December 4, 2007

(Clearwisdom.net)Truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. For many, these three principles are worth persecution, torture and even death.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a meditation style and a way of life for millions all over the world. But those who practice Falun Gong, especially those within China, have to face the government's opposition to the meditation style, resulting in many documented deaths, including organ harvesting.

This week an exhibition featuring both artwork depicting the persecution of Falun Gong's followers and more information on the practice will be on display from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Friday in the Religious Center.

Kyle Conlon, a graduate student coordinator, said the exhibit sends a strong message to any who view it. The exhibition, sponsored by Volunteer Services, United Campus Ministry and United Campus Ministry, tours around the world.

"It's a very powerful exhibit of an issue that is readily suppressed," Conlon said.

Falun Gong's core values include self-improvement and cultivation. Through five meditation exercises, followers are able to relieve stress and anxiety. It also instructs how to live a peaceful life through the three main principles of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance.

Falun Gong has helped many with medical problems not cured by traditional means. Kairong Tian, one of the coordinators of the exhibit and a practitioner of Falun Gong, said it has helped her with asthma, sleeping problems and depression.

"It uplifts your mind and purifies your body," Tian said. "After I practice, my inside is very peaceful."

Corina Stuhman, a follower of Falun Gong, said that since practicing Falun Gong, she was cured of high blood pressure and a blood clot in her leg.

"Everybody has a different experience with Falun Gong," Stuhman said.

Stuhman said she has not taken medication for her conditions for over eight years.

Xiaoguang Wang, and alumnus of SIUE, told how his mother had broken her leg and doctors said she would never fully heal.

"They told her that she could not carry any weight," Wang said. "After two years of practicing (Falun Gong), she was able to carry my child for miles."

The Chinese government has tried to destroy Falun Gong since its creation, seeing it as a threat to the Communist regime.

They have arrested over 100,000 followers of Falun Gong; many are sent to work camps while others face jail, and eventually are the targets of organ harvesting.

Frances Fu, an event coordinator, said the Chinese government labels those who follow Falun Gong as enemies of China and [the practitioners] face prejudice and even death.

"The Communists in China are persecuting innocent people systematically," Fu said.

Wang spoke of an SIUE international graduate student and a follower of Falun Gong who went back to China to help her family. She was put into a labor camp and then jail when she refused to formally renounce Falun Gong.

She was finally released in 2004, but when she tried to tell Wang about her experiences within the labor camps and jail, she was arrested again.

"We didn't do anything violent," Wang said. "Now she's in jail again."

When Wang tried to communicate with her again, the Chinese government interfered.

"The Chinese government told her that I was actually a CIA spy," Wang said. "I had known her for years."

Fu said the Chinese government has spied on her and others who voice their faith in Falun Gong. She also said she has received e-mails from the Chinese government, telling her to stop her spread of Falun Gong.

Organ harvesting of Falun Gong practitioners is a major concern that is difficult to prove because of the nature of China's restriction of speech, press and general human rights.

Even though the Chinese government has tried to stop the spread of Falun Gong, it has taken a strong root in China.

Those who practice Falun Gong within China are faced with the ultimate choice between fulfilling their lives by practicing it and living without persecution.

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