By Chen Yuqi
What is it about Chinese
wisdom that appeals so much to an outstanding American young man? What motivated
him to hold seminars about China in his hometown and why did he say that Taiwan
has kept the best of the Chinese culture?
Matt is about 6 ft. 2 in., and
his family was originally from Europe. His demeanor resembles that of a traditional
Chinese scholar: modest and thoughtful. He was born in 1972 in Rochester, New
York. His parents are university professors and his family has been Christian
for generations.
Under the influence of his parents, Matt excelled in school,
and was very active in community charitable activities. In addition, he was good
at sports. He played for a national baseball team and went to Beijing for a game.
He is outstanding in many different ways.
Enticed by the Beauty of Chinese
Culture
Matt reads extensively and is very kind. He always has questions
about life, like: “Why are we here?” Things changed after he studied at St. Michael
College in Vermont and took courses in Asian philosophy. He was astounded by the
profound knowledge of Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism. He was so excited, and
read more and more. In his second year, he moved to Philadelphia in Pennsylvania,
and transferred to Swarthmore College, one of the best colleges in America.
He
was having a lot of fun at Swarthmore College, which provided him with an excellent
academic environment to study Asian philosophy. Soon after, he had health problems.
A serious illness was spreading quietly inside him.
Mysterious Illness
He was athletic, healthy, and strong, but during his sophomore year he lost
a lot of weight. He was allergic to many kinds of food. He vomited, had diarrhea,
and his digestive system was weakened. Matt was skin and bones within a short
time. No doctors could diagnose his illness. He had to quit school and went home
to recuperate.
When he was suffering from the disease, he started to think
about life and death. He asked, “What is the meaning of life?” At this point,
he saw the word “compassion” flashing by. He made up his mind that he would become
a more compassionate, empathetic, and helpful person if he was ever back on his
feet again.
While resting at home, Matt spent 500 dollars every month to
learn qigong from a well-known qigong master from China. Every day he practiced
for hours. He also went to Toronto, Canada to see a traditional Chinese doctor
for acupuncture and herbal medicine. He even carried his own pot to prepare the
herbal medicine. His health gradually improved. A year and a half later, he resumed
his studies at Swarthmore College and the seed to learn more about qigong had
been planted in him.
Questions about Qigong
When he was a
junior, Matt started to learn Chinese, traditional Chinese prose and Confucianism.
Every time he learned something, he felt enlightened. The qigong master was so
impressed with Matt that he would teach Matt all he knew, even his best kept secrets.
Then Matt found out that the biggest problem with qigong masters was that they
only did the practice, and they did not care about moral improvement.
According
to what he learned in the ancient books, there is a great inner meaning in qigong.
Phenomena such as the mysterious pass, yuanying, and meditation all suggest that
inner cultivation is the key. The modern qigong masters, however, do not talk
about these things. They only talk about keeping fitness and maintaining health.
They behave the same as ordinary people. On the other hand, books on Buddhism
and Taoism focus more on improving character, but lack the means to transform
the body. Matt was very puzzled over this discrepancy.
Matt thought he knew
enough about qigong and he even thought about taking the advantages from both
schools and inventing a new practice. During his senior year in the university,
he came across Falun Dafa, the great and all-encompassing practice.
Learning
about Falun Gong
In February 1999, he went with his wife Emily on their
first date to the Chinese festival organized at the University of Pennsylvania.
Amongst the performances and folk arts booths, he found a display on Falun Gong,
which immediately attracted his attention.
The person manning the booth
was a professor and a Ph.D. student at the University of Pennsylvania. After discussing
with Falun Gong practitioners, Matt was astounded. Their understanding of qigong
was much more in depth than his. A complete cultivation system was in front of
him. He was so excited that he grabbed Emily's hand, went to the bookstore,
and bought the book Zhuan
Falun. After he read the book, he participated in the nine-day workshop.
Many of his classmates from the qigong class also followed Matt's footsteps
and became practitioners.
Meditation and exercise — one of the couple's favorite things to do
Dramatic
Changes in Mind and Body
On the first day of the workshop
Matt witnessed symptoms of his earlier ailment return, such as diarrhea and vomiting.
But this time he was energetic and had a good appetite. He knew from the study
of Zhuan Falun that this time around it was karma being removed, the roots
of the illness being dug out. In the course of the nine-days workshop he gained
10 lean pounds and found himself free at last of his longstanding food allergies.
Upon
learning the fifth exercise, Falun Gong's meditation, Matt found that he
could soon sit for one hour with both legs crossed, whereas in the past he could
never so much as cross both legs. But the changes in his body, however great,
were small in comparison to the positive changes he experienced in his mind. So
delighted was he at having found what felt to him the perfect practice.
Matt's
family noticed changes in him. He was free at last of health problems, and this
time without spending a penny. His disposition improved markedly. He had been
for years nervous, anxious, impatient, competitive, and argumentative. Today he
stands a different person.
Before taking up self-cultivation, Matt was
at a loss for what to do about the negative traits of his personality, though
he could detect them. That changed after starting cultivation, however, for he
found that they were now easily mended.
Matt excelled during his years
in school, graduating with one of the highest grade point averages at his college
and gaining privileged membership in Phi Beta Kappa. His relations with his parents
and friends also met with positive changes. Those around him, such as his girlfriend,
a Baptist, and his parents wished to learn more about the practice he had found.
So
much did Matt benefit from the practice of Falun Gong that it deepened and enkindled
anew his interest in Chinese culture. He received a one year fellowship around
the time of graduation on the basis of his academic merits for further study of
the Chinese language at Tsinghua University. Little could he anticipate, however,
what he was about to witness in China.
Tsinghua Days
Matt
felt in his element at Tsinghua University, enjoying the opportunity of time with
a range of thoughtful and engaging students from universities such as Harvard
and Yale.
Every day at dawn and early evening, hundreds of faculty, staff
members, and students would practice Falun Gong together throughout the campus.
Matt joined them. That would change abruptly, however, beginning midnight on July
19, 1999. It was that night Chinese authorities arrested all of the “key” contact
persons of Falun Gong. Matt knew nothing about the arrests, however, as he was
preparing for exams. But that night he was engulfed with nightmares–something
odd, in that he usually slept soundly. He dreamed that police were storming his
and other residences, hounding and arresting many innocent people. He was awakened
several times by the nightmare.
Later Matt learned that in fact many
persons had been arrested that for their practice of Falun Gong. In the days that
followed many practitioners, including from Tsinghua, went to petition Chinese
authorities and explain how they had benefited from the practice. Numerous innocent
people were arrested and their rights deprived. Many were tortured and forced
to give up their practice.
A Terror-Filled Campus
Two
days later Matt went to the practice site early in the morning and found no one
there. Instead, a sign was posted, reading, “Assembly and Conversation Not Allowed.”
All media, including radio and TV broadcasts, that day proceeded to denounce Falun
Gong. Astounded, Matt called family and friends in the States. They were very
shocked, “Why are the authorities banning a practice that benefits so many people?”
An
atmosphere of fear gripped the university. Students and faculty who supported
Falun Gong were suspended and sent home for “reform”
measures. Matt lost contact with his two closest Chinese friends, who refused
to renounce Falun Gong. It was unbelievable what innocent people were going through.
At first, Matt tried to stay in touch with the outside world via email. Soon he
was told that police were monitoring him and his phone and email were being watched.
Frustrated, Matt felt it impossible to continue his studies and came back to the
United States.
Rescue Efforts from Outside China
Back
in the United States, Matt could not forget the suffering of the kind people he
had come to know in China. He thought about what he could do to help. He spoke
at a variety of venues, several times on invitation. Audiences proved to be captivated
by matters of qigong and traditional Chinese medicine, in particular what these
traditions had to say about the universe and the human body. Many signed petitions
and spoke out upon hearing that Jiang Zemin was persecuting the practitioners
of Falun Gong in China.
Matt's parents were among the many who wrote
to President Bush, wishing to draw attention to the human rights abuses happening
in China. Falun Gong has spread to over 60 countries and has met with praise by
many local governments; when people learn of what is happening in China they condemn
the violation of freedom of belief.
Cherishing the Culture and Freedom
Offered by Taiwan
Matt went to Taiwan to further his research
and studies. He is of the conviction that Chinese culture is best kept in Taiwan,
rather than the mainland.
For what reason does he say this? Taiwan is
small, but it is democratic and its many different ethnic groups live in harmony.
In Taiwan China's traditional culture has been kept intact, people enjoy
freedom of belief, and there are over 300,000 persons who practice Falun Gong.
In China, by contrast, traditional culture and its material remnants met with
destruction in the Cultural Revolution and human rights abuses are widespread.
During
this interview, Matt said that he felt safe in Taiwan and respected; in the classroom
he found that he and others could talk freely about their beliefs. His wife Emily
has joined him in Taiwan, where she teaches English.
Matt credits Falun
Gong with giving him good health and a sense of joy in his life. He has chosen
Sinology as his field of study. The beauty and offerings of Taiwan are something
to be cherished, as he sees it.
Posting date: 21/Aug/2005
Original
article date: 20/Aug/2005
Category: Personal
Cultivation
