Sometimes I feel like things are out of control
That the world is changing faster
than I ever imagined possible
People are hurting each other,
corruption, war,
fear and isolation…
How bad could things possibly get?
I used to think I could change other people.
If I fought hard enough, it would really work.
But I’m learning to be calm,
to find compassion, to be tolerant.
I want to become a better person,
to genuinely embody kindness,
no matter where I am or whom I’m with.
This is the practice of Falun Gong.
When I found it 23 years ago,
it just clicked for me.
And not just because I was interested in health or meditation.
There was something different about Falun Gong.
It gave me a sense of calm and a lightness of being.
Like the world had been lifted off my shoulders.
And exactly 30 years ago Falun Gong changed China.
Today Falun Gong is practiced
by millions of people around the world.
But it all started in China in 1992
when qigong practices had become very popular.
Qigong is a type of energy practice
that's known for its healing powers.
Falun Gong was so effective for people’s health
that within one year of public teaching,
it became the top qigong practice in the entire nation.
Falun Gong’s founder is a qigong Master
named Li Hongzhi.
He received the highest recognition
of “Most Acclaimed Qigong Master” in 1993.
Even China’s state-controlled media praised Falun Gong.
The Shenzhen Star Times wrote:
“Falun Gong obviously improves health.
There are so many patients who have benefited from it.”
And China Today magazine wrote that
“People of all ages, from teens to seniors,
come to learn the practice…
government officials, as well as people from all walks of life…
military personnel, professors,
students, and physicians are all learning.”
The variety of people and the numbers were staggering.
In every city, town, and village
you could see people coming together in parks
to practice Falun Gong each and every morning.
What started as handfuls of people
turned into hundreds,
and then thousands, and then millions.
The Chinese government estimated that between
70 to 100 million people
were practicing Falun Gong.
But it wasn’t just the miraculous health benefits people experienced
that made Falun Gong so popular.
Chinese people—whether they practiced Falun Gong or not
—saw true, traditional Chinese culture being revived
through Falun Gong’s moral teachings
of Truth, Compassion and Tolerance.
That cultural revival brought a sense of hope, positivity,
and meaning to the lives of millions of people.
Think about that.
We’re talking about millions of people wanting, and trying,
to better themselves, to cultivate themselves.
To be more honest, more kind.
This positive moral shift was changing society for the better.
Even the Chinese government recognized that
Falun Gong was helping to reduce crime rates
across the entire country.
The People’s Public Security Daily,
published by the government,
even presented a letter commending Master Li
and the Falun Gong teachings for
“promoting traditional virtues for crime prevention,
social order, and security.”
Being more kind and learning to improve oneself
instead of blaming others
were recognized as a traditional Chinese approach
for crime prevention.
So Master Li was invited all over the country
to teach the practice.
There were no advertisements for his workshops,
people just told their friends and their family
and every class was packed.
In two and half years,
Master Li gave 54 ten-day workshops in total.
That’s around 540 solid days of teaching.
And then the Chinese Embassy in France
invited him to teach in Paris.
And then he was invited to Sweden.
And then North America where Ivy league scholars
invited their friends and colleagues
from top colleges to learn.
And just like in China, the practice spread
through all levels of society by word of mouth.
In Houston Texas,
Master Li was named an Honorary Citizen
and Goodwill Ambassador for his teachings.
Master Li officially stopped giving workshops
at the end of 1994
when he published the complete teachings in his book,
“Zhuan Falun”,
which became an instant bestseller in China.
The book publisher couldn’t keep up with the demand!
“Zhuan Falun” has now been translated
into almost 50 languages
and Master Li has always required that
it be made available online for free,
and that no one should ever charge any money
for teaching the Falun Gong exercises.
Falun Gong has always been,
and will always be, a gift to society.
It’s been 30 years
since the first public Falun Gong workshop was given in China
to just a few hundred students in a humble school hall
on May 13th in 1992.
In just 30 years, Falun Gong
—its slow moving exercises
and universal, moral principles
of Truth, Compassion and Tolerance
—have touched the lives of millions of people
all over the world.
And throughout these 30 years in China,
Falun Gong has always stayed true
to its teachings of non-violence and compassion.
Even when they became the target of brutal persecution
started by the Chinese dictator, Jiang Zemin,
in 1999,
Falun Gong practitioners have always responded
with non-violence and compassion.
And for me…
No matter how chaotic things seem to be
in the world these days,
Falun Gong and Truth, Compassion and Tolerance,
is how I’m improving myself.
How I’m learning to stay calm and positive.
It gives me the strength to be good and to be kind,
no matter what comes my way.
May 13th is World Falun Dafa Day.
And this year we’re celebrating 30 precious years.
Thank you Master Li for giving us this wonderful practice.
I’m not alone when I say it has been truly life-changing.
Falun Gong is great.
Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance is great.
Happy World Falun Dafa Day!