(Minghui.org) Some practitioners introduced Falun Dafa to their friends. Their friends read Zhuan Falun and said things like, “A lot of the content in this book is not new, like prehistorical civilizations, the cultivation of mind nature, looking inward, etc. These are pretty much the same principles we have seen in other places. Your book is a mixture of these things, but the language used in your book is simpler.”
Falun Dafa books are available to everyone online. After the persecution began in 1999, many people, including monks and lay Buddhists, thought Falun Dafa books were great and included some passages from Dafa books in their own articles. Some Dafa practitioners who intended to validate Dafa also wrote articles and published them online. But because of the persecution, none of those articles cited the sources of these passages as Dafa books. Phrases like “looking inward” often appeared in online articles. These insightful words aren't censored by the government, so they quickly gained popularity.
Before I read Zhuan Falun for the first time in 1996, I had read many books in pursuit of the truth. I had known a little about prehistoric civilizations, cosmic language, and the placement of the mysterious pass. I had been looking for the true Way my whole life. Reading the book Zhuan Falun cleared up all of my confusion about cultivation. The profound principles of Dafa shook my heart. I immediately realized that the true Way was right in front of me.
All publications in China at that time had to go through strict censorship, especially those that were not in line with atheist or communist views. The words used in books about qigong, religion, and supernormal abilities had to be chosen with extreme care, because anything beyond Karl Marx's materialism could be attacked and criticized. Monks and Taoists mostly limited discussions of their religions to the academic or cultural aspects of their systems, or to physical exercises of qigong. Many of these religious people had to attend so-called “political science” classes and have their religious activities organized by the Communist Party. Zhuan Falun was published under such circumstances.
Zhuan Falun was compiled and edited from the lectures of Master Li Hongzhi, who first taught Falun Gong to the public in Changchun in May 1992. The book has brought light to many mysteries for many people. It has provided refreshing theories of a unique cultivation system. The book was republished several times, and in 1996 it became a bestseller. The number of people practicing Falun Dafa soared. People in all strata of society, including those in the Communist Party's political, military, and religious fields, practiced Falun Dafa. The number of practitioners reached 100 million by 1999.
Zhuan Falun puts profound principles into simple language. People who haven't had much schooling can understand it easily. True cultivators realize the importance of this book after reading it through once. On the other hand, scholars who are used to beautiful but lofty language are usually blocked by their notions.
Master said,
“Its broad and immense, profound inner meaning can only manifest itself to, and be experienced and understood by, practitioners who are at different levels of true cultivation. Only then can one truly see what the Fa is.” (“Broad and Immense,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
Countless Falun Dafa practitioners can testify that this is true.
Ever since Master started teaching the Fa overseas, he published other books and articles to guide Dafa practitioners in their cultivation. However, non-practitioners don't know that the sources of the passages they are reading online are from different authors who have plagiarized from Dafa books. These people might then say that Zhuan Falun is a mixture of various theories they have read online. This is a consequence of plagiarizing Dafa.
Master told us,
“This kind of Fa-plagiarizing behavior, which originates from Dafa but fails to validate Dafa, works against Dafa from another perspective.” (“The Fa Rectifies the Human Heart,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
“Disruption of the Fa takes many forms, of which unintentional disruption by disciples themselves is the most difficult to detect. Sakyamuni’s Buddhism began its deterioration in just this way and the lesson is profound.” (“Awakening,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
“Let me tell you again that an outsider can never damage the Fa. Only students can damage the Fa—remember this!
Every step I, Li Hongzhi, take is to establish an unchangeable and unalterable way for the transmission of Dafa in future generations. Such an enormous Fa will not be over after a moment of popularity. There cannot be any slight deviation in the countless years to come. Safeguarding Dafa with your own conduct is forever the responsibility of Dafa disciples, because Dafa belongs to all sentient beings of the universe, and this includes you.” (“Stability of the Fa,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
Even though the persecution has made it more difficult to validate the Fa, as Falun Dafa practitioners we have to seriously face the issue of plagiarizing the Fa. We have to stop passing these articles around online. If a fellow practitioner has published articles like this, he should track the articles down and have them deleted to eliminate causing any confusion in the future. It's the only way we can walk the path of cultivation righteously.
The above is my personal understanding. Please kindly point out any mistakes. I hope my sharing will encourage more in-depth discussion about this issue.
Category: Improving Oneself
