Tufts Daily : Tufts U. students meditate, practice Falun Gong

Updated 12:00 PM ET April 6, 2001

Tufts Daily

Tufts U.

--Excerpt --

(U-WIRE) MEDFORD, Mass. -- Strike a pose; feet placed shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, tongue touching upper palate, lips closed, eyes gently shut, and a serene expression. This is the stance Falun Gong practitioners achieve for Fozban Quianshou Fa (the buddha showing a thousand hands). Though a traditional Chinese meditation practice, the calm has lifted for Falun Gong practitioners who have come under attack in their native country for practicing the outlawed exercises.

Students at Tufts University have been practicing Falun Gong as a group for the past three years. Now they're helping persecuted fellow practitioners overseas.

The Chinese [party name omitted] Party outlawed the practice in 1999, according to Christine Moon, president of the Falun Dafa Association at Tufts (TFDA).

Falun Dafa is the movement which incorporates the exercises of Falun Gong In the early days of Falun Dafa, practitioners in China demonstrated motivation and better morale in factories and work units Chinese [party name omitted] Party declared the meditation practice illegal due to the presence of 100 million practitioners in over 40 countries .

"The [party] embarked on a systematic, brutal campaign against tens of thousands of men, women and children of every occupation, social status, and age to eradicate this peaceful practice," Moon said.

According to the Falun Dafa Info Center, www.faluninfo.net, 180 people have died as a result of the government's actions against the Falun Gong movement. Worldwide, an appeal has gone out to end persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.

"The vicious crackdown of Falun Gong not only severely violates the fundamental freedom of belief, expression, and assembly, but also leads to a growing scourge of torture to innocent people in China," read an appeal to Falun Gong practitioners worldwide.

Since Falun Gong is not a political exercise the government should not persecute practitioners. "The persecution is not understandable because Falun Gong is not an organization " Qi said. "It is just like people learning Chi Ti or Yoga, but it is not just for good health, it is also to be more considerate and [to have] higher moral standards." Falun Gong intends to open energy channels includes gentle exercises and meditation, the close study of Zhuan Falun, the principle book, and the belief in "truthfulness, benevolence, and forbearance"

Moon was attracted to the exercise for its philosophical possibilities. "Unlike most practitioners, it was not the meditative aspect," she said. "I've been interested since high school in the meaning of life [and figuring out] why am I here." Jason Pomerleau, the first undergraduate practitioner on campus in 1998, was attracted to Falun Gong by one of it's objectives: "To return to one's true self." Pomerleau hoped to improve himself He found Falun Gong to be so beneficial that he sent Zhuan Falun to his brother

Practitioners have found support for even among those who do not practice Falun Gong. "Many people share the same basic principles of truthfulness, benevolence, and forbearance, so they believe that the Chinese government's persecution of Falun Dafa has no basis."

Globally, Master Li, the leader and founder of Falun Dafa, received his second consecutive nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize TFDA gave presentations to members of Amnesty International and Tufts Coalition for Social Justice and Non-violence on the persecution in China have become a worldwide human rights concern.

"[The persecution] is a human rights consideration that needs attention," said Doug Hansen "I'm a strong believer in the ability to express oneself."

In February, journalist Danny Schechter participated in the Tufts Institute for Leadership and International Perspective (TILIP) Symposium, "Globalization and China." His documentary, Falun Gong's Challenge to China, has aired on TUTV last month and may be re-broadcast once more this year

Practitioners are presenting arguments in Geneva at the United Nations Human Rights Commission Session to end the turmoil in China. And on March 19, the UN released a press statement addressing the future of Falun Gong.

"Will the Chinese regime begin to move towards a more open, civil society, or will it further step up its control and oppression for fear of losing power? In many ways, Falun Gong has become a litmus test of which path China will take," the statement said.

(C) 2001 Tufts Daily via U-WIRE

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