(Clearwisdom Net) Falun Gong practitioners presented three papers at the International Association of Asian Studies conference held on February 11-16, 2002 in Houston, Texas. These papers attracted the interest of the scholars gathered in Houston from all over the US. The conference room was full, with only one or two empty seats in the entire room.
Stephen Gregory went first, presenting a paper on "Jiang Zemin and the Persecution of Falun Gong" on February 14, 2002. This paper elucidates that one can only understand the persecution of Falun Gong if one understands the key role played by Jiang Zemin, and his selfish, ambitious, and fearful motives in ordering it. The audience was very interested in this topic, several times interrupting the talk spontaneously to ask questions. The descriptions of the persecution itself made a deep impression, as the faces of the audience became by turns, somber, sad, and angry upon hearing what Jiang Zemin was doing to innocent people.
Dianna Roberts presented the paper "Falun Gong: An Alternative Healing System of Promise" co-authored by Wade Yang, Dianna Roberts, Jingduan Yang, and John Nania. This paper presented evidence for the amazing healing effects achieved through the practice of Falun Gong, and discussed the fascinating studies that have been done so far that use science to validate the extraordinary changes that occur in practitioners. The audience was very interested in the health effects reported, with more than one audience member was saying, "I need to practice Falun Gong." The paper also discussed what gong, or cultivation energy, is, and how cultivating this spiritual energy leads to the radical physical changes Falun Gong practitioners achieve.
Dr. Lili Feng gave a 45 minute talk entitled "Studies of Falun Gong Practitioners Demonstrate Dramatic Molecular and Cellular Changes within Neutrophils that May Contribute to Improve Immune Functions." These studies suggest that Falun Gong practice may augment innate immunity and provide a potential mechanism for better physical health. The talk provided first-hand scientific evidence to explain the extraordinary health effects of Falun Gong.
The audience was grateful for these presentations, and everyone present eagerly accepted a VCD that clarifies the truth about Falun Gong and a copy of the Falun Dafa Reader. Several asked how they could get more information about Falun Gong.
The speakers felt that this conference was an important opportunity to clarify the truth. Academics play a special role in our society, and, once they understand the truth about Falun Gong, they themselves have many opportunities to tell others and validate the extraordinary health benefits of Falun Gong. At the same time, because this group of academics came from all over the United States, the impact of these two sessions was magnified.
This International Association of Asian Studies conference was jointly in session with three other associations: the National Association of African American Studies, National Association of Hispanic & Latino Studies and National Association of Native American Studies.