Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual practice rooted in ancient Chinese culture and centers around the principles of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. Mr. Li introduced it to the public in China in 1992.
Megan Lorimer, a leader of a spiritual healing group in central Arizona, said Mr. Li’s article “really seems to level the playing field the way across, looking at karma as your history.” “Karma levels the playing field,” she added.
She said she had seen, from her professional background in counseling, how much society focused on victims or “putting victims on a pedestal.” “Society wants to incriminate people if they’re successful or have money. And this article shows that these are things that we’ve earned in past lives and earned in this life,” she told The Epoch Times, adding that she is “wealthy in spirit” and does not have a vast amount of money.
“And if our lot in life is to be of service, then that is a wonderful lot in life because we are there so we can elevate ourselves by getting through the challenges that we have in life. And it’s not to incriminate anyone for having more or less. It’s just to know that this is our lot in life,” she added.
Lorimer, 64, holds a master’s degree in professional counseling. She also used to be a chaplain for the Unity Church. She said she wouldn’t pigeonhole herself in the Buddhism category, although she had participated in some Buddhist meditation groups.
She said Mr. Li’s article came at a “perfect timing” in her life as she battled a recent challenge in life, “Reviewing this article helped remind me that it’s all in divine order.”
“What a beautiful article. I feel the loving compassion,” she wrote in her comment to The Epoch Times. “It brings light to those who have achieved or been given a wealthy life this time around. I see anger and jealousy by liberals toward those who have been given much. It has contributed greatly to the separation and demise of our society.”
To Lorimer, Mr. Li’s article contains universalness beyond institutional teachings. “It left an opening for me to have my collective beliefs with everything that I believe that isn’t perfectly in alignment with any school of thought.”
‘Universal Values’
Lily Tang Williams, a former Republican candidate for the Second Congressional District in New Hampshire, read the English and Chinese versions of Mr. Li’s article three times and listened to the audio as well.
“[Mr. Li] puts it clearly about the universe and what is a higher purpose and human beings,” she told The Epoch Times. “I’m most impressed when he said that we’re all created by our Creator. And we are equal regardless of our skin color and race.”
To her, the timing of this article was quite befitting, “We need to promote the universal values of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.” She said that these values are not just for Falun Gong followers but for all humankind.
Brought up as a Buddhist, Williams said truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance are consistent with her beliefs, and that people, no matter which religion they belong to, can use these principles to guide themselves.
