Master Li Hongzhi

Li Hongzhi Portrait (minghui.org ())

Once upon a time, China was a great country, with 5000 years of amazing culture, but now, after almost 70 years of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) seizing power, that ancient culture has been lost, and replaced with an evil CCP culture. In the 1960s to 1970s, China was in a mad state of the Cultural Revolution. Most people, such as my parents' families, experienced the suffering under the CCP's iron fist control. Master Li Hongzhi started cultivating qigong at very young age. Under harsh political environment, he lived a normal life back then. At the end of this period, however, qigong became popular in China. On 13 May 1992, his 41st birthday, Master Li started to teach Falun Dafa to the public. Falun Dafa, an advanced form of qigong, quickly spread out in China mainly by the word of mouth. In 1999, there were about 100 million people practicing Falun Dafa in China. It is a practical way of improving the mind and body, with 5 simple exercises and 3 living principles: truthfulness, compassion, forbearance. However, the immense popularity Falun Dafa triggers jealousy of CCP. In September 1999, CCP dictator, then Chinese president personally banned Falun Dafa, and the persecution started from then. Millions of people died during the ongoing persecution. However, Falun Dafa gradually spread to 114 countries. Master Li has founded Falun Dafa, teaching disciples to live by three principles: truth, compassion, and forbearance, and he is a role model of those three principles, even under extreme pressure. He came to the United States to live in 1996, living in New York City since then. Master Li Hongzhi is a hero for being influential, powerful, and tolerant.

The first reason Master Li is a hero is because he has been strongly influential. Despite the CCP's world-wide evil smearing campaign against Falun Dafa, Falun Dafa practitioners are growing. The recently past 2017 Falun Dafa conference in New York attracts more than 10000 practitioners from 58 countries. In outsider's eyes, the practitioners are amazing group of peaceful people. "Despite these unorthodox beliefs, most members of the group are ordinary people, from all walks of life, who gather in parks and on roadsides to perform slow, graceful exercises and meditate. The group emphasizes pacifism, harmony, and nonviolence, concepts attractive to many people" (Perry 6). Falun Dafa changed people's outlook, living a purposeful life toward truth, compassion and forbearance. My dad, for instance, started practice Falun Dafa 2 years ago. He changed quite a bit, and become more tolerant to the people around him. Master Li's teaching influenced my dad's life profoundly.  

Li Hongzhi Sitting Portrait (minghui.org ())

Another reason Master Li is a hero is because he is a powerful person. He has helped get rid of lots of bad energy, and with his religion: "What is particularly novel about them is that Master Li Hongzhi promises that, while cultivating, one of his fashen or law bodies will protect the practitioner" (Perry 5). In China, Falun Dafa has been banned since 20 July 1999 by the CCP, and practitioners have been tortured in many ways that are too painful to describe, including forced organ harvesting from them. Despite these painful acts, the fashen help them live a happy life, even after they die. Master Li has not just used fashen, but also: "Of all practices made public in the world today, only Falun Dafa has managed to achieve a state in which, 'the Fa refines the person'" (falundafa.org, 4). The Fa, or law, refines the person and gives them power.This has made Master Li one of the most powerful people in the world. In the end, Master Li Hongzhi is powerful because in his religion, he uses fashen to protect and the Fa to refine them.

The final reason Master Li Hongzhi is powerful is because he is very tolerant, despite his extreme pressure.

When the Chinese government banned Falun Dafa, they have said: "The authorities in Beijing also have a few names for Mr Master Li. They have branded him the leader of an "evil cult" and a dangerous charlatan and have ordered his arrest" (BBC, 2). These people have said that Master Li Hongzhi is a very bad person because they think he "disturbs public order". However, he does not do that, and he can withstand anything that happens involving him. However, he was already exiled from China when that happened: "In 1998 he left China, apparently because he was told to leave by authorities, and went to the United States, where he was welcomed by U.S. followers. Since then, he has lived in New York City" (Gale, 5). In his new house, he has practiced to be more tolerant, and not at all disturbing public order. Despite the crisis going on, he has not felt any pain for teaching the exercise. In conclusion, despite the crisis going on in China, Master Li has not felt pain when he teaches the religion, nor have his practitioners in China.

Once again, Master Li Hongzhi is a hero for being influential, powerful, and very tolerant, even under extreme pressure.He has influenced all kinds of people, using fashen to become powerful, and has taught his disciples to be tolerant. Master Li has been an inspiration because he is very helpful to other people, and even myself. He has been so helpful that some people think he is a god. "Asked if he was a human being from earth, he replied: 'I don't wish to talk about myself at a higher level. People wouldn't understand it'" (BBC, 22). Even is he is not an actual god, his religion has many people doing it, and had a great effect on society. It has changed the way people have behaved, and they do this religion during most of their free time. In the end, I think Master Li Hongzhi is a hero because of not just what he did for himself, but what he did to restore China's old culture, and help everyone else feel very great.