Art and Culture

Art | Music | Poetry | Literature | Culture | New Science | Ancient Cultivation Stories

  • Cultivating Speech and Not Talking About Others' Shortcomings

    Divinely-inspired culture advocates that one has to be prudent about what one says. In the cultivating community, there is emphasis on the cultivation of speech, because a comment is capable of hurting others more than a sharp knife or gun could. Moreover, as soon as words are spoken, they can't be taken back, and they can create resentment and karma, thus bringing disaster to the speaker.
  • Painting: Force Feeding

    They pour in substances such as a mixture of water and cornmeal, concentrated salt solutions, hot chili paste and even human excretory waste. The intention is to inflict pain so as to break the will. Such torture is extremely painful and is the most common cause of death.
  • Painting: Uncompromising Courage

    This painting was based on a true story of Mr. Liu Chengjun. Mr. Liu Chengjun was a Falun Gong practitioner from northern China. In March 2002, he was sentenced to 19 years in prison for his involvement in broadcasting programs that exposed the brutality of the persecution against Falun Gong on Chinese television. After 21 months in prison, he was tortured to death.
  • Painting: Golden Lotus

    The inspiration for this painting came from a true story that has raised an international outcry. A young mother named Lixuan Wang and her 7-month-old son were both tortured to death after they were arrested for practising Falun Gong. Autopsy reports revealed that the baby had been hung upside down and his skull had been crushed.
  • The Beauty of the Guqin: Upright and Profound

    The guqin is a plucked seven-string musical instrument. It has a long history and profound cultural meaning. Ancient literati and officialdom used it to express their willingness for self-improvement, family harmony, benefiting the people, and seeking peace for society. Thus, the guqin became symbolic for intellectuals. Confucius once said, "Develop sentiment with Shijing [an ancient collection of poems], act according to ethical standards, and reach maturity in harmony with music."
  • Stories from Ancient China: Sima Guang's View on Talent and Virtue

    Sima Guang classified individuals into four groups based on their virtue and talents: the sagacious - those who have both virtues and talents; the foolish - those who have neither virtue nor talents; the noble - those who have virtue but no talents; and the inferior - those who have talents but no virtues. When it was time to appoint an official, the first choice would be a sagacious person, then a noble person. If neither a sagacious person nor a noble person could be found, it would be better to use a foolish person rather than an inferior one. It was because individuals with talents but without virtue were most dangerous. They were worse than those who have neither talents nor virtue.
  • Stories from Ancient China: One Should Keep a Distance from Those Who Curry Favour

    Confucius said, "One should keep a distance from those who like to curry favour." Those who are used to ingratiating themselves are good at figuring out what their superiors have in mind and how to make them happy. With their superiors being happy, they can make up things and distort the truth, and succeed in harming those who are righteous and honest.
  • Stories from Ancient China: Talented Officials More Valuable than Auspicious Omens

    Taizhong said, "I often laughed at the Sui Emperor, who did not pay attention to talented officials but liked auspicious omens. As a result, his country perished. In my opinion, what is truly auspicious is having talented officials managing our country well, and having our people be happy and content. As for the rare birds and wonderful beasts, they are only slightly different from ordinary things. How can we celebrate this?" He then ordered the nest to be destroyed and the birds to be returned to the wild.
  • Poem: Dreaming of a Divine Heart

    Loneliness, so long, my companion you've beenAnd alone, with you, my tales are sharedInto the realm of nothing we've beenAnd together upon the gates, we've staredWe've sat alone, on mountain topsAnd thought of life we'd never knowUp endless steps we tiredly walkWith dreams to end this winter's snow
  • An Untitled Sketch

    These pieces were sketched in secret by a Falun Gong practitioner who was ilegally detained in prison for his/her insistence in her cultivation. Created without any proper drawing materials, only 36 of the more than 70 pieces made it outside of China. Some were lost or damaged while being passed down from one person to another, and after much difficulty they finally arrived in the United States.
  • Painting: Fulfilling Vows

    The heavenly beings in this painting represent all races and cultures. There are practitioners of spiritual practice of Falun Gong in over 60 countries around the world. Its practitioners represent every ethnic group and every walk of life. Although Falun Gong originated in China, the search for truth and enlightenment is universal.
  • Stories from Ancient China: Human Hearts Are as Clear as a Mirror

    The mirror had a special function. When one looked at the mirror from the front, it reflected the image upside down. If the person rubbed his hand over the chest, then the internal organs of the person could also be clearly seen. More interestingly, it could also distinguish the loyal from the disloyal ministers in the imperial court, as well as foretell the rise and fall of a state... indeed it was a state treasure.
  • Painting: In Harmony

  • Ancient Cultivation Stories: Princess Zhangzhao

    Though the emperor took good care of her, she was very diligent in her practise and was not arrogant being a royal relative. Besides meditating, she often went to the mountain to collect herbs and treated patients. From the time she became a nun in the Mount Mian area, when there was a drought she burned incense and prayed for rain. It has been said that her prayers were always answered, bringing great delight to the surrounding residents. The princess was given a nickname "Living Guanyin (Bodhisattva)."
  • Stories from Ancient China: Assist the Poor and Serve Those in Need

    Diwu Lun was an official from the early Eastern Han Dynasty of ancient China. He lived in what is Shaanxi Province today. He was honest, unpretentious, and generous. No matter where he worked, he was always considerate of the people.