Sir, - We are practitioners and direct beneficiaries of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) in Dublin. We read your report on Beijing's peaceful rally (The Irish Times, April 26th) and appreciate your constant concerns and reports about China. However, there are some claims about Falun Gong which are incorrect from our point of view and deeply hurtful to practitioners like us.
In the report, we practitioners are labelled as "members of a religious cult" and "members of the Falun Gong sect". Also the description of Mr Li Hongzhi, a kind and modest gentleman with great compassion and wisdom, as "the leader of the Falun Gong sect" and "a faith healer" has terribly hurt his personal reputation and rights. Falun Dafa is practiced out of the practitioners' own wills and does not have any kind of formal organisation. All activities are organised voluntarily by the practitioners themselves.
We, a few practitioners, have been practicing Falun Dafa for several years and find it an excellent practice for improving one's body and mind. It is not a religion and has nothing to do with "religious cult" and "sect". There are no worshipping activities, religious practices, acceptance of donations or binding memberships. We therefore find it unconscionable for such a goodwill and honourable endeavour to be labelled as a "cult" and "sect".
Falun Dafa is a high-level cultivation system with an ancient history to improve the practitioners' mind, body and spirit by assimilating to the cosmic characteristic truthfulness-benevolence-forbearance. We practitioners have been conducting ourselves as better people at home, at work and in the society. We live normal lives, have clear and rational minds. We do not believe in things casually.
We sincerely suggest that you research the Falun Dafa teachings and exercises to gain an objective understanding of them. We also recommend the Falun Dafa practice to you and your readers. - Yours, etc. Dai Dongxue, Ming Zhao, Bao Zhu, Fang Yang,
Griffith Avenue, Dublin 9.