Cheating the Public by Usurping Buddhist Terms

By Xiao Yan

The ``Falun Gong'' cult has been banned by the Chinese Government, and the Chinese people have seen clearly that Li Hongzhi's ``Falun Gong'' is an anti-government, anti-social, anti-science and anti-people cult, and that Zhuan Falun, which is a mishmash of superstition, has usurped some terms from Qigong and Buddhism to blatantly seek publicity and spread fallacies to deceive people. Li Hongzhi, who has escaped to the United States, has not resigned himself to defeat. He is continuing to promote his heretical fallacies overseas to lead overseas Chinese into a trap. Along with the deepening of the movement to expose and criticize ``Falun Gong'' launched by the Chinese Government, more and more people overseas have acquired a clear understanding of ``Falun Gong. But some ``Falun Gong'' practitioners are still refusing to come to their senses. They often talk about the ``wheel of law'' and ``law bodies,'' and regard Li Hongzhi as an actual ``Buddha.'' As a matter of fact, Li Hongzhi, who calls himself the greatest ``Buddha'' in the world, knows nothing about Buddhism.

It is true that the book Zhuan Falun written by Li Hongzhi often mentions the ``wheel of law,'' ``karma,'' ``law bodies,'' ``bu er fa men'' (law for breaking away from the two opposites, meaning separating oneself from the two opposites in a contradiction so as to enter the area of ``absolute truth'') and other theories, with which Li Hongzhi solicits disciples and deceives the masses.

First of all, let us discuss the ``wheel of law.'' The ``wheel of law'' in Buddhism is a sign of a wheel consisting of eight symmetrically arranged scrolls and an axle in the center, signifying that the ``wheel of law rolls on and on.'' At the Fifth World Conference for Buddhist Fraternity held in 1956, the ``wheel of law'' was designated as the emblem of Buddhism. Li Hongzhi stole the symbol and changed it into a wheel with five characters and four Taoist signs. In this way, he said, ``Falun Gong'' symbolizes the integration of Taoism and Buddhism.

Second, let us take a look at the ``law body.'' In Buddhism, the ``law'' originated from doctrines; and the ``body'' means the gathering of all the doctrines to form a body. The ``law body'' is the personification of the Buddhist doctrines. Hence it has neither image nor quantity. However, Li Hongzhi, who interprets these words without real understanding, regards the ``law body'' as a thing produced in people's pubic regions. He boasts, ``I have countless law bodies, with tremendous magic power, so that I can help and protect `Falun Gong' practitioners at any time and in any place." Li Hongzhi stole Buddhist concepts and vulgarized them so as to deceive the people.

Let us turn to ``karma.'' As the theories of karma and reincarnation have a great influence among the common people, Li Hongzhi is specially interested in talking about ``karma'' and ``reincarnation and retribution.'' He forbids his followers to consult doctors or to take medicine, in order to get rid of ``karma'' in an extremely passive way. In Buddhism, ``ye'' means manufacture, and ``li'' refers to strength. The strength produced during manufacture is called ``karma.'' Human beings produce objects through their physical and mental activities. Buddhism believes that actions are produced through similar activities, and actions give birth to strength. People should bear the results and binding forces of strength, and may also transform (or create) natural and social conditions, have a command of the law and develop themselves. ``Karma'' is a Buddhist term, basically having neither good nor bad connotations. However, Li Hongzhi usurps and misrepresents Buddhist terms. Buddhism has never forbidden people to take medicine when they are sick; in fact, of the five kinds of knowledge in Buddhism, one is medical knowledge.

``Bu er fa men,'' which comes from the Buddhist classics, means separating oneself from the two opposites in a contradiction so as to enter the area of ``absolute truth,'' where there is neither truthfulness nor falsehood, neither life nor death, neither benevolence nor evil, and neither action nor non-action. Li Hongzhi excludes the ``two opposites.'' He regards himself as the absolute ``one,'' irreconcilable with others. For instance, he regards himself as Buddha, and others are demons; he is the Savior, and others are rubbish that fell down from the sky; his ``Falun Dafa'' is the only orthodox law, and others' laws are evil laws. He does not understand ``bu er fa men'' at all, so he uses it in a wrong way.

We thus find that Li Hongzhi, who boasts that he preaches the ``supreme Buddhist law,'' is only a swindler with a glib tongue and has usurped many Buddhist terms. Those overseas practitioners who still believe in Li Hongzhi and ``Falun Gong'' should see clearly Li Hongzhi's true features, and not serve as his victims any more.

In Chinese history, there have been many founders of cults like Li Hongzhi, who deceived the people and did harm to society in the name of spreading ``merit" or ``energy'' under the cloak of a religion. Such cults are poisonous tumors in society. We should never tolerate Li Hongzhi and his evil ``Falun Gong''; otherwise Li Hongzhi and his evil organization will stir up endless trouble when the time comes.

(Compiled by New Star Publishers, Dec., 1999)