Volume 124 Issue 109
kansan.com
Friday, March 2, 2012
THE FINAL NIGHT
SCHOOL
FALUN DAFA A WESTERN PRACTICE WITH VIRTUOUS TEACHINGS
// MEGAN HINMAN
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ASHLEIGH LEE
Be truthful, compassionate and tolerant. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, it's easier said than done.
Those virtues are the core of Falun Dafa, a Buddhist spiritual discipline that combines meditation and repeated exercises for an all-encompassing experience in Qigong, a category of Western health practices that includes Yoga and Tai Chi, but Yoga and Tai Chi don't teach the virtues, just meditative poses. Falun Dafa, which began in China in 1992, can improve mental and physical wellness by channeling, enhancing, purifying, circulating and strengthening energy, each of those actions with its own exercise.
If you're able to find an inner peace, the practice may also improve your schoolwork. Sophie, a graduate student from China who has practiced Falun Dafa for about a year and a half, says she has
experienced great improvement in her schoolwork since she began the practice among many other benefits. The more you practice, the more powerful your meditation will become, increasing your chances of seeing results.
"I'm a person that is afraid of difficulties, especially assignments in my courses such as 'write a paper,' Sophie says. "I always begin my projects near the deadline so I always have little time to finish it because I don't want to face the difficulties. I have a lot of anxiety." After practicing Falun Dafa, she has been able to face her challenges more confidently, with a good attitude and finish assignments on time.
Another student who practices, Kara, a senior from China, has seen improvements in herself since she began practicing with her mother in China in 1997. Some of the exercises are difficult, like
holding your arms in a circle at a 45 degree angle up and away from your body for several minutes, but Kara doesn't notice because it improves her tolerance and the meditation makes her feel comfortable and peaceful.
Some schools, like Columbia University, have practice sites and organizations for people who want to practice together, though Falun Dafa is a very personal exercise. There used to be a group at KU, but it ended when many of the involved students graduated. Because of this, Sophie and Kara join members of the community to practice at the United Way building, 2518 Ridge Court.
Cat Howland leads that group and is a testament to Falun Dafa's powerful benefits. In 2001, doctors told Howland that her heart would fail because of the pituitary damage and adrenal issues she had been dealing with for years. She had exhausted every remedy she could find when a friend recommended that she try Falun Dafa. Her chronic illness and the allergies she had since childhood were gone eighteen months after she began practicing.
"Everybody that practices has a story of how their body or mind changed, or both. It's just part of our experience." Howland says. "It's real common to have incredible miracles happen." When Howland moved to Lawrence in 2003, she recruited her friend Joyce Mitchell to join her in practicing.
"I think any kind of meditation that people do is good. You'll get benefits. But with this practice, when you bring in trying to live by those principles of truth, compassion and tolerance, it takes you to another level," says Mitchell, who is able to maintain her stress levels from her hectic family life through practicing Falun Dafa. "You end up seeing your behavior, and it gives you a means to change it."
When the weather is nice, the group practices in a more traditional way — outdoors at South Park, on Massachusetts Street between 11th and 13th streets. It is always free to practice Falun Dafa, no matter where you go. Similarly, all Falun Dafa-related materials, including books, music and DVDs, are free online at www.falundafa.org.
ONE OF THE MOST PERSECUTED ORGANIZATIONS IN CHINA
The Chinese government deemed Falun Dafa, alternatively named Falun Gong, a "heretical organization" in 1999 and began to persecute practitioners. Since then, millions of Falun Dafa faithful have been denied the right to this peaceful practice, according to Kansas Falun Dafa Association.
since Falun Data practitioners are in custody of the Chinese government, they are often subjected to various forms of torture, including electric baton shocks, mental abuse and sexual violence, the KEDA says.
"Since 2003, Falun Gong has been largely suppressed or pushed deep underground in China while it has thrived in overseas Chinese communities and Hong Kong. The spiritual exercise group has become highly visible in the United States since 1999, staging demonstrations, distributing flyers and sponsoring cultural events," says Thomas Lum, specialist in Asian affairs, in his report to the U.S. Congress in 2006. Though the U.S. government condemns the persecution, many Chinese practitioners here are fearful for their safety in practicing. "Because of the persecution, Chinese people have fled all over the world. They are moved by these principles, and they are passionate about Falun Data. They tell all their friends and family about what's happening, so I think there's a real awareness now of what's really happening there." says Cat Howland, leader of the local Falun Data group.
PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY ASHLEIGH LEE
H/KANSAN
nd Smoke.
Director of Public Safety and Chief of Police Ralph Oliver sald cameras are monitored at night by student security officers and cameras are added to campus every year. Since a string of criminal activity in 2005, The University of Kansas Public Safety Office has added surveillance cameras to campus in hopes to reduce the crime rate on campus.
After multiple cars were broken into at the Lied Center parking lot as well as incidents at GSP and Corbin, cameras were placed in various locations on campus. The number of cameras on campus is not disclosed, for security reasons.
"Right now we have cameras in every major parking lot, one of our long term goals is to get cameras in every parking lot," Oliver said.
ecuting them," Oliver said.
According to Diane Goddard, vice provost for administration and finance, since the surveillance cameras were installed, the number of criminal offenses reported on campus has generally been declining since 2005. The statistics for 2011 are still being finalized and have not een released.
"While we understand the importance of having cameras on campus as one component of safety on campus, it would be unrealistic to expect a direct correlation between the number of cameras on campus and crime rate," Goddard said. "The factors that affect whether a
However, the cameras alone will not always prevent crime from happening.
SEE CAMERAS PAGE 8A
"On campus, fast food places are faster and more convenient than healthier places," said Joseph Rorabaugh, a graduate student in dietetics, from Winthrop, Iowa.
But nutritionists say students should consider all their food options before choosing to eat fast food.
Chapman said students eat two to three times the amount of meat needed, and twice as much starch.
eat a meal or snack every four hours, which properly nourishes the body and helps people avoid binges.
CLASSIFIEDS 2B
CROSSWORD 4A
Index
Rorabaugh and Chapman agree students that should maintain a balanced diet to keep off the pounds and stay in shape. Rorabaugh recommends that a
"We need those foods, but we're getting way too many of them," Chapman said.
CRYPTOQUIPS 4A
OPINION 5A
"The most important thing for students to do is keep healthy snacks in the dorm room," said Deanna Mortiner, a graduate student in dietetics, from The Bahamas.
Students should be as mindful of their snacking habits as they are of their meal selections.
When hunger pangs call during a late night study session, students should turn to healthier alternatives, such as string cheese, fruits, and healthy granola bars, Mortiner said.
SPORTS 1B
SUDOKU 4A
student's plate should consist of a quarter of vegetables, grains, fruit and lean protein.
Both Rorabaugh and Mortiner emphasized that students should take note of portion sizes.
Whether it's a large pizza
Don't forget
Beverage selection is also important. Red Bull and soda, especially grape and orange flavor, have high calories.
Mortimer also said students should try drinking a couple glasses of water before eating, as people can sometimes mistake
Alcohol also has a high calorie content. Some alcoholic drinks can have up to 800 calories each, Mortiner said.
Rorabaugh suggests asking yourself, "Do I really need to eat this all?" Filling a smaller plate or only eating one slice of pizza can make a thousand-calorie difference.
or a buffet.
SEE NUTRITION PAGE 8A
unless stated otherwise, © 2012 The University Daiyi Kansan
All day tomorrow at Wescoe Hail is the KATG Schulkerkongress, a competition of German language and literature.
— Keep healthy snacks handy, like fruit, string cheese, and healthy granola bars
Eat breakfast, because it kickstarts your metabolism for the day
Drink water before eating
Each meal should be half vegetables and fruit, a quarter grains and a quarter lean protein
Eat a meal or a snack every four hours to avoid binge-eating later
Before eating anything, ask yourself if you really need to eat it
— Avoid energy drinks, soda and alcoholic beverages, as they all have a high calorie count
Take pictures of your meals or keep a food journal
Today's Weather
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Mostly cloudy with a chance of rain showers. North winds, mostly clear at night.
Come rain or come shine.