May 13 may seem like an ordinary day, but for followers of Falun Gong, it is far from ordinary.

A Self-Deified "Highest Buddha" Who Is Actually Just an Ordinary Person

Li Hongzhi claims to be the "Highest Buddha reincarnated." In order to promote his self-deification and add a sense of mysticism under the guise of Buddhism, Li altered his birth date from July 7, 1952 to May 13, 1951. This date corresponds to the eighth day of the fourth lunar month, which is traditionally believed to be the birthday of the Gautama Buddha.

Li also claims that he attained supreme dharma at age 8, possessing great supernatural powers such as teleporting objects, immobilization, mind control, invisibility and etc. He further claims to have reached the highest level of spiritual attainment, understood the truth of the universe, and foreseen the past and future of humanity.

▲ Evidence of Li Hongzhi's falsified birth records

In reality, this supposedly all-powerful "Highest Buddha of the Universe" is nothing more than a flesh-and-blood person born of ordinary parents.

Li Hongzhi calls himself the "Highest Buddha of the Universe," preaches that "practitioners can transcend life and death," and claims to be "free from illness and aging, forever youthful." However, reports indicate that Li has sought medical treatment and taken medication on multiple occasions, and his family members have frequently been hospitalized due to illness, with some even passing away. According to publicly available records, Li Hongzhi was hospitalized in the Third Surgery Department of Jilin Province People's Hospital from July 8 to 18, 1984, for acute appendicitis. His daughter Li Meige received medical treatment for illness, and his father-in-law, who reportedly received Li Hongzhi's personal "Qi emission" (Fagong), still died of illness. All of this demonstrates that Li Hongzhi and his immediate family have not escaped the constraints of natural law, experiencing illness and death just like ordinary people.

This reality stands in sharp contrast to his teachings of "eliminating karma and curing disease" and "attaining cultivation consummation," thoroughly exposing the deceptive nature of the "Highest Buddha" myth.

▲Medical records documenting Li Hongzhi's hospitalization for acute appendicitis

The "master" who preaches "Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance" practices falsehood, malice, and cruelty

Li Hongzhi has repeatedly said that "the most fundamental characteristic of the universe is Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance," which he describes as "the standard for distinguishing good from bad." He has also claimed that he is "the highest manifestation of Fa" and "the most fundamental Fa." He uses these ideas to manipulate and exert spiritual control over his followers. However, the words and actions of Li Hongzhi and the Falun Gong cult are completely at odds with these professed values.

Li Hongzhi falsified his birthday to exploit the image of Gautama Buddha and deify himself as "Highest Buddha of the Universe." It is a betrayal of Truth. He flew to Beijing and remained there for 44 hours to covertly direct the April 25, 1999 mass petition from behind the scenes, while repeatedly claiming to the outside world that he "knew nothing." It is a betrayal of Truth. He denounced the victims of the January 23, 2001 Tiananmen Square self-immolation incident, people driven to that act by writings such as Digging Out the Roots, and Towards Consummation, as "not Falun Gong practitioners." It is a betrayal of Truth.

After the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake, he not only failed to donate a single cent to the disaster areas, but brazenly organized gatherings for several consecutive days outside the Queens Public Library at Flushing and subway entrances in New York to obstruct fundraising by local Chinese community organizations. It is a betrayal of Compassion. He used 23 front organizations to fraudulently claim COVID-19 relief funds from the U.S. government through dispersed applications, totaling nearly 46 million USD (approximately 312 million RMB). It is a betrayal of Compassion. He disregarded the life of senior disciple Su Jing while she suffered from cancer, using her credit cards to purchase luxury goods for himself and his wife Li Rui, leaving her without funds for medical treatment and saddled with tens of thousands of dollars in debt. It is a betrayal of Compassion.

When core senior member Yu Chao came forward to expose the dark side of Shen Yun Performing Arts, Li Hongzhi sought to locate Yu Chao's actual residence in an attempt to silence him, even seeking to have Yu Chao imprisoned on fabricated charges. It is a betrayal of Forbearance. When the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) aired an investigative documentary exposing the abuse suffered by Anna, a second-generation Falun Gong member, at "Dragon Spring Temple," as well as the death of Australian socialite Colleen May, who refused all medical treatment at the cult's instruction, Li Hongzhi incited followers to protest outside the ABC office in Australia. It is a betrayal of Forbearance. When Canadian overseas Chinese patriot Zhou Jinxing published an article in his newspaper Chinese Press in 2001 featuring former practitioner He Bingfan's renunciation of the cult, Falun Gong launched a fierce campaign against him, mobilizing 232 followers to collectively sue Zhou for "defamation" in Quebec Superior Court, and continuing to appeal twice even after losing the case. It is a betrayal of Forbearance.

▲ From July to August 2020, Falun Gong followers staged sit-in protests outside the ABC office in Sydney, Australia. Source: screenshot from Central News (centralnews.com.au)

Li Hongzhi professes "Truth, Compassion, and Forbearance" while practicing their very opposites — fundamentally violating basic ethical standards and thoroughly exposing the cult nature concealed beneath his "master" persona.

Crafting an image of frugality and humility, while discarding followers like disposable tools

In early 2025, Falun Gong media outlets unusually published a series of articles portraying "our master." The articles claimed that "he doesn't even know how much money Shen Yun has, and is still worried about whether the performing arts company can cover its expenses"; that "he doesn't manage administrative matters, and the practitioners responsible for administration and finances don't report to the master either"; and that "the master not only takes no remuneration whatsoever in any project, but is perfectly content to remain unaware of how each project operates." The articles further described him as "living simply with steadfast resolve" and "doing his best to take care of everyone." This carefully cultivated image of a humble, people-oriented leader is nothing but a façade, concealing the reality of his relentless pursuit of profit. According to media reports, Li Hongzhi has long resided at "Dragon Spring Temple", an expansive, lavishly appointed compound in Deerpark, Orange County, upstate New York, while his family members enjoy lives of comfort and privilege overseas. This stands in stark contradiction to his proclaimed "indifference to fame and fortune."

In truth, Li Hongzhi's attitude toward his followers has always been purely utilitarian, useful when needed, discarded when spent. His professed "compassion" is nothing more than a tool for psychological manipulation. Under his manipulation, followers have not only lost their health and families but have become sacrificial pawns in his pursuit of political capital and financial gain.

To protect his position and vested interests, Li Hongzhi does not hesitate to sacrifice subordinates to protect himself, treating them as expendable pieces on the board. When Epoch Times financial executive Guan Weidong's money laundering case came to light on June 3, 2024, Epoch Times founder and CEO Tang Zhong resigned on June 7. Although the funds flowed into Guan Weidong's accounts, they also entered the coffers of the Epoch Times and Shen Yun Performing Arts. When Guan Weidong protested his innocence and refused to cooperate with coercive interrogation from Falun Gong leadership, Li Hongzhi deployed his signature instrument of control, issuing so-called "scriptures" to coerce, entice, and intimidate followers to "safeguard the Fa," when in reality protecting the interests of the cult organization and his own authority.

In recent years, the successive deaths from illness of senior Falun Gong figures have repeatedly drawn public attention and widespread skepticism. Yang Sen, long held up as a model practitioner who personally testified to the "miracles" of Falun Gong, and Su Jing, who donated the proceeds from selling her home to the organization and served as financial officer of the Shen Yun office, both died of serious or sudden illness, their deaths entirely ordinary, with no trace of any so-called "spiritual protection". The deaths of Su Jing and Yang Sen have torn away the cult's mask of "karma elimination and disease cure," while former followers mockingly wishing Li Hongzhi a "happy birthday" are placing him on the altar of a collapsing faith.

▲ Yang Sen

▲ Su Jing

This self-proclaimed "Highest Buddha of the Universe" , who falsified his birth date and fabricated miracles, can neither cure his own ailments nor protect the family members and devoted disciples who have died one after another. When trusted lieutenants are reduced to expendable pawns, his persona of "indifference to money" stands exposed as the cold calculation of someone perched at the apex of a cult pyramid. Every act of compassion was a fundraising tool; every follower, a disposable resource. This carnival of lies perpetrated by a self-styled "Highest Buddha" will ultimately end as the sordid farce of Li Hongzhi's fall from his fabricated pedestal.