Written:á 12th November 2001

"It's just such a wonderful practice and everyone who genuinely practices Falun Dafa has benefited a lot physically, as well as mentally. They find inner peace, they find themselves a lot happier and they find they're more successful in life." These words were spoken by Toowoomba Falun Dafa instructor, Zhao about the spiritual movement that is sweeping the world, Falun Dafa or as it is also known, Falun Gong.

At 11am on a sunny spring morning Falun Dafa practitioners are busy decorating a float with colourful banners and bright yellow flags. Behind the float a small group of people are attempting to juggle a big, blue book, which is inscribed with the words, "Zhuan Falun". Practitioners from northern New South Wales and all over Queensland had made their way to the town of Toowoomba for the annual Carnival of Flowers. This is the second year Falun Dafa has participated in the parade.

According to John, Falun Dafa movement spokesperson in Queensland, practitioners take the opportunity to appear in whatever public event they are allowed to. "This helps to get the message out, because as the world has just seen in the United States truthfulness, compassion and forbearance are needed now more than ever. So that's really our purpose. It's two-fold, one of which is to let people know what Falun Gong is and the other is to let people know what is happening to Falun Gong in China."

Falun Dafa is a form of the traditional Chinese practice of Qigong, which dates back at least 2000 years. The practice is designed to improve the mind and body through exercise. [...]

Li Hongzhi adapted the principles of Qigong into the practice of Falun Gong and introduced it into Chinese society in 1992. Since then it has spread to more than 40 different countries worldwide. In Australia, there are several thousand practitioners and more than 80 practice sites.

Falun Dafa is not affiliated with any religious, political or commercial groups. There is no organisational structure and volunteers run all activities free of charge. Practitioners of Falun Dafa come from every walk of life as Falun Dafa transcends cultural, social, economic and national boundaries. It has become an essential part of many people's lives, and practitioners can often be found practising Falun Dafa in parks, gymnasiums or other public venues.

According Mr Andress, Falun Dafa is a spiritual cultivation process. "We cultivate the body by doing five exercises including a meditation, then cultivate our inner nature through truthfulness, compassion, forbearance and prayer. We do that by studying the books and laws and principles involved."

The principles of Falun Dafa can be learnt by reading the two main books written by Mr Hongzhi. These are Falun Gong (Law Wheel Qigong) and Zhuan Falun (Turning the Law Wheel). Falun Gong is a systematic, introductory book that discusses qigong, introduces the principles, and provides illustrations and explanation of the exercises. The book is recommended to beginners and those without a thorough background in qigong begin with this book.

Zhuan Falun is the most comprehensive and essential work of Falun Dafa practice and thus is best read with some prior knowledge. The book is organised in the form of nine lectures and was the number one bestseller in China in 1996. According to Falun Dafa experts a thorough understanding of "Zhuan Falun" is necessary for genuine, advanced practice.

The exercises typical of this well known discipline can reduce stress and anxiety, while improving overall physical fitness, balance, and flexibility. By alleviating tension, they may also combat insomnia and relieve certain types of headache. Unfortunately, while advocates cite case studies to support these claims, there are no large, scientifically organised clinical trials to support them. Although Falun Dafa can undoubtedly improve fitness and general well being, there's currently no scientific reason to believe that it will prevent or cure any serious disease.

However, the physical and mental benefits of Falun Dafa are indisputable according to its practitioners. A year ago, Campbell suffered from the incurable Crohn's disease. This is a debilitating condition that causes frequent internal bleeding and pain to its sufferers. However, after taking up Falun Dafa a year ago, Ms Campbell now claims to be free of the disease.

"I believe that it's the best kind of body cultivation that I've ever come across personally, it has certainly helped me. I've had Crohn's disease all my life and last year when I was going through an attack, Falun Dafa was brought to my attention. I decided to take it up and since then the Crohn's disease has been cured. Within a week of practicing Falun Dafa, my bleeding stopped from my bowel. I'm as fit and healthy as anything now," she said.

Ms. Campbell is marching behind the float in the parade today to publicly show her support for the Falun Dafa movement. "It's helped me so much. I'm 43 years old and I'm getting younger and healthier by the minute. I just think of how much pain I had and all the medical bills and I don't have any of that now. I can eat whatever I like, I was allergic to wheat and was lactose intolerant and now I'm fine, I don't have any allergies. I just feel really good. And I guess it's just the case where if something feels really good, you just want to share it with other people," she said.

Falun Dafa practitioner, Sue echoes these sentiments "I had an illness and I was looking for different ways to improve so I chose this way. I've experienced amazing benefits. I've been able to walk and move and get around. It also helps me mentally and physically. It's been amazing actually."

Lee is a Falun Dafa instructor in Nambour and has watched the movement grow over the past couple of years. She believes that she has received peace of mind from the practice of Falun Dafa and enjoys seeing new practitioners experiencing its benefits.

"I've had a lot of challenges in my life and and the principles of Falun Gong, truthfulness, compassion and forbearance help me with that. Just looking around the world and that state it's in, those qualities are desperately needed. I've been in spiritual paths all my life and I think that all the studying and searching is living it for you. It's quite an exceptional thing and it creates exceptional people," she said. Mr Andress attributes the popularity of Falun Dafa to the principles involved. He believes that in today's society, the principles of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance are needed more than ever.

"I think that many people are beginning to spiritually awaken and actually look for something. They realise that there is something more to their life than just going to work and coming home and watching television. There are of course many different spiritual teachings that people are drawn to, but we think that it's just the purity and righteousness of Falun Dafa that draws people," he said.

Despite this purity and righteousness, Falun Dafa has not been welcomed universally. One of the reasons for the participation in the Toowoomba parade was to inform people of the situation in China. In China, the country of its origin, practitioners of Falun Dafa are arrested and executed. Since July 1999, 50,000 people have been arrested, 275 people have been executed and 10,000 have sent to labour camps.

There are numerous stories which come out from the [party's name omitted] country. One of these concerns a young man named Tan, who was a practitioner of Falun Dafa in China. On June 2, three guards in a Chinese prison tied Tan to a post, heated an iron rod in a furnace until it glowed red, and began applying it to his legs, Tan lost control of his bowel and bladder functions. The guards pressed the rod on his legs 13 times, spacing them out at regular intervals on his flesh and frequently asking him all the while if he would renounce his belief in Falun Dafa. He never did and after American intervention is now recovering in a hospital in Houston, Texas.

According to Mr Andress, the simplest reason for the [Jiang Zemin] government's treatment of Falun Dafa practitioners is the issue of control. "The [Jiang Zemin's] regime is basically the last major [party's name omitted] dictatorship in the world that stops people from freely thinking. So if you have 100 million people not directly under your control that's perceived as a threat," he said.

The practice of Falun Dafa in Toowoomba was inspired by the situation in China. Ms Zhao began publicly practising Falun Dafa in Toowoomba "after the [Jiang Zemin's] government started persecuting people as I really felt the need to clarify the truth and let people know about this wonderful practice."

Ms Zhao hopes that participation in the parade will raise the awareness of Falun Dafa in the city. "In Toowoomba, people tend to be a bit more conservative. Anything new or unusual or even contrary from their traditional beliefs they find difficult to accept. They don't really reject it, they just don't actively participate in it. We'd just like more people to understand what the exercise is about and then benefit from it. We'd like to present Falun Dafa to the public in Toowoomba and as this is the largest original activity in the area, we think that this is a very good opportunity for us to present ourselves, so people become more aware of the practice."

The practice of Falun Dafa is suitable for everybody as the exercises can easily be adapted to suit individual physical capabilities. Although the extent of its powers can not be scientifically proven, even critics of the practice admit that it can enhance fitness and promote healthy relaxation. Thus people who open their mind to the practice really can find inner peace, happiness and success.áá

http://www.aushomepage.com.au/Article/707/