By: Zixian Deng, Ph.D. Candidate in Political Science
Shi-min Fang, Ph.D. in Biochemistry
Revised May 31, 2000
An earlier version of this paper was presented to the Annual Conference of The American Family Foundation (April 28-29, 2000) in Seattle, WA
Equal authors listed in alphabetical order
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Bairi feisheng 白日飞升 Ascension in broad daylight. A Daoist term to describe the ability to levitate. In Falungong, it is the final stage of Completion of Cultivation that Li promised to disciples that the Master would send them to the Falun Paradise (Switzerland C, 53).
Benti 本体 Originally a term in Chinese philosophy referring to the "self-body." Often, it has a metaphysical connotation. In Falungong, it becomes "one's own physical body and bodies in other dimensions" (ZFL E, 386). It refers to the multiple existence of the "self."
Dafa 大法 The Great Law. In Buddhism, it refers to the principles of the Buddha's teaching, however, it is rarely used as a titled term. In Falungong, Li employs it with a linguistic connotation to Buddhism, which is also known as Fofa, and to Daoism's Dadao (the Great Way). The Daoist symbol? is incorporated into Falun Dafa .
De德 Literally means virtues. In Daoist, Dade, the "Great Virtue" refers to the realization of the "unnamed" Tao. Shangde means the noble spirits of man. Both refer to the temperament training of the exercisers. In Falungong, "De" means a white material to be intermediated by the Master, absorbed by the Falun (wheel) planted in the bodies of the disciples. (ibid.,, 43) There is a fixed amount of "De" in the Universe. disciples can obtain "De" through "cultivation" such as suffering (Ren) abuses, being tested by the Master-minded crisis (Fanan), etc. Cf. Ye and Yeli or Karma and karmic forces. "De is a material gained by our eating bitterness, enduring blows (strikes), doing good deeds" (ZFL C, 14). However, disciples cannot generate "De" (virtues) by simply practicing. "To practice is your (disciples) business, the gong is with the Master" (cf. ZFL E, 30).
disciples 弟子 disciples, literally means "younger brothers and sons," a familiar term usually adopted by Buddhists and Daoist in referring to initiated followers. In Confucian school, it refers to the pupils of particularly well-known scholars or founders of schools of thoughts, signifying the scholarship lineage. In Falungong, it emphasizes the dependency on the Master, and the worship of the "Master-Father." Often, it is translated as practitioners, cultivators, students, or pupils.
Duren 度人: Often as 渡人 in Buddhism, meaning "to ferry" to the other side (of bliss) by enlightening to the four Noble Truth, through the eight "Right Practice." In Falungong, it is the power of the Master to "send off" disciples, physically, upon Completion of Cultivation, to the Falun World. Only the Master has this ability.
Fa 法: Law and principle, which originally means both the Law (patterns) of Nature, and the Law of Divinity such as in Fali 法力 (literally the force/energy of Fa, but it often means supernormal power). In Falungong, Fa inherits both meanings, but with a personality, that the Law is personalized in one person, who in turns embodies the universe and beyond. Li claimed: "What I say is the Law" (Switzerland C, 9).
Falun 法轮: originally, Dharma, a Buddhist term referring to the never-ending wheel of the Buddha's teaching. It is symbolized with ]. In Falungong, it is "an intelligent and spinning body of high-energy substance. It rotates according to the order of movement of the entire celestial cosmos. To a certain extent, Falun is a miniature of the universe" (FLG E, 21). It is a materialized wheel making clockwise circular movements in disciples navels when favorable, and in counterclockwise direction leading to releasing energy (which includes De, as noted above). Moreover, this Falun is remotely implanted by the Master inside the body (ibid.,, 42), and it may be visible to the disciples in the skies as a shield of protection . The Master controls the turns of the wheel, absorbing "De" from the universe for the disciples.
Fanan 法难: The crisis of Fa, a predetermined opportunity of testing resolutions of the disciples.
Fashen 法身: A Buddhist term, meaning the Buddha's "Dharma body" which is metaphysical. In Falungong, it is "a body made of gong and Fa" that are materials (ibid.,, 388), earlier translation put it as "Law body" (1998), later version (2000) renders a transliterate "Fashen". Li claims that he has unnumbered (and often super-sized beyond our ordinary imagination) Fashen in this and other worlds, the disciples have one each of his Fashen watching over them (ZFL CE, 39). Most important, only Li has these Fashen's that are omnipresent, (almost) omnipotent, and omniscient (ZFL E, 80).
Gong 功: energy. It is also an abbreviation of Qigong 气功, breathing exercises. It literally means "function" or usually invisible "contributions." In Falungong, it means "cultivation energy," thus Gongshen (a body made of gong) and Gongzhu ("an energy pole that grows above a practitioner's head" measuring the volume of "De" (white material) that the practitioner has accumulated after being transformed (or evolved) by the master (ibid.,, 389). Both terms (with this kind of interpretation) are Li's invention to describe a "material" state in his framework.
Guangnian 光年: Light-year. In Li's term, light-year is a measurement of time in the universe.
Scripture 经文: Sacred Sutra, originally refers to the Buddhist Sutras, or the Canonized texts. In Falungong, whatever Li writes or says (after editing) become Scripture. Most "scripture" before 1999 were canonized by the Falun Dafa Research Institute, which were composed of a group of Li's immediate contacts. However, the practitioners translate "scripture" as "articles" or "books of "scriptures"" in their English publication, losing the immediate "sacred" connotation, depending on their targeted audience.
Karma 业障, 业力: a Buddhist term meaning the negative circumstances or obstacles. In Falungong, it is "a black substance resulted from previous wrongdoing," opposite of De, a white substance (ibid.,, 393). The way to reduce Karmic forces is to Xiaoye, reduction of Ye, by suffering diseases instead of seeking medical attention, forbearing perceived injustices that were created in Fanan (crisis of Fa), and HuFa - defending the Laws of Falun Dafa.
Mofa末法: a Buddhist term referring to the decline and finally the end of Buddhist teaching and practice. In Falungong, it is changed into "mojie" 末劫 - the "Last Havoc" defined as "the community of cultivators holds that the universe has three phases of evolution (the Beginning Havoc, the Middle Havoc, the Last Havoc), and that now is the final period of the Last Havoc." (ibid.,, 391)
Qingli 清理: an common phrase, "to clean, to cleanse, to terminate." In Falungong, the Master "cleanses" the body of the disciples, thus healing the body. On another application, the Master is also "terminating" aliens on earth (Switzerland C, 35). To disciples, the Master cleanses the body of the cultivators by transforming his/her body to fit the Falun World.
Master 师父: Teacher and Father. In Falungong, it means Master-Father. The disciples purposely differentiates their master with this term in contrast with the other term (师傅) that denotes a respectful relationship of an apprentice to his/her teacher. In Qigong, it is common to address the teacher as qigong shi.
Xiaoye 销业: to reduce karmic forces by receiving insults, tortures, and injustice. (Cf. Karma.)
Xinxing 心性: The character of the soul, "heart-mind-moral nature." However, this simplified version misleads by conforming to the ordinary interpretation of the moral characters. In Falungong, Xinxing is a materialized form of the three virtues that composes the universe - "every particle has it." It is improved (xiulian) by the Master intervention based on the collection of De. (See also "Zhen, Shan, Ren.") The process is established as accumulating "De (a material); includes Forbearance; Includes Enlightenment; includes Giving-up, giving up ordinary people's various desires, and persistence; it include "eating bitterness" etc. etc. includes lots of aspects of lots of things" (ZFL C, 12). (In this translation, the grammar and texts follow closely to the Chinese). Li warned: "The Xinxing discussed in Falun Gong can not (sic.) be mixed with or covered by "De" (virtues) alone. It encompasses a lot more the "De" does," which is the manifestation (FLG E, 30). The cultivation of Xinxing is hard, "Determined cultivators should be prepared to endure great sufferings and face difficulties with a firm mind, and eventually they will attain the Righteous Attainment" (ibid.,, 31).
Xiulian 修炼: usually they are written as "修练" meaning to train and practice. However, Li's change of one word modifies the phrase into: to train and test through fire. "Lian" here is to forge through fire, as in "liangang" (steel making). Thus, Xiulian ren: practitioners, cultivators, students or "pupils," but it means more in Chinese.
Yuanman圆满: Perfection, a Buddhist term in origin. In Falungong, it is the "completion of cultivation" through various tests. In Li's authorized and semi-official translation, it does not contain the sense of "perfection" rather, it is "completion of cultivation" by which disciples are "sent off." The "completion" is distinguished from Perfection in that only Li is the Perfect One, Enlightened One (觉者).
Zhen, Shan, Ren 真,善,忍: traditional three virtues: truthfulness (or sincerity), kindness, and tolerance. In social relations, the Buddhists often emphasize Shan, the Daoists emphasize Zhen (such as "to return to the pure nature"). The ancient Strategists emphasize Ren, only to revenge later. In Falungong, it is translated as: truthfulness, benevolence and forbearance. (See http://www.falundafa.org). However, the standards to measure these virtues are different from those of social conventions. In Falungong, the measurement of truth and benevolence is the level of active demonstration of Falungong in public. And "ren" refers to activities to endure insults, so as to absorb the "De" - a milky-white materials from the "offenders." That is, the gongzhu will increase whenever a disciples is criticized (taken as an insult) for his behaviors in Falungong. The Ren does not preclude activities in defending "Fa" and "Master."
Notes:
67 See http://www.Falundafa.org for a formation Falun Dafa symbol.
68 This "white material" was Li's pilfering from his misunderstanding of a pair of Buddhist terms. In The Mahayana Bodhisattva Right Dharma Sutra 《佛说大乘菩萨藏正法经》, it lists eight-fold path to enlightenment. Number 4 is called the "Right Karma" where negative and positive karmas are discussed. The Black and White used in the sutra do not refer to color, as Li did in Falungong.
69. This outside Falun is one of the miracles proclaimed by the disciples. Some reported see them, in rainbow colors, when the "stood in" in front of their target of petitions.
70. This abbreviate interpretation is provided by the Falungong Bulletin Board http://falundafa.org/FLFFbb/.
(New Threads, Revised May 31, 2000)
