【明慧網2000年2月19日】I found the recent news of the 140 practitioners on hunger strike shocking and so have decided to request clarification of the reasons behind this action and to share my own understanding.
譯文：我最近讀到140名學員絕食的消息，很震驚，決定請求澄清絕食行動背後的理由並和大家談談我的看法。 By my understanding, the undertaking of any kind of strike is a political act involving withholding something someone needs in order to provoke some favourable action. A more political shade of that is to cause some subtle political disadvantage rather than depriving someone of something they obviously want. In the case of the hunger strikes, whether the Chinese government want practitioners to die or not, it is certainly disadvantageous for them if practitioners die in police custody.
從我個人的理解，任何形式的罷工都是政治行動，其中包含著為保留甚麼人需要的甚麼東西而促使他人作出對自己有利的某些行動。更具有政治色彩的是，這樣的行動與其說是使某些人失去他們明顯需要的某些東西，不如說是導致一些敏感的政治劣勢。在絕食的情況下，不管中國政府想讓學員們死還是活，只要學員們死在拘留所裏，就肯定會置政府於不義之地。
By going on a hunger strike one is essentially threatening “If you don"t release me I will kill myself.” Which seems to me to be a political act. Also, taking a life is a crime against the universe whether it is someone else"s or your own (my understanding). Also from the point of view of Bigu, as I understand it Master Li recommended against this and so the only reason for such a method to be employed would be if being deprived of food.
進行絕食的人從根本上是在發出威脅：“如果你不釋放我，我就自己死在這裏。”這在我看來似乎就是政治行為。另外，我個人理解，奪去生命，不管是別人的還是自己的，都是犯罪，是違背宇宙特性的。談到辟穀，我自己理解李老師不主張採用辟穀，可以採取辟穀這種方法的唯一理由是沒有食物來源。
While it may be said that the practitioners are defending the great law, is it possible to defend it when you are acting against it?
有人可能會說，學員們是在維護大法。可是如果你在違背大法，又怎麼可能同時去維護他呢？
This is of course, all based upon my present understanding of Dafa, so if anyone would like to share their understanding with me then please do.
當然，上面說的這些都是基於我個人目前對大法的理解。所以，任何人，如果想對我談談他們的想法，請不要顧忌。
Richard
理查德
（2000年2月18日稿）
