Immortal4life

Can you elaborate more on this, and specify exactly what you mean by "the path my country has chosen to travel?"

You might relate to Ice-T more than you think Marbehead

There's been a big clamp down on strict definitions of what is or is not "appropriate" for every single section here lately. I oppose extreme thread segregation.

Be careful, this subject is now completely banned from TTB. I've been suspended for ignoring the ban. Sean even told me himself. Someone on the moderator team thinks it's "sexist"

Falun Dafa- Turning the Great Law Wheel Introduction Video- The Nature of the Universe is Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1yfY6YlBJBAhttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qoXgKjMguE It is totally free. Everything to get started can be got free off the internet. You can start learning this practice right here and right now! Detailed Video Instructions of the Falun Gong Exercises- Instruction on the Falun Gong Meditation- Video of the lectures and teachings of Falun Dafa Falun Dafa - 9-Day Lectures in Guangzhou Here are the main study books of Falun Dafa Falun Dafa - The Falun Dafa Books Turning the Law wheel, Great Law book ZHUAN FALUN-INDEX Mr. Li Hongzhi on Buddha Law-

In this two-part interview, Joel Chipkar Spokesperson for Falun Gong Information Center (http://faluninfo.net) discusses the Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) movement and the misconceptions circling Falun Gong. Chipkar explains how the Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) discipline debuted in China and quickly became a sensation across China, even being awarded and endorsed by the communist party itself. Chipkar details Falun Gong's (Falun Dafa's) widely popular beginnings and what actually lead up to the persecution of Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) by the Chinese communist regime that started in 1999 and continues to this day. Chipkar also reveals misconceptions created by the Chinese regime against Falun Gong. For example, Chipkar uses facts, common analogies and the regime's own history to explain how the label of "political" and "cult" planted against Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) by the communist party is actually an insidious plan to defame and eliminate the popular Falun Gong (Falun Dafa). Chipkar also targets the misconception that Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) has been crushed in China by the communist regime. He also touches on the misconceptions that the human rights situation in China may be improving.

Nostradamus, Centuries X Video- In Search of Nostradamus with Leonard Nimoy- Nostradamus is one of the most famous Psychic visionaries who made many prophecies for the current times. Not a lot is known for certain about him, but it is believed that in a dark room at night, he would meditate on his reflection in a bowl of water next to a lit candle, and visions of the future would come to him. He is known for predicting the death King Henry the second, The London Fire of 1666, predicted the coming of Napoleon and named him, The coming of Adolph Hitler and named him, and many others. One of his most famous prophecies was concerning events on a specific date, July 1999. Here is a good article about Nostradamus- A Magnificent Time – These Days in Prophecy | Pureinsight Centuries Nostradamus Index The Great Mr. Li Hongzhi explains the meaning of this very famous prophecy- http://www.falundafa.org/book/eng/jjyz2_11.htm Here's the specific date. 1999 July 1999

Here is a cool Nostradamus video I found-

I woudn't call that thread exhaustive, more like.....a clusterfuck or train wreck of trolling, knee jerk reactions, and emotions out of control, no offense to the creator of that thread or those who posted in it. I like this one better. It is true that some of the sites I linked to are Falun Gong sites, but the quotes saying Falun Gong is not a cult, come from independent experts who are not practitioners of this system. Therefore the statements are unbiased. Here is what Wikipedia says specifically about the claims of it being a "cult"- If we take a look at things objectively, and can bring our views more in line with mainstream scholarship, we can bring some credibility to TTB and it's discussions.

No Harry Potter in the Holy Temple! Harry Potter is Un-spiritual! I do not want to see offensive images of children's stories! Let's be real, isn't this is where some people would like things to go here, how far off are we from this?

That is Awesome!

It was a hypothetical question. I just got off a suspension myself, I was never given an explanation. I just took it to mean I should slow down and pace myself a bit. I bet more people get suspended than you think. Chill out.

I find the harsh, overly-serious tone here confusing. I didn't watch the MLP, but spirituality, lessons, and enlightenment can be found all over. Reel Wisdom- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8CaC4RMwsM

What if you watched it as a little kid, and it taught you a valuable message about goodness, and it influenced you to go and do good things when you grew up, ultimately leading you to find enlightenment?

A lot of ageism and sexism being shown in this thread.

I had no idea My Little Pony was still around!!! Hey, did they have powers?

Here is what Wikipedia had to say-

Here is a biography article about Nostradamus' life- http://www.biography.com/people/nostradamus-9425407

No one said the world is going to end, or that there will be a doomsday or anything like that. A cult also has to take people away from their family and friends. Falun gong practitioners stay in society with normal lives and come and go as they please. Unfortunately the Chinese Communist government repeats over and over that Falun Gong is an "evil cult", so there are misunderstandings.

Lol, can you be just a little more melodramatic and grandiose? :lol: :lol:

I simply presented it as it is, without any emotional outbursts or fantastical claims. Professionals say it is not a cult http://clearharmony.net/articles/200203/3761.html Pullitzer Prize Winning Journalist Says Falun Gong is not a Cult nor a Sect When asked to define Falun Gong on Canadian TV’s Nielsen Report" in 2001, Ian Johnson of the Wall Street Journal, who won a Pullitzer Prize for his reporting on Falun Gong in China, said, "It' hard to define"..." I think a cult implies something that has a doomsday scenario, mass suicide as its goal / likely outcome. I don’t think Falun Gong is that. I think a sect is usually considered a splinter group of an existing religion. But Falun Gong is not that either." Also- http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2001/6/29/11785.html The South China Morning Post in Hong Kong reports (June 18) that Swiss journalist Daniel Wermus had interviewed Alain Vivien, who heads France's Inter-Ministerial Mission Against Sects. He was quoted as saying: "In France, this movement has never gone against the law. It is only a free association in conformity with French law. We cannot mistake the word cult, and use it for any religious movement, be it old or recent. "According to French law, it [Falun Gong] does not [deserve to be called a cult]." And- http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2000/7/30/7566.html The Falun Gong practice is free of charge. The teaching of the exercises is done voluntarily. It teaches people to be kind and improves health and fitness. There are no memberships, religious rituals, or office buildings. Everyone is free to come and go as he or she wishes. How can it be called a cult? Everyone would like to see an "evil cult" eradicated. And yet, why has Falun Gong been so well received in over 30 countries around the world? Is it possible that all these people lack the ability to distinguish good from evil? Among the great numbers of Falun Gong practitioners, you will not find corrupt people who accept bribes and you will not find pleasure-seekers who gamble or go to prostitutes. You will not even find people doing unhealthy things like smoking. If this is what’s "evil," then what is "righteous?" What are you even talking about? Falun Authorities? Okaaaaay. Getting to Know Falun Gong: Marvellous Connection to Chinese Culture for an American Couple Although the environment changed, her seeking of spiritual relief became stronger. She described that feeling - to seek for that feeling is just like finding a home, the final destination, and the place where one feels very comfortable. She discovered that the majority of priests and ministers did not put their hearts into the teachings of conventional religions. Falun Gong puts an end to Prejudice, in Chinese people, and all people. Misconceptions- http://faluninfo.net/article/654/ Knowing the democratic West to be a tolerant, pluralistic, and diverse place, Chinese authorities have sought to brand Falun Gong as contrary to these basic values. In a word, they’ve sought to cast it as “intolerant.” Several journalists have taken the bait. The characterization is patently misleading, and rests solely upon an outsider’s uninformed interpretation of doctrine. It’s found to be at odds with lived practice. Consider the first of the two major issues Chinese authorities cite: an alleged intolerance of homosexuality. (We can’t help but note the irony of China’s communist rulers having until recently banned homosexuality, labeling it a mental disorder.) Gays, lesbians, and bisexuals are welcomed by the practice just like anyone else, and not accorded any different treatment. Whether they continue to live that lifestyle, or self-identify with that term, is solely a personal choice and not something anyone in Falun Gong would force upon the individual. Central to Falun Gong is the making of one’s own decisions. Falun Gong’s teachings do suggest that certain behaviors, including homosexuality, generate more karma than others or are not conducive to certain aspirations in the practice. But this it is left at the level of teaching, and not a creed or regulation. How one understands a given teaching, and to what extent he or she applies it, is always a personal matter. A second, related point that must be emphasized is that Falun Gong’s teachings on this and other matters do not equate to a “position statement” or “stance” on some social issue. They are intended solely for the individual aspirant, and to be applied to his or her own life; they are not meant to be applied to others, much less non-practitioners. Falun Gong does not have any position on what other people should or shouldn’t do with their lives. It simply offers its teachings on personal change to whomever is interested in its path to spiritual growth. What holds true for homosexuality holds true for interracial marriage and interracial children, if not more so. Falun Gong’s teachings have little to say about the matter. What some journalists have picked up on, prompted by Chinese state media intimations, is the presence of a passage in one book where Falun Gong’s founder mentions the issue in passing. These teachings can be summarized as a belief that different heavens correspond to different races on earth, and that persons of mixed race lose a direct connection to their corresponding heaven, at least in the corporeal sense; a person's soul in unaffected, just as is their ability to engage in cultivation practice. This in no way amounts to an endorsement of racial purity; in Li Hongzhi's writings, he states in essense that the phenomenon is nobody's fault, and one does not need to be concerned about it. One most inflamatory result was a New York Times journalist who wrote, without attribution, that Falun Gong believes children of mixed race are the "spawn" of the Dharma-ending period (a time of moral decline referred to in Buddhist scripture.) Needless to say, no such language appears in Falun Gong's teachings. Regrettably, the journalist did not temper his own, outsider’s reading of that passage with investigation or evidence. They failed to check with any living, actual persons who do Falun Gong, preferring, seemingly, to not let a sensational reading of the passage be spoiled by evidence to the contrary. Had they looked into the matter, they would have found their assumptions to be just that, assumptions. Many who practice Falun Gong have married and had children with individuals of a different race after taking up the practice. Of the 14 individuals who make up the Information Center’s staff, fully 4 fall into this category. If Falun Gong teaches racial segregation, it’s doing a poor job of it. If the practice does not breed racial intolerance in the life of the individual, one might readily imagine how much less so it translates into a general “stance” on interracial marriage in society. The two most frequently cited forms of “intolerance” end up suggesting, upon closer examination, just the opposite. Indeed, if anything, it would seem that something in Falun Gong is instead conducive to greater tolerance. You seem to be misinformed about how the persecution came about, and what actually happened. Mr. Li Hongzhi never organized or promoted any protest. The Zhongnanhai Appeal- http://misconceptions.50webs.com/22.htm What Happened at Zhongnanhai in 1999? http://www.clearharmony.net/articles/Video_What_Happened_at_Zhongnanhai_on_April_25_1999-a7296.html Well, I presume Buddhists don't recognize Jesus, and Christians don't recognize Buddha. Falun Dafa is unique and is it's own thing. So you are scared of being energetically connected to other people you dislike? Ok then..... I think in addition to the Qi Gong and meditation exercises, a unique aspect is the self improvement aspect, and character development, which can have a tangible effect in one's life.

From the closing part of the last chapter of Zhuan Falun by Mr. Li Hongzhi, the main teachings of Falun Dafa- A Person With Great Spiritual Inclination ZHUAN FALUN-The Ninth Talk Videos exposing the truth about the persecution of Falun Dafa- Video- Why is Falun Gong persecuted in China? Why is Falun Dafa persecuted in China Video-Rescuing Falun Gong children in China Rescuing Falun Gong Children More Rescuing Children 9 Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=nine...ries+on+the+ccp Falun Dafa in Toronto 2006 China Harvesting Organs form Falun Gong practitioners Clarifying the Truth in DC YouTube - ????1 YouTube - Copley?? YouTube - ????2 YouTube - ??????2 YouTube - ??? torture Falun Dafa Clearwisdom.net FalunInfo.net - The Official Source on Falun Gong and the Human Rights Crisis in China Search Results Falun Dafa Clearwisdom.net Clarifying the Truth in DC YouTube - ????1 YouTube - Copley?? YouTube - ????2 YouTube - ??????2 YouTube - ???

Mr. Li quietly watching the world from amidst the mountains Falun Dafa Clearwisdom.net http://clearwisdom.net/emh/article_images/master_li_in_july_99_high.jpg