Commentary
By any relevant criteria, Falun Gong is a religion. It has no significant differences in its belief system, social organization, or ethical positions from the various mainstream religions that enjoy full protection under U.S. and international law. Its status as a religion has been recognized by many governments, including that of the United States, by experts and investigative bodies operating under the United Nations, concerned NGOs and civil society organizations, and by the community of academic experts on the study of Chinese religion. As just one especially clear example, in a book titled The Religion of Falun Gong, Dr. Benjamin Penny, who is recognized as one of the preeminent authorities on Falun Gong and Chinese religion, directly states that Falun Gong is “profoundly religious” and “is, in all meaningful ways, a religion.” Nothing about its teachings or practices suggests that it is somehow different in kind—or somehow more “controversial” or “political”—than widespread religions such as Protestant Christianity, Catholicism, Tibetan Buddhism, Zen Buddhism, Daoism, Hinduism, etc. Indeed, the practices and tenets of Falun Gong fall squarely within the religious definition test of all United States Circuit Courts.
As prayer is the key that unlock heaven’s door, (Matthew 6: 1-15) “cultivation” is the practice through which believers attain wisdom, enlightenment, salvation, and/or return to their true, original selves. Through the cultivation of what is “good” or “right,” believers assimilate to Zhen-Shan-Ren (Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance) the highest manifestation of the metaphysical realm. Zhuan Falun, the Falun Gong “Bible” especially emphasizes the cultivation of compassion. Other moral or ethical norms of conduct include such prescriptions as be good to one’s parents and one’s children and considerate of others in all respects, to avoid killing, jealousy, lust, anger, and hatred, and cultivate, more generally to cultivate virtue (“de”). A cultivator who becomes one with the Divine Creator is an enlightened one–Divine.
The cultivation practice of Falun Gong practitioners is guided by Mr. Li Hongzhi, the Spiritual Leader of the religion, through inter alia his publication of several of the books and articles he authored, regarded as “scripture” by his disciples. These include not only the Falun Gong “bible,” but also several volumes of poetry. Indeed, as Falun Gong scripture make clear, the sole role of Mr. Li is to guide the spiritual cultivation path of adherents, nothing more, nothing less. Numerous scriptural articles instruct adherents not to treat him as upper-level management or go to him for instructions because, as he has noted in several lectures, including a 2019 lecture, “[he] is not their boss; and is only in charge of [their] spiritual development.” They should not even ask him “work related” things that imply he is what he is not: their boss.
In an effort to demonize Falun Gong–often through the reiteration of Chinese Communist Party anti-Falun Gong propaganda, some misguided persons ignore the religion’s core belief, that its practitioners should strive to be truthful, compassionate, and tolerant, the profoundly sacred nature of the collection of Temples at Dragon Springs, the critical role of cultivation in the practice including in training of the student performers at the Fei Tian Academy and College, and the salvational component of each Shen Yun performance. Some even go so far as to confuse the misguided behavior of a few adherents with the religious practice, imputing the errors of adherents to the religion as if the misdeeds of the crusaders or other misguided persons can be imputed to the teachings of Jesus or other spiritual leaders or gods.
A recent New York Times article has even leveled untrue accusations against Shen Yun, and/or Mr. or Ms. Li. Indeed, in his email conversations with friends and/or with the New York Times, Liang, the son of a now-deceased practitioner, appears to make various allegations to the effect that Shen Yun, and/or Mr. or Ms. Li, extorted money from his mother before her death from cancer in 2019. The documents that we have examined, and that presumably the reporters did not see, however, show that these charges are totally unfounded. It is true that the late mother of Liang, like other Falun Gong practitioners, worked as a volunteer for the dance troupe for many years. She never requested payment: her motivation was her commitment to the goals of Shen Yun, and to the principles of Falun Gong. She did not purchase pianos for Shen Yun, as her son appears to allege, nor did she spend her own funds on luxury items for the Lis. For logistical reasons, Liang’s mother permitted Ms. Li to use the additional credit card when traveling abroad, but a careful review of the records shows that virtually all the amounts charged to the card were reimbursed, either to her or to her estate. The review of documentation also demonstrates that many of the expenditures that Liang now claims were for the benefit of the Lis were in fact items for his mother’s own use. It is obviously not denied that Liang’s mother was, in fact, quite generous in her donations to Falun Gong-related organizations during her lifetime, but there is zero evidence that she was coerced into doing so. It is obviously not illegal, or even suspicious, for someone to contribute funds–even in amounts that the person’s loved ones might consider unwise–to charitable causes. Of course, had she not donated assets to Shen Yun there would have been more in her estate to be left to her son Liang. But she, like all independent adult citizens of this country, has the right to make such decisions. Her son’s resentment is understandable, but the factual basis that he claims for it does not exist.
The insinuation that her death was somehow caused, or accelerated, by the Lis is likewise false. No part of Falun Gong teaching suggests, as her son now seems to imply, that a person suffering an illness should not seek professional medical attention. To the contrary: as her cancer progressed and her condition deteriorated, her colleagues at Shen Yun were the ones who insisted that she be examined by physicians, and it was one of those colleagues who personally escorted her to the hospital (over her objection). Again, it is not uncommon for someone who is seriously ill to decline medical intervention: that is hardly a sign of brainwashing, she was no gullible child incapable of managing her affairs or attending to her health in the way she felt best. It is a shame, and it is disrespectful to her memory, for her son (or his friends) to try to persuade the public to believe otherwise.
These and similar accusations are groundless, and their sheer frivolity will be demonstrated at the proper time, through legal channels.
Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of NTD.com