8.16. People from movement X are only in it for political power (X运动的人只是为了政治权力)
For every desire of the masses, there will be amoral representatives that will step to use that power.
Still, those representatives cannot gain power if there is no backing desire from society.
The only advantage of democracy, is that those representatives have to pretend harder to do things for that group to retain their power.
Falun Gong believers obviously have the right to do politics, just like any other person, and Ciro greatly encourages this.
But Ciro does not like that Falun Gong tends to not call itself a political force, when it clearly is. But full disclosure is not a legal obligation, and many many media outlets don’t really disclose their obvious political connections. See also: Falun Gong media is not transparent about its affiliation (法轮功媒体对其隶属关系不透明).
Falun Gong directly contacts Government officials, demonstrates in front of government buildings and supports Trump, how can that not be politics?!?! Just call it for what it is, and no one will be able to criticize you for it!
Li Hongzhi (李洪志, LHZ, Falun Gong prophet) directly says that FLG should not be involved in politics in Canonical Falun Gong texts (法轮功的经典著作), e.g. https://falundafa.org/eng/eng/jjyz52.htm:
Never get involved in politics, nor interfere with state affairs'.
But at the same, he also greatly encourages Falun Gong media (法轮功媒体), which obviously a political influence method. As usual, everything in Falun Gong is explained in an indirect roundabout way.
Other related canon mentions https://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2003/3/21/33575.html "Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference":
Question: When elections were held in our district, there were people who went to help a few congressional candidates that supported Dafa. But some people thought we shouldn’t get ourselves involved in politics, and that we shouldn’t rely on ordinary people to do things for Dafa. Is that understanding correct?
Teacher: It’s correct in principle, but for this specific matter you should look at it this way. If you say Dafa disciples can’t get involved in ordinary society’s politics, I wouldn’t say that’s 100% correct. What I told you was that Dafa doesn’t get involved in politics. And a lot of our Dafa disciples work in politics, that’s their job. So if there’s a government election, should you take part in it? If you take part in it and cast your vote, well then you’ve gotten involved in politics. A Dafa disciple cultivating in the ordinary society means that you try your best to cultivate while conforming to the ordinary society, and then there won’t be a problem. You, too, are a member of the ordinary society. And the existence of the ordinary society is necessary for Dafa, for the cosmos, and for sentient beings. We can only help maintain it and can’t disrupt it. When you’re supposed to vote, just go vote, that’s not a problem. If you say that a certain Congressman is your personal friend, and you’d like to help him do something, then of course there might be things that involve elections and you’d be doing volunteer work—that doesn’t matter. But our Dafa as a whole doesn’t get involved in politics, and we can’t do anything political in the name of Dafa. For Dafa disciples, validating the Fa should be the priority, though.
The last time there was an election in Taiwan, I had a veteran practitioner call the person in charge of the Taiwan Dafa Association and make it clear to the public that Dafa Associations take no stance on elections. If an individual practitioner wants to support someone, that’s his personal business and it doesn’t represent Dafa. There were Dafa disciples supporting both of the parties. The Falun Dafa Association has no political opinion regarding any party’s election, and it doesn’t get involved. As individual practitioners you can support whoever you’d like. That’s how it works.
The last paragraph is really great, as it indicates how Li’s communication works. His top tenants are known, and their word is as good as the master’s.
https://en.falundafa.org/eng/lectures/20040412L.html also has some good quotes:
Question: During Taiwan’s presidential election, some students' human attachments got stirred up. Was it a test arranged by the old forces? What’s the right way for us to handle this?
Teacher: Even if the sky were to fall, a cultivator’s righteous thoughts would stay unshaken—that is cultivation, and that is remarkable. (Applause) A cultivator is not attached to anything in this world. Dafa disciples' cultivation takes a different form today. In cultivation you do your best out in the world to conform to ordinary society, you have normal jobs in ordinary society, and you have your families, jobs, and all that—you are closely tied to society. With the Taiwan election, some students thought a certain person was pretty good and so they wanted to vote for him, while others thought a different person was pretty good and wanted to vote for that one. People have their own, different views, and there’s nothing wrong with that. A person’s own actions out in society don’t represent Dafa. But you can’t be attached to those things the way ordinary people are.
Whoever you vote for, I can’t, as your Master, say that you’re wrong, nor do I get involved in those things. That’s because the path I ask you to take has you cultivate in ordinary society. Cultivators can only benefit a society. You cultivate in ordinary society but you don’t steer human society in one direction or another.
So for each student, it’s fine for you to vote as an individual for whomever you want. It’s just that you can’t be too attached. But through the persecution against Dafa disciples in Mainland China, Dafa disciples have seen through something, and so some are thinking, "Whoever is close to the evil that’s persecuting us, I won’t vote for him." (Applause) And as your Master I have no objection to that either. (Audience laughs, applauds) Those are the students' own thoughts, and as your Master I haven’t told you who to vote for. Still less will I tell you to take any group action, and that’s not allowed. (Audience laughs)
https://youtu.be/ArfGyo6HQ_E?t=1175 Ciro really liked what Doctor Matthew N. Schmalz said on this VICE documentary about Hyung Jin Moon's and his Unification movement ("the Moonies" split-off religion. "I think that any new religion needs a constituency. And especially for a group that is new, that is relatively small, making connections with other groups that might have similar commitments is something that can be quite productive if you are a leader of a new religion". As long as everyone plays the democracy game through democracy rules, peace tends to be maintained, and it is easier for multiple different beliefs to coexist. Falun Gong has obviously gone in this political direction, and that is a positive sign about the religion.
For every desire of the masses, there will be amoral representatives that will step to use that power.
Still, those representatives cannot gain power if there is no backing desire from society.
The only advantage of democracy, is that those representatives have to pretend harder to do things for that group to retain their power.
Falun Gong believers obviously have the right to do politics, just like any other person, and Ciro greatly encourages this.
But Ciro does not like that Falun Gong tends to not call itself a political force, when it clearly is. But full disclosure is not a legal obligation, and many many media outlets don’t really disclose their obvious political connections. See also: Falun Gong media is not transparent about its affiliation (法轮功媒体对其隶属关系不透明).
Falun Gong directly contacts Government officials, demonstrates in front of government buildings and supports Trump, how can that not be politics?!?! Just call it for what it is, and no one will be able to criticize you for it!
Li Hongzhi (李洪志, LHZ, Falun Gong prophet) directly says that FLG should not be involved in politics in Canonical Falun Gong texts (法轮功的经典著作), e.g. https://falundafa.org/eng/eng/jjyz52.htm:
Never get involved in politics, nor interfere with state affairs'.
But at the same, he also greatly encourages Falun Gong media (法轮功媒体), which obviously a political influence method. As usual, everything in Falun Gong is explained in an indirect roundabout way.
Other related canon mentions https://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2003/3/21/33575.html "Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference":
Question: When elections were held in our district, there were people who went to help a few congressional candidates that supported Dafa. But some people thought we shouldn’t get ourselves involved in politics, and that we shouldn’t rely on ordinary people to do things for Dafa. Is that understanding correct?
Teacher: It’s correct in principle, but for this specific matter you should look at it this way. If you say Dafa disciples can’t get involved in ordinary society’s politics, I wouldn’t say that’s 100% correct. What I told you was that Dafa doesn’t get involved in politics. And a lot of our Dafa disciples work in politics, that’s their job. So if there’s a government election, should you take part in it? If you take part in it and cast your vote, well then you’ve gotten involved in politics. A Dafa disciple cultivating in the ordinary society means that you try your best to cultivate while conforming to the ordinary society, and then there won’t be a problem. You, too, are a member of the ordinary society. And the existence of the ordinary society is necessary for Dafa, for the cosmos, and for sentient beings. We can only help maintain it and can’t disrupt it. When you’re supposed to vote, just go vote, that’s not a problem. If you say that a certain Congressman is your personal friend, and you’d like to help him do something, then of course there might be things that involve elections and you’d be doing volunteer work—that doesn’t matter. But our Dafa as a whole doesn’t get involved in politics, and we can’t do anything political in the name of Dafa. For Dafa disciples, validating the Fa should be the priority, though.
The last time there was an election in Taiwan, I had a veteran practitioner call the person in charge of the Taiwan Dafa Association and make it clear to the public that Dafa Associations take no stance on elections. If an individual practitioner wants to support someone, that’s his personal business and it doesn’t represent Dafa. There were Dafa disciples supporting both of the parties. The Falun Dafa Association has no political opinion regarding any party’s election, and it doesn’t get involved. As individual practitioners you can support whoever you’d like. That’s how it works.
The last paragraph is really great, as it indicates how Li’s communication works. His top tenants are known, and their word is as good as the master’s.
https://en.falundafa.org/eng/lectures/20040412L.html also has some good quotes:
Question: During Taiwan’s presidential election, some students' human attachments got stirred up. Was it a test arranged by the old forces? What’s the right way for us to handle this?
Teacher: Even if the sky were to fall, a cultivator’s righteous thoughts would stay unshaken—that is cultivation, and that is remarkable. (Applause) A cultivator is not attached to anything in this world. Dafa disciples' cultivation takes a different form today. In cultivation you do your best out in the world to conform to ordinary society, you have normal jobs in ordinary society, and you have your families, jobs, and all that—you are closely tied to society. With the Taiwan election, some students thought a certain person was pretty good and so they wanted to vote for him, while others thought a different person was pretty good and wanted to vote for that one. People have their own, different views, and there’s nothing wrong with that. A person’s own actions out in society don’t represent Dafa. But you can’t be attached to those things the way ordinary people are.
Whoever you vote for, I can’t, as your Master, say that you’re wrong, nor do I get involved in those things. That’s because the path I ask you to take has you cultivate in ordinary society. Cultivators can only benefit a society. You cultivate in ordinary society but you don’t steer human society in one direction or another.
So for each student, it’s fine for you to vote as an individual for whomever you want. It’s just that you can’t be too attached. But through the persecution against Dafa disciples in Mainland China, Dafa disciples have seen through something, and so some are thinking, "Whoever is close to the evil that’s persecuting us, I won’t vote for him." (Applause) And as your Master I have no objection to that either. (Audience laughs, applauds) Those are the students' own thoughts, and as your Master I haven’t told you who to vote for. Still less will I tell you to take any group action, and that’s not allowed. (Audience laughs)