Blethen Maine Newspapers: Falun Dafa Gains Followers; Banned in China, Practice Stirs Interest Here

WATERVILLE -- Standing in silent concentration in the middle of their dining room floor, the couple executes a series of movements that at first glance appear to be some form of martial arts.

Stretching their arms high above their heads, they relax abruptly into a meditative stance with arms spread wide. Smooth arm and hand movements evolve into a swirling maneuver. The movements end in a seated, motionless meditation.

William and June Kirk are demonstrating the five sets of movements that coincide with the principles of Falun Dafa, a spiritual practice that urges practitioners to align themselves with truthfulness, compassion and forbearance.

Falun Gong is the physical part of Falun Dafa, a cultivation practice that originated in China and that the Kirks say promotes the refinement of both mind and body.

"The goal is to make a person become a better person," said William Kirk, 65, a military retiree, former tax assessor in Waterville and town manager of Standish. "You learn to give up your attachments."

His wife said Falun Dafa is about letting go of things like anger, jealousy, anxiety and desire for personal gain.

"It's all about tuning in to yourself," said June Kirk, 61, a retired bookkeeper.

"Once you let yourself go, you feel more at ease. You become your true self."

While Falun Dafa is not a religion, it has a similar goal of enlightenment, according to practitioners.

The Kirks said Falun Dafa is not a cult and there is no organization to join, no rituals, no religious hierarchy, no God figure or worship services.

In fact, no one can profit financially from Falun Dafa, they said. If indeed money does change hands, it is not Falun Dafa.

According to the writings of Li Hongzhi, founder of the current movement, Falun Dafa is an advanced cultivation method of the Buddha school and incorporates both Buddhist and Taoist concepts. [...]

[Mr. Li] Hongzhi publicly introduced Falun Dafa in 1992 at an international exhibition and within three years the practice is reported to have attracted millions.

By some estimates there are as many as 100 million Falun Dafa practitioners in China today. In Maine, more than 500 people have been introduced to Falun Dafa in places that include Waterville, Augusta, Portland, Kittery, Whitefield and Newport. June Kirk said that because no membership files are kept, the exact number of practitioners is not known.

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The Chinese government in 1999 denounced Falun Gong as a [Jiang Zemin's slanderous term omitted] and outlawed its practice, according to the Kirks and articles written on the subject. [...]

A government that once praised Falun Dafa for making the masses more healthy and contributing to lowering medical costs, now bans it and arrests and tortures practitioners.

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The practice took root in the United States in 1996, where no such restrictions exist, according to the Kirks.

June Kirk says she and her husband once were involved seriously in Tai Chi, even investing time and money in course workshops and seminars in Boston.

"I had gone to healing classes and was thinking about becoming a healer," she said. "We were doing a little in-home teaching and were just about ready to certify ourselves to be able to teach."

Then the couple happened to get a wellness magazine out of New Hampshire that talked about Falun Dafa and they decided check it out. That was two years ago.

After seeing the practice video and reading the books on Falun Dafa, the Kirks said they knew where they wanted to be.

"We were really excited with what this was doing for us; all of a sudden we could feel a difference," June Kirk said. "It's all about tuning in to yourself."

The pair said Falun Dafa (Falun Gong) reduces the stress in their lives and has helped them to become healthier.

"It gets rid of the root cause of health problems," June Kirk said.

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Introduction to the practice can include a nine-day seminar, video seminar and 8-minute tape. The Kirks can be contacted locally for more information at 872-5298.

"We don't teach, we share, read the books and do the practice," June Kirk said. "It changes your inner self, you are awakened to the world, enlightened."

Her husband said Falun Dafa has given reason to his existence.

"All my life I always searched for something and there was still emptiness," William Kirk said. "Once I found Falun Dafa, my search stopped."

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http://www.centralmaine.com/news/stories/010702falun_da.shtml