On July 22, 1999, the Ministry of Civil Affairs of the People's Republic of China issued a notice declaring that the "Research Society of Falun Dafa'' and the "Falun Gong'' organization under its control had been deemed illegal, and were therefore banned according to law. On July 29, the Ministry of Public Security of the People's Republic of China issued a warrant for the arrest of Li Hongzhi, the self-appointed chairman of the "Research Society of Falun Dafa, '' and also issued a request for cooperation, through the China National Central Bureau of the International Criminal Police Organization (Interpol), to the Interpol and its member states for the arrest of Li Hongzhi.
The exposes Li Hongzhi, the man and his deeds, and his malicious fallacies, and reveals cases, in which people have died or become mentally disordered as a result of practicing and being obsessed with "Falun Gong.'' Included in this column is only a small part of the large number of those cases. The column also gives examples of Li Hongzhi's other crimes to violate the law and harm the society.
Numerous facts prove that Li Hongzhi and his "Falun Gong'' organization have caused serious health problems and deaths among people they duped, and that "Falun Gong'' is not a religion but a cult that brings harm to the society and an illegal organization that engages in law-breaking activities.
We believe that this column will help people to see clearly the true nature of Li Hongzhi and his "Falun Gong'' organization.
Li Hongzhi and His Heretical Fallacies
"Falun Gong'' is a kind of cult that harms the society and an illegal organization that has emerged in some parts of China over the past few years to engage in law-breaking activities. For the expansion of this organization, Li Hongzhi, its founder, concocted and propagated a set of lies and heretical fallacies to deify himself and instill them into practitioners of "Falun Gong'', so as to control them organizationally and spiritually. Li Hongzhi's anti-humanity, anti-society and anti-science words and deeds have already caused serious damages to society.
Li Hongzhi's Background
Li Hongzhi was born on July 7, 1952, in Gongzhuling City (formerly Gongzhuling Town of Huaide County), in northeast China's Jilin Province. From 1960 to 1969, he studied successively at the Changchun Zhujiang Road Primary School, Changchun No. 4 Secondary School and Changchun No. 48 Secondary School. After 1970, he first worked at an army stud farm, and later served as a trumpet player in a band of the Jilin Provincial Forestry Armed Police Corps. From 1978 to 1982, he worked as an attendant at a guesthouse run by the Jilin Provincial Forestry Armed Police Corps. Between 1982 and 1991, he was a member of the security section at the Changchun Municipal Cereals and Oils Company.
Li Hongzhi began to propagate his ideas of "Falun Gong'' since the early 1990s. Initially, he fabricated the so-called "way of practice'' of "Falun Gong'' by combining the movements of martial arts he had learned from other people a few years before with movements imitated from traditional Thai dancing. At first, he earned money by teaching people to practice "Falun Gong.'' Later, when he found that few people took interest in his "way of practice,'' he changed the way of amassing money to treating people with diseases by "exerting his energy potency.'' But, cheating can never last long. So, after a period of scheming, he concocted a set of lies and heretical theories of "Falun Dafa'' and founded the "Falun Gong'' organization with overtones of a cult, thus further embarking on a road of crime.
Later, Li fabricated his background, saying, "I was born in Gongzhuling City, Jilin Province, on May 13, 1951. When I was a child, the Law Master Quan Jue gave me secret instructions to turn me into a Buddhist believer. My training was completed when I was eight years old.
"At the age of 12, the Taoist Master Baji Zhenren (Eight-Pole Immortal) taught me Taoist practices.... In 1972, I received Taoist instructions from Master Zhendaozi (True Taoist), and in 1974, I received further training in Buddhist cultivation and returned to public life.'' In books compiled by the "Falun Gong'' organization, it is stated, "At the age of eight, Li Hongzhi attained the superb Great Law with great supernatural powers, such as the ability to move objects (without lifting a finger), fix articles (at whatever spot), control other people's thinking and make himself invisible.... His energy potency reached an extremely high level. He understands the truth of the universe, has insights into life and can see the past and future of mankind.''
In fabricating his life story, Li changed his date of birth from July 7, 1952 to May 13, 1951, and he personally altered his date of birth and acquired a new ID card. But the date of birth remained July 7, 1952 in the forms he previously filled in for determining his grade on his unit's payroll, applying to join the Communist Youth League and obtaining his ID cards issued on December 31, 1986 and March 31, 1991 respectively.
Why did Li make this change? In the Chinese lunar calendar, the eighth day of the fourth lunar month is believed to be the birthday of Sakyamuni, founder of Buddhism, and May 13, 1951 happened to be such a day. Thus, by changing his date of birth, Li intended to indicate that he is "a reincarnation of Sakyamuni.'' Moreover, he also had a photograph taken of himself in a stage costume he bought from a store to give himself the "image of Buddha'' sitting on a lotus flower.
However, many of Li's former schoolmates, teachers and neighbors, when interviewed, all said Li Hongzhi was no more than an ordinary child obtaining average marks in his studies. In their reaction to his fabricated story of "spiritual cultivation,'' their answers were either "nonsense,'' or "impossible,'' or "I have never seen or heard of that.'' His superiors and roommates at the stud farm and the forestry police corps also said he was just an ordinary serviceman in an art troupe. They explained that the full schedule of rehearsals and performances, as well as the strict militarized routine and tight time schedule in the forestry police corps could not possibly leave him any spare time to practice his so-called "great law.'' His colleagues at the municipal cereals and oils company also said that Li Hongzhi knew nothing about the so-called "way of practice'' and "spiritual cultivation'' at all before he joined a qigong (a system of movements and deep breathing exercises -- Tr.) training class in 1988. In general, no one who had been on familiar terms with him knew anything about him acquiring the "miraculous abilities'' he himself boasted about.
When Li's acquaintances asked him why he made up his life story, Li answered, "No one would believe me if I do not exaggerate a little bit.''
But these completely fallacious "miraculous abilities'' deceived many practitioners of "Falun Gong'' who knew little about him.
The Heretical Ideas Advocated by Li Hongzhi
Li Hongzhi has preached his heretical ideas and fallacies on every possible occasion, and included these absurdities in several books, such as Zhuan Falun and Falun Fofa. These books have been widely circulated. The following fallacies, which Li Hongzhi has repeatedly preached to the practitioners, are all from the books he and his principal followers wrote and sold as well as from the cassette and video tapes of his speeches:
(1) Hawking the theory of "doomsday" by declaring that mankind has come to the brink of destruction
On many occasions Li Hongzhi told his audience: "The human race has experienced many destructive catastrophes," ... "the next destruction -- complete destruction -- will come soon. It will be destruction of both the form and the spirit, and will be really horrible." He said during one speech, "Please tell everyone around you that the present time is near the point of extinction for the human race. All the devils will emerge this time, according to Sakyamuni." He told his followers, "I have found that mankind has experienced 81 calamities in the past, and each time there were only a few people who survived." He declared, "Mankind on this Earth faces inexorable doom. Our planet should have been totally destroyed last year, according to my calculations." He said it was he himself who had made the destruction postponed by 30 years.
(2) Cursing the human race and regarding the Earth as a rubbish heap
When preaching to practitioners of "Falun Gong," Li Hongzhi repeatedly told them that mankind was very dreadful. He said, "If you look around, you will find that the human world today is extremely terrible, really terrible, full of vicious persons." Again, "The human race, as a whole, is deteriorating, and there are devils everywhere." He further explained this view by saying, "The human race, while developing to the present stage, has become distorted and is full of evil. Hence, the gods have completely lost confidence in mankind. This is one of the major reasons why the gods do not care about human beings any more." He also told his followers, "The reason why you were born on the Earth was not merely to be human. You should have the goal of gaining complete understanding about the world, as well as the rest of the universe, so as to escape confusion and return to the other world. However, there are some people who cannot do this. As a result, they have to be born into the world again and again according to the doctrine of samsara, until the world comes to an end. That's why the Earth has experienced many catastrophes." Li also said, "Usually, bad people fall down in the universe, dropping into the central part of it, which is the Earth. Consequently, the Earth serves as the rubbish heap of the universe." He added, "Those who have descended to the level of ordinary people are destined to be destroyed."
(3) Negating modern science and urging his followers to eschew science
Li Hongzhi proclaimed to practitioners of "Falun Gong", "Science today is not science in the real sense ..., because you can never use this science to probe into the profound mysteries of the universe." And, "The (science and) technology of mankind cannot reach a high plane of understanding.... Yet, we practitioners (of "Falun Gong") can, and Buddha is a scientist at the highest level." Also, "The science of mankind today is, in fact, developed from a wrong basis; its understanding of the universe, mankind and life is all wrong. So, in our circles of practitioners we never acknowledge modern science, holding it to be erroneous."
(4) Claiming that only he himself and his "Falun Dafa" can save mankind
Li Hongzhi repeatedly told practitioners of "Falun Gong" that "`Falun Dafa' has, for the first time since the Creation, enlightened human beings to the characteristics of the universe (Law of Buddhist), which is tantamount to providing mankind with a ladder to Heaven." He said, "Now I am the only person in the world who can spread the orthodox Law of Buddha. Therefore, I am doing a deed that has never been done by our predecessors. Indeed, I am doing something people have never done before -- propagating the fundamental law of the universe, which you cannot read in any book, past or present, Chinese or foreign. The theory I propound is related to the nature of the universe; it is the fundamental Law of Buddha." He also said to the practitioners, "I am here to save you from this miserable world. If I cannot save you, there is no one in the world able to do so." "Existing human society has deteriorated to its extreme point. Hence, no one cares about you, except me; the others just watch you being destroyed." "My law-bodies [supernatural replicas of himself existing in the ether, apparently -- Tr.] are so numerous that they are beyond calculation. Therefore, I can look after as many people as I want, maybe the entire human race."
(5) Claiming that diseases are "karma retribution" and forbidding his followers to consult doctors or take medicine
"Karma" is a Buddhist term, basically having neither good nor bad connotations. Li Hongzhi, however, used it to express the concept of retribution for sin. He preached to the practitioners of "Falun Gong", "The basic cause of all illness and misfortune is `karma'." Illness came from a kind of "field of karma formed by black materials." He continued, "Karma is the fundamental cause and the most important source of illness."
"Birth, old age, disease and death are preordained," he claimed. "They are karma retributions. Once you owe debts, you have to repay them." "Illnesses are caused by karma. If one cannot get one's karma dispelled, one's illnesses can never be cured completely. Only by practicing `Falun Gong' can karma be dispelled. No other means will do." He also said, "The essence of illness is the problems in another space reflected in this space. For instance, if pathogenic bacteria live in another space, how can man deal with them? So we practitioners do not talk about illnesses, because they are all the results of karma."
Furthermore, "Those who sincerely practice `Falun Gong' will not fall sick or encounter danger." "The power achieved by practicing `Falun Gong' can automatically eliminate viruses and karma. Taking medicines merely presses back karma, making it impossible to cleanse one's body; so medicines are not able to cure diseases. One who passes this barrier will become a superman."
(6) Claiming that he himself has "law-bodies" and has installed "wheels of law" in the abdomens of practitioners
Li Hongzhi claimed to practitioners of "Falun Gong", "None of you, my disciples, or masters of other schools of qigong, has law-bodies. As far as I know, I'm the only one in the world who has law-bodies." "I have countless law-bodies, who look exactly like me. They are in another space, and can change their sizes limitlessly and freely." He went on to say, "I am the main body, but they (the law-bodies) have the ability to do things independently. They can look after you, protect you, help you to practice, and do other things. They are actually embodiments of me. That is how I can protect you." Li Hongzhi added, "Most of my law-bodies wear the kasaya [Buddhist robe -- Tr.], and they have curly, blue hair, as blue as a sapphire."
"Today, human society is extremely chaotic and dirty," he told "Falun Gong" practitioners. "Human beings are stained with too much karma and evil thinking. But I can rid you of all that, and install in you the bright golden `wheels of law,' together with many other things included in `Falun Dafa,' so that you can cultivate yourselves and purge your hateful, dirty bodies.... This is a precious chance never met before since remote antiquity; you are incomparably lucky to have it."
He said, "The `wheel of law,' which I install in a practitioner's abdomen, revolves 24 hours a day. It automatically helps the practitioner in his or her practice. In other words, although the practitioner is not practicing all the time, the `wheel of law' is cultivating the practitioner non-stop."
(7) Distorting and belittling religion and claiming that "Falun Dafa" is the "orthodox law"
In the guise of "Law of Buddha," Li Hongzhi usurped some religious terms and distorted Buddhism. His heretical ideas are in essence anti-religious. Li Hongzhi called his "Falun Dafa" the "highest Law of Buddha" and the "orthodox law" superior to all religions. In order to make the practitioners of "Falun Gong" have total faith in "Falun Dafa" and abide by the doctrines of his heretical cult, Li Hongzhi forbade the practitioners to believe in any religion. He said, "The existing religions cannot save people from torment any more. They cannot help you attain self-cutivation, and so are on a low plane. Why should you want to adulterate the "Falun Dafa"? You must shun the things on a low plane because they will cause confusion in the body you have cultivated or the things you will get from practicing "Falun Gong". In that way, you will not be able to return home, but will undermine the road for your advance." He further claimed, "As for Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism and some other religions, I admit that they have been orthodox religions in history. However, in this historical period and in this society, when the concept of mankind is being modernized, it has become impossible for people to understand the true concept of the nature of man from ancient ideas.... You cannot understand the old religions, and of course you cannot be converted by them. Consequently, they will not care about you." "I tell you this because I'm afraid you may be led astray by the religions that cannot relief people of their torment."
He also said, "Some religions have come into being in this century. No, not only this century, over the past few centuries many new religions have appeared. Most of them are fake."
Leaders of China's religious circles pointed out that not only do Li Hongzhi and his "Falun Dafa" have nothing whatsoever to do with religion, their heretical ideas are directly opposed to religious doctrines, and are therefore anti-religious.
Advocating Heretical Ideas in Order to Control the Minds of the Practitioners of "Falun Gong''
Li Hongzhi advocated the theory of the imminent doomsday'' of the world, claiming that he himself was the sole savior now, and that only he and his Falun Dafa'' could ward off the inevitable disasters and sufferings. He ordered the practitioners of Falun Gong'' to obey him absolutely, and to think and act in strict accordance with his teachings so that he could control their minds. Li Hongzhi had advocated the doctrines of his cult and adopted all sorts of heretical means to control the practitioners of Falun Gong,'' resulting in the deaths of many Falun Gong'' practitioners and serious damage to the health of many others.
Li Youlin, a farmer from Chengren Village, Anshu Town, Dongliao County, .Jilin Province, was infatuated with "Falun Gong." On May 21, 1999, he said to his wife: "Tomorrow is my master's birthday. I'll go and burn joss sticks for him." On May 23, he was found to have committed suicide by hanging himself.
On the spot, he left a picture of Li Hongzhi and the remains of seven joss sticks.
According to incomplete statistics collected from some provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government, 1,404 people have died as a result of practicing Falun Gong,'' and still more of others have been found to be suffering from mental disorders for the same reason. According to doctors at the Beijing University of Medical Science, since 1992 the number of patients with psychiatric disorders caused by practicing Falun Gong'' has increased markedly, accounting for 10.2 percent of all patients suffering from mental disorders caused by practicing various qigong exercises. In the first half of this year, the number rose further, accounting for 42.1 percent. Among those who died as a result of practicing Falun Gong,'' some were deceived by Li Hongzhi's doctrine of karma,'' and refused either to consult doctors or take medicine when they fell ill; others became mentally deranged in the course of practicing Falun Gong,'' and either committed suicide or killed others. What is more tragic is that some victims had put so much faith in Li Hongzhi and his Falun Gong'' that they, even when suffering from pain caused by diseases, had let go untreated on his orders and blamed themselves inwardly for not having enough faith in Master Li'' and not having achieved higher attainments in the practice of Falun Dafa.'' Personal and family tragedies thus caused are too numerous to mention one by one.
On the early morning of August 11, 1999, out of his belief in Li Hongzhi's preachment about the "end of the world," Tang Quhua, a Sichuan farmer and a "Falun Gong" practitioner, cut off his two-year-old son's genitals and then mutilated himself with a kitchen knife. Father and son are now out of danger after emergency treatment given to them.
Liu Pinqing of Donggang City, Liaoning Province, became mentally abnormal after he started to practice "Falun Gong" in August 1998. He said many times that his master Li Hongzhi had asked him to burn himself to death so as to become a Buddha. He also said that Li Hongzhi wanted him to become a Buddha in a well. He finally committed suicide on April 27, 1999 by jumping into a well. His wife points to the well where Liu Pinqing died.
It is necessary to point out here that while Li Hongzhi told others not to consult doctors or take medicine when they were sick, he did not himself practice what he preached. Many bills for reimbursement, turned in by Li Hongzhi and his family members after consulting doctors and buying medicine, have been found. Now that his preposterous fallacies have been exposed, Li Hongzhi is trying to deny that he advocated them. Yet, he himself has compiled, printed and distributed books extolling such fallacies. How can he deny them when they are printed in black and white?
Li Yingjie (right), vice director of the Jilin City People's Hospital, who performed the appendicitis opration on Li Hongzhi, explains Li's case.
Li Hongzhi ordered "Falun Gong" practitioners not to take medicine or go to hospital, but he himself not only consulted doctors, he also took medicine. These are some of Li Hongzhi's bills for medical treatment in seven hospitals in Changchun.
No responsible government in the world would tolerate a heretical cult running rampant and depriving people of their lives and health. In this regard, there are clear-cut stipulations in China's laws. Li Hongzhi can never escape retribution for the crimes he has committed.
http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/china/1999/990912-falun-gong.htmchina.org.cn
