Indianapolis Star: Freedom of movement Falun Gong exercises bodies, rights

October 05, 2002

Under a canopy of trees Downtown, 10 men and women are silently cherishing religious liberty. Seated in the lotus position on the American Legion Mall, they face west, toward Meridian Street, and meditate.

During the next two hours, they will move through five sitting and standing postures as they clear their minds and open energy channels in the body, a concept central to traditional Chinese medicine. But this is more than exercise. It's a spiritual practice they say has restored physical health and brought emotional and moral clarity to their lives.

They are practicing Falun Gong, a 10-year-old spiritual movement rooted in Qi Gong, an ancient Chinese system of exercise.

What makes Falun Gong different is its spiritual message, said Fenggang Yang, a sociologist of religion at Purdue University who studies Asian religious and spiritual traditions.

The movement is banned in China. Thousands of practitioners have been arrested; reportedly, some have been beaten or killed. Now, their U.S. counterparts are preparing to protest a visit by Chinese President Jiang Zemin, due in Houston Oct. 23.

Li Xuan of Indianapolis is preparing to travel to Texas for a peaceful demonstration.

"I would like people to know about the mistakes the Chinese government is making," said Xuan, a 33-year-old molecular biology researcher born in Shanghai. "We don't have a political agenda. We want the basic right to practice what we believe."

That core belief is in the human potential to cultivate honesty [truthfulness], compassion and tolerance. It's achieved through doing the physical exercises and following the teachings of founder Li Hongzhi.

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In Indianapolis, practitioners meet every Saturday at 2 p.m. in the park, [...]

The group began exercising and meditating in public nearly a year ago, in part to raise awareness of the persecution of Falun Gong in China.

Xuan's husband, Indiana-born Joe Tackett, is the only non-Chinese practitioner who gathers at the American Legion Mall for public practice. (Some China-born practitioners asked that their names not be used because they fear being unable to visit family there.)

As the group gathers, Tackett and his wife post signs at the park entrance.

They read: "I Support Falun Gong" and "China, Stop Persecuting Falun Gong." A box nearby contains copies of a monthly newspaper produced by North American practitioners, and pamphlets describing the movement.

Tackett says his interest grew from his studies of karate and Buddhism.

A year ago, he began reading about Falun Gong in newspapers and magazines, and then on the Internet. Since then, he has tried to practice the postures and meditations every day, before his 6 a.m. shift on the assembly line at the Navistar International foundry on the Eastside.

The 49-year old says Falun Gong helped stabilize his blood pressure, helped him quit smoking and helped him manage depression without prescription medication. More importantly, he said, he is more patient and more willing to view others non-judgmentally.

Falun Gong also has given him an unexpected appreciation for religious liberty. Growing up in a Free Methodist Church in Bedford, he took such freedom for granted.

"I never used to give the First Amendment the first thought," Tackett said. "Now, I have a totally different view. I appreciate the freedom much more."

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