2 Why Falun Gong practitioners refuse medical help
In the early days after Falun Gong was founded, many people joined it in hopes of building up health or keeping fit. But Li Hongzhi led the practitioners to participate in "Cultivation" and onto a wrong path step by step. Many practitioners were trapped and had no way to free themselves, some even lost their lives. To practice Falun Gong is more complicated than merely repeating some dancing movements, for practitioners must comply strictly with a lot of doctrines invented by Li Hongzhi.
Among numerous doctrines of Falun Gong, "no medical help is needed" for practitioners is an important part of the teachings.
Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, was also one of the Qigong masters becoming popular in 1980s and 1990s in China, who claimed to possess "super power" and "extraordinary powers." With "Qigong Workshop" and the services treating diseases with "extraordinary powers," Li Hongzhi made a fortune but then risks followed as well.
Li Hongzhi was forced to refund a treatment fee of RMB 30 at the 1993 Qigong Expo in Beijing, at the insistence of Expo staff, when he failed to cure a particular case.[1]
Li Shulin, 53-year-old, suffered from outburst of cerebral thrombosis at a Falun Gong training course held by Li Hongzhi in August, 1994. According to Li Hongzhi's explanation, it was a normal reaction as Li Shulin was practicing higher-level Falun Gong and there was no need to take medicines or injection. A couple of days later, Li died.[2]
In order to avoid potential risks, instead of calling himself qigong master, Li Hongzhi claimed that he was "the top Buddha in the universe." He published Zhuan Falun in 1994 and explained the core theories of Falun Gong, demanding that no doubt be allowed on these theories by Falun Gong practitioners, otherwise, their "Cultivation" would end up in great troubles and the practitioners would be eliminated.
The core of Falun Gong theory: Human beings are superior lives from the universe falling on the earth. The earth is the garbage station of the universe and America is the garbage station of the earth. Since the morality of the human beings was ruined, this would further lead to the blast of the earth and the extermination of human beings. It is Li Hongzhi who will save the human beings with Falun Gong theory prepared by him long long ago when the human beings had been destroyed already several times. Learning Dafa can not only eliminate all the sickness and trouble, but also turn all the practitioners into superior lives of the universe such as Buddha, Dao and God. Whoever disbelieves Falun Gong will be exterminated.
Li Hongzhi has a unique explanation on the cause of disease, declaring that disease is not caused by pathological changes of physical tissues or organs but a result of "Karma" instead.
"Karma resulting from past wrongdoing, one has illnesses or tribulations."[3]
"Why do people have health problems? The root cause of their problem and all their misfortune is karma."[4]
"I've told you that when we cultivators feel uncomfortable somewhere in our bodies it isn't sickness."[5]
Li borrowed the Buddhist term of "Karma" but gave it a totally different meaning.
As for Buddhism, the basic meaning of "Karma" is cause and effect. Buddhist doctrine believes that all deeds, speeches, and thoughts will have certain "effect." Since there are good and bad causes, there're also corresponding good and bad effects. The results or "fruits" of actions are called karma. Good karma will have good results or effects and will make you go to the heaven in your next life; while bad karma will have bad results or effects and you'll end up in the hell in your next life because of that.
But Li Hongzhi tells his followers that no "Karma" is good, for "Karma" is the basic reason why people fall ill or suffer in their lives. In other words, physical illness is actually caused by the "Karma" of someone because of the bad deeds he or she did in previous or present lives.
Li Hongzhi said: "Karma is a dark substance opposite to morals, it's known as the bad karma in Buddhism and we just call it Karma. So to do bad things is to make karma, and Karma is caused by the wrong-doings of a person in previous or present lives, such as killing living beings, bullying others, taking advantages of others by force, gossiping about other people behind their back, or treating others badly, all these will cause Karma. Moreover, your ancestors, friends, and relatives will also pass on Karma to you."[6]
"What we lose, actually, is something bad. And what is it? It's karma, and it's intertwined with all the different attachments people have. For example, ordinary people have all sorts of character flaws, and they do all kinds of bad things to benefit themselves. So they get this black matter, karma."[7]
Buddhism has a long history of more than two thousand years in China with profound and extensive influence. Although most Chinese are not Falun Gong practitioners, yet they still believe in such Buddhist thoughts as "comeuppance" or "samsara." Being affected by the teachings of Li Hongzhi, Falun Gong practitioners started to believe in the theory that Karma will cause diseases. As for them, illness is not the pathological changes of physical tissues or organs but is caused by the bad things they have done in previous or present lives, in other words, illness is caused by Karma. Unfortunately, the wrong belief leads them to a road of tragedy.
According to the theories proposed by Li Hongzhi, the only way to treat disease is to eliminate Karma, while to take medicine or to have an injection has no curative effect at all.
"(Some veteran practitioners) always go to the hospital to get injections but it doesn't work. And taking medicine doesn't do much, either...One of our students went to the hospital and had several syringe needles bend on him, ... but the needle still couldn't go in. Then he caught on, 'Wait, I'm a cultivator! I don't want any more injections.'"[8]
"Once ill, the person takes medicine or seeks various kinds of treatments, which in effect press the sickness back into the body again."[9]
"Because some diseases are not restricted within the scope of worldly laws; some are so big that they go beyond any worldly law, that's why no hospital can treat them."[10]
Li Hongzhi says that to practice Falun Gong is the only way to remove Karma and the only effective way to treat illness.
"If the master's potency is very high, then he can eliminate karma for you."[11]
"The first thing is to get rid of the bad stuff in your body, and that includes health problems. But we don't do healing here. What we do is cleanse the body. And we don't use the term 'healing,' we just call it cleansing the body – we cleanse the body for true cultivators."[12]
"Maybe some folks would...be ill like that for years...How could you cultivate with your remaining years? We have to clean up all of that for you and not let those things happen."[13]
Therefore, no Falun Gong practitioner shall take medicine when falling ill.
"Taking medicine while practicing Falun Gong means not believing that Falun Gong is able to cure illness. If you believe, why do you need to take medicine? "[14]
"You want to let out this karma, yet you take medicine and press it back in - how are we supposed to cleanse your body?"[15]
"I just went over the issue of taking medicine again... If he doesn't want to cultivate, even if he chooses to take poison, it's an everyday person's affair. Nobody else can do anything if his mind remains unchanged."[16]
The attitude of Falun Gong practitioners toward both illness and treatment is clearly demonstrated in their articles posted on Minghui, the official website of Falun Gong organization:
"When physical symptoms appear, as for ordinary people, it's disease and they would go to hospital; but as for practitioners, it's Karma and a sign warning you that you haven't improved yourself for a long time and there's a leak. It is an illusion, which will come and go in your mind."[17]
"My neck was so rigid that, at any movement, I would feel dizzy, weak, confused and want to vomit…but at that time, I haven't comprehended the teachings of master very well and no matter how hard my wife tried to communicate with me, I've only managed to make it for seven days and on the seventh day, I wasn't unwilling to go to hospital…I regret it so much for not being able to pass the test…At the thought of practicing, I felt so oppressed…I almost felt like suffocating, a panic that was out of my control, and an overwhelming bad omen. But at the same time, I felt sober than ever before. Keeping in mind the lesson I learned from last case of illness karma, no matter how panic I felt, I managed to stay calm and to have strong confidence in both master and Fa. With a strong belief, all karma can be eliminated. I got rid of all worries and concerns, keeping telling myself that, with the help of master, by sticking to Fa, why would I be afraid and why would I be concerned about other things?"[18]
"For the last few years, I've learned Fa but haven't focused on Fa, and the actual practice is even worse. So when the sign of Illness appeared several years ago, I failed in getting the right message. Because I haven't practiced it well enough, together with the effect of Karma, I become increasingly ill."[19]
On July 2, 2008, a practitioner named Xuantong published an article, On Illness, on Minghui which said: "When we fall ill, apart from staying free from the interference and disturbance of the Old Force, we should also know that it's the time when we should pay back for what we've done before. At the same time, to pass the test of illness is a good chance for us to improve ourselves. Facing illness, we should send forth righteous thoughts but to fight with the Old Force is not all that we should do, for we should also accept and repay what we should (it's probable that we've done something wrong in the heaven or during our previous lives). What we should fight with is all sorts of oppression forced on us and I think the point is that we must always keep in mind to continuously improve ourselves."[20]
You can find similar articles almost everyday on the website, from which it becomes clear that many practitioners have never doubted about the theory of "curing disease by practicing Falun Gong" preached by Li Hongzhi. They stubbornly believe that their illness will go away should they keep practicing Falun Gong and keep eliminating Karma.
[6] Li Hongzhi, China Falun Gong (Revised Edition)
[10] Li Hongzhi, China Falun Gong (Revised Edition)
[14] Li Hongzhi, China Falun Gong (Revised Edition)
