The older guy, who hadn't said much, told us he couldn't manage one exercise at the start but was now able to bend down. His wife showed us a thick book of photos full of law wheels circling above meditating practitioners. There was a palpable enthusiasm that was infectious and an almost competitive desire to "report" positive things about Falun Gong. One of the teachers said a 30-year-old man who couldn't sweat suddenly did so after six days of exercises.
Day Eight
Li was in a relaxed mode for his televised lecture today. His wore his dark suit, as normal, but his sleeves were rolled down and his tie was off. A senior teacher, a man, took us through an exercise session and we found we could sit in the lotus position for longer. "The more pain the more good," one student said, quoting Li's teachings.
Day Nine
After our exercises and the final lecture we formed a circle and were led by the senior teacher in a debriefing session. We gave our reasons for coming and were asked whether we would continue to attend. The two designers said they had learned a lot but were undecided. The young businessman seemed converted and said the exercises had made him sweat, proof that he was eliminating karma and turning it into virtue. The old guy had no choice but to carry on if his health was improving as miraculously as he said, particularly since his wife was a member.
Then it was my turn. I said everyone seemed nice and the exercises were cool but I was not a believer. This was accepted with a shrug of resignation. I had already confessed to being a writer and I think they knew I was a lost cause. So I asked them how Falun Gong was funded since instruction was free and they had the use of this house and they published copies of the Epoch Times.
There was a bit of choking, but eventually they said the house belonged to a Falun Gong member and the paper was published free of charge by another member who had a printer. Li told followers in 1999 he "basically" lives off the royalties from his books. He bought a US$580,000 house in 1999, according to the Wall Street Journal. Even so, money did not seem to be the main thrust of Falun Gong. If it was this would be "practicing in an evil way," according to Li.
The major religions, or subdivisions thereof, have at times been called cults so the point is whether they are evil or benign — unless one is anti-religion. The Communist Party of China (CCP) insists Falun Gong is an "evil cult" that is political in nature and encourages its members to refuse hospital treatment and thereby die and even immolate themselves. But the CCP constitution does provide "freedom of religion," albeit with restrictions. It is strange that Chinese can worship Christ or Mohammed but not practice a homegrown belief system.
Falun Gong did not seem to be an evil cult but Li's anti-Chinese rhetoric is baffling since he's claiming the high ground and his organization is supposed to be spiritual rather than political.
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