Falungong

I would Like to refer to the recent article in The Jakarta Post on May 8, 2001, regarding Falungong, as well as what Dr. I. Wibowo of the China Study Center wrote about Falungong in Kontan tabloid of March 19, 2001.

Dr. I. Wibowo quoted an unofficial source as saying that the Falungong membership reached 100 million, exceeding the China communist party membership of 55 million.

In order not to have his China Study Center misunderstood and labeled as China bashing or as spreading misinformation, I would advise Dr. I. Wibowo to read more newspapers and books. It is also advisable that Dr. I. Wibowo, being a Jesuit, read more books by Voltaire (1694-1778), another Jesuit, especially the treatise on toleration and other essays, and Voltaire`s Philosophical Dictionary, as well as books about China`s tolerance toward religion, Western cult, intolerance, superstition and religious fighting.

The Asian Wall Street Journal of March 28, 2001, estimated that those who practiced Falungong (not members) as between two million to several dozen million at its peak, but most have recanted.

Regarding the practice of Falungong, Mr. Erik Eckholm wrote on Jan. 31, 2001, in the International Herald Tribune that Falungong combines elements of Buddhism, Taoism and Chinese theories of Qi, or cosmic energy forces. And in Mr. Li HongZi's rendition, those who practice the right exercises activate an invisible wheel in the abdomen that sucks in good energy and expels bad forces, improving health and happiness. Those in advanced stages of practice may experience supernatural effects like flying or being in two places at once.

We could read here that nowhere are the most important elements of Buddhism and Taoism found, such as the enlightenment and Taichi-Ying/Yang theories, nor is there any discipline related to Qiqong. Also, it is not a normal calisthenics exercise.

One could not help but conclude that it is leading, potentially and practically, to a cult with many evil consequences. As reported in Singapore's Straits Times of Feb. 28, 2001, 136 Falungong followers committed suicide to achieve perfection before the practice was outlawed on July 22, 1999. Another 103 killed themselves after the ban to pursue Nirvana (spiritual liberation).

Up until now, Falungong has resulted in 1,660 deaths among its practitioners due to the refusal of medical treatment and suicide.

LienHe zaobao of Singapore further reported that, owing to Falungong, there have been 651 people suffering from mental disorders, 11 people convicted of murder and 144 people handicapped.

Very sadly, Mr. Peter Kerr, in his article on Falungong in the Post, also quoted one Falungong practitioner as saying that, after doing the Falungong exercises, they have no need to go to see a doctor or take medication.

As for the political power in China and its attitude toward religion, Mr. Jacques Gernet wrote in the book A History of Chinese Civilization: "... but no clergy ever succeeded in gaining political power... We find in China, neither that subordination of the human order to the divine order, nor a vision of the world as a creation born of ritual and maintained by ritual which are part of the mental universe of India... Political power, generally conceived as the power of constraint and command, was seen in China as the principle that gave life and order... but constraint is always accompanied in China by the idea of moral correction... It would be a mistake to see the insistence laid on the regulation of morals as only a pretext, a sort of alibi for a tyrannical regime; it is in fact the expression of a privileged mode of political action which has lasted down to our day."

SIA KA MOU

Jakarta