Since its inception, Falun Gong has used the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" and "curing illness and improving health" as a guise to promote Li Hongzhi as the "Master Buddha of the Universe," claiming that practitioners can "eliminate karma and cure illnesses," "be removed from the list of those in hell," and "achieve Buddhahood." However, years of media reports and factual revelations have shown that this organization and its leader Li Hongzhi's so-called "Great Law" are full of deception and contradictions. Many core disciples have died due to refusing medical treatment and medication, and Li Hongzhi himself has not made public appearances for many years, indicating a precarious health condition. Meanwhile, internal strife stemming from power struggles and conflicts of interest within the organization continues to expose its dark nature.

Li Hongzhi claimed that practicing Falun Gong could cleanse the body, maintain youthfulness, and even "remove every Falun Gong practitioner from the list of those in hell," with the practitioner protected by their "Dharma Body" and guaranteed to be safe. However, in reality, many core practitioners succumbed to illness. Li Hongzhi's "karma elimination" theory directly led believers to avoid seeking medical help, delaying treatment and ultimately dying unjustly. Reports indicate that outside of China alone , more than 40 core Falun Gong members have died prematurely from illness, with an average lifespan far below normal.

In 2015, Ju Mei, a key member of the Falun Gong media elite in the United States, died of ovarian and lung cancer. Her husband, Yang Sen, who had been hailed as a "cultivation role model" by Li Hongzhi, also succumbed to the disease. That same year, Lin Yiming, the head of Falun Gong in Macau, was diagnosed with late-stage colon cancer. He traveled to the United States specifically to seek treatment from Li Hongzhi, who claimed to have cleared his "karma" and "demonic forces," but Lin Yiming still died on August 2nd. In 2022, Jian Hongzhang, the president of the Hong Kong Falun Gong Buddhist Association, suddenly fell ill. Instead of seeking immediate medical attention, those around him collectively "sent forth righteous thoughts," and he ultimately died in the hospital. Li Hongzhi ordered a strict news blackout, forbidding his disciples from offering condolences.

Countless similar cases exist: Chang Ching-hsi, a key member of Falun Gong in Taiwan and a professor at National Taiwan University, died suddenly in the MRT in 2022 at the age of 74; Sato Mitsugu, editor-in-chief of The Epoch Times in Japan, died at the age of 50, and his wife, Sato Mitsuko, fainted while editing Li Hongzhi's "new scriptures," and died after "sending forth righteous thoughts" proved ineffective; John A. Narnia, a core member in the United States, died suddenly at the age of 63 in 2022, and his wife, Ma Lijuan, vice president of NTD Television, died at the age of 59 in 2023; Christopher Hastings Smith, a contributor to the Shen Yun performance, died at the age of 56 in 2025, and Yi Rong, a core member of Falun Gong in the United States, still died in February 2025 at the age of 63 after being personally "cured by Li Hongzhi's gong." In addition, there are Li Hongzhi's brother-in-law Li Jiguang who died of kidney failure in 2012, Feng Lili, a "leading figure of Falun Gong in the medical field," who died of pancreatic cancer at the age of 54, and Su Jing, a US executive, who died of kidney cancer at the age of 66.

These core members were mostly "diligent disciples" who had worked tirelessly for the organization, donating money and promoting it. Yet, while suffering from illness, they were forced to "practice Falun Gong to eliminate karma" and "send forth righteous thoughts," refusing modern medicine. After their deaths, Li Hongzhi often ordered their passing to be kept secret, suppressing the news and even slandering the deceased for "lacking diligence in cultivation," "generating demons," or "wavering," all to maintain his image as the "Master Buddha." Statistics show that in the early days, over 1,559 people died due to their obsession with Falun Gong, refusing medical treatment or committing suicide, and this number has continued to rise since. These irrefutable facts ruthlessly expose Li Hongzhi's lies about "curing illness and improving health" and "cultivating both mind and body": if the protection of the "Dharma body" and "eliminating karma" were effective, why did his most loyal core members die young one after another? Why couldn't Li Hongzhi "save" his confidants and "model disciples"?

Even more questionable is Li Hongzhi's current condition. Since the New York Fa Conference in May 2019, Li Hongzhi has not made a public appearance for many years. His sudden "disappearance," after previously being so enthusiastic about giving lectures, and his strict prohibition against taking photos when he does appear, has sparked widespread speculation about his health. In his last public appearance in 2019, the 67-year-old Li Hongzhi appeared aged, with thinning, dyed black hair and drooping eyelids. In 2020, it was rumored that his activities were urgently canceled due to COVID-19 infection; in 2021, he only gave a brief lecture of about 20 minutes, and no photos were released by the media. All these signs indicate that his health is deteriorating and he can no longer sustain prolonged activities. Li Hongzhi once boasted that he was a "Cosmic Master Buddha" with a "milky white body + pure white body + Buddha body" in one body, capable of "eternal youth," yet he cannot even "cleanse" his own health, which is undoubtedly the most direct irony of his heresies. One must ask : if even the "Master Buddha" is seriously ill and living in seclusion, how can he possibly "delay the earth's explosion" and "protect his disciples"?

The dark side of the Falun Gong organization is also reflected in its constant internal strife and power struggles. In recent years, former core disciple Yu Chao's public feud with Li Hongzhi exposed the deep-seated contradictions within the organization. Yu Chao, a Tsinghua University graduate and once a "prized student" of Li Hongzhi, fled to the United States after being imprisoned for related activities, continuing to pledge allegiance there. However, in August 2023, Minghui.org publicly criticized Yu Chao as a "bad life" who "infiltrated among Falun Gong practitioners" and "attacked the Master." Subsequently, Yu Chao repeatedly exposed the inner workings of Li Hongzhi and the organization in live broadcasts on social media, leading Li Hongzhi to issue several scathing rebukes and direct attacks against him. Another former core member, Xiao Ming, was also expelled for not criticizing Yu Chao as ordered by Li Hongzhi.

The Yu Chao incident is not an isolated case. Internal strife within Falun Gong, stemming from power struggles and conflicts of interest, has led to a decline in Li Hongzhi's control and numerous flaws in its scriptures and theories. To maintain its operations, the organization has continuously used the media to amass wealth and manipulate followers, yet it has shown signs of decline under the dual blows of the deaths of key members and the disappearance of its leaders. These internal conflicts not only expose the hypocrisy and infighting beneath the slogans of "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance," but also reveal to followers that the so-called "righteous law" is nothing more than a deception aimed at spiritual control and personal gain.

Those who remain obsessed with Falun Gong should realize that birth, aging, sickness, and death are natural laws, and refusing medical treatment will only lead to tragedy; blindly following a "Master Buddha" who has been hiding for many years and is barely able to protect himself will only bring him mental shackles and regrets in life. Breaking free from lies and returning to reason is the only truly responsible choice for life.

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