When I bought my wife and I tickets to attend The "Divine Performing Arts" show at the new Durham Performing Arts Center, I had anticipated seeing a display of Chinese history displayed through vibrant Classical Chinese dance. I certainly never expected it would lead to me writing a warning about the dangers of practicing a style of Qigong known as Falun Dafa or Falun Gong.
The dances were quite colorful and rather beautiful to watch, but as the performances moved along I began to feel like I was being initiated into the doctrines of Falun Gong. A majority of the dances revolved around the theme of Falon Dafa and the wondrous good it can do for humanity. To someone with true knowledge of this particular art form, it was a disturbing prospect to say the least.
Let me preface my explanation of Falun Dafa, by saying that I am not in the habit of trying to belittle other styles of Qigong or any movement therapy for that matter. On the contrary, I feel that there are many wonderful forms of self-healing that offer different paths to the same destination. The one exception I have found is none other than Falun Gong. This style is particularly dangerous, and was created by someone seeking fame and fortune only. There are Falun groups forming all across America, as evidenced by the groups that practice in Raleigh and Chapel Hill, which are located in my region of the country. There are currently three touring companies of "Divine Performing Arts" promoting the amazing good that Falun can bring to all of us. Read on to discover why this is such a scary prospect to me...
The main reason I originally knew about Falun Dafa, and that it should be avoided, is due to my original Qigong teacher, Master Binhui He. Master He told of how Li Hongzhi portrayed himself as a true Qigong Master with extraordinary abilities such as being able to fly and walk through walls. Master He joked and said Li Hongzhi could not even levitate himself one inch off the ground let alone fly. Li Hongzhi is what is known as a "false master". Someone who portrays himself as a Master of Qigong, but is nothing more than a charlatan out to defraud people of their money.
The worst part is not that many people threw away their money attending his classes and buying his books, but that some students hallucinated due to the bad practice and threw themselves off of buildings believing they could fly just like their teacher. Qigong is a very powerful tool when it reaches the emotional and spiritual levels, and should be practiced under the guidance of a good teacher. When practiced properly there is no danger of mind deviations, as students understand how to deal with whatever happens to them during a practice session. Li Hongzhi's Falun Gong was powerful enough to alter people's minds, but sadly he did not have the understanding to guide them properly. In fact, his portrayal as someone with extraordinary abilities led his students down an extremely dangerous path.
I agree 100% with my teacher, Master He, that Li Hongzhi should be persecuted for his fakery which resulted in innocent deaths.
Falun Dafa has spread like wildfire not just in China, but in the U.S. and other countries as well. It has all the bearings of a cult, and may be the largest cult in the World today. You will find many websites promoting the art or reputing the dangers of the art, so I will let you be your own judge and follow your own intuition. I have made it fairly clear about my own feelings.
Here is a link to an article about Sima Nan, a man who set out to expose the truth about Li Hongzhi - click here.
Wishing you abundant Qi,
Jeff Simonton
www.qigongwellness.com
About Qigong Wellness
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We are dedicated to promoting and teaching the art of self-healing known as Qigong throughout the Triangle Region of North Carolina. We offer a growing number of classes as well as private treatments in convenient locations throughout Raleigh, Durham, Chapel Hill, and Cary.
Qigong is one of the oldest traditional Chinese health care methods, and is widely believed to have special healing and recovery power in China.
(Qigongwellness, January 2, 2009)
Original text from: http://www.qigongwellness.com/2009/01/divine-performing-arts-dangers-of-falun.html
