The Chinese Buddhist circle has kept a watchful eye on and stood up to Falun Gong ever since it came into emergence.
Since 1996, a lot of Falun Gong practitioners suffered from mental disorders such as schizophrenia, some even died of practicing Falun Gong. As more and more cases were reported, the Buddhist circle began to keep a watchful eye on Falun Gong which willfully blasphemed the Buddhist doctrines under the camouflage of Buddhism. Periodicals such as Taizhou Buddhist Monthly, Shanghai Buddhist Bimonthly, Guangdong Buddhist and the Music Law etc all published articles to reveal the true colors of Falun Gong. In January 1998, China Buddhist Association held a special forum on the issue of Falun Gong. The attendants agreed unanimously that Falun Gong openly contradicted Buddhist doctrines and its teachings were absolute heretical fallacies.
China Buddhist Association issued An Open Letter to National Buddhist Circle on March 3, 2001，claimed that Li Hongzhi and his cult Falun Gong did what they were particularly good at to belittle, blaspheme and humiliate at Buddhism as well as other religions.
Falun Gong is universally acknowledged by international Buddhist circles as a cult.
On May 19, 2000, the United International World Buddhism Association Headquarters held a World Forum on Buddhism, Buddhist Studies and Buddha Dharma Uprightness in Taiwan. More than 2,000 Buddhists ranked Living Buddha, dignitary and lay Buddhist from 28 countries including USA, Canada, France, Japan, Thailand and Nepal took part in the forum. The participants had made a review and appraisal of Li Hongzhi and other disputed individuals. The Forum determined through voting that Li Hongzhi was a preacher of cult, indicating that Li Hongzhi and other Falun Gong members had garbled Buddha Dharma, and that their so-called universal Buddha Dharma was utterly self-fabricated heresy. The attendees stated that the so-called universal Buddha Dharma advocated by Li Hongzhi was utterly against the Tripitaka doctrine of Buddha since it was nothing but fabricated heresies used to bewitch the ordinary people. It out and out is a cult.
In March 2001, the Singapore Buddhist Federation declared solemnly that Falun Gong has absolutely nothing to do with Buddhism although Falun Dafa Association adopted terms of Buddhism in its registered name and Falun (or Wheel of Law) has always been the symbol of Buddhism. Falun Gong is not a religion, nor does it carry forward Buddhism. So it has nothing to do with Buddhism.
In April 2006, the 23rd Conference of the World Fellowship of Buddhists (WFB) held in Taiwan passed "Ten Declarations" which clearly included the following "Stick to the upright religions. Oppose Falun Gong which damages Buddhism by pirating the term Falun (Wheel of Law)." The Conference also called on Buddhists around the world to "face up to and denounce the cult Falun Gong jointly."
On May 10, 2006, the International Day of Vesak World Buddhist Conference held in Thailand reiterated in the joint communique: "The Conference confirms that Falun Gong contradicts the basic doctrine of Buddhism."
In 2007, the monthly magazine Church and Heresy attached to South Korea Christian published consecutively three articles disclosing and denouncing Falun Gong. The articles pointed out: "Falun Gong is a cult because it deifies one person (Li Hongzhi) and claims his followers can also become immortals. This beyond-styled belief has sparked off disputes in the society…Falun Gong advertises that people who practice Falun Gong may become immortals and obtain the power to cure disease without taking any medicine. Falun Gong also deliberately deifies and dissimilates Li Hongzhi, wantonly spreads his fallacies, and causes evil consequences to society. In this sense, Falun Gong is a non-belief cult much more vicious than any other social crimes."
