Puerto Rico’s Second Largest Newspaper Publishes an Interview with a European Dafa Practitioner

On October the 25th 2004, the second largest newspaper in Puerto Rico – La Primera Hora - published a two page interview with a European Falun Dafa practitioner.

La Primera Hora: A Discipline that Transforms Lives

Reporter: Rosa Escribano / Primera Hora
Photos: Teresa Canino Rivera / Primera Hora

Falun Dafa is based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance. Five sets of qigong exercises are part of the practice.

One of the aspirations of human beings is to have a good quality of life. To be able to have that, it is important to achieve harmony between the body, the mind and the spirit. Although that may seem difficult, there is an ancient Chinese discipline which establishes the possibility to reach such harmony in a way that is much easier than is often thought: it is called Falun Dafa. Also known as Falun Gong, this practice reached its peak at the beginning of the 90’s, when it began to spread in its country of origin. Since then millions of practitioners around the world have shown their interest in the discipline, and assure that they have gained numerous benefits from the discipline as well as improved their general health.

“A human being is not just a body,” says Pia-Maria Sandas, a practitioner of the discipline for the last five years. “Currently, doctors know that 70 percent of diseases are psychosomatic. So, that indicates how important it is to think beyond just the body,” she explains.

Easy to Learn

Falun Dafa consists of two principal aspects: the practice and cultivation. The first part refers to the five exercises which belong to the group of exercises called qigong. “They are very easy to learn,” Sandas emphasizes, who at the same time recognizes that although “ideally the five exercises are done together [in sequence]”, each person can establish their own routine - taking into consideration the fast life style which is so common today.

“It depends on the time each person has (to do the exercises). I travel a lot and I don’t have much time. Many times in the morning I do a few of the exercises which are done standing up, and in the evening I do the meditation exercise, or the other way around,” says Sandas who is an executive of a well-known cosmetic company, for which she travels to different countries.

On the other hand, though this practice is somewhat similar to other disciplines such as Tai Chi or Yoga, Sandas explains that Falun Dafa “guides the person to a higher level and spiritual enlightenment.” Moreover, it implies a routine which is less complicated to learn. “There are people who have learned the practice through the internet.” A book which explains the exercises, as well as Zhuan Falun that explains in detail how to live by truthfulness, compassion and tolerance are both written by Teacher Li Hongzhi, and can be downloaded from the web for free.

Learning Falun Dafa is free, which allows it to be more accessible. “No one can charge. It is taught voluntarily,” she emphasizes. Neither is there a leader who represents an authority because “it is not an organization”, she clarifies to rule out the idea of it being a cult or religion.

Spiritual Balance

The second aspect of Falun Dafa is the way of cultivation which is based on the three universal principles: truth, compassion, tolerance. “The practice is based on five exercises and the cultivation is based on three words,” explains the former Finnish model, who takes advantage of every opportunity in her itinerary to promote the practice which has changed her life.

In her particular case, Sandas confesses “I now experience a harmony that I did not have before. My life was so much more chaotic before. I used to have a lot of worries, anxieties - I did not feel well. I did not have the balance or the happiness that I have today. Now I get along with everyone much easier, I feel much more peaceful inside, and my health has improved a lot. I used to have asthma and a lot of allergies. Spring time used to be fatal for me. Now I do not need any medication to control them, and I do not have allergies anymore,” she gratefully explains.

“I know people who have been able to stop abusing drugs and alcohol because it [Falun Dafa] brings such internal peace, tranquillity and better health. For example, it helps relieve tension and anxiety, increases energy and vitality, improves physical health significantly, and promotes spiritual development,” Sandas says, in addition to emphasizing that all of this information is supported by scientific studies.

An International Practice

Taught for centuries from master to disciple, Falun Gong re-emerged in 1992 when Master Li Hongzhi, nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize in recent years, brought it out to the public. Today millions of people practise it in more than 60 countries, and for its contribution to society it has received more than 800 acknowledgements from well known organizations, presidents, senators, government leaders and other leaders in the international community.
For more information about Falun Dafa and on how to learn the exercises, you may visit the website www.falundafa.org.

A Persecuted Practice

It is a practice that promotes truth, compassion and tolerance. Nevertheless, to practise it in China, its country of origin, could mean death. The practice of Falun Dafa was accepted during its resurgence in 1992, when Master Li Hongzhi began to disseminate the practice throughout the entire country, until 1999, the moment when former president Jiang Zemin decided to prohibit it and launched a persecution campaign. To justify the severe reprisals, which include the death penalty and imprisonment, Zemin categorized it as ‘superstitious’ and ‘bad’.

“What is happening is very serious,” Pia-Maria Sandas says with sadness. In addition to practising the discipline she is very dedicated to raising awareness about the other reality which affects millions of Falun Dafa practitioners in the Asian country.

Up until today there are more than one hundred thousand people imprisoned in China for practising Falun Dafa and 1,048 have been tortured to death by the authorities. “Thousands of healthy people have been put into mental hospitals, and they inject them with drugs that damage the nervous system; and many of them have for example been burned with irons. It is documented by Amnesty International,” Sandas mentions. Other forms of torture that are used by the Chinese authorities include mutilation, sleep deprivation, rape, forced abortions, deprivation of food and electrocution. The executive also mentions how closely this reality has affected her through one of her best friends, Jane Dai, whose husband was tortured to death for practising this discipline.

In view that the international community considers Falun Dafa an inoffensive practice, some analysts claim that one of the reasons for this persecution is the fact that in 1999 the discipline had more that 70 million practitioners. Apparently, the former Chinese President and current Head of the Military, Jiang Zemin, felt fear when he discovered the enormous number of people who practised; it exceeded the number of communist party members. Heads of states of different countries and human rights organizations condemn the action of the Chinese Government, classifying it as genocide.

“More than 18 countries have filed lawsuits against Jiang Zemin and his people,” says Sandas. Among the heads of state who have expressed their condemnation are the president of the United States and the president of the European Parliament.

“We ask for help from the Puerto Rican people so that they will unite with other countries in this effort to stop the persecution in China,” says Sandas with concern. “There are web sites where people can sign petitions. The people need to know the truth about what is happening”.

For more information about the persecution, you may visit the web sites:
www.faluninfo.net or www.fofg.org.