To be honest, "Falun culture", a phrase that doesn't exist in Modern Chinese Dictionary or even in Chinese Encyclopedia, is a creation of the author. Why did the author create such a coined phrase? As you can see, there is no "Communist culture" either. Since Falun Gong can coin the term "Communist culture", the author can borrow their "creation" as well - with a slight change by defining "Falun culture" as "the kind of thinking, wording and behavior based on Falun Gong value".
However, although the author has created such a term, he cannot do as Falun Gong in "disintegrating" other cultures but can only have a simple analysis of "Falun culture", because the author himself is just an "ordinary man" other than any god with "great theurgy" to disintegrate any other people as he wish, and after all, he is not so idle as to read through the insipid "Zhuan Falun", nor can he suborn a gang of people to compose "disintegration" articles like what the Falun Gong organization did.
1. "Falun culture" is the culture for theism
In its article "Disintegrating Communist Culture", Falun Gong denounced antitheism advocated by CCP by chapter and verse, saying: "there are gods and spirit right above your head". They even quoted ancient Chinese fables such as "Pan Gu Creating the universe". In fact, if Falun Gong really believes in god, it would not have been criticized or outlawed since freedom of belief is widely recognized in China. By banning on Falun Gong, CCP aims to respect religious belief even though it advocates antitheism. On the contrary, Falun Gong presents us a modern version of despotic religion in middle age in Europe by smearing anyone who doesn't believe in "Falun Dafa" as "demon" and antitheists as "evil". In denouncing antitheism advocated by CCP, Falun Gong simply wants to convince others that they suffered persecution for having been outlawed. In fact, the fundamental reason for Falun Gong to have been outlawed is not its theist belief but its anti-science, anti-human and anti-society nature as well as its actions in endangering life and disrupting the society.
Does Falun Gong really believe in god? What kind of god does it believe? While any religious followers have their own god, i.e. Buddha for the Buddhists, God for the Christians, Allah for the Muslims and Laozi for the Taoists, who is the god for Falun Gong followers? Different from the traditional religions whose gods are either in heaven or in their followers' hearts, the god of Falun Gong is their founder Li Hongzhi, a living man that can give order to his followers. In this sense, we can say that Falun Gong doesn't believe in god but tries to create a god.
In "An Introduction to Mr. Li Hongzhi", a booklet compiled by Falun Gong, Li Hongzhi was described as having "mastered high level Dafa at the age of 8, with magnificent powers such as telekinesis, thinking control and invisible...understand the universal truth and secret of life and can foretell the past and future of the human beings." Li Hongzhi also assumed himself as god when he boasted to reporters in Australian in 1999, "some people said that I am a god or Buddha, some people called me great master... I cannot seal their mouths."
As such a "god" created by Falun Gong was not satisfied with the fact of being created as a god, he attempted to overpower and disintegrate other gods. In "Fa Teaching at the 2007 New York Fa Conference", Li Hongzhi said, "It is said that Shakyamuni taught the Fa, and Jesus taught the Way. But in fact, what they taught was meant for only one of the souls, a subordinate soul, of each person, whereas the human side over here couldn't understand it, and this made it impossible for the person at the surface and his master soul (zhu yuanshen) to change themselves through cultivation. People talk about how Buddha Shakyamuni spread the Fa in such-and-such manner. He and those like him were merely establishing mankind's culture, however...And in fact, that was itself to establish for human beings a way of thinking that would enable them to understand divine beings and to establish a culture that would make the idea of divine beings comprehensible. Were history otherwise, when I came to impart the Fa today it would have been very hard for me to teach this Fa, as you would not know what a god was, what a Buddha was, or what a Dao was. How would I teach it, then?" It seems that Shakyamuni and Jesus did nothing but paved the way for Li Hongzhi for his Fa preaching. How dare he challenge religions in the world? What's more, in "Disintegrate Completely All the Meddling Deities in the Three Realms", he said, "For quite some time now, the old forces and all of the meddling deities in the Three Realms that play a negative role have been having a terrible impact...No matter what outward appearance their existence may assume, whether they assume a form or not, what level they may be, or whose appearance they may take on, completely disintegrate and eliminate them all." This indicates that any religion that didn't recognize Falun Gong and its "god" Li Hongzhi was to be eliminated by Falun Gong. How ruthless it is! Who would recognize a "god" like Li Hongzhi? Well in this sense, the deity position assumed by Li Hongzhi works only inside Falun Gong.
The "Falun culture" was also manifested in its apotheosizing Falun Dafa, as it was boasted to be the "universal law" that contained any truth about the universe and was omnipotent. In his scriptures, Li Hongzhi ran off at the mouth in boasting Falun Dafa by saying, "Dafa is the universal Law; Dafa created all lives in the universe; Dafa initiated the living environment and standard for various levels of life in the universe and endowed life in different levels with different wisdom, including culture of the human beings" (Li Hongzhi: "Use as You Wish"); "Dafa contains infinite meaning and created everything in every level of the universe." (Li Hongzhi: "To Consummation"); or "everything of mankind today, including everything that has happened in history and the emergence of the Three Realms, exists for the Fa-rectification." (Li Hongzhi: "Fa Teaching at the 2007 New York Fa Conference")
In "Minghui Information Package" of Minghui Net, it said, "Falun Dafa is also named as Falun Gong". In Statement on Quit the League, Epoch Times addressed Li Hongzhi as "Falun Gong founder". From these allegations, we can draw a conclusion that there would not be Falun Gong or Falun Dafa without Li Hongzhi. In this sense, Li Hongzhi follows the logic that Falun Gong emerges earlier than the universe and life and that Li Hongzhi is born earlier than the human kind and the history. Otherwise, how could Falun Dafa "created all life in the universe"? How could the three realms "exist for the Fa-rectification"?
Only by calling black white can Falun Gong recklessly create a "living god". Recklessly creating god is indeed one element of "Falun culture" of the Falun Gong organization.
2. "Falun culture" is the culture for endangering others
Falun Gong denied the fact that hundreds Falun Gong practitioners died unnaturally by paunch, hanging or self-immolation for having become mentally disordered in practicing Falun Gong, alleging it to be "rumoring". How about the reports on Falun Gong media then? Should they still deny such reports? On Minghui Net, Epoch Times and other Falun Gong websites, we can observe from their propagation many unintentionally revealed facts about Falun Dafa followers being endangered.
On June 29, 2007, Minghui Net published an article written by a Dafa disciple entitled "Firm Righteous Thoughts can Breach Karma Pass". The article states, "In one evening after 2007 Spring Festival, after I finished sending forth the 8 o'clock righteous thoughts, I suddenly felt something blocked in my knee cap and I just could not move freely. In the mean time, my right leg was trembling, both my right hand and my neck could not move. My family members were very anxious and they sent me to the hospital. It was then diagnosed that I had a 'brain thrombus'...During the transfusion, Fa teaching of the master suddenly emerged in my brain...I suddenly understood that I was the merciful master enlightening the muddleheaded disciple with Dafa. Therefore I asked the doctor to stop transfusion." The Dafa Disciple didn't listen to the doctor and refused to have medical treatment. "On the third day, I could walk although I still felt quite weak...Two months later, symptom of brain thrombus emerged once again and this time it seemed worse than the first time, for which I could only lie on the bed and could hardly stand or sit...I gathered my strength to sit on the bed, sending forth the righteous thoughts: completely eradicate the old forces, evils and demons..." The article finally sighed, "twenty days later, I was completely recovered and felt quite relieved. I know it is the great master that blessed me and saved me-a sneaking disciple."
Domestic media have reported many cases in which Falun Gong practitioners died for having refused medical treatment under the deceiving of Li Hongzhi. The above-mentioned article should be a proof of the authenticity of domestic media reports. People with some medical knowledge must know what might it mean to a man who had "brain thrombus" but repeatedly refused to have medical treatment while relying on the "merciful blessing" of the "master". Even if the author of this article is still alive, he will certainly be another victim for Falun Gong as long as he is still obsessed in Falun Gong.
There are many other similar stories on Minghui Net, e.g. "Dafa manifests its power and Stomach Cancer Disappears", "Practicing Gong Make Lumbago Phlebitis Disappear" (Minghui Net, September 18, 2007), "Falun Dafa Save a Patient with Incurable Disease" (Minghui Net, June 21, 2007), "Armor Plate on My Waist Disappears Magically" (Minghui Net, August 20, 2007). In all these stories, the narrator denied the role of modern medicine and risked their health and life on Falun Dafa. Their illusive idea of breaching "karma pass" in fact leads them to the gate of hell.
It should be noted that the harmful "Falun culture" endangered not only Falun Gong followers but also their family members, even including children!
On its September 18, 2007 edition, Minghui Net published an article entitled "What a Nine-year-old Dafa Disciple See in Another Space", noting it was "the narration of nine-year-old Huihui for what she saw in her dream and in her sending forth righteous thoughts and was packed up by Dafa disciples". The article said that one day in her dream the master took her for a travel. She "saw the master in golden cassock and with lotus flower fingerprint" taking her "to a big boat", and "got to the other world in just several seconds." Since then, it seemed as if someone often speak to her near her ear, "travel, travel, travel..." About "sending forth righteous thoughts", she said, "one day, I was distracted while I was sending forth righteous thoughts and forgot to recite the word 'Mie'. Under the reminding of the master, I added the word 'Mie'. The master asked me to look above. Follower his order, I looked above and saw a demon on my head who was caught by the master with his huge hand. The demon turned into water in a minute... Once I sent forth righteous thoughts with my eyes open, therefore I saw an ugly demon. I said to myself, this time I should get rid of it. Therefore I chased up swiftly. In a minute, I caught it and turned it into black water."
Poor Huihui! Under the distortion of Falun Gong, such a small kid was lost in such an illusive world. When Huihui grows up and gets access to science, how might she feel as she recalled such evil ideas indoctrinated in her by Falun Gong and the fact that Falun Gong had used young kids like her to spread its "omnipotent power"? Even if Huihui might get cured for her disease, how could her spiritual injury be cured?
It is not Huihui alone who has been endangered by Falun Gong. On Minghui Net there is Forum for Small Disciples that published stories about the small disciples in their studying Fa, achieving Fa and vindicating Fa, e.g. "Twelve-Year-old Mainland Small Disciple witnessed the Magic Power of Dafa", "Story about an Eleven-year-old Small Dafa Disciple Overcoming Karma with Righteous Thoughts", "Small Falian Persuade Others for three Quits", "Story about my Five-year-old Son Getting Fa", "Three-year-old Jiajia Tells the Truth", "A One-year-old Baby Wants to Practice Falun Gong" How ridiculous! How hateful! It is ridiculous for Falun Gong to be so foolish in fabricating such idiotic stories. It is hateful for Falun Gong to be so impudent as to make stories on the innocent children.
3. "Falun culture" is retroactive culture
Falun Gong must extremely hate the Chinese government and CCP. After Falun Gong was outlawed in China, Li Hongzhi just changed his "no politics" allegation and denounced Chinese government roundly and wantonly by throwing himself into the lap of international anti-Chinese forces. Li Hongzhi's scriptures, propagating of Falun Gong as well as their performances, contests and Fa conferences are full of the tone of smearing China and CCP.
Maybe Li Hongzhi was not well educated, his smearing of Chinese government and CCP were coupled with vituperation and cursing. In his scriptures, the Chinese government and CCP were called "evil Party" and their staff as "lowlife secret agents" (Li Hongzhi: "Eliminating the Evil"), "evil", "rotten demons", "dark minions, rotten demons, and old forces" or "evil beings and elements" (Li Hongzhi: "Thoroughly Dissolve the Evil"). Wouldn't such barbaric words blemish ears of Li Hongzhi's followers as well?
At the end of the lection "Eliminating the Evil", Li Hongzhi even cursed, "Henceforth, the gods and I will completely take away the future of this type of human occupation, and take away the good fortune in the lives of the lowlife secret agents who have been produced by the evil CCP since July 20 of 1999, and have them walk to their ends instantly, paying the sins they committed... And this especially holds for all who participated in and planned the Atlanta incident: the good fortune in their lives will be completely taken away. Starting from this moment, they will pay for their sinful karma, wishing they were dead. In rapid succession they will die and descend to Hell". How malevolent it is! We just wonder whether "master Li" has crunched his teeth in uttering such evil-minded cursing. It doesn't matter whether "master Li" could take away the good fortune, nor does it matter whether gods would like to keep align with him. It is really ridiculous that such witch-like cursing and nonsense was regarded as soul of "Falun culture" and was worshiped by Falun Gong disciples.
Since Li Hongzhi talked nonsense, Falun Gong media certainly would run riot in spreading and advocating anything possible to act against China and CCP. Besides repeatedly propagating such hackneyed and stereotyped expressions as "Nine Comments on CCP" and "Disintegrating CCP", they also instigated Dafa disciples to "tell the truth" and "persuade others for three quits". Therefore Falun Gong websites were full of fabricated articles such as "May Evils persecuting Dafa be revenged", "Clean Toxin of the Evil Party Culture", "Magic power displayed in Telling the Truth and Persuading Others for Three Quits", "Stories about Middle School Students Telling the Truth in the School" as well as the one mentioned above- "Three-year-old Jiajia Tells the truth".
Such atmosphere also filled with various cultural activities held by Falun Gong. For instance, anti-Chinese aroma instead of cultural elements dominated the newly held "Toronto Divine Mid-Autumn Gala" and the coming "Global Chinese Vocality Contest". In the early advertising for "Toronto Divine Mid-Autumn Gala", it was clearly stated: "there will not be communist culture". In the Rule for "Global Chinese Vocality Contest", it baldly stipulated: "works for the contest shall not contain elements extolling CCP or CCP culture". In fact, all these activities were nothing but a tool used by Falun Gong to act against CCP and China, although they rarely had any effect.
Maybe, Li Hongzhi didn't ever felt satisfied in propagation and instigation. On the coming 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Falun Gong lunaticly directed many farces. In order to act against "Olympic Flame Relay", Falun Gong organized a so-called "Joint Truth Investigation Group on Falun Gong Persecution" to have the "Global Relay of Human Rights Flame", "hoping human rights flame may touch upon conscience of the Americans", and "requesting US government to reject 2008 Beijing Olympic Games". In order to bring shame on Chinese government and Beijing Olympic Games, they purposefully created a "Handcuff Olympic" design by changing the five Olympic Circle to five connected handcuffs, suggesting the human right status in China. Falun Gong also delivered letters to heads of some states in hope that they would reject Beijing Olympic Games, which certainly resulted in failure.
Failure of Falun Gong on the issue of Beijing Olympic Games shows that the retroactive forces and retroactive culture that act against the world trend, historic trend and social trend can never hold up the advance of human society. Falun Gong and its "Falun culture" will eventually be abandoned by the crowd as rubbish in the history.
4. "Falun culture" is cult culture
As is known, cult is bane to the world, public enemy to the human beings and cancer to the society. A lot of mass murder cases that took place in late 20 century greatly shocked the world and alerted the public to keep away from cult.
The People's Temple, the Solar Temple, the Aum Shinri Kyo, the Door to Heaven, the Branch Davidian and other cults simple mean disasters to human beings. Falun Gong is indeed quite similar to these world cults in essence.
Self-apotheosis and founder worship are the most prominent features for cults. Li Hongzhi should have surpassed other cult founders in self-apotheosis by actions ranging from changing his own birthday to piecing up lotus flower Fa image, from alleging "no one else can save you if I can not save you" in his domestic Fa teaching to boasting Dafa while debasing the gods in his scriptures written outside of China. While other cult founders simply claimed they themselves god, Li Hongzhi boasted himself to be the god that dominates the gods, and his Falun Dafa to be the universal law while the universe just exists for Dafa. The Dafa would have "Fa-rectification of the cosmos", "Fa-rectification of the world" and "Fa-rectification of the human society", and Li Hongzhi himself is the only master that spreads such "great" Dafa. (Li Hongzhi: "Fa-Lecture at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A."). This is how Li Hongzhi apotheosized himself!
Cult founders generally apotheosize themselves to have their disciples worship the cult founders and have the disciples controlled by them. They generally puffed "doomsday theory" to have their disciples firmly believe that only their founders could save them. Li Hongzhi had puffed that "the earth would explode" and he could postpone the time for explosion (so bad that he could only postpone the time for explosion). In a world that would be soon ruined, Falun Gong followers had only one choice: striving for consummation through cultivation and rectifying the Fa. Thereby under the order of Li Hongzhi, numerous Falun Gong followers came out to "persuade for three quits" and "tell the truth", wishing to achieve consummation and their master would save them and bring them to "heaven".
It is notable that in his recent lections, Li Hongzhi repeatedly asked his disciples to "ignore life or death" and "cast aside attachments". He even urged his disciples, "My Dafa disciples who have strong human thoughts, the path I'm leading you down heads toward godhood, yet...Be diligent! Cast aside your human attachments. Godhood isn't far away."(Li Hongzhi: "In Fa-Rectification, Your Thoughts Have to be Righteous, Not Human"), and "walk well the final step of the journey...May your lives shine ever more brightly in the cosmos of the future." (Li Hongzhi: "Fa Teaching at the U.S. Capital"). In articles published on Minghui Net, many Falun Gong followers also talked about "walking well the final step of the journey". Such nonsense just associates us with some miserable feelings.
Didn't James Jones, founder of the People's Temple Cult that has resulted in a mass death of 923 people, also say "death is nothing but a rest, and you will soon have new life in the other world"? Didn't the Solar Temple, a cult that has its followers take the last step of their journey in fire- running to Canicula- advocate "metempsychosis" and "death is reborn in another world"? Didn't these cult followers ignore their lives? While cults got to extreme because of their desperation, their ways of getting to extreme were, however, determined by their founders. Although Falun Gong has not become desperate, it is in fact dying. What way might it choose in leading its followers to "consummation"? Might one more tragedy take place? Falun Dafa followers as well as the public should be alert to what "master Li" had said-"Godhood isn't far away".
In analyzing "thinking, wording and behavior" of Falun Gong in light of the definition of "Falun culture" (borrow from the definition of "Communist culture"), the author just sketched a generally scheme of Falun Gong and its culture. I believe many other men of insight will have more in-depth analysis on Falun Gong.
(Kaiwind, October 9, 2007)
