What is Falun Dafa?
Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a practice that has brought better health and inner peace to millions around the world. We call it a cultivation practice: “Cultivation” refers to the improvement of one’s heart and mind through the careful study of universal principles based on truthfulness, benevolence, forbearance, and “practice” refers to doing exercises and meditation to energize the body.
Falun Gong Background
Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a practice of meditation and exercises with teachings based on the universal principle of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.” It is a practice that was taught in private for thousands of years before being made public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi. Falun Gong has roots in traditional Chinese culture, but it is distinct and separate from other practices such as the religions of Buddhism and Taoism. Since its introduction in 1992, it quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China, and is now practiced and welcomed in over 80 countries.
With government estimates of as many as 100 million practicing Falun Gong, China’s President Jiang Zemin outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999, fearful of anything touching the hearts and minds of more citizens than the Communist Party. Unable to crush the spirit of millions who had experienced improved health and positive life changes from Falun Gong, Jiang’s regime has intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practice while quietly imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practice it.
According to incomplete statistics, over 3000 practitioners have been verified as being tortured to death in over 30 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. Government officials inside China, however, report that the actual death toll is much higher. Over 100,000 have been sentenced to forced labor camps. Thousands of practitioners have been forcibly sent to psychiatric hospitals to be tortured with drugs that damage the central nervous system. Large groups of Falun Gong practitioners have been forcibly sent to local brainwashing classes, where they have been subjected to both physical and mental torture. Many more practitioners have been severely beaten and had large sums of money extorted from them by so-called “law-enforcement officials.” When large numbers of Falun Gong practitioners are beaten to death, injured, and their families are broken up, when they have to leave home and go from place to place because of the persecution, millions of Falun Gong practitioners’ families, relatives, good friends and colleagues are also implicated and brainwashed to varying degrees.
ZHUAN FALUN, by Li Hong Zhi
Available for free at www.falundafa.org
Artwork is done by Falun Dafa practitioners.
The Falun Emblem
The Falun Emblem is the symbol of Falun Dafa. As described by Master Li Hongzhi in "Zhuan Falun", "The Law Wheel of the Buddha School, the Yin-Yang of the Tao School, and the ten-directional world are all reflected in the Falun -the Law-Wheel." "The configuration of Falun is a miniature of the universe and has its own form of existence and process of evolution in each of the other spaces. Therefore, I call it a world."
"Falun Dafa is practiced according to the evolution principle of the Universe. Therefore what we cultivate is Great Law and Great Tao. "
The symbol represents the Buddha School and it has also been a symbol of good fortune in China and many other cultures. The Taiji (Yin-Yang) symbols represent the Tao School.
Historical Notes on the Swastika
Note: The following material is NOT part of the Falun Dafa Teachings.
It only explains some historical facts about the swastika.
The Swastika did NOT originate as a Nazi symbol of hatred. SWASTIKA is derived from
the Sanskrit word: SVASTIKAH, which means 'being fortunate'.
See the SWASTIKA for what it REALLY IS:
an ancient symbol of good luck, prosperity, and long life,
used in ancient cultures such as India and China,
where it is
the central symbol of the FALUN Law Wheel.
To give you an idea of how long the Swastika has been a symbol in China, look at an illustration of comets painted on silk about 2300 years ago:
The silk was discovered during the 1970s at Mawangdui, near Changsa, in Number Three Tomb. There were 29 comets illustrated on the silk, of which the last 4 are shown above. As you can see, the last comet, on the far left, is illustrated by a Swastika. Sagan and Druyan, in their book "Comet" (Random House 1985), p. 186, say "The twenty-ninth comet is called 'Di-Xing', 'the long-tailed pheasant star'." As a comet form, the Swastika looks like a spinning comet from which jets are erupting, like Comet Hale-Bopp.
Here are some more details about the history of the swastika:
The English and German word SWASTIKA is derived from the Sanskrit word: SVASTIKAH, which means 'being fortunate'. The first part of the word, SVASTI-, can be divided into two parts: SU- 'good; well', and -ASTI- 'is'. The -ASTIKAH part just means 'being'. The word is associated with auspicious things in India - - because it means 'auspicious'.
In India, both clockwise and counterclockwise swastikas were used, with different meanings. Since the swastika is a simple symbol, it has been used, perhaps independently, by many human societies. One of the oldest known swastikas was painted on a paleolithic cave at least 10,000 years ago.
About 2000 years ago, when Buddhism was brought to China from India, the Chinese also borrowed the swastika and its sense of auspiciousness. In China, the swastika is considered to be a Chinese character with the reading of WAN (in Mandarin). It is also thought to be equivalent to another Chinese character with the same pronunciation, which means 'ten thousand; a large number; all'.
The swastika symbol has been used for thousands of years among practically every group of humans on the planet. It was known to Germanic tribes as the "Cross of Thor", and it is interesting that the Nazis did not use that term, which is consistent with German history, but instead preferred to "steal" the Indian term "swastika". As the "Cross of Thor", the symbol was even brought to England by Scandinavian settlers in Lincolnshire and Yorkshire, long before Hitler.
Even more interesting, the sign has been found on Jewish temples from 2000 years ago in Palestine, so Hitler was (inadvertently?) "stealing" a Jewish symbol as well as an Indian one. In the Americas, the swastika was used by Native Americans in North, Central, and South America.
According to Joe Hofler, who also refers to Dr. Kumbari of the museum of Urimqi in Xinjiang, China, the Indo-Aryans of the Germanic branch traveled into Europe around 2000 BC and brought with them the "swastika" symbol (sun disk) of their religious art at that time as shown by excavations of Kurgan graves on the steppes of Russia and Indo-Aryan graves in Xinjiang, China.
If you look at the outer circle of the Falun Dafa symbol, you will see that there are 4 swastikas (of Buddhas' School origin) and 4 Taiji, or Yin-Yang, symbols (of Taoist origin). The Taiji are not black and white, as those colors are a very low level manifestation. Of the 4 Taiji, 2 are red and black (from the Tao as generally regarded) and 2 are red and blue (from the School of the Primordial Great Tao, which includes the Rare Cultivation Way). If you look at all the swastikas of the Falun Dafa symbol, you will see that their arms all point counterclockwise. However, since the Falun Dafa can be seen from above and below, as well as the 8 directions indicated on its outer circle by the 4 Taiji and 4 swastikas, the Falun Dafa swastikas can be perceived to be rotating either clockwise or counterclockwise: "When Falun rotates clockwise, it can automatically absorb energy from the universe. While rotating counterclockwise, it can give off energy." (Read Zhuan Falun for details)
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About me: My name is Trish and I am a Falun Dafa practitioner living in the Hill Country suburbs of San Antonio, Texas. Originally, I am from an eastern Kentucky town called Ashland, which I miss very much. My wonderful husband Chris is in the band Roadside Libby. I am very fortunate to be surrounded by so many talented people in the music industry, art world, and performing arts. I have to extend my Kudo's to them now, You guys know who you are!
I believe in Truthfullness, Compassion and Tolerance, the universal yardstick for my mindset and behavior. I have practiced Falun Dafa since 2001 and only hope I can give back as much as I have taken, to show my gratitude for the changes it has made to me, and for my entire family, and everything I come into contact with. Thankyou Master Li for giving me Zhuan Falun.
Who I'd like to meet: I would like to meet everyone I can so I can tell them about the persecution of Falun Gong in China. This persecution is also against Muslims, Christians, Buddhists, Tibetans, Uighers, Journalists, Democracy activists, Chinese lawyers who "try" to do their job, People of Darfur and Burma because of the support given by the Communist Regime to these suppressive and murderous governments.www.faluninfo.net
I also want to tell everyone that the persecution is not isolated to only China, as the Chinese Communist Party has imported the persecution to America and other democratic countries by using economic pressure, soft power, and criminal behavior by spying, committing assault, paying Chinese expats and communist loyalists to riot in Flushing New York as well as San Francisco when the Olympic Torch passed through.
Communism's main goal is to undermine democracy.
Democracy is freedom! Freedom to speak. Freedom to think. The right to pursue happiness! A government for the people by the people!
A picture says a thousand words, so please browse through my PICS and see the evidence for yourself.
The thought manifests as the word, The word manifests as the deed, The deed develops into habit, And habit hardens in character, So watch the thought and its ways with care, And let it spring from love, Born out of concern for all beings… As the shadow follows the body, As we think, so we become
Thanks for the comments Trish. I'm doing great and you're right about life and about Chinese cooking and about L.A. It's addicting but I'm also missing New Orleans and that culture as well. Have you done any Christmas shopping yet?
It has been a while since I have left a comment but I'm back and better than ever. I hope you are well and I pray you have a wonderful holiday season. I cannot believe how fast time has flown by, pretty soon we will be saying Happy New Year. All the best to you!
Bonjour Trish Thanks for the friendly invitation and comment Very interesyting page Nice to be your new friend Best wishes from France (Follow me on twitter.com/pascal95 ) Pascal
Live in joy, In love, Even among those who hate. Live in joy, In health, Even among the afflicted. Live in joy, In peace, Even among the troubled. Live in joy, Without possessions. Like the shining ones. The wise, the awakened, the loving, For they know how to work and forbear. Follow them As the moon follows the path of the stars. ~the Dhammapada
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