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Li Hongzhi (Chinese: 李洪志; pinyin: Lǐ Hóngzhì) is the founder of Falun Gong, also called Falun Dafa, a system of mind-body cultivation. Mr. Li currently resides in the United States and is a US permanent resident.
According to Pureinsight, a Falun Dafa website, Li Hongzhi introduced Falun Dafa on May 13, 1992 at the fifth Middle school in Changchun City, China. From 1992 to 1994, Li travelled across China, giving more than 54 lecture series and teaching the Falun Gong exercises. Since then Li had his followers spreading the practice voluntarily. Li continues to give lectures at Falun Gong conferences outside of China today.
According to Clearwisdom.net the Falun Gong's official website, Li Hongzhi is the recipient of several awards from state and congressional bodies in the U.S and is a two time Nobel Prize nominee. Additionally, Li has become the subject of controversy, ranging from his birthdate to status as a cult leader and allegations of profiteering.
Biography
According to a biography of Li that was previously included in the index of his Zhuan Falun (the central text of Falun Gong), Li was born in Guangzhulin, Jilin province, China, on May 13, 1951. The biography says that at the age of four Li began studying under his first Buddhist master Quan Jue, who Li calls "the 10th heir to the Great Law of the Buddha School". After this master left Li eight years later, Li continued receiving instructions successively from more than twenty masters from both the Buddha School and the Tao School for a few decades. The biography proclaims that at the age of eight Li developed a number of supernormal abilities including levitation, invisibility and the ability to control others with his thoughts. Li was also said to have developed deep wisdom an understanding of the truth of the universe and the origin, development, and future of the humankind.
Li's mundane human life was reported in the Beijing Review. According to this report in the period of 1970-78 Li worked as a trumpet player at a PLA stud farm and Jilin Provincial Forest Armed Police department. Then for the next four years he was an attendant at the hostel of the Jilin Provincial Forest Armed Police department. Starting from 1982 Li worked in the security department of the Changchun Cereals and Oil Co. In 1992, Li quit his job and began to propagate the Falun Gong practice and religious teachings to the general public in China.
Li Hongzhi taught the practice publicly in China over the course of the following two years, after which the practice continued to grow primarily by word-of-mouth. After this time, Li began giving lectures outside of China, and eventually settled in the US in 1997. Li Hongzhi continues to attend Falun Gong conferences in North America, where he often addresses practitioners and lectures on Falun Gong.
In Li Hongzhi's Canadian lectures held on May 23, 1999 in Toronto, Li was asked: "I want to recommend to a newspaper that they publish the Master's biography. Is this appropriate?" and he answered:
No. I don't want to speak about my own situation. Nobody should. Because everybody wanted to find out about me there was a very, very simple biography in Zhuan Falun. Now I had asked them to take it out. What I tell you about is the Law (Dharma), everyone should study this Law. Have no interest in my circumstances! Just study the Law and that will lead you to consummation.
Interviews with Mr. Li Hongzhi
From April to July, 1999, Li was interviewed by a number of western media. The following are some of the highlights:
- On May 2, 1999, when asked why he left China, Li told the Agence France-Press that:
- "My daughter wanted to go to the States. I also wanted her to study more English language. I heard the US education was pretty good."
- On July 25, 1999 Li told Mae M. Cheng from Newsday that:
- "I have never gotten upset with human beings," he said. "I have never been to hospitals, never been ill."
- Li had a dialogue with Times reporter on May 10, 1999:
- TIME: Have you seen human beings levitate off the ground?
- Li: I have known too many.
- TIME: Can you describe any that you have known?
- Li: David Copperfield. He can levitate and he did it during performances.
- TIME: Would you use qigong to cure an illness?
- Li: I can do all of this, but I won't do it.
- TIME: Are you a human being?
- Li: You can think of me as a human being.
- TIME: Are you from earth?
- Li: I don't wish to talk about myself at a higher level. People wouldn't understand it. I am trying to save those people who can return to a high level and to a high moral level. Modern science does not understand this, so governments can do nothing. The only person in the entire world who knows this is myself alone.
Li's claims of divinity
Falun Gong practitioners, noted Nina Willdorf from Boston Phoenix, " much about Master Li's past or present, and... are reluctant to discuss even what little they do know about him." Falun Gong's official website, Clearwisdom.net, introduces him in this way:
- "Mr. Li Hongzhi introduced the practice of Falun Gong to the general public in China in 1992. He then taught the practice publicly for two years in China, after which the practice continued to grow primarily by word-of-mouth. In keeping with Chinese tradition, Mr. Li is often respectfully referred to as "Master" or "Teacher." He is not accorded special treatment, nor does he accept money or donations from students of Falun Gong. He has ensured that the practice be available to all people, and without any terms or conditions. For his contributions to humanity he has been given over 400 honors and awards, and is a two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee."
Originally, though later taken out of circulation, a biography of Master Li appeared as an appendix in the famous Zhuan Falun; called "A short biography of Mr Li Hongzhi, Chairman of Falun Gong Research Society", it recounted Li's life and some of his experiences, from birth up to the time when he began teaching Falun Dafa.
According to this biography, at the age of four Li began practicing cultivation. His first teacher was a Buddhist master named Quan Jue (literally, complete enlightenment). Quan Jue's training consisted mainly in cultivating his pre-school pupil's innate supernatural powers and instilling great moral principles within him. At the age of eight, it is reported that several supernormal powers manifested; he could levitate off the ground and become invisible. Other supernatural abilities acquired were the ability to control others' movements by thoughts, and teleportation -- he could move himself anywhere he wanted by thought alone. In the following decades he continued to receive trainings from various Masters in spirituality as well as Kung Fu and sword-fighting. Some training took place at night in secret locations where no one could witness them. Through these secret trainings Li obtained great abilities. The supernatural powers he possessed were "unimaginable for ordinary human beings." Though the biography emphasizes that above all, "He discovered the truth of the universe, many more beautiful things which have existed there for a long time, as well as the origin, development and future of mankind."
Following the biography's recounting of intensive, decades-long physical and moral training, it goes on to tell of the reasons Li Hongzhi brought the cultivation system, Falun Dafa, to the public. It says that he had always questioned, in his mind, the reasons he was alive, and the reasons he had been taught the Gongfu. It reports that as his cultivation process advanced, he came to know and understood more. He felt that mankind should have been happier, but that people had lost their "true selves"; Li felt that people's spirits have been corrupted and their bodies suffering. The biography continues to report Li Hongzhi's personal thoughts "Mr. Li felt sad whenever he thought about it. People need strong physiques and noble spirits to build a perfect society and live a happy life. He realized his duty and made up his mind to devote himself to working for people's health and building a paradise of noble spirit." One thing emphasised here is that Li "...saw that Xinxing (mind nature or moral character) is the root cause of human health. Everybody looks forward to a happy life, but they meet with every kind of misfortune because they have lost their true selves." The biography goes onto describe Li's process of refining and perfecting the cultivation system, Falun Dafa, and his imparting it to the public.
Since the biography, Li Hongzhi has made many comments which may be interpreted as claims to divinity. For example, by 1996, Li was hinting that he was not just an ordinary human being, but rather a reincarnated deity who has lived many previous lives. "The things imparted to me by my several masters in this life are exactly what I intentionally arranged a few lifetimes ago for them to obtain. When the predestined occasion arrived, it had already been arranged that they impart those things back to me so that I could recall my Fa in its entirety."
Since 1996, Li's statements about his identity have become more explicit. In March, 2002, Li announced that:
- "No one knows who I am. I do not know who I am, either. No being has ever seen me, and no being has ever called me by any name. I have neither form nor name, and I am different from anything that composes any being in the cosmos. To the sentient beings in the cosmos, I have nothing. Perhaps when the cosmos is no more, only I am there. I have nothing. No being knows who I am. Yet without me, the cosmos wouldn't exist. The reason I have come here is to save all sentient beings amidst the Fa-rectification at a time when the colossal firmament of the cosmos is disintegrating."
On February 15, 2003 at the Western U.S. Fa Conference, Li further discussed his situation. He first stated that his situation isn't something that ordinary human beings can imagine. Then he described his origins: "I came from the inside, and came from the outside; I came from nothing, formed into something, appeared at the pinnacle of the colossal firmament, and then from there I descended step by step to the most surface, the Three Realms . No being knows who I am."
Li then made claims about his service to the human race. "In fact, today's human race would have been destroyed a long time ago if it weren't for the Fa-rectification. The standard of the human race's thinking is already at a level lower than hell. It's because of the Fa-rectification that I atoned for the sins of all sentient beings in the Three Realms." He then went on to claim what he has done for his disciples: "As far as our students are concerned, it was as if I scooped you out of hell back then. (Applause) I have truly borne for you the sins you committed over hundreds and thousands of years. And it doesn't stop at just that. Because of this, I will also save you and turn you into Gods. I have spared no effort for you in this process. Along with this, since you'll become Gods at levels that high, I have to give you the honors of Gods at levels that high and all the blessings that you need to have at levels that high. (Applause) Never, from the beginning of time, has any God dared to do this. Something like this has never happened before."
According to the teachings of Li Hongzhi, Fa-rectification refers to the process of renewal, harmonization and perfection of the entire cosmos. Li Hongzhi writes that the old cosmos possessed the characteristic of formation-stasis-degeneration-destruction, and that the cosmos has now reached its final stage, of destruction. As mentioned above, Li Hongzhi has said that he has prevented the cosmos from disintegrating, and has rectified it with the Fa (Universal Law), in the process saving all beings - including humans.
Awards and Recognition
Li Hongzhi was nominated for the 2001 Nobel Peace Prize. Mr. Li was also nominated for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought in 2001 by 28 members of the European Parliament, but failed to make the shortlist.
Support, praise and gratitude
As reported by Noah Porter in his Master's thesis FALUN GONG IN THE UNITED STATES: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY, there have been a large number of personal experience sharing papers written by people who practice Falun Dafa, expressing their praise for Li Hongzhi and Falun Dafa, as well as their deep personal gratitude towards Li Hongzhi for the positive transformation in their lives the practice of Falun Dafa has brought them.
Arrest warrant for Li
On July 29, 1999, the Chinese authorities issued a nationwide arrest warrant for Li Hongzhi. A request for arrest warrant was also sent to Interpol, and his passport was revoked, preventing him from traveling internationally. Interpol rejected the request on the grounds that it violates article three of the organization's constitution which forbids the Interpol from intervening in "matters of a political, religious, military or racial character".
Disputes
Making money from Falun Gong
Li Hongzhi claims to have not financially benefited from his teachings. "He is not accorded special treatment, nor does he accept money or donations from students of Falun Gong." Li stipulated that promoting the Falun Gong could never be done for fame and money, practitioners must not accept any fee, donation or gift in return of their voluntary promotion of the practice. Addressing his Falun Dafa assistants in 1994, Li made it clear that only his Falun Gong Research Society could get involved in managing the money aspect of Falun Gong and that they would always have to get his approval before making any financial decisions. According to Falun Gong practitioners, Li's insistence that the practice be offered free of charge caused a rift with the China Qigong Research Society, the state administrative body under which Falun Dafa was initially introduced, and Li withdrew from the organization. However, according to the statement issued by China Qigong Research Society on November 6, 1996, the Falun Gong was expelled because its "publications and activities" seriously violated the regulations of the organization.
In an interview in Sydney on May 2, 1999, Li revealed his poor financial status in the following statement: "In mainland China I published so many books, but added together, they haven't exceeded twenty thousand Renminbi (equivalent to US $ 2,469). This is what the publishing company gave me. When publishing books in other countries of the world, you know there is a rule, which pays 5 or 6% royalties to the author, so each time I can only get a little bit, a few hundred, or a few thousand dollars."
Some critics charge that Li hypocritically made money from the Falun Gong movement despite promising never to charge for teaching or helping followers. According to a Wall Street Journal report "American Dream Finds Chinese Spiritual Leader," on November 1, 1999, Li purchased a house in New York for $293,500 in 1998 shortly after immigrating to the US, then acquired another for $580,000 in New Jersey in 1999. Before he began to spread the practice, Li and his wife each earned less than $500 a year in China.
John Sun, a New York Falun Gong practitioner, stated in a letter published on the Falun Gong web site Clearwisdom.net that he actually bought the house (580,000 one) in Li's wife's name as an attempt to offer it as a gift, according to him Mr. and Mrs. Li firmly refused to accept the house.
Birth date
The date of his birth is disputed. According to ClearWisdom, a Falun Dafa website, "Li was born into an ordinary intellectual's family in the city of Gongzhuling, Jilin Province, China, on May 13 (the eighth day of the fourth month by China lunar calendar), 1951." . After the persecution began, the Chinese government said that he was born on July 7, 1952 and that he "changed his date of birth to make it coincide with the birthday of Sakyamuni, the founder of Buddhism, in an attempt to show that he was the reincarnation of Sakyamuni". . In an New York interview Li Hongzhi had this to say about the matter: "During the Cultural Revolution, the government misprinted my birth date. I just corrected it. During the Cultural Revolution, there were lots of misprints on identity. A man could become a woman, and a woman could become a man. It's natural that when people want to smear you, they will dig out whatever they can to destroy you. What's the big deal about having the same birthday as Sakyamuni? Many criminals were also born on that date. I have never said that I am Sakyamuni. I am just a very ordinary man."
References
- "Nobel Peace Prize deadline looms". CNN. January 30, 2001.
- "Statement by Francis Wurtz MEP, on the 2001 Sakharov Prize selection". Confederal Group of the European United Left. 18 October, 2001.
{{cite news}}: Check date values in:|date=(help) - Porter, Noah (2003). "FALUN GONG IN THE UNITED STATES: AN ETHNOGRAPHIC STUDY" (PDF). University of South Florida.
- "Li Honzhi is Wanted". China-Embassy.org. June 29, 1999.
- "Letters from Falun Gong practitioners to Wall Street Journal". FalunDafa Clearwisdom.net. November 17, 1999.
External links
Favorable
- Videos of Li Hongzhi's Nine day lecture in Guangzhou, China. (English overlay)
- Book: Practitioners recollection about their Teacher (Li Hongzhi) while He was introducing Falun Gong (free to download)
- 1999 statement by Li Hongzhi
- Interviews with Li Hongzhi, New York Times Magazine, August 8, 1999
- Extensive May 1999 interview with Li Hongzhi several news agencies, in Sydney Australia
- May 1999 interview with Li Hongzhi by Time Magazine Asia
- Who is Li Hongzhi? BBC Interview (RealPlayer video)
- Li Hongzhi interviewed by Time Magazine Asia in August 1999
- The actual teachings of Li Hongzhi, online
- Summary of a 2004 interview with Li Hongzhi with NTDTV, the first since 1999, hosted on a Falun Dafa website
- A Short Biography of Mr. Li Hongzhi, Founder of Falun Dafa, President of the Research Society of Falun Buddha Science
Critical
- The Divinity of Master Li By Samuel Luo, a Falun Gong critic.
- 2001 San Jose Mercury News critical article held at Rick Ross, a "cult watchdog" group