Rights Declaration", Grieb said. This would disqualify China as a host for such a big event like the Olympic Games.

"We have to use the higher exposure of China to public awareness during the Olympics", said MP Steinhauser. "In a country like China, where cruelty and disrespect against human beings are shown so much, we have to think of other opportunities than just dialogue. But at the moment I think we should talk".

"Those athletes going to China must be aware that they are supporting a system of oppression" said high-school athletics coach Peter Steinwender, who accompanied the torch on its 4-kilometer-path with his students "For sure, I think a boycott of the Games in Beijing is the right thing", he added.

China-born Australian citizen Jane Dai arrived with her seven-year-old daughter Fadu who lost her father through the persecution of Falun Gong in China. Ms. Dai's husband, Fadu's father, was tortured to death in a labour camp. She appealed "to all mothers on earth" to bring an end to the persecution of Falun Gong in China. Children like her own, said Dai, would ask us in the future, "What did we do about this matter?".

by Epoch Times Staff

Miss Xinxia Jiang receives the torch from Martin Bursik Minister of Environment while MP Katerina Jacques look on. (The Epoch Times)

PRAGUE—Many distinguished politicians, athletes and artists from the Czech Republic came out to Prague's Old Town Square to support the global Human Rights Torch Relay.

Martin Bursik, Vice-Premier of the Czech Republic and Minister for the Environment, carried the torch directly to the stage in the Old Town Square. There he passed the torch to Ms. Xinxia Jiang, a Falun Gong practitioner who was brutally tortured in a Chinese Communist Party labor camp. "Rather than talking about my feelings I want to talk about the human rights situation in China," said Mr. Bursik in answer to the moderator's question about how he felt after running with the torch. He also gave a short interview to The Epoch Times on the spot.

ET: During your coming discussions with the Chinese representatives will you mention the kind of things we have just heard from you on the stage?

Martin Bursik: Absolutely. When we hoisted the Tibetan flag in front of the Ministry of Environment in Prague, the Chinese ambassador immediately called me for a talk. At that time I was very busy for several weeks. But now they have again asked me for a meeting and I have confirmed the date. I will meet madame ambassador next week and I discuss those issues. Why? I'm concerned and very clear and they come straight from my heart. I'm sure this time there is more time to discuss human rights issues and I am sure the talks about the human right are going to be more open then before.

ET: Will you also mention persecution of the Falun Gong meditation practice?

MB I will. I have met David Kilgour in Prague (editor's note: former Canadian Secretary of State, investigator of organ harvesting in Chinese prisons) and I listened to his report in the Czech Parliament, where he described the appalling circumstances of forced organ harvesting. That is one side of the issue—the indirect evidence, transcripts of phone conversations with hospital staff, etc. On the other side there is the commonly known fact that Falun Gong is persecuted in China—there is no doubt about that. So of course I will talk about this matter.

Runners Ondrej Liska, MP and Martin Bursik, Minister of Environment, bring the torch to Prague 's Old Town Square. (The Epoch Times)

ET: Are the Chinese representatives planning a state visit to the Czech Republic?

MB The earliest opportunity I will meet the Chinese Minister of the Environment will be during my visit to Bali. There will then be discussions about new commitments in the area of reducing the emissions of greenhouse gases and it is very important for the world to know how China will stand to this matter. This Chinese Minister is known to be one of the "reformists" in today's China and I intend to schedule bilateral talks with him.

Lukas Pollert, Olympic gold medal for whitewater canoeing, carried the torch together with actor Jan Budar on the next stretch to the Chinese Embassy. He briefly addressed the matter as a sportsman and an Olympic medallist.

ET: Do you think it will help the chilling situation of human rights in China, if the athletes will not go to the Olympics?

LP That is not a solution. During the Olympic Games in Moscow 1980, when "half of the world" did not attend, it was shown that this approach does not pay off. When a sportsman goes to a competition, he's in fact going to compete with his friends, as sport is entertainment and not politics; it is entertainment. But from their position, the athletes should call attention to human rights abuses—in addition, as persons of note, they can do it very effectively. For example, they can talk to the reporters before they depart for Olympics and also in China itself. One's conscience is a part of the sport and sportsman should know what kind of country it is he's going to compete in and what are the problems there.

ET: Do you believe the Global Human Right Torch Relay is the very thing that can make a change?

LP As a punk-rocker before the year 1989 [Editor's Note: In 1989 the communist regime in Czechoslovakia fell.] I participated in completely "hopeless" protests. And I would have never dreamt any change would come. And indeed it did come. Even small protests are worthwhile, although it takes painstaking effort and a lot of time.

Eva Kacanu, Czech representative in the shot put, spoke on behalf of paraplegic Olympians. She described experiences from her recent competition in Taiwan, when the communist regime in mainland China prevented her fellow competitors from attending. She described her prescription for improving the human rights situation in China: "The athletes who are to go to China, should go there in any case and raise there, on the spot, their voices for human rights. If the Olympians and Paralympians unite on that, there's nothing they can't achieve."

Jan Ruml, prisoner of conscience, former Minister of Interior, MP, vice-chairman of the Czech Senate and the current head of the Olympic Watch (Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games in a Free and Democratic Country) speaks in support of human rights at the ceremony at Old Town Square in Prague. (The Epoch Times)

Jan Ruml, prisoner of conscience, former Minister of Interior, MP, vice-chairman of the Czech Senate and the current head of the Olympic Watch (Committee for the 2008 Olympic Games in a Free and Democratic Country), was also one of those who wished luck to the Torch Relay: "The Olympic Charter emphasizes respect for the individual and the harmonious development of human personality and upholding of human dignity. None of this is happening in today's China. Thus I think China does not qualify to stage the Olympic Games. I consider this torch to be the sole, correct and proper Olympic Torch and I wish it as much sunshine, as we have today here in Prague."

A number of artists and musicians also made their comments on the stage about human rights abuses in China.

Pepa Nos, songster said: "The ideas of communism were perverse already from their very origin and everyone knows that. But harvesting organs from people who practice Falun Gong meditation ... to dismantle a person for parts and then to sell them ... that is a beastliness that goes beyond the framework of even the communist ideology."

Ridina Ahmed, singer, asked for "Human rights in China, human rights everywhere."

Matej Ruppert, singer for the band Monkey Business, said, "Communist China can never comply with the ideals of the Olympic movement."

Lesek Semelka, also a singer, opined, "Communists said that music with a big beat undermines socialism and in fact it ultimately turned out to be that the big beat music has really contributed to the fall of communism in our country. Artificial songs created by the order of the government could always be recognized by the absence of artistic quality. Good music can help a good thing and I believe in the curative, purifying power of a good song. Even though my songs do not address the question of human rights in China, I'm here because I feel a certain moral obligation. When we had communism here, surely there were demonstrations in many democratic countries to help us all the same, and many people attended them."

During the ceremony at the Old Town Square, various notables read letters of support to the Human Rights Torch Relay including the ex-president of the Czech Republic Vaclav Havel, Defence Secretary Vlasta Parkanova, Vice-Premier for European Affairs Mr. Alexandr Vondra, the Minister of Foreign Affairs Count Karel Schwarzenberg, Bishop Monsignor Václav Malý, silver Olympic silver medalist Adolfina Tacova and Bishop Monsignor Vojtech Cikrle.

The Global Human Rights Torch Relay, a year long event initiated by the CIPFG on August 9, is currently relaying in Europe. It has gained much support wherever it goes. It will arrive in Timisoara, Romania on Sept. 10th and Vienna, Austria on the 11th.

As of August 28, 2007, there are 150 cities in 37 countries and regions that have registered to participate in the Human Rights Torch Relay. They are:

Greece, Germany, Czech, Austria, Romania, Switzerland, France, Slovakia, Lithuania, Italy, Latvia, Estonia, Belgium, Holland, Bulgaria, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Israel, Australia, New Zealand, Ghana, Ethiopia, the United States, Canada, Argentina, Malaysia, Taiwan, Japan, Korea, Indonesia, Macau, Hong Kong and China.

Visit www.humanrightstorch.org for more updates and information.

US Congressman Frank Wolf gave a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives on July 16 that strongly condemned the Chinese Communist authority's human rights violations, the persecution of Falun Gong, and organ harvesting. Congressman Wolf said, "And despite all of these abhorrent acts, China was still awarded the honor of hosting the 2008 Olympics. The Olympic Games: an event designed to lift up 'the educational value of a good example and respect for universal, fundamental, ethical principles,' according to its own charter. Does China's behavior sound like a 'good example' to the rest of the world? Or that it is reflecting "fundamental, ethical principles" that all nations should aspire to? "



US Congressman the Honorable Frank Wolf

Congressman Wolf said, "America must be a country that stands up for basic decency and human rights. America must speak out on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves--men and women who are being persecuted for their religious or political beliefs. Our foreign policy must be a policy that helps promote human rights and freedom. Not a policy that sides with dictators who oppress their own citizens."

Congressman Wolf continued, "China of today is worse than the China of yesterday, or of last year, or of the last decade.

"Imagine a country where factory workers have no workplace safety, labor or environmental protections, and are required to work 80 hour-weeks for no more than $110 per month to produce goods for export.

[...]

"Imagine a country which tortures and imprisons Catholic bishops, Protestant church leaders, Muslim worshipers, Falun Gong followers, and Buddhist monks and nuns just because of their faith and systematically destroys churches and confiscates Bibles.

"Imagine a country which has a thriving business of harvesting and selling for transplant kidneys, corneas, and other human organs from executed prisoners who are thrown in prison with no trial or sentencing procedures.

"Imagine a country which maintains an extensive system of gulags--slave labor camps, also known as the "laogai"--as large as existed in the former Soviet Union, that are used for brainwashing and 'reeducation through labor.'

"Sadly, none of this is imaginary. Such a nation exists. It is the People's Republic of China.

"Sadly, too, that's just part of the list of egregious actions."
He talked about human rights and trade, "There are some who assert that human rights are something that should come once stability has been attained. They say that protection of human rights comes second to attaining economic power and wealth. We must reject that notion.

"During the debate over granting China permanent normal trade relations status, proponents argued that economic liberalization would lead to political liberalization in China, that exposing China to the West's ideas and values would lead them to play a more constructive role in the international community, and that the US and other industrialized nations could influence China through economic activity to better respect the rights of its citizens to fundamental human rights and the unfettered practice of their faith.

"Instead, we have seen why the protection of basic liberties should not come second to economic growth. The China of today is worse than the China of yesterday, or of last year, or of the last decade. China is not progressing. It is regressing. It is more violent, more repressive, and more resistant to democratic values than it was before we opened our ports to freely accept Chinese products.

[...]

"And despite all of these abhorrent acts, China was still awarded the honor of hosting the 2008 Olympics. The Olympic Games: an event designed to lift up 'the educational value of a good example and respect for universal, fundamental ethical principles,' according to its own charter. Does China's behavior sound like a 'good example' to the rest of the world? Or that it is reflecting 'fundamental ethical principles' that all nations should aspire to?

"Amnesty International reports that the Chinese government is rounding up people in the streets of Beijing that might 'threaten stability' during the Olympic Games and is detaining them without trial. Human Rights Watch reports that the Chinese government is tightening restrictions on domestic and foreign media in an effort to control what information leaks out about China's repressive and violent nature during coverage of the Olympics.

"China's desperation to conceal its true character leading up to the Games smacks of the Nazi bid for the Olympic Games. Analysts are likening the 2008 Beijing Olympics to the 1936 Olympics, in which Nazi Germany soft-pedaled its anti-Semitic agenda and plans for territorial expansion, fooling the international community with an image of a peaceful, tolerant Germany under the guise of the Olympic Games.

"Like the Nazi regime in 1936 Berlin, the Chinese government is preparing for the Olympics by hiring US firms to handle public relations and marketing for the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

"Where is the outrage over China's unacceptable behavior? The facts are before us. The United States can no longer say that things are improving in China.

"America must be a country that stands up for basic decency and human rights. America must speak out on behalf of those who cannot speak for themselves--men and women who are being persecuted for their religious or political beliefs. Our foreign policy must be a policy that helps promote human rights and freedom. Not a policy that sides with dictators who oppress their own citizens."

He emphasized, "China poses a threat not only to its own citizens, but to the entire world," and "The United States government and American consumers must be vigilant about protecting the values that we hold dear."


Posting date: 7/21/2007
Original article date: 7/21/2007
Category: Worldwide Support
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/7/18/159119.html

master

Born in the period of the Cosmos's Last Havoc and laden with karma, it is my extraordinary predestined good fortune to encounter Dafa and bask in the luminance of Buddha's infinite grace while Master is promoting the Dafa of the Cosmos. Whenever I recollect these fleeting moments of my life, I realize they priceless and incomparably precious, and I feel so blessed.

I cried the moment I saw Master

In April 1994, I was fortunate to have attended the 7th “Fa” Lecture in Changchun City, Jilin Province. My first impression of Master was that he was so different from the rest of us. He was amiable and approachable. He had a smile all the time, and he was so incomparably gentle, considerate and kind. He thought about his disciples all the time. His attire was simple, yet he was elegantly noble.

Master often sacrificed his own time off in order to help disciples learn the Fa well and advance in their cultivation. He always arrived early to the class, and tirelessly answered questions for everybody. I was like everyone else, always wanted to hang around Master a little longer and listen to him expounding on the Fa more, so I also got to the class early every time. Once, I sat up in the balcony and watched as practitioners started to arrive one after another. Just then I saw Master enter the lecture hall, talking to a practitioner. As soon as I saw Master, my tears welled up all of a sudden. I thought to myself, how come I cried the moment I saw Master? It so happened that day during the lecture, Master mentioned that some of us did not know why we cried the moment we saw Him, and that it was because our knowing sides knew what Teacher had given us. I suddenly realized why I cried when I saw Master: Master had given me so much, so very much, that my knowing side felt it and was moved and cried. Could my human side not cry as well? Later, through Master's lectures on the Fa, I learned that Master gave us a lot; he scooped us up from hell and purified us, he then passed on the Fa of the Cosmos to us – the Fa that one might not come across in eons. He gave us a ladder to ascend to Heaven.

Master said in “Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles” (Feb 25, 2006),

“This Fa-rectification is to effect fundamental changes throughout the entire cosmos. That is why during Dafa disciples' cultivation things are being adjusted for them anew, starting from the microcosmic level, and whatever isn't needed is removed directly. It changes the state of a being at a fundamental level. It's different from how things were when people cultivated before.”

Just think of what Master has done for us! Master has bestowed upon us the title, “Fa-rectification Period Dafa Disciples,” and has given us the sacred mission to save sentient beings, validate Dafa, and safeguard the Cosmos. Master has given us the opportunity to establish our mighty virtue. As Dafa disciples existing side by side with Master during the Fa-rectification period, we are the envy of all the beings in the Cosmos. These are honors that will never be presented in the Cosmos again.

Some practitioners understand it well: “It is not easy for Master to spread the Fa; all these years from the outset, He has not paused for one moment. There are many issues we will never know, or be able to understand.”

Now that Fa-rectification has reached the final stage, and we have emerged from countless difficulties and perils under Master's guidance, I can feel Master's grandness and Buddha's infinite grace. They so magnificent that I could not even begin to describe them with human language.

Master’s boundless compassion

Some people came to the class cursing the whole time. There were indeed people like this. One such person enrolled in the class at the same time as me. He showed no respect for Master. On the way home after each class, everyone was so excited and touched, and recounted the compassion and wonderful time during Master’s lecture, yet this person was constantly interrupting with comments that were very disrespectful to Master. We tried to persuade him otherwise, but he did not take heed. I was upset with him and never joined him again after class.

This person often sat in the first eight rows, right in front of Master’s podium. How could Master not be aware of his bad thoughts? Yet from what I could see each time, when Master finished his lecture and came down from the podium to correct disciples’ exercise movements, as he walked back and forth between the first couple of rows, he had a smile on his face and was full of compassion while watching over each practitioner. When Master came to this person, he also looked at him compassionately the same way, without any difference. This incident really touched me. I felt that Master was not an ordinary person, that he is a saint. I had attended classes by other Qigong masters before. They were crowded around by their followers amidst a plethora of constant flattery. If any students had any suggestion of veiled criticism, the master would immediately explode in the class, and would even retaliate. But our Master’s heart was not moved by this disrespectful person, instead he showed great compassion and tolerance, and took no notice whatsoever of the impertinence. Later, Master said during his lecture, “There were people who were cursing at me even while at my classes. I don't mind. I just want to save you.” (“Fa-Lecture during the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference”) Such enormous capacity of tolerance and boundless compassion! Who can even come close?

During my cultivation later on, whenever I encountered conflicts in “xinxing” and tribulations difficult to overcome, I often thought of Master’s great compassion, tolerance, and his heart that encompasses everyone. Who is Master? He is the creator of the boundless cosmos and countless sentient beings. He is also the arbiter of the cosmos. For the people who cursed at him, He is able to be so forgiving and still want to save them. What a capacity of tolerance and compassion! And I am but a tiny little being, a microcosmic life form on a speck of dust in the cosmos. Whenever I encounter problems, I still argue endlessly for what is right and wrong, and from inside out. Aren't I pitiful? Each time I think of this, Master’s compassion and tolerance give me the needed courage, strength and motivation to raise my xinxing.

Teaching by words and deeds, a role model for the disciples

Master teaches disciples, “He is full of great aspirations while minding minor details.” (“Essentials for Further Advancement”) All disciples know what great aspirations are, but what is the standard for “minding minor details?” In the article published on Clearwisdom, “Recollection of Master with Gratitude,” practitioners recalled that Master always held a proper and dignified posture while walking, resting, sitting or reclining. In all the years, they never saw Master sit cross-legged on the chair or sofa, or stretch out. For elderly practitioners, Master took good care of them; and when seeing guests off, Master stood at the door until they were out of sight. Reflecting on myself, have I been able to do that? I am far away from this standard.

Master was very frugal. During the class, we saw that Master's clothes were not new but they fit well and were clean. Other practitioners mentioned that the wool sweater Master wore had been carefully mended in places. I was shocked. In today’s society, who wears clothes with mended patches? Yet our most revered Master wore such clothes. Master once bought a $2 pair of shoes for his daughter. Master would pick up the discarded outer leaves of vegetables and take them home, Master picked up and ate the rice grains off the table and floor, and Master ate the half-bowls of noodles left behind by some practitioners. I cried after reading these accounts. Compared to Master’s behavior, I was so ashamed of myself. Since ancient times, it was always the disciples who provided for the master, yet our Master bought meals for his disciples and never wanted a penny from his disciples. During the classes, Master shed tears when he heard that some disciples had instant noodles for meals. Yet Master Himself ate instant noodles all year long when He held classes. Since ancient times, who has seen such benevolence towards disciples by a master? Even the Dafa books that save sentient beings were given free by Master.

Each and every incident and story of Master teaching the Fa touched people's hearts, and moved people to tears. Even so, after the persecution began on July 20, 1999, evil authorities fabricated stories such as Master was “amassing a fortune,” and “living in luxury in a mansion,” to attack and defame Master. With irrefutable evidence, aren't such false stories shown to be lies? This reminded me that shortly after July 20, CCTV defamed Master for “amassing a fortune.” I said to the wicked people on CCTV, “What fortune to amass? This whole cosmos was created by Master. The whole cosmos is Master’s, and he is the wealthiest. What fortune does he need to amass?”

Master' greatness and noble manner, and Master’s teaching, “He is full of great aspirations while minding minor details” will always be the role model for the disciples.

[Editor's comment: Master’s frugal life style has earned the disciples’ deep respect. But we must not mistakenly think that the Great Enlightened Beings who save people must endure the same hardship and poverty as those whose lives are being saved, and that this is the only way to save people. Such misguided belief has been an area of confusion for some people amidst the wicked Party's lies after the persecution started.]


Posting date: 4/7/2007
Original article date: 4/7/2007
Category: Latest News from China
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/3/14/150711.html

Four men accused of pocketing millions of dollars that patients had paid for organ transplants in Asia were arrested in Israel last week. The main suspect admitted to an Israeli newspaper that the organs were coming from Chinese death row inmates and prisoners of conscience, including Falun Gong practitioners.


Report on Israel's largest newspaper Yediot Achronot

Yaron Izhak Yodukin, CEO of Medikt Ltd. and its Israeli counterpart, was arrested for not reporting millions of dollars in income earned by mediating organ transplants for Israelis in China and the Philippines. In recent years, hundreds of Israelis are reported to have traveled to Asia for transplants.

According to Yediot Achronot, Israel's largest newspaper, the country's authorities began investigating Yodukin's activities after he said in an undercover interview nine months ago that the organs his company was helping to provide in China came from political prisoners, death row inmates and people arrested for practicing Falun Gong.

During the investigation, the authorities reportedly discovered that Yodukin's company had been turning in fraudulent receipts to a national healthcare provider and thereby avoiding tax payments on millions of dollars in earnings.

According to Yediot, the receipts reported costs of organ transplants that were much higher than in reality. By charging Israelis more than what was necessary, Yodukin and his colleagues then pocketed the difference, amounting to as much as six million dollars.

Suspected of aiding Yodukin in his tax fraud scheme are his assistant Peleg Matan, Medikt manager Ilan Perry, and a company lawyer whose name has yet to be made public. All three were also arrested last week.

Adding to the seriousness of the episode have been reports that senior administrators in one of the country's main healthcare providers-- Kupat Cholim Klalit-- were somehow involved or aware of what Yodukin and his associates were doing. Yediot reported this week that some of them are also expected to be questioned.

Source: http://en.epochtimes.com/news/7-8-5/58390.html



Posting date: 8/9/2007
Original article date: 8/9/2007
Category: Open Forum
Chinese version available at http://minghui.ca/mh/articles/2007/8/8/160460.html

by Hang Ming

[PureInsight.org] I am a Mainland Chinese living in the United States. It was purely by coincidence that I started to explore past lives and to confirm a belief shared by many cultures that good deeds will ultimately be rewarded in this life or the next. The year 1995 was the darkest period in my life. I fell into depression after a severe car accident and a failed romantic relationship. I couldn't sleep. I couldn't eat. I lost faith in life. I asked myself repeatedly the meaning of life. On the other hand, I also believed that each man must carry out certain responsibilities for society so I must not allow myself to become overcome with depression. Eventually I began to feel strongly about pursuing the meaning of life and a person's responsibilities in life.

As a start, I began to recall the car accident. It should have been just a purely random accident, but there were some signs that told me that it was not. There seemed to be the result of some unknown forces at work. Three days before the car accident, someone told me to take precautions because he thought I was going to run into a big trouble. I didn't believe him at all. "How can anyone predict the future?" I thought. Going against all probabilities, I did have a severe car accident three days after the warning. It was then I decided to conduct my own research on lives and incarnations. I did a lot of reading and two books written by western psychiatrists were very inspiring to me, especially Many Lives, Many Masters: The True Story of a Prominent Psychiatrist, His Young Patient, and the Past-Life Therapy That Changed Both Their Lives, a million-copy bestseller by Dr. Brian L. Weiss, a noted psychiatrist and a graduate of Columbia University and Yale Medical School. I followed the instructions in his book for hypnosis and tried to hypnotize my friends as experiments. I found that I have a natural gift for hypnosis and have became quite good at hypnotizing people over time. I found out that all the volunteers who participated started to make very positive changes in their lives after the hypnosis and their experiences had very good influences on their families and society. In this series of exploring the cycle of incarnations, I will share some real stories of incarnations I heard during the hypnosis sessions with my friends.

A Restaurant Owner and Her Son
A friend of mine is a restaurant owner and often quarreled with her son. She had a career plan for her son, but her son was determined to take a different path. "I have been slaving away in the restaurant to make more money for your education," she thought. "I have your best interests in mind when I plan your future, but you are not grateful for my efforts and my good intentions. You even quarrel with me constantly!" She told me that she had become so frustrated with her son that she began to lose interest in running the restaurant and wanted to retire. Later her son agreed to be hypnotized as an effort to improve their relationship. My friend was present during the hypnosis when her son visited many of his previous lives, so they both learned the cause and effect relationships between them.

First, the son visited a previous life in India. He moaned for water and said that he was a lonely old man accompanied by a monkey only. There was a drought in his village and he volunteered to go out and seek a source of water. He traveled in the desert and struggled to keep going, leaning on a walking cane. After a lot of trials and tribulations, he finally found a water resource following the lead of his monkey. He was overwhelmed with joy and hurried back to report his discovery to the chief of the tribe. Because of him, his entire village of people survived the drought. The chief of his tribe was immensely grateful to him. The chief became his father in the present life. His father has been very affectionate to him. Obviously he has been trying to repay him for what he had done in the previous life. There was also something else that is worth mentioning. He also saw his future girlfriend in the present life although he has not met her yet. The daughter of the chief will be his girlfriend in the present life. Although he is only 19 years old and has not met his girlfriend in the present life, she is going to enter his life soon.

Next, he visited another of his previous lives set in Korea. In that life he was a handsome young man in a village. He fought with another young man from the village for a girl. During the fight, his opponent cut his right lower arm with a knife and fled from the scene. We were shocked to find that my friend's son carries a birthmark in the present life in the same location on his right lower arm that looks very much like a scar. I asked him if he had met the young man in the present life. He said that he has met him and the young man has become a good friend of his in New York in the present life. The friend has been extremely nice to him. Obviously he has been trying to repay him for the assault in the previous life. I asked him about the girl they were fighting over again, and he told me that she has not entered his life yet.

Finally he visited a previous life in Taiwan. He was the owner of a pharmacy in Taiwan. One day a farming woman entered his pharmacy timidly. She told him, "My entire family has become ill and I need medicine right away, but we cannot afford the expenses. I was wondering if you would be so kind as to give us some medicine for free?" He was a kindhearted man. He could tell that the farming woman was not a fraud and she truly needed medicine, so he gladly gave away the medicine and saved the lives of her entire family. The farming woman was very grateful and pledged that she would repay him. It appears that one's wish in one life will determine the next life. They become a family in the present life. The farming woman became his mother in this life.

My friend immediately understood the cause and effect relationship between them. All the hard labors and sacrifices she has made for her son resulted from the debt she had pledged to repay in the previous life. The many incarnations of her son that were revealed under hypnosis demonstrated that each man's destiny is a result of what he has done in his previous lives. Even as a mother, she can change her son's life no more than she can change hers. She decided to resign herself to god's will and let her son take the path he has chosen. She had thought that she was doing a good thing to arrange his future, but that may not be his destiny.

After the hypnosis, they stopped fighting. My friend's son continues his studies and my friend closed her restaurant and started a new business.

This story of my friend and her son has illustrated that the cause and effect relationship, as well as karmic retribution, are by no means creations of the ancient Chinese people's imagination or superstition.