Re:What is Falun Gong? - An overview (Score 1)

I'm an IT guy from Australia, and I have been practising Falun Gong for about six months and have found it "very good". I did tai chi for about four years before that but didn't get that much out of it, and although Falun Gong has physical exercises similar to tai chi, I found it also has a philosophy which really answers my questions about why is is right to be a good person.

The core principles of Falun Gong are Truth, Benevolence and Forbearance, and the books teach that if everyone truly followed these principles, there would be no need for laws anymore. My understanding is that the aim of cultivating is to remove selfishness, give up attachments to the bad things in life, and cultivate your "buddha nature", or good heart.

I have read the books, read the web sites and read the news about Falun Gong, and everything I have read leads me to believe that although it is easily misunderstood, it is good, both for me, for people around me, and for society.

I find it very saddening that although I have found something very good and upright, it is so extremely easy for people to dismiss Falun Gong as a cult or something else they would be afraid of.

I now try to be a good person - where I used to want to gain without paying, I don't anymore. Where I used to use my "ironic wit" and sarcasm to hurt people close to me, I now try to hold back. Where I used to put myself first in most situations, I now try to put others' feelings and needs before my own, even though I might lose a bit of self-interest. If this is brainwashing, I think more peoples' brains could do with a good wash.

Some things I have learned:

• Many city mayors in the have made public statments proclaiming the benefits of Falun Gong to their society. This includes over 300 cities in the US.
• Falun Gong's founder Li Hongzhi was nominated for the Nobel Peace Award in the last three years running.
• Falun Gong used to officially recognised as a part of the QiGong Association by the Chinese Government, and it's members grew to over 70 million in China alone. More than the Communist Party. The main book of Falun Gong, "Zhuan Falun" was the best-selling book in 1996 in China.
• For the last three years the Chinese government has persecuted its own people against it's own constitution and committed atrocities against Falun Gong practitioners. Over 100,000 practitioners have been illegally sentenced to labor camps, and over 400 practitioners have died in police custody. It is truly a human crisis.

Anyhow, I think I'm pretty lucky to be able to practice, as I don't think everyone can enlighten to it. The Zhaun Falun says that if a fool hears the Tao, he will laugh loudly at it, and if he doesn't laugh loudly at it then it is not the Tao :)

Kind Regards,
An IT guy and Australian Falun Gong practitioner.

- For a Falun Dafa practitioner's point of view on the "satellite hacking" please see the following link: Revealing Broadcasts Are Truly Serving the People

- Please see this link for more information about Falun Gong: Falun Dafa Org