The Ottawa Citizen: The truth about Falun Gong

Tuesday 26 June 2001

Re: A wolf in sheep's clothing?, May 24, Falun Gong does not pose a political threat to China, June 1, Hidden truth, June 1, Falun Gong followers may be naive, June 12 and Asking why, June 12.

As a Falun Gong practitioner, I am happy to see the debate about our practice and why Chinese President Jiang Zemin has resolved to abolish it.

Why is this dictatorship changing its own laws in order to repress brutally people who peacefully practise a physical and spiritual exercise? The short answer is we have no idea. And with the mounting numbers of dead, tortured and imprisoned, we cannot afford to waste time speculating on his motives. We leave that to history to discover.

Letter writer Arda Fradinger expressed fear that we might in the future become political. How could we when it is against our teachings? We are not interested in power. We are not promoting any political agenda. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong said it best when he wrote: "We are not against the government now, nor will we be in the future. Other people may treat us badly, but we do not treat others badly, nor do we treat people as enemies."

Francis Woo wrote that we should practise privately -- in other words, go home and don't make a fuss. It would be selfish and inhumane to do that. It is up to us who live in the free countries and have the right to congregate, the right to speak out and the right to tell the truth to do so.

Curiously, amid all this fear and speculation the most obvious question has not been raised. No one has asked why millions of Falun Gong practitioners risk so much in order to follow the seemingly simply principles of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. Could there be benefits to this practice?

Kathy Gillis,

Nepean

http://www.ottawacitizen.com/letters/010626/5005711.html