Teachings of Falun Gong
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The teachings of Falun Gong were developed by Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China.
The foundation of Falun Dafa are teachings known in traditional Chinese culture as a "Fa" (Dharma), or "Dharma and principles" – that are set forth in the book Zhuan Falun. Falun Gong teaches that the "Buddha Law", in its highest manifestation, can be summarized in three words – Zhen 真, Shan 善 and Ren 忍, which translate approximately as 'Truthfulness (or Truth), Benevolence (or Compassion), and Forbearance (or Endurance)'. It is thought that during the cultivation process the practitioner assimilates himself or herself to Zhen 真, Shan 善 and Ren 忍, which are considered the sole criteria to judge good and bad. In Zhuan Falun, Li states: "An ordinary person cannot detect the existence of the characteristic of Zhen-Shan-Ren in the universe because all ordinary people are at the same level. When you reach beyond the level of ordinary people, you will be able to detect its existence."
The principles of Falun Gong are captured in two main books written by Li Hongzhi: Falun Gong and Zhuan Falun. Falun Gong is an introductory book that discusses qigong, introduces the principles and provides illustrations and explanations of the exercises. Cultivation of the body is also necessary, and is accomplished by performing the exercise movements of the "Great Consummation Way"
Zhuan Falun, which has been translated to over 40 languages, is the most comprehensive and essential work of Falun Gong. Practitioners consider a thorough study of Zhuan Falun necessary for Falun Gong practice. Zhuan Falun is organized in the form of nine lectures.
Practitioners encourage studying the books or listening to the lectures[1], firsthand, to gain a good understanding of the principles and the cultivation system.
Cultivation Practice
Central to Falun Gong is the concept of "cultivation practice" (xiulian) in which the practitioner strives to improve his “xinxing” (heart-nature/mind-nature) by gradually letting go of attachments such as selfishness, hatred, jealousy, greed and all bad thoughts.
Falun Gong teaches simultaneous cultivation of Truthfulness, Compassion and Endurance. The process of cultivation is said to be one in which the practitioner constantly assimilates to the nature of the Universe - Zhen, Shan, Ren (Truthfulness, Compassion, Endurance).
Falun Dafa, emphasizes cultivation of "xinxing". The Chinese term xinxing translates, approximately, to heart-nature or mind-nature. It includes de (a type of matter), tolerance, enlightenment quality, sacrifice, giving up ordinary people’s different desires and attachments, being able to suffer hardships, etc. Xinxing encompasses how to deal with the matters of "gain"" and "loss". “Gain” is to gain conformity to the nature of the universe; “Loss” is to abandon negative thoughts and behaviors…”
Two books: Falun Gong and Zhuan Falun
The main teachings of Li Hongzhi are captured in two books: Falun Gong ( Law Wheel (Dharma Chakra) Exercise) and Zhuan Falun ( Turning the Dharma Chakra (Law Wheel) ). Falun Gong is an introductory book that discusses the Falun Gong exercises, and provides illustrations and explanations. In Zhuan Falun Master Li fully explains the principles of Falun Dafa, topics include: the origins of qigong and the long-forgotten meaning of "cultivation"; the roots of illness, and their fundamental removal; karma: its origin, effects, and transformation into virtue; Falun Gong's relation to qigong, Buddhism, Taoism, and other cultivation methods; the meaning and function of supernormal abilities; the question of eating meat and the issue of attachments; genuine, integrated cultivation of mind and body; what is Enlightenment, and what is Consummation?
Ontology
Li Hongzhi often has stated that an understanding of the teachings of Falun Dafa, also referred to as the Fa (Law), alongside sincere xinxing cultivation, is more important than doing the exercises. Li says: “The principles of Falun Dafa can provide guidance for anyone’s cultivation practice, including for one’s religious beliefs. This is the principle of the universe, the true Fa that has never been taught. People in the past were not allowed to know this universe’s principle (the Buddha Fa). It transcends all academic theories and moral principles of human society from ancient times to this day. What was taught by religions and what people experienced in the past were only superficialities and shallow phenomena.”[2]
And in coming to an understanding of the teachings of Falun Dafa in general, the first sentence of the LUNYU says: "'The Buddha Fa' is most profound; among all the theories in the world, it is the most intricate and extraordinary science. In order to explore this domain, humankind must fundamentally change its conventional thinking. Otherwise, the truth of the universe will forever remain a mystery to humankind, and everyday people will forever crawl within the boundary delimited by their own ignorance.[3]
Li has also discussed the meaning of human suffering. For example, "Just by merely living in this world, humans generate karma—it’s only a question of how much. But in the human world there are also factors that allow karma to be repaid, such as disease, natural disasters, and war. A person’s painful death in war can eliminate karma for that being, it can eliminate sins, and in his next incarnation he won’t have karma and will enjoy a good life."[4]
Miscellaneous concepts
In the lectures, several concepts ranging from "independent time-spaces", "Third-Eye" and "Root Cause of Illness to Higher Dimensional Realities" and "Structure of Cosmic Bodies" are proposed.
Buddha Fa
Falun Gong teaches the "Buddha Fa" can be summarized in three words – Zhen 真, Shan 善 and Ren 忍, which translate approximately as 'Truthfulness (or Truth), Benevolence (or Compassion), and Forbearance (or Endurance)'. The process of cultivation is said to be one in which the practitioner assimilates himself or herself to Zhen 真, Shan 善 and Ren 忍.
Buddha School qigong
"Many people think of a matter as soon as we mention Buddha School qigong: Since the goal of the Buddha School is to cultivate Buddhahood, they start to relate it to the things of Buddhism. I hereby solemnly clarify that Falun Gong is qigong of the Buddha School. It is a righteous, great cultivation way and has nothing to do with Buddhism. Buddha School qigong is Buddha School qigong, while Buddhism is Buddhism. They take different paths, even though they have the same goal in cultivation. They are different schools of practice with different requirements."
Dharma-ending period
Master Li has referred to this period of time being the "Dharma-ending Period" - it is defined in Zhuan Falun in this way: "According to Buddha Sakyamuni, the Dharma-ending Period would begin five hundred years after he passed away, and his Dharma could no longer save people thereafter." In the teachings of Falun Gong, the concept of the Dharma-ending Period is usually brought in context of talk of mankind's moral decay.
Li first brings to light the issue of the Dharma-ending Period in Lecture one of Zhuan Falun. He says this period is today, and explains it's significance. He states, "In the Dharma-ending Period, even monks in temples have difficulty saving themselves, let alone offering salvation to others", but adds that "The Dharma Sakyamuni taught at that time took that situation into consideration, and he did not articulate fully the Buddha Fa that he understood at his own level," and that, "It is also impossible to keep it unchanged forever."
In Lecture Three of Zhuan Falun, Li explains how the Dharma-ending Period transcends Buddhism, and is a universal phenomenon. He states, "The Dharma-ending Period does not only pertain to Buddhism, but also the corruption of many dimensions beneath a very high-level dimension. "Dharma-ending" does not only refer to Buddhism; it also means that in human society there is no sense of spiritual obligation that maintains morality."
Later in the lecture, Li elaborates on the problems that have come up in the Dharma-ending period, and adds that in this period of time he is the only person "is teaching a righteous way in public". He emphasizes the fundamental importance of improving one's heart-nature or xinxing, the same lecture emphasizes, "Without cultivating the heart, no one can make it.".. "Conversion is a formality of everyday people. Are you a member of the Buddha School after conversion? Will Buddha then take care of you? There is no such thing. Even if you kowtow everyday until your head bleeds, or even if you burn bundles of incense, it is still useless. You must truly cultivate your heart to make it work." ..."By the Dharma-ending time, the universe has gone through very big changes. Even religious places of worship are no longer good. Those with supernormal abilities (including monks) have also discovered this situation."
The concept of today's age being the Dharma-ending period, and that human society is in a morally declining state is mentioned in the lectures. He has mentioned different aspects of the Dharma-ending period as manifesting in various modern social phenomenon such as the founding of different kinds of modern religions[5], the corruption of orthodox religion[6], homosexuality, sexual promiscuity, understandings of the family, mixing of races[7], feminism[8], pollution of the earth's environment, and modern art[9] with.
Enlightenment
Enlightenment does not equate with being clever. The reverse is often true: "Clever people avoid being taken advantage of and avoid giving up any benefit. They are only concerned with the practical, material world, and usually can’t achieve Enlightenment easily". If the inborn quality of a person isn’t so good, superb enlightenment quality may permit them to become cultivated to a high level.
Extraterrestrial life
Li Hongzhi said in a TIMEasia interview, that he believes aliens from other planets and dimensions have corrupted people's minds and are making humans go to war with each other. According to Li, these aliens manipulate humans into making scientific breakthroughs so that people will move away from spirituality and more towards science. Their ultimate aim, Li claims, is to replace human beings because the human body is the most perfect in the universe.[1]
Righteous Thoughts
In some of the lectures, the concept of "send forth righteous thoughts" in order to cleanse evil is mentioned.[10][11] [12][13].
Practice
The term practice refers to the exercises of the Great Consummation Way. However, "cultivation" takes priority over the exercises. The development of an individual's xinxing should be concurrent with exercises to maximise the potency of one's gong. "A person who only cultivates his xinxing and does not perform the exercises of the Great Consummation Way will find the growth of his gong potency impeded and his original-body unchanged."
Falun Dafa has five exercises, one of which is a sitting meditation. The purpose of the five exercises are "to strengthen a practitioner’s supernormal abilities and energy mechanisms using his or her powerful gong potency" Falun Gong.
Inborn Quality and Enlightenment Quality
Virtue(De) and Karma are both considered material and of higher dimensional existence rather than something speculative or philosophical. The term enlightenment carries different meanings.
Suffering, Sickness and Cultivation Practice
The relationship between karma and illness is discussed in several Lectures, including Zhuan Falun, Falun Buddha Fa Lectures in Europe, Sydney and New York.
An outline of the relationship between karma and illness appears on the first few pages of Zhuan Falun, and it is closely related to other aspects of the teachings.
Further reading
- Videos with English overlay of Li Hongzhi's 9-day Lecture in Guangzhou, China
- Listing of Falun Gong books available in PDF and DOC formats
- ^ "Interview with Li Hongzhi". TIMEasia. May 10, 1999.