【明慧网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.
译文：我最近读到140名学员绝食的消息，很震惊，决定请求澄清绝食行动背后的理由并和大家谈谈我的看法。 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.
从我个人的理解，任何形式的罢工都是政治行动，其中包含着为保留什么人需要的什么东西而促使他人作出对自己有利的某些行动。更具有政治色彩的是，这样的行动与其说是使某些人失去他们明显需要的某些东西，不如说是导致一些敏感的政治劣势。在绝食的情况下，不管中国政府想让学员们死还是活，只要学员们死在拘留所里，就肯定会置政府于不义之地。
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.
进行绝食的人从根本上是在发出威胁：“如果你不释放我，我就自己死在这里。”这在我看来似乎就是政治行为。另外，我个人理解，夺去生命，不管是别人的还是自己的，都是犯罪，是违背宇宙特性的。谈到辟谷，我自己理解李老师不主张采用辟谷，可以采取辟谷这种方法的唯一理由是没有食物来源。
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?
有人可能会说，学员们是在维护大法。可是如果你在违背大法，又怎么可能同时去维护他呢？
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.
当然，上面说的这些都是基于我个人目前对大法的理解。所以，任何人，如果想对我谈谈他们的想法，请不要顾忌。
Richard
理查德
（2000年2月18日稿）
