September 3, 2003

Lifong Shu of Unadilla practices Falun Gong, a Chinese spiritual discipline, at the Broome County Public Library on Friday. CHUCK HAUPT / Press & Sun-Bulletin

A group of about 10 people do Falun Gong exercises three times a week, twice at the Broome County Public Library and once at Otsiningo Park. Lifong Shu, center is the instructor. Susan Lo is at right.

Susan Lo of Vestal wears a T-shirt stating the basic principles followed by Falun Dafa (the spiritual movement that practices Falun Gong).

Lifong Shu has seen her energy level increase and chronic health symptoms disappear during the past seven years -- something she attributes to a Chinese spiritual discipline.

The 58-year-old Unadilla resident practices Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa. Falun Gong refers to five sets of exercises, done to Chinese music and involving lotus postures and hand movements. It works to refine the body and mind through slow, gentle movements and meditation. Falun Dafa is the spiritual movement that practices Falun Gong.

Falun Gong emphasizes the goals of wisdom and enlightenment in addition to the pursuit of health and fitness. Its teachings are based on the principles of truthfulness, compassion and tolerance.

"You don't always realize it right away, but it changes you," Shu said. "My energy level is up and I'm able to talk to my children in a very peaceful way. There is an inner peace."

And because of her results, Shu started sharing the practice with others in May by teaching the movements three times a week in Binghamton and the Town of Dickinson.

"It's just peaceful and relaxing," said Ellen Ohearn, a Johnson City resident who has been taking Shu's class for a couple of months. "It's easier to learn than Tai Chi, and since I've started, I've had less stress. I have a hectic schedule and this is my time out in my day for some relaxation."

Falun Gong's founder, Li Hongzhi, introduced the practice to the public in 1992, and it drew millions of followers in the 1990s. The Chinese government outlawed the group in July 1999, [...]

Practitioners lead normal lives and participate in their communities, Shu said. The practice is an individual choice and is centered on the improvement of one's self. There are no obligations, and everyone is free to come and go as they please. There are no devotional activities or worship, nor any set doctrine or canon. There is also no membership or hierarchy.

Supporters have a couple of theories about why Falun Gong was banned.

One theory is that China's leaders were concerned that there were more Falun Gong practitioners than those who belonged to the Communist party. Another theory is that because the Communist Party is officially atheist, anything of a spiritual nature is discouraged and often outlawed.

Practitioners and supporters said that those who continue to practice Falun Gong in China have been quietly detained, tortured and sent to forced labor camps or mental hospitals. Since it was banned, there have been 746 deaths, as of July 2003, according to reports from the Friends of Falun Gong, a U.S.-based human rights organization.

United States officials -- including President George W. Bush, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Sen. Charles E. Schumer -- have written letters or made statements against the treatment of Falun Gong practitioners in China. Other organizations outspoken in their support of Falun Gong's freedom of belief include the Freedom House, Amnesty International, Physicians for Human Rights and the National Organization for Women.

[...]

Falun Gong and Li have received awards and proclamations from officials throughout North America. Li was also nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2000 and 2001.

The method has spread by word of mouth and the Internet, and is now practiced by millions of people in more than 50 countries. Most major cities and universities in the United States, Canada, Australia and Europe have English-speaking Falun Dafa practice groups. All classes are free and are run by volunteers.

The people who practice -- both in Greater Binghamton and elsewhere -- come from every walk of life, are of different ages and are of many ethnic groups and religions. Almost everyone who practices Falun Dafa reports significantly improved health, reduced stress, increased levels of energy, inner peace and deepened morals, Shu said.

That includes Susan Lo, a 45-year-old Vestal resident who has been practicing Falun Gong for about three years. She moved from Taiwan to the Southern Tier in 2001, in part because she had kidney troubles and medical insurance was too expensive.

"My condition was very bad, where I couldn't do the housework, I couldn't cook, I couldn't take care of the kids or do the laundry," Lo said. "After I started to practice, I have gotten better."

The Associated Press and Time magazine contributed to this report.

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