A former Indiana resident has traveled far and wide this year talking about the importance of a healthy heart and mind.

John, who graduated from Indiana Area Senior High School in 1976, is a practitioner of Falun Gong, a self-improvement practice rooted in ancient Chinese culture. Practitioners also call the practice Falun Dafa.

The practice was popularized in China in the early 1990s by Li Hongzhi. Since that time, Falun Gong has found millions of advocates all over the world. Its popularity, however, has angered the Chinese government, which has outlawed the practice.

John, who has lived in Minneapolis for more than 10 years, joined the ranks of Falun Gong practitioners about two years ago. He took it up after he had been in a series of car accidents.

At first, he sought help through acupuncture for some aches and pains. His doctor told him about Falun Gong, which aims to improve the body and mind through special exercises and meditation. John then discovered a book about Falun Gong.

"I started reading the book on the Internet," he said last week during a visit to Indiana. He was in town to visit his parents, Tony and Barbara, and to talk to an introductory religion class at Indiana University of Pennsylvania.

Since becoming a practitioner, he has spoken to young people at such colleges as the University of Notre Dame in South Bend, Ind., the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis and the University of Wisconsin in Madison. John became intrigued by what he learned from his initial research.

He liked the emphasis on taking care of both mind and body.

"We talk about cultivating our mind and our heart and giving up attachments," John said.

Basic to the practice is the adherence to three virtues - truthfulness, benevolence and forbearance.

"If you want to improve yourself, you have to stick with these principles," he said.

By truthfulness, Falun Gong embraces not only honesty but also being a "true" person, John said.

"People have a good side and a bad side," he explained. The question comes down to making the good choices that make a person feel worthwhile. "We want to follow the good."

Benevolence for followers of Falun Gong stresses the importance of putting others first. And forbearance is synonymous with endurance.

"This is a very important concept in Falun Gong," John said. "It means don't hit back when you're hit. Don't curse back when you are cursed."

Falun Gong also emphasizes the importance of a series of exercises that combine stretching and meditation. The exercises, which are relatively easy to learn and suitable for all age groups, help to develop energy in the body and improve physical and mental health, John said.

"You will find it easier to keep your mind empty and clear while you do these exercises if you put in practice the three principles," John said.

For years in China, Li Hongzhi studied meditation practices that pulled together techniques for improving the mind and the body. In 1992, he traveled across his country, giving lectures and presentations on Falun Gong.

In the early and mid-1990s, the practice became popular in mainland China, gathering millions of followers.

But over time, John said, government officials became fearful of Falun Gong's popularity, as they saw it as a political movement that could wrest control from the [party name omitted] regime. Now, John said, followers discovered by the government are subject to arrest and jail.

Concern for those who want to practice Falun Gong in China prompted John to travel to Geneva in April, when the U.N. Commission on Human Rights was meeting. John owns a computer company and said that gives him the time and freedom to travel.

Outside the meetings, John and others worked to publicize what Falun Gong is and to tell the press about their concerns for those in China who want to practice it.

"They may not be able to do the exercises, (but) being a practitioner is in your heart rather than what you do externally."

John also said what he has learned about China and its policy toward differences in opinion makes him happy with life in the United States.

"We are really lucky in this country in a lot of ways."

For more information on the practice of Falun Dafa, check out the Web site www.falundafa.org

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