Falun Gong

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Lena
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Falun Gong

Post: # 5495Post Lena »

have you guys heard of the supression of Falun Gong aka Falun Dafa in China? I got a newspaper about it handed to me when I went to NYC last year and it's been popping up in my mind ever since. I went back to NYC in january and they gave me more information about it. It's really bad.

The things I read are so horrible at first I wasn't sure if it was true. afterall, I've never heard about it on tv or at school... now I'm surprised that mainstream media isn't covering this, at least in USA.

basically, Falun Dafa is an international and peacefull, spiritual movement (it reminds me of yoga). the Chinese government is saying that it's a cult but it's not. they're arresting and torturing (even to death) anyone who is caught practicing it or supporting those who practice it.

If you google it you can get more information, but if you search using the chinese version of google they give you links to government-supported websites saying it's a cult and other false propaganda.

the Communist Party of China is obviously violating universal law in the worse ways possible. in some cases they are even drugging these innocent people to the point that they're mentally insane, according to the articles I got in new york.
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Robanan
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Post: # 5498Post Robanan »

I've heard about it, there are many people practicing it in Ukraine. You are right they are not a cult and really do care about their spiritual and physical well being.
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shezmear
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Post: # 5655Post shezmear »

yes, i have herd of this, and seen it also, i will need to read up on it a bit more though,

I know the china goverment is really trying to stamp it out.
By their deeds shall you know them.
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Aisin
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Re: Falun Gong

Post: # 5656Post Aisin »

Hi Lena, I've heard of this since a few years back. I know the image can be disturbing, I saw it on a banner. If i may guess what you saw, they're photos of physical tortures and the like, aren't they?
Lena wrote:basically, Falun Dafa is an international and peacefull, spiritual movement (it reminds me of yoga). the Chinese government is saying that it's a cult but it's not.
I'm having a lot of reservation on the above quote. Falun Dafa is very different from yoga, in both its operation and teachings. I do not have a firm conclusion on who's right and who's wrong, but I do feel that two wrongs do not make a right. The government may be using the wrong tools to suppress this organisation, but portraying itself as the victim does not justify the spirituality and righteousness of this organisation.

A quick browse over the official website of Falun organisation reveals that the organisation is headed by a man named Li Hong Zhi. The teaching of Falun is mainly based on a book written by Li. It adapts some concepts from Buddhism, and also includes some exercises similar to Qi Gong. But who is this man Li? How enlightened is he? If people were to follow in the footsteps of enlightened men, wouldn't it to aim for the highest possible example of enlightenment?

A quick read on the main book of teaching reveals that it does not explicitly aim to provoke members / followers of the organisation to think and seek. Neither is it an in-depth book of knowlege. Instead, it looks more like a compilation of Li's conclusions on a variety of topics, such as explanations on various terms used in the exercises, do's and don't's, killing and vegetarianism etc.

The official website has translations in many languages, however, there is discrepency in the translations. For example, the English version does not contain this clause: practicing the principles enables one to be protected by the Master from external evils (loosely translated by me from other versions, as I also have difficulty understanding the complete meaning of this clause), which sounds questionable to me.

Would we categorize an organisation like this as a religion? If we do, it is still one of the things strongly discouraged by Michel's book. There has been reports of group suicide of Falun organisation members, I don't know of the reason, but such cases may have caused the organisation to be objectively labelled as occultic by independent observers (outside the China government).

Also, from my observation, it seems that one of the key acitivity of the organisation is to publicize its organisation, as well as the suppression it faces, and also to actively recruit more members. Its connections to a few online journals reminds me of 'journalism' as how it is mentioned in TP. And we're unable to draw a conclusion as to whether there is anything political monetary to this organisation.

Yoga is a Sanskrit word which means 'union', particularly referring to the union of the body and the mind. It's an ancient teaching originating from India, which encompasses cleansing of the body, of the mind, concentration, meditation, chakras and many more. Yoga does not operate like an organisation, anybody can practice Yoga as long as advised by a qualified master, or even self-learnt through books in that sense. It can be likened to a way of life which points toward the spiritual direction, if we were to categorize it. Yoga as it is often used in the west to refer to the stretching / fitness exercises, is only one small part of the complete Yoga teaching.
Lena wrote:they're arresting and torturing (even to death) anyone who is caught practicing it or supporting those who practice it.
I'm afraid there might be more to it than what meets the eyes. How did the photos of the tortures end up in the possession of Falun organisation? The photos only prove that someone are victims of the torture, but do not tell us by whom and why. If it was done by the government, could it have been for certain reasons unknown to us or untold by the organisation?
Lena wrote:If you google it you can get more information, but if you search using the chinese version of google they give you links to government-supported websites saying it's a cult and other false propaganda.
I don't think so. Searching in English version google and Chinese version google yield approximately the same results. The search engine may be identical or very similar, however the keyword may make a difference.

There is mention of the organisation on a third party (meaning neither Falun org nor China government) website. I do not take it to be exhaustive or completely accurate, but it qualifies as a reference. it's at: http://www.apologeticsindex.org/news/an200618.html#10

Many academicians have also expressed a myriad of views on the organisation. A careful search would return much information.
Lena wrote: the Communist Party of China is obviously violating universal law in the worse ways possible. in some cases they are even drugging these innocent people to the point that they're mentally insane, according to the articles I got in new york.
I'm not sure whether you're practicing the physical exercises taught by the organisation, or are reading the teachings written by Li. No matter what, the best way is to be discerning and to question the objectives of what is presented to you. Seek out the truth. I know you are feeling sympathy for the victims of the torture, but don't let that blind your wiser judgement. For myself, I will not spend too much time trying to decide which is the less of the two evils.

An additional note, the citizens of China still have their freedom to choose their respective religion. Just as a comparison, a Buddhist temple in China, Shao Lin Temple, famous also for its long-standing history, achievements in martial arts and Chinese traditional medicine, operates openly without suppression.
Lena
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Post: # 5679Post Lena »

aisin, thanks for your insight. I didn't see the banner of people being tortured (I don't think) but I saw photos of people before and after being released from jail, and by the looks of it something horrible happened to those people.

I don't practice Flaun Gong or read any of their books. I said it reminds me of Yoga, not because I think the two are similar, but because they're both international "spiritual" movements, I guess, but it sounds like you've looked into it more than I have.

According to the material I've read, the group suicide was staged by the chinese government and they weren't actually falun gong practicioners, because falun gong teaches against suicide.

what counts as a cult? If Falun Gong is a cult surely Christianity is, too. I think it depends on the individual, you can study a religion (sort out the junk) and get some valuable lessons out of it, or you can take it too far or misinterpret it and stray from the truth.
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Aisin
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Post: # 5689Post Aisin »

Thank you for sharing, Lena. I'm not siding any party in the Falun organisation controversy. And without further knowlege, I can't pin-point what rights / wrongs each side is doing, and I shall cease to comment.

In your last paragraph, you raised a good point. Definition and categorisation of religion or cult are only man-made. I think along the same line too, with regards to discovering the gems in the few enlightened men's examples (which eventually led to the formation of the religious organisations), and learn from them.
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bomohwkl
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Post: # 6233Post bomohwkl »

have you guys heard of the supression of Falun Gong aka Falun Dafa in China? I got a newspaper about it handed to me when I went to NYC last year and it's been popping up in my mind ever since. I went back to NYC in january and they gave me more information about it. It's really bad.
I had read articles and newpapers they had handed to me in Trafagar square a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, I really don't like the way the articles are written. Of course, there is a suppression of Falun Gong in China.
One of the important reasons I don't like the article is its attempt to provoke hatred, anger and sensationalism. I have little interest on supporting that. Interestingly, i now understood that in order to move the masses into actions, it has to be written to appeal the intelligence first.
Wish I have the articles with me to share with you the contrast.
Lena
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Post: # 6255Post Lena »

I have the articles; I know what you mean by "its attempt to provoke hatred, anger and sensationalism."
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Aisin
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Post: # 6504Post Aisin »

bomohwkl wrote:One of the important reasons I don't like the article is its attempt to provoke hatred, anger and sensationalism. I have little interest on supporting that.
I agree with you very much. That alone already renders whatever 'spiritual achievements' they have to be very much discounted. How can you call yourself spiritual if you can't love the people around you?
bomohwkl wrote:Interestingly, i now understood that in order to move the masses into actions, it has to be written to appeal the intelligence first.
I don't get your point, care to elaborate further?
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