By Beth
Pratt
Religion Editor
March 27, 2004
LUBBOCK, Texas — An astounding number of people around the world are persecuted
and tortured solely because of the religion or life philosophy they espouse.
The Chinese government is among the worst offenders as it seeks to keep tight
control over its citizens. In recent years, a rapidly growing movement called
Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa) has been a target of repression by the Chinese
government, which banned it in July 1999.
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Adherents of Falun Gong define
it as a traditional self-cultivation practice to improve mind and body.
Rooted
in ancient Chinese culture, Falun Gong is one of a variety of mind-body-spirit
systems [in the Buddha School] (1). However, followers stress
that it is not part of Buddhist or Taoist religions.
Falun Gong was introduced
to the public in 1992 by Li Hongzhi, founder.
Spread by word of mouth, the
once private practice of Falun Gong has grown by leaps and bounds, especially
in China, where its success has alarmed the government and resulted in pressures
on individuals to renounce the practice.
Those who have refused to renounce
have been persecuted with ransom, forced divorce, social isolation and hard labor
as well as various types of imprisonment and torture.
“The Falun Gong Report
2002” provides photos and descriptions of members of the group who have been subjected
to various levels of torture, many resulting in death.
“In a 1997 survey, Falun
Gong had 70 million, more than (the Communist) Party members,” said John Sheen,
a Lubbock practitioner of Falun Gong.
Sheen and his wife, Junping Chen, and
Barbara Ni are members of the Lubbock Falun Gong exercise and meditation class,
which was begun by Cynthia Liu in 2000. She has moved, but the meetings continue.
The small core group of four or five welcomes visitors each week. They meet from
2 to 4 p.m. Saturdays in the community room at Mahon Library.
There is no requirement
that they meet, but coming together for the exercise and meditation is helpful.
When visitors come, more of the time is devoted to teaching the five exercises.
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The purpose of the meditation is to empty the mind
of all things, Sheen said.
'The American public is so supportive,” Ni
said. “I am very moved by the sense of human rights here in the United States.”
She emphasized her gratitude to Mahon Library for allowing the group to meet there
each week.
Falun Gong is not considered a religion, because there is no worship
of anyone involved, Ni said.
Ann Hodges started attending the class around
Thanksgiving.
“It's a very easy exercise to pick up and follow up with
the basics in one afternoon,” Hodges said. “I can take it with me, as little or
as much as I want.”
Ping said, “The exercise itself can be five, 10, 30 minutes
or longer. You can do a set anytime. It improves the physical, adjusts the body
to ideal condition, and gets the bad energy out, the good energy in.”
The exercise
may be done at work or at home.
Although the gentle, stretching movements of
the exercise are beneficial to health, the greatest benefit comes from the meditation
and development of the principles of Falun Gong, which are truthfulness, compassion
and forbearance, Ni said.
Those interested in learning more about the philosophy
upon which Falun Gong is based are referred to the organization's Web site
at www.falundafa.org. Materials may be downloaded at no cost.
The practitioner
of Falun Dafa is expected to study the teachings of its founder and perform the
five gentle exercises. Benefits range from improved health and energy to mental
clarity, stress relief and peace of mind.
Persecution in China has resulted
in the spread of Falun Gong to about 60 countries, as practitioners leave in order
to survive. [From Clearwisdom: Mr. Li Hongzhi began traveling and teaching
Falun Gong all over the world beginning in 1996, three years before the persecution
began. Most practitioners outside of China learned Falun Gong within the countries
they reside. Those practitioners are from a wide range of ethnic and racial backgrounds.
Few practitioners have been able to leave China since July 1999.] Their great
concern is for those left behind.
According to Falun Gong reports, more than
1,600 have been tortured to death, more than 100,000 detained and more than 25,000
sent to labor camps. More than 1,000 have been forced into mental hospitals.
Falun Gong members have participated in demonstrations to raise world awareness
about the human rights violations in China, including the arrest at the airport
a little more than a year ago of Charles Lee, an American citizen who practices
Falun Gong. He remains imprisoned in China.
Falun Gong (Dafa)
What:
Self-improvement exercise and meditation.
Origin:
Philosophy with roots in ancient Chinese [culture]
Principles:
Truthfulness, compassion, forbearance.
Founder:
Li Hongzhi.
Lubbock Falun Gong: Meets
2-4 p.m. Saturdays, Mahon Library.
Information
about teachings: www.falundafa.org
“Not
a single violent response has resulted from the peaceful demonstrations,” Chen
noted.
Source: http://www.lubbockonline.com/stories/032704/rel_0327040078.shtml
(1) We substituted “in the Buddha school” for “growing out of Buddhist philosophy
and practice.” In Zhuan Falun, Mr. Li's primary work, he stated, “Our Falun
Dafa is one of the eighty-four thousand cultivation ways in the Buddha School,
and it has nothing to do with the original Buddhism…”
Posting
date: 30/Mar/2004
Original article date: 27/Mar/2004
Category: Media
Report
