The Lantern (The Student Voice of Ohio State University): Exhibition in library dedicated to Falun Dafa

By Rachel Mickol

Issue: 7/28/05

The Sills Gallery, located in Ohio State's main library, is hosting an art exhibition dedicated to Falun Dafa, a controversial Chinese meditation style, from Monday through Aug. 7.

The exhibit already has been to 26 countries and contains pictures and paintings related to Falun Dafa. It shows the peaceful, spiritual nature of the practice, in addition to the persecution of its practitioners, said Lucia Dunn, the faculty advisor for the OSU chapter of Falun Dafa.

"There is a great variety of artwork featured at the exhibit," Dunn said. "Some of the paintings show the cultivation practice and people meditating while others show people in camps and orphaned or abandoned children wandering the streets of China. Basically, the artwork shows the peacefulness of the practice as well as the hardships the people endure and why it is so senseless to be banning the practice."

Falun Dafa, according to the art exhibit's Web site, is an ancient Chinese tradition of meditation and self-improvement. Through this practice, many have gained health in both body and mind, deepened their grasp of the workings of nature and found answers to a lifelong search for greater meanings of art and life.

"Falun Dafa is a self-cultivation practice following the principles of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance, to improve mind and body," said Dongfa Li, president of the OSU's Falun Dafa practice group. "It's effectiveness in improving health and its profound principles have quickly made the practice immensely popular throughout the entire world."

In July of 1999, the Chinese government banned the practice and persecuted anyone who still followed its principles, Li said.

"From my observation, most Chinese people who feel Falun Dafa is controversial actually have not read Falun Dafa books and they do not know what Falun Dafa really is," Li said. "The Chinese Communist regime has destroyed almost all Chinese traditional culture and beliefs and it cannot tolerate people who believe in anything that it cannot control, which is why it is so afraid of the spread of the Falun Dafa principles."

Since the ban of this practice, more than 2,600 people were confirmed dead from torture. The purpose of this art exhibition is to raise awareness of what is occurring in China and to help people gain a better understanding of Falun Dafa and its traditions, Dunn said.

"We have a large Chinese population at OSU, including both faculty and students, so I am sure many will be interested in the exhibit because it relates to their homeland," Dunn said. "I think it will allow them to appreciate their freedom of living in the U.S. Also, I believe Westerners will be interested to see the traditional Chinese art and will appreciate
the beautiful and colorful artwork."

According to the Falun Dafa art exhibit Web site, the artists depict a vision of the world, their own first-hand experiences and what it means to be part of the body of spiritual aspirants who seek to embody and perfect the virtues in their paintings. The exhibition is composed of four parts, including the Beauty of Self-Cultivation, Uncompromising Courage, the Call for Justice and Justice Prevails.

"We would like to share the beautiful works with the OSU community and call on all kind people to help stop the six-year-long brutal persecution in China," Li said. "I believe that after visiting the exhibition, people will enjoy the works and feel the beauty and the inner power behind the art."

Source: http://www.thelantern.com/media/paper333/news/2005/07/28/Arts/Exhibition.In.Library.Dedicated.To.Falun.Dafa-964820.shtml

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