Hello, everyone! Welcome to “Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng”.
“To be, or not to be, that is the question” for Prince Hamlet. “To save or not to save Evergrande”, that is the question for the Chinese government, or, rather, the Chinese Communist Party, the CCP. What is Evergrande? Why is “to save or not to save” become “the question” for the CCP? Is Evergrande’s situation an indication of a looming financial crisis in China? What if the bubble bursts? Today, let’s discuss these issues.
What is Evergrande?
First of all, please subscribe to my channel if you haven’t. Sometimes people don’t receive notifications even if they are subscribed. So please come back to my channel every other day to check if there are new episodes.
Now let’s go to the real “first of all”, what is Evergrande?
China Evergrande is China’s largest real estate developer by contracted sales last year. As of 2018, it was the world’s most valuable real estate company. In 2019, it ranked No. 138 on the Fortune Global 500 list. Its chairman Hui Ka Yan is the 3rd richest person in China and 34th on the Forbes Billionaires 2020 list.
In the meanwhile, Evergrande is also the world’s most indebted developer.
So now you have an idea of what Evergrande is.
A Letter Pleading for Help
Several days ago, on Sep 24, there suddenly appeared on the Internet a letter from Evergrande to the government of Guangdong Province, where Evergrande is based.
In this letter, Evergrande pleaded for government support to approve a restructuring plan that has languished for four years, warning it would face a cash crunch that could lead to systemic risks.
The letter says that Evergrande has been a good guy for all these years, never creating any trouble for the government. But now it needs support from the government. If it cannot complete its restructuring on time, it will have to return 130 billion yuan, or 19 billion US dollars, to investors and pay 13.7 billion yuan, or 2 billion US dollars, in dividends, and Evergrande’s debt ratio will soar to more than 90 percent, potentially causing a broken cash flow.
The letter also lists in detail all the debt Evergrande owes to a large number of banks and other financial institutions.
As of June 30 this year, the Evergrande Group has an interest-bearing liability balance of more than 835 billion yuan, or 122 billion US dollars, involving 128 banks and financial institutions.
So what does this amount of 835 billion yuan mean? Let me give you a simple idea. Evergrande’s Chairman Hui Ka Yan’s hometown is in Henan Province in China. Henan province had the 8th highest annual revenue in China in 2019, which is about 404 billion yuan, only half of Evergrande’s debt level.
In other words, the total amount of debt that Evergrande has to pay with interest is more than the total fiscal revenue of Henan province in two years combined!
To give you an idea from another angle, Turkey’s total national debt is only 219 billion U.S. dollars. When Greece’s financial crisis broke out, its national debt was only 378 billion U.S. dollars.
In other words, the scale of Evergrande’s debt is more than half of Turkey’s national debt, close to one-third of that of Greece’s.
The letter goes on to say that a cash crunch of Evergrande will induce systematic financial risks, and cause cross-defaults in relevant banks, trusts, funds, other financial institutions, and the bond market.
The letter says that Evergrande has as many as 8441 upstream and downstream cooperative enterprises. So all these enterprises will be affected too.
The 4th risk listed in the letter is that employment and social stability will be affected if the government fails to save Evergrande, as it has 140,000 employees, 792 projects in 229 cities that provide jobs for 3.31 million people. If those projects cannot be finished because of a lack of funds, 2 million people who already paid for those under-construction properties will also be affected. And this in turn could cause mass protests all over the country.
Quick Denial -Analysts Not Convinced
The letter caused huge reactions both inside and outside of China. Some Chinese language media reports used such a title to describe the situation: “If you don’t save me, I’ll die and let you watch my death”. The hidden message behind it is: “If you don’t save me, watch me die and have everyone die together with me!”
On the same night, Evergrande issued a statement saying that the letter was fabricated and not true, and that Evergrande had reported this matter to the police and reserved the right to defend its lawful rights with the weapon of the law, etc.
Also on the same day, China Evergrande’s share fell 5.58%, while the share price of China Evergrande New Energy Vehicle Group fell 8.63%. By the way, Evergrande became a listed company on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange in 2009.
Although Evergrande was quick to issue a statement to deny the letter, many Chinese analysts still tend to believe it’s true, for the following reasons:
The debt amount in the letter is very close to the amount on Evergrande’s financial statement for last year. Other financial data listed in the letter are very close to the true figures too. It is impossible for an outsider to fabricate such a letter.
The letter was dated August 24, just 4 days after the so-called “Three Red lines” were introduced for developers in China. The three red lines are a liability to asset ratio of more than 70%, net debt to equity ratio of over 100%, and cash to short-term debt ratio of less than 100%.
Unfortunately, Evergrande’s situation is worse than the red line level on every count, which means Evergrande will no longer be able to borrow money. So people say that’s why Evergrande wrote that letter in despair only 4 days later after the “Three Red Lines” was introduced.
3. Another fact is that Evergrande started to sell its properties at a nationwide 30% discount from Sep. In some instances, the price cut could be as deep as 42%! It shows that Evergrande is indeed in desperate need to get cash back.
Blackmailing the Government
People also say that Evergrande purposely released the letter exactly one month after it was written, because it failed to get a response from the government. Chinese people call this action “逼宮”, which literally means force the king or emperor to do something. In modern English language, we can call it blackmail or extortion.
By releasing such a letter on the Internet, Evergande was virtually threatening the government: If you don’t save me, bear the consequences!
It was said that Evergrande’s letter was very well written because it hit right at the “pain points” of the CCP.
What are the pain points of the CCP?
In the past three years, the CCP has been pushing very hard for “Six Stabilities” and “Six Safeguards”. “Six Stabilities” refer to stability in employment, finance, foreign trade, foreign and domestic investment, as well as growth expectations.
The “Six Safeguards” are safeguarding employment, basic livelihood, major market players, food and energy security, stable industrial and supply chains, and the normal functioning of local governments.
Those “Six Stabilities” and “Six Safeguards” are the things that the CCP cares about most. If problems occur in these sectors, it could mean doomsday for the CCP.
So, Evergrande must have studied these very carefully and mastered their essence very well. That’s why its threats are very real: If I die, you lose one major “market player”; if my cash flow breaks, many banks will break too, and the stability of the financial sector will be no more. Millions of people will lose their jobs or lose the money they’ve already paid to buy properties from Evergrande.
Successful Blackmail
It turns out that Evergrande’s blackmail was successful. Bondholders, banks, senior government officials, China’s cabinet and its financial stability committee, chaired by Vice Premier Liu He, etc, have all become very alarmed and held meetings to discuss the risks posed by Evergrande.
Then, yesterday, on Sep. 29, Evergrande announced that it had reached a deal with investors and that this will eliminate a looming January debt repayment deadline.
Under a 130 billion yuan ($20.39 billion) deal reached in 2017, Evergrande had issued convertible bonds with a pledge to either list its Hengda Real Estate unit on a Chinese stock market or redeem the debt. It has not been able to move forward with the listing plan.
Now, under the new deal, investors agreed to keep their shares and not require Evergrande to buy them out.
So, for now, Evergrande’s defaulting crisis seems to have passed. Its bonds and share prices have bounced back too.
An “Epic Bubble” A Gigantic Monster
The question is, why did Evergrande encounter such a crisis in the first place, forcing it to use such an extreme measure to deal with it?
Actually, Evergrande is not the only one that has encountered such a problem. The total interest-bearing debts of the top 7 developers in China have reached 2.3 trillion yuan or 337 billion US dollars. If other developers also encounter the same problem, will the government be able to save them as well?
For all these years, the competition in the real estate industry has been so fierce that every developer had to develop as fast as it could to expand its market share and to ensure its survival.
At the same time, China’s economy has been moving away from the real to the virtual economy for a long time, leading to the rapid expansion of real estate enterprises. People think that speculating in stocks and properties is a fast way to make money.
As a result, China’s housing prices have risen while empty homes have skyrocketed, creating an “epic bubble”. According to a survey, there were more than 65 million empty homes in China in 2017.
The property speculation boom of the past few years has led to an accelerated expansion of real estate companies, which have taken out more and more loans and incurred more and more debt.
The trade war between the US and China, as well as the COVID19 pandemic, have made things worse for the real estate market, which has already become a gigantic, strange monster.
On the one hand, China’s house price to income ratio has become the second-highest in the world, and as much as 70% of residents’ wealth is locked in the real estate market. On the other hand, while many “ghost cities” were built, and many houses are empty, many people cannot afford to buy a property, or have a proper place to live.
“Too Big To Fail”?
We don’t know what all has happened during the past 5 days since the release of Evergrande’s “blackmail” letter and announcement of a new deal that can temporarily avert Evergrande’s debt crisis. We don’t know what kind of behind the scenes things happened for Evergrande’s “strategic investors” to agree to such a deal. When Bloomberg covered this issue, they call Evergrande “China’s Too-Big-to-Fail Real Estate Giant”.
However, if the No. 1 real estate giant had to resort to such an extreme means as “blackmail” to force the government to save it, how about other developers? And how about many banks and local governments that heavily rely on continuous building up of the real estate market? If the price cannot hold up any more, and if the bubble does burst-and some people do believe it will burst soon, what will happen to this “too-big-to-fail” industry, as well as to China’s financial system, economy, and even to its political stability?
I am sure many people still remember the shock waves of the global financial crisis of 2007-2008. It was triggered by the bursting of the US housing bubble and the fall of the values of securities tied to US real estate.
With the current situation in China, can the CCP handle the possible bursting of the real estate bubble? Or some other bubbles? That is also a serious question to ask.
Thank you for watching. Truth can not only save lives but also help you save money if you can learn the true situation early on. I hope you find this episode helpful. Please don’t forget to subscribe to my channel, and check out my other videos you may have missed.
Thank you. See you soon!
9/30/2020
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Truth Saves Lives. Subscribe and support! 真相能救命。請支持！
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Jennifer Zeng joins us to share her expertise about the Chinese Communist Party. Jennifer was jailed and forced into labor camps. She escaped China for her freedom. Jennifer also warns about CCP spies in the US & Why African nations are playing with fire.
On Sep. 28, I was giving a speech at the Young Americans for Liberty conference. One comment from the audience: ”The most powerful speech I’ve ever heard, about her horrifying personal experiences with Communism in China. I had chills listening to this heartbreaking story. “
2019年9月27日，我在「為自由而生的美國青年」的年會上演講。
一名聽眾說：「這是我所聽過的最令人震撼的演講。演講者是曾錚。她講述了她在共產中國的恐怖經歷。她的令人心碎的故事讓我不寒而栗。她是一位如此堅強、如此美麗的女性。」
Another audience member said, ”Your story is so impactful. Can’t wait to tell friends on the left about the book and film. No doubt what you lived through would mean much more than anything I could say.”
另一名觀衆說：「你的故事是如此震撼。我等不及要向我的左派朋友介紹你的書和電影（她指《自由中國》）。無可置疑的是，你所經歷的比任何我能說的都更加意義重大。」
Introduction about me on the speakers page of Young Americans for Liberty conference. 「為自由而生的美國青年」大會節目冊上關於我的簡介。
At the entrance of the conference hall. 在大會入口處
Thank you card from the organizer. 主辦方的感謝卡。
At the hotel room before I went to the stage. 上臺前在旅館房間的自拍
On the stage. 演講中
Hello, everyone! Welcome to “Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng”.
Today I will talk about what messages I see behind the speeches of US President Trump and the CCP’s head Xi Jinping at the recent United Nations General Assembly in New York; what I think will happen if Taiwan’s bid to rejoin the UN is vetoed by the Chinese Communist Party, the CCP; why I use “The Fallen UN and the Rising New World Order” as the title for this show. I will also share an exclusive, personal experience of covering an event inside the UN’s headquarters in New York as a journalist, and I hope that you can tell me what you think after listening to my true story.
How Will the US Hold the CCP Accountable?
I am not sure how many of you have watched President Trump’s speech at the UN. Anyway, in the very first paragraph, or only 19 seconds into his speech, he mentioned “China” right away:
Trump: “Seventy-five years after the end of World War II and the founding of the United Nations, we are once again engaged in a great global struggle. We have waged a fierce battle against the invisible enemy — the China virus — which has claimed countless lives in 188 countries.”
Altogether he mentioned “China” or “Chinese government” 12 times in his 7-minute speech, and the most important message is this:
Trump: “In the earliest days of the virus, China locked down travel domestically while allowing flights to leave China and infect the world. China condemned my travel ban on their country, even as they cancelled domestic flights and locked citizens in their homes.
“The Chinese government and the World Health Organization — which is virtually controlled by China — falsely declared that there was no evidence of human-to-human transmission. Later, they falsely said people without symptoms would not spread the disease.
“The United Nations must hold China accountable for their actions.”
We all know that the COVID-19 pandemic has killed nearly 1 million people worldwide, and about 200,000 in the US; and many countries suffered tremendous economic losses because of the lockdowns.
So how much should the world ask for compensation from the CCP? And how can the US hold the CCP accountable?
For the economic losses, some said that the victimized countries should ask for compensation of at least one year’s GDP. For human life, I think none of us is capable of giving a price to it. No one knows how the US will hold the CCP accountable either.
The “New Evil Empire” and An Undeclared, Unconventional War
But one thing is crystal clear. That is, since Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that the “division” between the US and the CCP is “between freedom and tyranny”, and since the US government started to separate “China”, “Chinese people” and the CCP, America has made up its mind to not only decouple with the CCP, but to not to recognize its legitimacy, and even to destroy it completely.
We all know that the US destroyed the Soviet Union through the Cold War, after declaring the Soviet Union as the “Evil Empire”, and that the conflict between the US and Soviet Union was a battle between good and evil.
Not long ago US Senator Ted Cruz declared that the “CCP is the new Evil Empire”. In many senses, we can say that an undeclared, unconventional war has already started between the US and the CCP.
On the CCP side, “Unrestricted Warfare” has long since started against the US and the free world; only the world didn’t realize it.
On the US side, a national, all-out battle to fight back against the CCP’s “Unrestricted Warfare” has just started very recently, perhaps after the pandemic. In this sense, we can say that the US was very slow in realizing the danger and then thinking about how to fight back.
The good thing is, as the No. 1 democracy in the world if it has set the course, it will not stop until it reaches its goal.
“Whoever Has the Bigger Fist has The Final Say”
Xi Jinping also made a speech at the UN assembly. As usual, CCP officials’ speeches are full of lies, beautiful, big words and a lot of disgusting nonsense, and are not worth mentioning.
However, many Chinese netizens found two things very funny in Xi Jinping’s speech.
One was this part of his speech:
Xi Jinping: “Seventy-five years ago, China made historic contributions to winning the World Anti-Fascist War and supported the founding of the United Nations.”
People asked him: “Who is the ‘China’ you are talking about? Your CCP’s regime was only founded 71 years ago. So 75 years ago, that ‘China’ you mentioned was ruled by the KMT, or Nationalist Party, which is in Taiwan now. Are you recognizing that KMT’s ‘China’ is the real China, and an independent country? Are you recognizing that the Republic of China is the one that had made ‘historic contributions’?”
Another funny part of Xi Jinping’s speech was when he cried out that “Relations between countries and coordination of their interests must only be based on rules and institutions, and they must not be lorded over by those who wave a strong fist at others.”
That is the CCP’s mouthpiece Globe Times’ translation. If I am to translate it, I will put it this way according to Xi Jinping’s original Chinese words: “Relations and interests among countries can only be coordinated with systems and rules, and not by the fists of the more powerful”, or “It will not do to have whoever has the bigger fist have the final say.”
Why do people find this extremely funny and ridiculous? Because that is exactly what the CCP has been doing in the world. Because it thinks it has a bigger fist than many smaller countries, it has been bullying around all the time in the world.
Now, as soon as the US stood up against its bullying ways, and showed a little bit of its national power, the CCP immediately felt the pressure and started to cry that “Whoever has the bigger fist has the final say” is not the way to handle relations among countries.
The Fear Hidden Behind “Multinationalism”
Xi Jinping also mentioned the so-called “multinationalism” a lot in his speech. This, according to me, reflects his deep fear that the CCP will be excluded from a new world order because the world has grown tired of being taken unfair advantage of by the CCP. Although Xi Jinping has been promoting the so-called “internal circulation” of its economy inside China, and CCP officials are boasting that Chinese people can survive for one year by only eating grass, the CCP knows very well that without the outside world, the CCP’s economy cannot survive on “internal circulation” or “eating grass”.
Will the US Withdraw from the UN?
Now, let’s move to Taiwan’s bid to rejoin the UN. We discussed this issue briefly in our last show “Taking Back Mainland China Easier Than Seeking Taiwan Independence”. We mentioned that three countries including the US, Australia, and Swaziland had shown their support for Taiwan.
However, we should not forget that the CCP’s China has taken over the Republic of China’s seat in the UN, and has become one of the five permanent members of the Security Council. So it has the power to veto many things in the UN, including Taiwan’s UN membership.
What will happen if the CCP does veto Taiwan’s bid? According to Chinese commentator Wen Zhao, the US may consider withdrawing from the UN, like it has withdrawn from some other international organizations or treaties. The UN has become so corrupt that it is meaningless to maintain it.
A CCP’s “Bao Jia” at the UN
Talking about the UN’s corruption, I do have an exclusive and personal experience to share. Back in 2012, I was a reporter for the Chinese division of New Tang Dynasty Television, or NTDTV, in New York.
As NTDTV is one of the very few overseas Chinese language media outlets that remain independent of the CCP, and as it often covers CCP’s human rights abuses and other atrocities, the CCP hates it very much.
As a result, NTDTV has never been granted permanent media accreditation by the UN to cover events happening inside its Headquarters in New York. Reporters have to apply for a temporary pass to cover individual events every single time, and often get rejected.
So in 2012, before International Women’s Day, I applied for a one-day pass to cover a women’s forum inside the UN building. I was eventually given a pass, but on the condition that one of the UN media officials needed to “accompany” me at all times.
So, for the whole time I was there, a male official shamelessly followed me everywhere I went. When I interviewed people, he stuck his head so close to me that I could feel the heat of his breath on my neck and ear. He stayed so close to make sure that he could listen clearly to every word I said to my interviewees.
Furthermore, two very high profile officials, one from the US, one from Australia, ended up not receiving my interview after agreeing to it. The Australian official told me in embarrassment that because of the pressure he just received from the CCP, he had to decline my interview request. And the US official was virtually, physically dragged away from my microphone by her assistant after I had already started to ask her questions!
I felt so insulted. For a short moment, I felt like I was in the Chinese labor camp again. You know, between 1999 to 2001, I was arrested 4 times and imprisoned for one year in Beijing Female Forced Labor Camp for practicing Falun Gong, a meditation and spiritual improvement practice.
Inside the labor camp, every Falun Gong practitioner was surrounded and monitored by criminals all the time. Those people were given a nickname “Bao Jia (包夹）”. “Bao” means to surround, to besiege. “Jia” means to clip, to sandwich, to put in the middle. So one Falun Gong practitioner was surrounded by several Bao Jia at all times, even when we used the restroom. No privacy, no human dignity at all.
The CCP did this to us to make sure that we could not talk to fellow Falun Gong practitioners. Even eye contact was not allowed. The CCP wanted to break our will by subjecting us to complete surveillance and isolation. And I hardly survived all the torture.
By the way, if you’d like to know more of my story, please search for my memoir “Witnessing History: One Woman’s Fight for Freedom and Falun Gong”, or the documentary “Free China: The Courage to Believe”.
Now, let’s go back to the UN building. Who would have expected that I would be enjoying the “privilege” of having a UN official act as my “Bao Jia” inside the UN building, and on American soil? And he was very loyal to his mission. He accompanied me the whole time, until I finished all my interviews, and then he saw me out of the building.
But before he let me go, he added another request, asking me to send a link to the report that I was going to do, so that he could check it!
I felt so insulted again. But I did send him a link to the report I did on the following day because for 1, I wanted to show him that as an NTDTV reporter, I was fully capable of covering a “normal” event like any other “normal” reporter. NTDTV reporters were not crazy people like what the CCP had told them.
The second reason was, I also had fear. I didn’t want to make things worse for NTDTV by refusing his request. He had the power to decline our media pass applications, right?
So, that is my true story of working with the United Nations’ media office. For such a small matter of me covering a small, non-governmental forum, the CCP still made such a big fuss. So for other big issues, such as Taiwan’s rejoining the UN, what kind of resources will the CCP put into stopping them? Why has the UN done so little, or nothing about the CCP’s vicious human rights abuses and other crimes for so many years? I hope now you have a better understanding.
A New World Order Without the CCP
So what is the “rising new world order” we mentioned before? I think the biggest thing in the world now is that righteous people and righteous nations are standing up against, defeating and eliminating the CCP from this world, and forming a new world order without the CCP.
At the end of his speech, President Trump said this:
Trump: “I am supremely confident that next year, when we gather in person, we will be in the midst of one of the greatest years in our history — and frankly, hopefully, in the history of the world.”
I sincerely hope that if we do celebrate next year, we will be celebrating a world without the CCP.
That’s all for today. Thank you for watching. Someone told me that he couldn’t subscribe to my channel, or like my videos. Unfortunately, it seems that the CCP’s power and infiltration do not only stop at the United Nations. It’s almost everywhere now. So I do need your support to spread the message. Please make sure you subscribe to and share my channel, and check out my other videos.
Thank you. See you next time!
9/26/2020
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Truth Saves Lives. Subscribe and support! 真相能救命。請支持！
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Hello, everyone! Welcome to “Inconvenient Truths by Jennifer Zeng”.
Since I talked about the fast-changing relationships among the US, China, and Taiwan, many new significant events have happened in the past few days. People are asking: What’s next? Will the US resume formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan? What did Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen mean by “Taiwan is determined to take a crucial step” when she met US Under Secretary of State Keith Krach in Taiwan? What is the significance of Ms. Bi-khim Hsiao changing her title from “Representative of Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office ” to “Ambassador to the US”? Will the CCP attack Taiwan as promised if Taiwan does “take a crucial step” that crosses the CCP’s “red line”? Is it easier for Taiwan to take back Mainland China than seeking independence? Today, let’s discuss these important issues.
A Series of Major Events
First of all, subscribe to my channel now so that you get my regular updates.
Second, let’s check some of the major events in the past few days.
On Sep 16, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft had lunch with James Lee, Taiwan’s top official in New York. Kelly Craft called this meeting “historic” and a further step in the Trump administration’s campaign to strengthen relations with Taiwan.
On Sep 17-19, US Under Secretary of State Keith Krach visited Taiwan. This is a visit by the highest US official in more than four decades and happened just about one month after another high level US official, Alex Azar’s visit.
Compared to Secretary of Health and Human Services Alex Azar’s visit, the purpose of Krach’s visit was kept fairly vague. Nothing very specific was announced or mentioned.
Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen hosted a banquet for Krach on Sep 18 and said that “Taiwan is determined to take a crucial step” at the banquet without specifying what the “crucial step” was.
Then, one day after Krach’s visit to Taiwan, Ms. Bi-khim Hsiao changed her title on her Twitter account from “Representative of Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office” to “Ambassador to the US”.
Prior and after Krach’s visit to Taiwan, from Sep 16 up to now, the CCP’s fighter jets, bombers, and antisubmarine patrol craft entered Taiwan’s air-defence identification zone from multiple directions for multiple times, and the CCP’s media used such a title when talking about Krach’s visit: “It’s heroin but Taiwan treats it like a cure.”
On Sep 19, the CCP’s People’s Liberation Army Air Force released a video that showed nuclear-capable bombers attacking what appeared to be U.S.’s Andersen Air Force Base in Guam.
In the meantime, on Sep 22, the defence ministry of Taiwan made major changes to its military’s combat readiness regulations, allowing forces to fire back in self-defence. This means that Taiwan’s military does not have to abide by its previous rule of not firing the first shot. Under the changed regulations, Taiwanese forces on the front line will be able to fire the first shot if they determine that the enemy intends to attack.
Crossing the CCP’s Red Line
Well, what I just mentioned was a very quick summary of what happened in just a few days. Now let’s do a little bit of analyses.
Why did Kelly Craft call her meeting with James Lee “historical”? Because it is indeed historical. The CCP has been very tough on its “One China Principle”, and anyone, or any country who dared to challenge this would surely trigger a very aggressive and “angry” response from the CCP. So people have been very careful not to cross this red line of the CCP’s.
I am not sure whether you still remember, that as recently as two years ago, US airlines including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and some others were forced by the CCP to remove “Taiwan” from their websites? According to the CCP, American airlines couldn’t display a country label for Taiwan, or show the word “Taiwan” in their booking systems. As independent big companies in the US, these airlines submitted to the CCP’s pressure and did remove “Taiwan” from their websites.
But now, 2 years later, the US is showing the CCP that it doesn’t care about the CCP’s red lines anymore.
Getting Taiwan Back to the UN?
Furthermore, the fact that the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations was meeting Taiwan’s top official in New York indicates that the US could be seeking to help Taiwan return to the UN.
Gary Cowan, Representative at the Australian Office in Taipei, expressed his support to Taiwan in a tweet on Sep 21, saying that “We welcome Taiwan’s continued contributions to promoting the Sustainable Development Goals and developing universal health coverage.”
Swazi Prime Minister Ambrose Dlamini also voiced support for Taiwan’s UN membership at the 75th secession of the UN General Assembly.
What is Taiwan’s “Crucial Step”?
Then what about Tsai Ing-wen’s expression that “Taiwan is determined to take a crucial step”?
This statement of hers has sparked a lot of speculations, as well as threats from the CCP. Many overseas Chinese commentators said that this means that Taiwan is ready to establish, or rather, resume formal diplomatic relations with the US if the US calls the shot.
The fact that Ms. Bi-khim Hsiao changed her title from “Representative” to “Ambassador to the US” also gives a strong indication that things could move towards this direction. Although Bi-khim Hsiao explained later that “Taiwan Ambassador is what many call me and also my job description. My title remains Representative… when engaging with the US government”, the fact that she changed it on the next day of Krach’s visit still made people believe that there is already some kind of understanding reached between Taiwan and the US.
Otherwise, it is impossible that as the top diplomat, Hsiao would have changed her title out of some sudden whimsy.
If she had changed it because “Taiwan Ambassador” is her “job description”, she had been doing this job for quite a while now, why the sudden change now?
What’s more interesting is Tsai Ing-wen’s response to the title change. When asked about this very sensitive matter, Tsai Ing-wen said that Bi-khim Hsiao has been working very hard to strengthen the relations between the U.S. and Taiwan and that she believed that Hsiao will continue to do so no matter what title she carries.
Please note that Tsai Ing-wen didn’t say that Hsiao should not change her title, but praised her for her “hard work” instead. So we can view this as Tsai Ing-wen’s support for Hsiao’s changing of her title.
Will the CCP Use Force Against Taiwan?
Now, the question is, if the US and Taiwan really resume formal diplomatic relations, how will the CCP react? Will it use force against Taiwan as they have been threatening all the time?
Many overseas Chinese commentators are saying that the CCP dares not to attack Taiwan, as Taiwan’s military capability is strong enough to deter the CCP. Plus, the US will not let the CCP invade Taiwan without intervention. If the US intervenes, there is no chance that the CCP’s army can win.
Faking the Propaganda Video with Hollywood Movies
We mentioned that CCP’s PLA released a video showing bombers attacking what looks like the U.S.’s Air Force Base in Guam. That video portrays PLA’s airforce as a formidable and powerful army. However, netizens found that the CCP actually used clips from Hollywood movies in its video that was supposed to be displaying the real scenes and the real power of the CCP’s air force.
For example, this clip was taken from the Hollywood movie “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen” in 2009. This clip was taken from The Rock in 1996, and this clip was taken from the Hurt Locker in 2008.
So, for a 2-minute propaganda video, the PLA had to use clips from three Hollywood movies to show its marvels. So how will such an army perform in a real war? People do question this.
A Difficult and Awkward Position for the CCP
Some people also say that if Taiwan does resume its formal diplomatic relations with the US, that will put the CCP and Xi Jinping in a very difficult and awkward position.
If they declare war against Taiwan, the result could be the end for the CCP, because that would offer the US a perfect ground to strike off the CCP.
If the CCP and Xi Jinping don’t declare war against Taiwan, what can they say to their own people to save their face? For all these years, “liberating Taiwan” has been portrayed as a “sacred” mission for China, how can the CCP back off from it?
Options for the US
Now, another very important question is: How will the US and Taiwan handle their relations with the CCP afterwards?
For the US, it has several options:
Continue to adopt its “One China” policy, but regard Taiwan, or the Republic of China, as the legitimate “China”, while regard the CCP’s regime as an illegal one, and help the Republic of China to take back Mainland China.
Abandon its “One China” policy, and treat both Taiwan and the CCP’s China as independent countries.
Maintain its “One China” policy, recognize Taiwan and the CCP’s China at the same time without defining who is “China”.
Maintain its “One China” policy, and try to promote a federal system, in which Mainland China, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macao can all remain independent and autonomous.
“Taking Back Mainland China Easier than Seeking Taiwan Independence”
And what are Taiwan’s options? Instead of listing all the possibilities, I’d rather talk about one comment from an unknown Chinese netizen that impressed me very much.
I saw this comment more than 10 years ago when the Taiwanese President was still Chen Shui-bian. And this comment was: “Why does Taiwan bother to seek independence? Taking back Mainland China will be so much easier!”
Why was I extremely impressed by this comment? Because:
It reflected the wish of many Chinese people in Mainland China. They hope that the Republic of China can “liberate” mainland China which is occupied by the CCP.
If we think hard, we will find that this seemingly careless comment contains great wisdom. The Republic of China represented now by Taiwan was the legitimate government of China in the first place. It was the CCP that founded an illegal Communist regime within China, and overturned the legitimate government of the KMT with all sorts of despicable, and even evil means.
For example, in the so-called Siege of Changchun in 1948, when the CCP tried to seize the city of Changchun from the KMT, the CCP prevented the civilians from leaving the city to exhaust the food supply of the KMT defenders.
As a result, as many as 150,000, some say 300,000, civilians were starved to death. That’s just one of the evil means the CCP used to defeat the KMT. The world should not have recognized this kind of “victory” and this kind of killing regime in the first place.
Furthermore, for many Chinese people in Mainland China, emotionally, it is easier for them to accept a “united China” ruled by a democratic government than to accept a “fragmented China” that is divided into different countries.
The Republic of China was once proudly the first democratic republic in Asia, and one of the founding members of the UN. It remains a vibrant, prosperous, and benign democracy today that can join forces with the free world to fight against the CCP’s evil and aggressive expansion. It is fully legitimate for the Republic of China to reclaim sovereignty of Mainland China, and the US, as well as the free world, owe Taiwan a lot when they recognized the CCP’s regime and agreed to have Taiwan driven out of the United Nations.
The last question is, is Taiwan ready? For me, this is the real “critical step” for Taiwan to take. Although it might sound very astonishing and challenging on the surface, it may turn out to be so much easier than seeking independence, as that unknown Chinese netizen had said many years ago.
OK, that’s all for today. Truth, no matter how inconvenient, does save lives. Please do subscribe to and share my channel, leave a comment about what you think about what we discussed today, and check out my other videos you may have missed.
Thank you, see you soon!
9/23/2020
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(曾錚注：此文爲我2000年1月19日以化名“蔣真”寫下的，1月24日發表於明慧網。）
【明慧網2000年1月24日】我是北京學員，今年34歲，下面想從以下幾個方面與廣大同修交流一下近期修煉的一些心得體會。
一、「放下自我」，「溶於法中」
去年的7月22日對於每一位法輪功學員恐怕都是很難忘記的。那天我是在出外辦事的途中聽到那篇《人民日報》評論員文章的。下班回家時，發現平日從不在下午5、6點看電視的婆母和七歲的女兒正坐在電視機前看著，臉上掛著發生了天大的事情的表情。未等我換完衣服，女兒就忙不迭地跑過來問：「媽媽，你還煉功嗎？」我笑嘻嘻地說：「煉，不管他們說甚麼，媽媽總是會煉的。」女兒會心地點點頭，走開了。我是這樣說的，我也這樣做到了。不論環境多麼艱難，我都堅持了學法煉功，從未間斷。這期間我有兩種時候最痛苦，一是當看到我們的法和老師遭到那樣可怕的攻擊時，內心的痛楚真是難言。這時，我會走到一旁默默地流淚，心裏想起老師在講到度人很難時曾說，我做這件事情有眾生所造的業力給我帶來的難度。當時我就想，今天我們的法之所以受到這樣的攻擊，也是眾生所造的業力帶來的吧，那麼這種業力也有我一份，所以今天才讓我遭受這樣的痛苦。這種苦，該我承擔，我也願意承擔，那麼我就把它承擔過去，沒問題；另一個最痛苦的時候是當有同學朋友打電話到家來詢問有關法輪功的事情，而我卻因為怕刺激老人而不敢講真話的時候。真話不敢講，假話不願說，每次我只好吱唔過去，心裏是說不出的彆扭與難受。但總體上我自我感覺還是不錯的，覺得自己很堅定，還在修。有時也想過是不是要為法做一點甚麼，但我生怕自己做錯了，給法帶來更大的損失，因而甚麼也沒敢做。
10月25日，我第一次到一個學員家參加交流。當我談了我的想法和狀態時，一位重慶學員對我說：「你不要太執著於那個結果」，緊接著她談了她是如何轉變思想，走出家門的；另外幾個外地學員也談了他們的體會。我現在很難說清究竟是他們中的誰改變了我的思想，但是我從他們身上看到了自己的差距：我雖然不怕警察、不怕丟黨籍、不怕丟工作，甚至不怕坐牢，但我照樣有怕，我怕刺激老人，怕破壞家裏的「安定團結」，怕擔把老人氣壞了的「罪名」，換言之，我把小家的「安定團結」放在了比法更重要的位置上；我雖然自我感覺不錯，如：我在堅定實修、我沒有屈服於外界的壓力、我要圓滿、我要如何如何……，等等。所有這些，都沒有超出「小我」的範圍。我沒有把自己放在法中、「溶於法中」。我突然想起老師在談到耶穌為甚麼被釘在十字架上時曾講到，「我能最大限度地放棄我所有的一切」。那麼我們為甚麼不能也把自我完完全全地放棄掉、完完全全地把自己「溶於法中」呢？前一段時間裏，我之所以感到有壓力也好、有磨難也好，就是因為我不肯「放下自我」、「溶於法中」，才會感到有這些壓力和磨難；如果我能徹底「放下自我」、「溶於法中」，情況會怎樣呢？我們的法「是宇宙產生的原因所在」，他給宇宙中不同層次的眾生開創了不同的生命和生存環境，是不敗不滅、永恆存在的，我能把自己溶於這樣的法中時，那甚麼力量還能動得了我呢？老師不是早就講過，「我的根都紮在宇宙上，誰能動了你，就能動了我，說白了，他就能動了這個宇宙」。為甚麼沒有早一點悟到呢？當我悟及此理時，突然感覺到一種前所未有的輕鬆，同時想起了老師《洪吟》裏的兩句詩：「天清體透乾坤正，兆劫已過宙宇明」。環境似乎一下子變得美好了，我再也感覺不到甚麼壓力和磨難，而是從心底裏到身體上都真真切切地感覺到了甚麼是「天清體透」，是一種那麼美好、那麼純淨、那麼清新的狀態，自己似乎也化作了老師所說的那種「無形的生命」，擴展、彌散到無窮、無窮地大，與整個蒼宇合在了一起。我知道自己對法的領悟又到了另一個高度。
法理上雖然認識到了，但真正做起來卻還有一定差距。26日早，我一個人到外面煉功了。心裏雖然不怕，但卻控制不住自己的心跳，我意識到這種怕心真是一種物質的存在，從你想把它去掉到真的去掉，還是有一定差距的。但很快地，也就是做到法輪樁法時，我的心就不再跳了，跟平時一樣做完了全套動功。
26日晚，電視裏公布了關於「邪教」的事。我剛從一個學員家回來，聽到有學員打電話說明天去天安門上訪。我去不去？我內心深處激烈地交戰，卻做不了決定。修煉以來，我從未求過師父甚麼，但這晚臨睡前我求老師說：師父，求您給我一個夢，告訴我該怎麼做吧。那天晚上北京刮著很大的風，我很長時間睡不著。後來還真做了一個夢，我夢見我在一間屋子裏，屋子裏著火了，連鐵器都已燒得通紅，我很惶急地拿著滅火器四處噴，卻未能全部撲滅。醒來後我想：都已經著火了，我不能再等了，必須站出去了，一天也不能等了，就是今天了。我穿上一件白色的T恤衫，準備在衣服前胸上寫上「真善忍」，在後背上寫上「法輪功不是邪教」，然後就步行往天安門去。現在反省起來，那個夢其實是魔演化給我的，因為我求了；那天早上我的心態說嚴重點是被魔性所帶動，說輕點是充滿了人的那種「豁出去了」的衝動。後來我自己意識到了自己當時的心態非常狂亂，非常不純淨，而心態不純的時候，是不能去做甚麼的。所以我抑制了自己的衝動，轉而調節心態。
幾天後我的心平靜了下來。我想，寫信對我來說是一種比較好的表達意見的方式，因為我在寫信時能非常從容地把我心中所想的表達出來。於是我給中央及政府領導、給新聞界、最高法院及最高檢察院、宗教局領導分別寫了信，表達了我的想法和意見。這時我的心態已經非常純淨了。信寫好後，也有人勸我不要落名，這樣既表達了意見，又保護了自己。我說，他們批判我們的文章中曾有這樣的話：他們又寫來大量匿名信、打來大量匿名電話如何如何，我不願意讓人家這樣說我。我做的事情，我一定會負責任。我堂堂正正地簽了自己的名字、落了自己的地址，把這些信發了。
剛發出信的幾天裏，一有人敲門，我就想：來抓我了吧，心裏難免跳幾下。過了幾天沒動靜，我也就漸漸淡忘了。
12月4日，當我腦子裏已不再想寫信這事時，警察突然打電話叫我去派出所一趟。我以前以為我這時一定會有一點緊張或害怕，誰知我一點也沒有，就像老師說的，「你真要修煉那麼高就不害怕了」，有的事真是不像人想像的那樣。我只是非常平靜地想：是甚麼事叫我去的呢？片警一見面就問我：「你是給總理寫了一封信嗎？」我這才知道是因為這事叫我。然後我們就開始了長達幾個小時的交談。交談的過程中不可避免地提到了「4.25」事件。在此之前，在很多場合我都跟人談到過這個問題，但總是效果不好，因為不管我怎麼說我們如何如何沒有干擾常人社會，我們如何為了把人行道讓出來而拼命擠在了盲道之後，我們擠得有多麼難受卻還在堅持，等等，別人卻很難接受，有一次同學聚會甚至鬧得不歡而散。當時我只是反省到我可能是保護自己、怕別人說我們不好的心太重了。直到那時，我才突然悟到：其實甚麼都不是，是我的基點站錯了，想用人維護人的基點去做、去說一些事情，效果當然好不了。那麼這次我不再這樣了，我要站在法的基點上去說。悟到這一點後，我就對屋裏的三個警察說：我是一個修煉的人，修煉的人看問題和常人是不同的，常人覺得遇到磨難是壞事，修煉的人遇到點磨難卻是好事，這是一；第二呢，修煉就是大浪淘沙，好的環境裏怎麼能看出誰是真修誰是假修？所以對修煉人絕對是好事；對常人呢，也不是壞事，我們老師幾年前就說過將來世界上人人都知道法輪大法，我那時雖然不懷疑我們老師的話，但我想像不出我們怎樣才能達到這一點，那今天不是達到了嗎？雖然電視裏給我們造了很多謠，但我相信真金不怕火煉，真相總有大白的那一天，就像您三位，在此之前我如果跑到這兒來跟你們說法輪功如何如何好，你們可能會覺得我有神經病；而今天是你們請我來，而且給了我這麼多時間來聽我講，這不是很好嗎？這樣一講，我發現效果比我以前那樣講好了不知多少倍。後來他們又提了一些別的問題，我都站在法上回答著。那天天氣很好，陽光從窗戶中透過來，我覺得無比的祥和，有一瞬間我甚至感到連這三個警察的臉上都籠罩著一層聖潔的光，因為這時他們在聽法。從這一刻起我悟到了我以前之所以覺得這不順那不順，就是因為我沒有完全站在法上，而總是還有一點牽掛在人上：人的立場、人的觀點、人的價值觀念、做人應該追求的一切，……等等。那麼從現在起，我的生命就是完全為了法：護法、正法、同化法，而真正徹底地從心裏、從價值觀上「決裂人」。我不再試圖去符合人，而是要符合法。我想到了《位置》那篇經文裏的兩句話：「放下自我，以至一切常人的思想」。當念及此處時，我感到一種前所未有的舒暢，知道自己又進入了另一個的境界，只覺得生命真是美好。
二、我是怎樣過親情關的
親情關對我來說是最大的一關，因為我和愛人都修煉，愛人又是他母親唯一的兒子，所以老人精神上承受的壓力確實很大。哭、鬧、求，他們都做過，就差沒有抹脖子上吊了。看到他們精神瀕於崩潰的樣子，我不忍再刺激他們，不敢讓他們知道我的真實想法，不敢告訴他們電視裏講的都是假的，在家煉功連音樂都不敢開，怕他們知道我們還在煉。說每句話，做每件事，都是小心翼翼。心裏卻是無比的彆扭和難受。後來，也是通過和外地學員的交流，我才意識到：我的這種善其實是常人之善，我現在放不下他們，我要修不成，那百年後我也是死，他們也是死；我要修成了呢，老師不是說過嗎：「哪有一個人修煉圓滿了，他身邊還有這麼多的麻煩呀？怎麼能行呢？不但你結下的生生世世的怨，你結下的緣，我都得給你解決。一個人修煉圓滿不是件容易的事情。你生生世世欠下的債，你生生世世想要報的怨，那多的是了，都得給你解決。」(《在新西蘭法會上講法》)。我是一個修煉的人，怎能像常人一樣目光短淺。
悟及此理後，我不經意地讓女兒知道了我還在煉功的事，在此之前我是不敢的，我知道她一知道後會立即告訴她奶奶。她果然一秒鐘也未停留就去了。我已做好了思想準備。在此之前婆母的發作大多都是衝著我來的，因為是我先修煉，然後愛人才修煉的。而且我修煉之初歡喜心過重，沒有我愛人做得好。但婆母這次卻沒有找我，而是找我愛人談了。談話的詳情愛人未告訴我，我只知道婆母是哭著出來的，晚飯也沒來吃。當我那天從派出所出來悟到自己以後的生命就是完全為了法時，我知道，我應該找婆母談一談了。我把我寫的所有的信的底稿給她準備了一份，把她叫到一邊談了很久。她的眼淚已不再能動我的心。我沒有打算說服她接受我的觀點和立場，但我堅持了自己的立場，也就是一個修煉者的立場；我的那些信都是從正面介紹法輪大法的，我相信她會看，而且哪怕只看進去一句，我相信對她也是好的，老師說過：「給別人甚麼東西都不如給人法好」(《在美國西部法會上講法》)。這件事表面看來沒有甚麼，但對我來說卻是一個極大的突破。修煉以前我是一個性格非常軟弱的人，誰瞪我一眼我會難受半天，誰吐口唾沫恨不得就能把我淹死，我從來沒有勇氣去跟別人發生任何正面的意志上的較量；而我婆母卻恰好是一個個性很強的人。我知道，如果不是修煉，我絕無這樣的勇氣去面對她，去堅持跟她完全不同的觀點和立場。而我今天做到了，修煉給了我勇氣，我感到無比欣慰。
關真正過去以後，情況會發生很大變化。12月26日我和愛人因想去旁聽李昌等人的審判會而同時被拘留了。這會對老人是多大的打擊、他們又會有怎樣的反應呢？這在以前我想也不敢想。但在拘留所的那幾天裏，我的心出奇地靜，思想出奇地空，空靜到我以前打坐入靜時都未達到過的程度。有時也覺得應該愁一愁：女兒怎麼辦呢？老人會怎樣呢？工作會受到怎樣的影響呢？等等。但我就是愁不起來，思想中的任何東西在形成思維以前就散掉了，我只是強烈地感受到老師所說的修煉的人看常人社會才是虛幻，我覺得在我眼前晃來晃去的那些警察和犯人是那麼地不真實，有一種做夢一樣的感覺。從拘留所出來後，我做好了承受暴風驟雨般發作的思想準備，誰知進門後他們連一句重話也沒說我們，反而還關切地問我餓不餓，要不要吃東西。他們像甚麼也沒發生一樣一句也沒提我們被拘留的事，好像怕刺激我們似的。我想起老師曾說過，「如果一個人要沒有業力，走在大街上誰都會看你笑，不認識的人都會主動為你服務，你簡直自在透了！」那麼以前他們哭也好，鬧也好，要麼是他們自身有業力，要麼是在替我們承擔業力，「因為業力落到誰那兒誰難受」。現在業力沒有了或小了，他們自然就不那麼難受了。後來我知道他們還是承受了很多，但根據「不失不得」原理，不管今天他們承受了甚麼，其實是不會白白承擔的。那麼我們還有甚麼放不下的、還有甚麼可擔心的呢？
三、點滴感悟
這一個時期的修煉中，我還有一些點點滴滴的感悟，也想在此與同修們做一交流。
1、我最喜歡看小孩
10月26日晚，警察到家來，先是以審犯人的口氣問：「剛才的電視節目看了嗎？」我說沒看，然後他又兇霸霸地問：「你還煉功嗎？」我想，他問這句話時，做好了兩種心理預期，一是我說不煉了，二是我說我就煉，你把我怎樣？如果是後一種，我感覺他恨不得上去就要打我。當時我沒有做任何策劃，也沒有那個時間給我做甚麼策劃，老師曾說過，「覺悟了的本性自會知道如何去做」。我很自然地扮了一個鬼臉，然後以一個小孩告訴給另一個小孩一個天大的秘密那樣的神情說：「我在家偷偷煉」。我感覺我當時真的就像一個純潔無辜的孩童一樣。展現在警察面前的也就是一個小孩一樣的人。他怎麼會忍心去傷害一個小孩呢？所以他愣了半天才說出下面的話來，而再說話時的態度就緩和多了。我想起老師曾說過，我非常喜歡看小孩。從這件事我深切地體會到「返本歸真」的內涵。如果我們暫時不能返到先天的本性上去，先返到像一個小孩一樣也是好的呀。你看那一歲的小孩，躺在誰的懷裏都能呼呼大睡，他從沒想過要保護自己甚麼的，但除了十惡不赦的人，誰會去傷害一個小孩呢？老師說過，「你們人都想這樣保護自己。人類社會才被推到這一步上來，才往下滑的」 。其實常人的命運有神在安排，修煉的人有師父在管，我們誰也用不著想去保護自己甚麼。但真正能修到完全放棄保護自己的意識，是多麼難。老師講法時談到過傻子的事，當今的社會，不要說常人了，就是我們修煉的人，有多少人願意或敢於「傻」到底呢？
2、這部法會震撼每個人的心
從10月底開始，我又把法輪章佩戴上了，一是我想表示自己是大法弟子，二呢我也希望藉此能跟其他學員聯繫上。有一天我把衣服掛在門後才發現，其實一米以外就已看不清法輪章的圖形了。後來我就沒再注意這事。一天我在街上打公用電話，剛把電話放下，就被一個人一把扯到屋裏。我莫名其妙地不知出了甚麼事。只見那個人手指著我胸前的法輪章，憋了半天才說出話來：「你真膽大呀！……」震驚、不安、詫異、擔心、佩服、好奇，……種種複雜的心理過程，在那一瞬間，全都寫在了她的臉上。我突然想起老師說過：「我今天傳了這麼大的法，能震撼所有人的心。」(《在美國東部法會上講法》)。在那一刻，我感到她的心確實受到了深深的震撼。我平靜地笑了笑說，噢，這個呀，沒事，派出所我都去過三回了，警察對我挺好的。然後我問她是否也煉功，否則怎麼會認識這法輪章呢。她說，我不煉功，但我賣過你們的書。我這才注意到這是一個小書屋。然後她一邊上上下下地打量著我，一邊遲遲疑疑地說，是呀，我看來買我書的人也不像電視裏說的那樣神經不正常呀，我又笑了笑說，沒錯，您挺有眼光，電視裏說的那些，基本上都是假的。我看得出來她相信了我的話，那麼也就是說，電視裏幾個月轟炸似的宣傳在她心裏起的作用，被我這輕描淡寫的一句話，就基本上抹去了，她選擇了相信我，而不是電視。後來我又給她講了我煉功受益的情況。離開那裏時我心裏真是十分的高興。
3、「殺人放火那要不管就是心性問題」
7月24日，我被叫到派出所做了一個「問訊筆錄」，然後讓寫一個保證書。我的保證書是這樣寫的：「我已認真學習了公安部7月22日通告。我保證不做任何有損於國家和人民利益的事情，保證不做通告六條內容中所禁止的任何一項。」我當時確實仔細地研究了那個通告，發現裏面並沒有說不許在家煉功、獨自煉功或學法，所以我覺得還可以接受，於是我就那樣寫了，因為我當時確實就是那樣想的。後來有一天學法時，看到老師在講到守德時說：「你看到殺人放火那要不管就是心性問題，要不怎麼體現出好人來？殺人放火你都不管，你管甚麼呀？」那麼政府現在對我們法的破壞，電視裏天天把我們的法說成那樣，會使多少人得不了法、使多少已經得了法的人掉下去、這些生命將處於怎樣「萬劫不復」的境地呢？這不比殺多少人、放多少火還要厲害不知多少倍嗎？這樣的事我們再不管，我們還管甚麼？？？哪怕僅僅是從常人的理上也講不通啊！公安部的那個通告，本身就是違反《憲法》的，我們為甚麼要去遵守呢？老師說過：「要做一個好人，這個空間中所存在的要求，就是仁、義、禮、智、信，等等等等。」(《在瑞士法會上講法》)，常人還要講一個知恩圖報的問題，而我們這些大法弟子卻是甚麼狀態呢？你給我好處的時候我接受，你有難時我往後一縮，回家「堅定實修」去了。老師講過(大意)，法正過來以後，將來的人類社會將變得很美好，我想這樣的社會對人的要求也是高的，決不會是今天變異人的狀態，也就是說，我們的骯髒的自私心去不掉的話，不要說圓滿了，恐怕連將來的人都不配做啊！這是怎樣的問題啊？不值得我們這些「冒著天膽下來的」人好好想一想嗎？如果我們因為這一時一念之差而永遠不能回去的話，不要說別人了，我們對得起自己嗎？我們的生命只不過也就將是永遠永遠的「深深痛悔」而已！
4、「師父心急而無用啊！」
有一次在與學員交流時，我突然悟到：我們前一段時間去上訪也好、寫信也好、怎麼樣也好，不就是要請求政府給予我們一個公正合法的修煉環境嗎？我們沒有任何其它的甚麼目的。那麼現在他不給我們，我們也就不要再去找他們了，我們自己給予自己不就完了嗎？比如說，我們所有的弟子都像以前一樣還到原來的地方煉功、按原來的方式學法，他又能把我們怎麼樣呢？他有那麼多警察來抓我們、有那麼多監獄來關我們嗎？他能把我們都打死嗎？我們都那樣做的話，還需要去找他幹甚麼呢？這個法不就一下子就正過來了嗎？想到這裏時，我還頗有點興奮，覺得自己這個想法很高明。可是當我反過頭來看看我們自己時，我才痛切地意識到：其實真的不能怪別人怎麼樣我們，是我們自己不行啊！師父在一次講法中說(大意)，你們是希望，是宇宙的希望，是未來的希望；而我們這些被師父稱作「希望」的人還在幹甚麼呢？還在怕坐牢、怕丟工作、怕失去家庭的「安定團結」、怕常人不理解，怕這怕那啊！總之是種種放不下的執著，都匯成了一個巨大的「怕」，讓我們的師父「心急而無用啊」！
師父說過，「人要返本歸真，這才是做人的真正目的」，我們修煉人的生命更不應該有其它目的。我記得在《法解》中有個學員曾問老師：「我為個子矮煩惱，請問能長高嗎？」師父反問他：「個子矮影響你修煉嗎？」這句話我總是記在心裏。每當遇到甚麼想不開的事情時，我就會反問自己一句：這件事影響你修煉嗎？這樣一問的時候，我發現世界上沒有任何一件事情能影響我修煉。就拿坐牢來說吧，修煉就是修人的心，在哪裏不能修呢？動作只是輔助手段，暫時不煉又能怎樣呢？至於說學法，就算我們把其它的都忘了，哪怕只記得「真善忍」三個字，我相信只要我們心性到了那一步，法背後那無窮無盡無休的內涵自會讓我們明白該我們明白的法理；相反，心性上不去，哪怕我們坐在家裏把《轉法輪》看上一千遍，所能看到的，恐怕也就只是「白紙黑字」而已！其實有些事情只不過就是考驗，看我們能不能放下，真要放下了，老師說過，「學大法本身就是有福分的，為甚麼會失去呢？！」在拘留所的第二個晚上，我值班時看其他人都睡著了，就想打會兒坐。結果剛坐了十幾分鐘就聽見犯人的大聲呵斥，把所有人都吵醒了。我不想影響大家睡覺，就答應了不再煉功。後來我想，讓犯人呵斥著我，不算堂堂正正，我要跟獄方去交涉，請他們允許我煉功，別讓犯人來呵斥我。如果他們不答應，我就立即絕食絕水。不是都說用生命去護法麼？我做不做得到呢？我想我一定要做到，我也相信我能做到。想到這兒時我流淚了，似乎是被自己所感動，我聽見值班的犯人輕輕地說：「她為煉功來坐牢，真不值啊。」我知道她們誤會了我的眼淚。我也沒說甚麼就睡了，睡得很香。結果第二天非常突然地我就被釋放了。
電視裏批判我們的節目中曾提到這樣一件事，說海南有六個學員在去弘法的途中出了車禍身亡了，有學員因此對法起了動搖。老師在寫給海南輔導員的信中說，當你們看到這封信時，他們已圓滿在他們的世界裏了，因為他們來的地方是不帶肉身的。你們知道釋迦牟尼有個弟子是怎麼圓滿的嗎？是被人用亂石打死而圓滿的！當時這封信是被用作批判材料來念的，我對此卻深信不疑。老師講法時舉了很多保護學員不出生命危險的例子，如果我們不該死，老師又怎能讓我們被子彈打死呢？！如果真有人為法而付出了生命，我們敢不敢相信他們是圓滿了？西方宗教為甚麼講「信」呢，你對法能信到甚麼程度，真的就能代表你修到了甚麼程度啊！老師從來沒說過你打坐打多長時間或你看過多少遍《轉法輪》你就能修成，但老師說過「放下生死你就是神，放不下生死你就是人」！老師還說過，今天你就面對著死亡，不管是任何一種死亡形式，你面對死亡你毫不畏懼，你根本就不在意。我也許死掉之後我會去天國，那麼死亡的事情真的就不會有了。為甚麼我們還不悟呢？別人之所以拿這個來威脅我們、拿那個來威脅我們，不就是因為我們還有放不下的東西嗎？當我們甚麼都能放下時，又有誰能奈我們何呢？
也有人認為，法正人間是天象變化，我們只要等待就可以了；可是我們別忘了，老師還說過，「天象變化下面要是沒有人去動，還不能給常人社會帶來一種狀態，也就不稱其為天象的變化了。」不然老師為甚麼說，我們這一億人的修煉，是和正法聯繫在一起的呢？連高級生命都在羨慕我們，「他們也沒有這樣的機會來做這種事。都來這地球也裝不下的」為甚麼我們自己不珍惜呢？
最後，我想以我最近寫給一位同修的信中的幾句話來結束我的這篇心得：「我越來越感到今天的修煉環境的珍貴，珍貴就珍貴在它的無比複雜上：有政府的禁令，有種種真真假假的傳言，有我們自身執著心和魔性的大暴露，有真正的來源於更高層次的魔的干擾和破壞，……等等，在這樣的環境下，我們能不能堅定法，能不能修下去，法學得怎樣，修得紮不紮實，在關鍵時刻能不能發出正念和正悟，能不能繼續提高，最後能不能圓滿，都充份地顯露了出來。在修煉中我每每有這樣的體會，覺得我已經好到這樣了，沒法再好下去了吧，誰知還能再好、更好，好到超出了我自己能夠想像到的程度。我覺得我們的法真是夠大，似乎是你想修多高，他就有多大。能在這樣的法中修，我感到真是無比幸福。」
北京學員：蔣真
二零零零年一月十九日
油畫：《已溶法中》，作者：王晶。此畫獲新唐人電視臺二零一四年“全世界人物寫實油畫大賽”銀獎。
原載於：http://big5.minghui.org/mh/articles/2000/1/24/「放下自我」，「溶於法中」-1848.html
（曾錚注：這篇文章是我於2000年3月或4月寫下的，寫下後我複印了若干份，帶著它參加過許多次法輪功學員的祕密交流。當時中共對漍的鎮壓剛剛開始不久，全中國各地許多學員聚在北京，經常舉行祕密交流會，交流在鎮壓形式下應該怎麼做。
我在參加多次這樣的交流後，於2000年4月13日淩晨兩點於家中被警察抓捕。這篇文章，應該是我入獄後，由別的功友幫我投稿到明慧網的。我當時尚未與明慧網有過任何直接聯繫。）
【明慧網2000年4月30日】「4.25」，這是一個響遍全球、響遍宇宙的日子。在去年的「4.25」，數萬弟子放下生死，「放下自我，以至一切常人的思想」，以集體上訪的形式和平表達了自己的心聲。那是一個人類歷史上從來沒有過的祥和、殊勝的場面。大法弟子在其間表現出的大善大忍的胸懷更是無聲地震撼著每一個人的心，連師父在芝加哥講法時都說：「了不起，真的了不起，無愧是偉大的神」。這是法正人間新的篇章的開始。自那一天起，數以千萬計的弟子「放下生死，前赴後繼，義無反顧地加入了法正人間的偉大洪流。所做所為，可歌可泣，所成就的,可喜可賀」。我相信他們的故事將在佛國世界的眾生裏流傳很久、很久……
又一個「4.25」即將來臨，我相信每一個真修弟子都想再一次站出來，繼續向天上、人間表達他們的心聲。但許多弟子包括我都有一個觀念：怕那時候會被警察、家人看起來而出不來了，因而想提前出來。但提前到甚麼時候，卻很難確定，也難以在弟子中形成共識。一個弟子跟我說：就是「4.25」，這是天定的集體上訪日，不用誰通知誰，真修弟子都知道。神要做事情人是看不住的。她的話一下子衝破了我的觀念。是的，師父說過，「這個宇宙基本上都正過來了。唯獨就差人類，就差最表面這層物質了，但是也在結束中了。」(《法輪佛法在北美首屆法會上講法》) 我個人認為，到了那一天，全宇宙都在看著地球，地球都在看著中國，中國都在看著北京，北京都在看著天安門，天安門在看著我們弟子。天上的衛星，地上的記者都將把焦點對準。我們敢不敢出來？我們能不能出來？我想我們一定能。師父說過，「神牢牢地掌握著人類社會的一切。」我們對法、對師父有沒有信心？天象變化到了這一步，我們衝破人的觀念，一定能出來。
當然我們現在表面的思想都還是人的思想，所以人的思想只能這樣設想：那一天我們只要出來，向同一個目標進發，我們不執著於任何結果，結果就一定比我們想像的還要好。
我們中的許多人已經是從看守所幾進幾出了，我們甚至已經習慣於這樣的程序：大規模被抓後被拉至某一地方，逐一登記姓名、住址後分別被押送、遣送回各自戶口所在地，再被關多少天後又放出來……我們不怕坐牢，所以我們很配合他們的工作。走到今天我們才突然意識到：我們沒有做任何違反《憲法》之事。我們為甚麼要被抓？為甚麼要配合他們做壞事？人類敗壞到今天，人已經不知道做人的標準了，我們有這個責任去告訴他們，用不再配合他們的方式告訴他們，哪怕我們為此要承受更多更多。這才是我們修煉人的「善」和「忍」。
老師在講到周天時說，大周天全部打通「可以使身體裏面的氣換位」。我覺得我們大法弟子現在這種跨地區的切磋交流就好比是氣在換位；但「這還不算甚麼，那要煉到甚麼程度？要使人的身體百脈都在逐漸加寬，能量越來越強，變得越來越亮。最後使上萬條脈連成一片，達到一種無脈無穴的境地，整個身體連成一片，」我想這是我們今天應該達到的狀態：所有弟子「連成一片」，「無脈無穴」，我們就是一個人，我們只有一個名字–「大法弟子」。那個時候，我們真能做到的話，天象變化就到了另一個狀態了。以前所有對待我們的程序都將失效。
又一個偉大的日子即將來臨，宇宙的歷史又將翻開新的一頁。「主佛的慈悲是洪大的，已經把佛法留給了人，宇宙將再給人一次機會，讓偉大的佛法把宇宙的真正現實再現人間，蕩盡一切污垢與愚見，用人類的語言再造輝煌。」
「精進吧，這是最偉大，最殊勝的。」
大陸大法弟子
2000/4/15
原載於：http://big5.minghui.org/mh/articles/2000/4/30/3859.html
2001年1月25日，一名法輪功學員突破重重封鎖，在天安門展開了一面“法正乾坤”橫幅。（圖片來源：美聯社）。我在被抓之前、參加交流會時，包裏也裝著這樣一面橫幅，原準備於2000年4月25日去天安門广場展開。
今天，煉功點來了個新人，一見我就叫：“喲，這不是曾錚嗎？”
我說：“是啊，就是我啊，我就是那個負責拎錄音機的。”
他說：“我在北京時，你到我家去過。你那時像個小學生似的，瘦瘦的。”
我打量他一眼，發現我並不認識他，也不記得見過他。我立即就知道，我一定是在鎮壓及第三次被捕獲釋以後、第四次被抓並送入勞教所之前那段時間，即2000年3月或4月份去的他家。
那段時間，我包里背著許多份自己写的《「4.25」有感》這篇文章的複印件，和一面「法正乾坤」的橫幅，跟功友去過好多同修家交流，多到我都記不過來。好多人聽了我的交流後，決定要去天安門广場向天上人間表達作爲一名大法弟子維護大法的決心。
交流的人，來自全國各地，基本都是相互不認識的，裏面特務也混了不少。
所以，很快，我於4月13日淩晨兩點在家睡覺時就被抓了，包裏那面原準備在2000年4月25日，即震驚中外的99年「4.25」法輪功萬人大請願週年紀念日那天到天安門去展開的橫幅也沒能用上。
我知道，這是因爲公安覺得我的「破壞性」太大，再不抓我，造成的後果太嚴重。所以沒等我去天安門，就先把我抓起來了。
後來到了勞教所，遇到不止一個同修，說是聽了我的交流才走出來的。也就是說，我的確是「煽動」過一些人去天安門。
其實，這能叫「煽動」嗎？在當時的情況下，能走上天安門，那都是要能放下生死的。說到底，是每個人自己的選擇吧。
我從鎮壓開始時只知窩在家裏「堅定實修」，到後來能走出來維護大法，也是聽了外地同修的交流後走出來的，也是被「煽動」出來的。但是，我很感謝他們讓我突破了自我修煉的「小我」，體悟到將自己的生命融入大法，選擇了與法同在是怎樣的境界——突破「小我」後，並沒有失去自我，而得成就了一個「大我」。
從這個意義上說，這是我自己修煉上一個大突破，不是什麼簡簡單單的「煽動」所以覆蓋的。
所以呢，我對於我是否「煽動」了別人這件事，其實也是很不以爲意的。作爲修煉人，從根本上來說，每個人做什麼不做什麼，都是自己的選擇，與他人關係不大。
事隔這許多年，今天竟然在同一個煉功點上再見當年在那種特殊的環境中遇到過的、我毫無印象的功友，真是感慨萬千。再把自己那時寫的《「4.25」有感》這篇文章找出來看看，覺得其實還挺幼稚的。這篇文章是4月30號才發表在明慧網上，已經是我入獄以後的事了，想來是哪位功友幫我投的稿吧。我那時還沒有和明慧網有過任何直接聯繫。
幼稚也好不幼稚也好，這就是這些年，我們走過的路吧。
9/20/2020
今晨，煉功點上的霞光。（曾錚攝於2020年9月20日）
今晨，煉功點上的霞光。（曾錚攝於2020年9月20日）
附：
【明慧網2000年4月30日】「4.25」，這是一個響遍全球、響遍宇宙的日子。在去年的「4.25」，數萬弟子放下生死，「放下自我，以至一切常人的思想」，以集體上訪的形式和平表達了自己的心聲。那是一個人類歷史上從來沒有過的祥和、殊勝的場面。大法弟子在其間表現出的大善大忍的胸懷更是無聲地震撼著每一個人的心，連師父在芝加哥講法時都說：「了不起，真的了不起，無愧是偉大的神」。這是法正人間新的篇章的開始。自那一天起，數以千萬計的弟子「放下生死，前赴後繼，義無反顧地加入了法正人間的偉大洪流。所做所為，可歌可泣，所成就的,可喜可賀」。我相信他們的故事將在佛國世界的眾生裏流傳很久、很久……
又一個「4.25」即將來臨，我相信每一個真修弟子都想再一次站出來，繼續向天上、人間表達他們的心聲。但許多弟子包括我都有一個觀念：怕那時候會被警察、家人看起來而出不來了，因而想提前出來。但提前到甚麼時候，卻很難確定，也難以在弟子中形成共識。一個弟子跟我說：就是「4.25」，這是天定的集體上訪日，不用誰通知誰，真修弟子都知道。神要做事情人是看不住的。她的話一下子衝破了我的觀念。是的，師父說過，「這個宇宙基本上都正過來了。唯獨就差人類，就差最表面這層物質了，但是也在結束中了。」(《法輪佛法在北美首屆法會上講法》) 我個人認為，到了那一天，全宇宙都在看著地球，地球都在看著中國，中國都在看著北京，北京都在看著天安門，天安門在看著我們弟子。天上的衛星，地上的記者都將把焦點對準。我們敢不敢出來？我們能不能出來？我想我們一定能。師父說過，「神牢牢地掌握著人類社會的一切。」我們對法、對師父有沒有信心？天象變化到了這一步，我們衝破人的觀念，一定能出來。
當然我們現在表面的思想都還是人的思想，所以人的思想只能這樣設想：那一天我們只要出來，向同一個目標進發，我們不執著於任何結果，結果就一定比我們想像的還要好。
我們中的許多人已經是從看守所幾進幾出了，我們甚至已經習慣於這樣的程序：大規模被抓後被拉至某一地方，逐一登記姓名、住址後分別被押送、遣送回各自戶口所在地，再被關多少天後又放出來……我們不怕坐牢，所以我們很配合他們的工作。走到今天我們才突然意識到：我們沒有做任何違反《憲法》之事。我們為甚麼要被抓？為甚麼要配合他們做壞事？人類敗壞到今天，人已經不知道做人的標準了，我們有這個責任去告訴他們，用不再配合他們的方式告訴他們，哪怕我們為此要承受更多更多。這才是我們修煉人的「善」和「忍」。
老師在講到周天時說，大周天全部打通「可以使身體裏面的氣換位」。我覺得我們大法弟子現在這種跨地區的切磋交流就好比是氣在換位；但「這還不算甚麼，那要煉到甚麼程度？要使人的身體百脈都在逐漸加寬，能量越來越強，變得越來越亮。最後使上萬條脈連成一片，達到一種無脈無穴的境地，整個身體連成一片，」我想這是我們今天應該達到的狀態：所有弟子「連成一片」，「無脈無穴」，我們就是一個人，我們只有一個名字–「大法弟子」。那個時候，我們真能做到的話，天象變化就到了另一個狀態了。以前所有對待我們的程序都將失效。
又一個偉大的日子即將來臨，宇宙的歷史又將翻開新的一頁。「主佛的慈悲是洪大的，已經把佛法留給了人，宇宙將再給人一次機會，讓偉大的佛法把宇宙的真正現實再現人間，蕩盡一切污垢與愚見，用人類的語言再造輝煌。」
「精進吧，這是最偉大，最殊勝的。」
大陸大法弟子
2000/4/15
原載於明慧網2000年4月30日：http://big5.minghui.org/mh/articles/2000/4/30/3859.html
Breaking: Bill To Designate the CCP As A Transnational Organized Crime Group Introduced
US Rep. Scott Gordon Perry (R-PA 10th District) made a speech at Capitol Hill on Oct. 1, 2020, announcing that he has introduced a bill to designate the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) as a transnational organized crime group.
He said, “This morning I had the honor of introducing a bill in the United States House of Representatives, that assigns a title befitting the Chinese Communist Party, that’s a ‘transnational criminal organization’, because that’s what they are. They are criminals. This bill, what exactly it does is, it allows us to apply the Rico statues, the racketeering statutes, to those involved with the Communist Party.
“Whether they’re in China, or whether they’re in the United States of America, with real penalties including prison, going to prison for criminal activities on behalf of the Chinese Communist Party.
“This bill eliminates the sovereign immunity of the CCP, ensuring that even their diplomats who are working here, if they’re involved in criminal activity, they can be subjected to this.
“The CCP cannot be given a pass, cannot be absolved of justice, just because it’s ruling China, and that’s what’s happening. Because they can declare themselves the legitimate government of China, they’re allowed to get away with it. They are allowed to get away with oppression, concentration camps, all kinds of horrific things that you already know about, whether it’s the Falun Gong, whether it’s our friends in Mongolia, whether it’s taking over Tibet, all of it, that’s the end.
“And it’s criminal activity that must be recognized and stood against by the whole world community, and the United States must lead.
“I want to thank you for the opportunity to speak to you here today, and thank those of you for listening and thank those of you who are standing up, because when you do, when you stand up, you know, the Chinese Communist Party puts a mark on you, right? They are after every single one of us here, and they will do what they can to extinguish our voices.
“We’re not going to let them, because we’re going to stand together, and we’re going to do something about discouraging the Communist Chinese party, and we’re going to hold them accountable. We’re going to bring them to justice, and we’re going to end their tyranny. Thank you. God bless you!”
Rep. Perry also said, “Many folks from Tibet, Tibetan heritage, Taiwan, Uighurs, Mongolians all came to my office to talk to me about what’s happening to them and what has happened to them. And we simply cannot stand for it. We simply cannot allow it. It takes more than conversations, more than discussions. It takes action. Action is what is required.
“So I thank you for the opportunity to be here with you today. I’m grateful for your courage, standing up against a horrific tyrannical regime in China, the Communist Party of China, and I’m happy to stand with you and conviction against the tyranny of the Chinese Communist Party.
“The CCP is an abject moral failure. You know this, it is decrepit, it is demonic, it is an institution that subjugates and enslaves the people it has dominion over.
“In the past hundred years, our world saw the rise of communism in the Soviet Union. And we witness freedom imperiled by evil. And we’re witnessing it right now today, right as we stand here, it is happening right now today.
“But it cannot be allowed to endure, just cannot be allowed to do endure. We are now confronted with this manifestation of communism and totalitarianism in the Communist Chinese Party.
“I will continue to, I will continue to tell everyone who cares to listen and even those who care not to listen over and over again, as many times as it takes, what is in front of us.
“We, we must be the generation that confronts and defeats and ends the wicked regime of the CCP.”
The following is the bill introduced today.