“庄严国土，利乐有情”，“爱国爱教，护国利民”。有着光荣传统的中国佛教界决不容许“法轮功”鬼魅邪火，扰乱各族人民共同创造的难得的社会安宁和大好局面，更难以容忍“法轮功”以佛教名词装扮自己，以期更加残忍地荼毒生灵。
从“法轮功”出笼之日起，中国佛教界就旗帜鲜明地开始了揭批“法轮功”的斗争，特别是中国佛教界的领袖赵朴初先生早就一针见血地点出“法轮功邪教”，高度重视并推动了佛教界揭批“法轮功”活动的展开。
识破伪善面目 揭开邪教本质
1992年，“法轮功”鬼影出现，李洪志以“最高佛法”相标榜，肆意歪曲、诬蔑、盗用佛教名词术语，其无耻行径引起了佛教界的注意和强烈不满，揭批“法轮功”开始在佛教界内部进行。
《“法轮功”是披着佛家外衣的邪教魔功》、《评李洪志的两面派的手法》……1996年，佛教界对“法轮功”的揭露和批判从佛教界内部转向公开，一篇篇有力的分析文章，帮助世人擦亮了慧眼。许多佛教界人士愤慨地说，李洪志“何方宵小，竟敢盗我佛教‘法轮’以为其名号，窃我佛祖诞辰以为其‘生日’，篡我佛教术语名相以充其邪说。‘法轮功’每每欺诓世人，世人遂因谈‘法轮’而蒙羞。这是佛教亘古未有的大耻辱，佛法万劫难容的大邪恶。”
“法轮功”的斑斑劣迹引起了赵朴初的高度警觉。1996年11月，赵朴初在《还“法轮功”本来面目———评李洪志〈转法轮〉及其“法轮功”》文章上批示：佛教界要多刊发文章，使众人看穿“法轮功”的真实面目。
1996年11月24日、25日，赵朴初在连续两封信中提出，“法轮功”是一个大问题，不仅要从宗教的角度，更要从维护社会安定的角度考虑“法轮功”现象。11月28日，赵朴初提出对“法轮功”问题“组织座谈，付之公论”。他廓清了对“法轮功”认识的一些中间态度，斩钉截铁地指出：“‘法轮功’是一种邪教。”这是赵朴初首次明确判定“法轮功”为邪教。
1996年12月7日，赵朴初给中国佛教协会研究室送去一本《转法轮》，并附了一封长信，信中写道：“（对‘法轮功’）光是取缔还不够，还须以理摧伏其谬论。”此时，赵朴初先生不仅进一步坚持了“法轮功”是邪教的观点，而且提出取缔“法轮功”组织，深入揭批其荒谬观点的重要性。
在短短1个月内，90岁高龄的赵朴初为了坚持佛教“正知”、“正见”，抵制邪教“法轮功”，在病中写了1个批示、5封信件。赵朴初高度的社会责任感和政治敏锐性，深深感染了广大佛教界人士，使佛教界对“法轮功”的斗争不断深入。
揭批走向深入 邪教狰狞毕露
1997年始，佛教界揭批“法轮功”邪教的文章日渐增多，更加锋利尖锐。
1998年1月，根据赵朴初先生的意见，中国佛协召开了针对“法轮功”邪教问题的座谈会，佛教界人士和专家学者对“法轮功”进行了深刻分析，进一步明确了“法轮功”是“附佛外道”，是彻头彻尾的邪教。在“法轮功”邪风日盛之时，这次座谈会再一次充分地表明了佛教界誓与李洪志斗争到底的鲜明态度和决心。
对“法轮功”的讨伐，一浪高过一浪。1998年6月，陈星桥居士编写的《佛教气功与“法轮功”》由国家宗教事务局所属的宗教文化出版社出版，并登上了国际互联网。这本书鲜明地指出：
“法轮功”充满了虚伪和谬误，自相矛盾处很多，而李洪志却大肆贬低、指责现行的宗教、气功，片面强调科学的局限性和当代社会的危机，其目的是想让人们都去服从他，拜倒在“法轮功”门下。如果任其发展下去，将会产生四大危害：一、有害于科学气功的健康发展；二、有害于宗教界的团结和稳定；三、有害于我国的改革开放、对外交往；四、有害于人民群众正常的生产、生活秩序。
这本书在社会上引起强烈反响，特别是使不少“法轮功”练习者看清了李洪志的原形。这不啻是投向“法轮功”邪教的一枚重磅炸弹，引起李洪志一伙的极度恐慌，将其视为眼中钉、肉中刺。“法轮功”邪教首要分子李昌、叶浩、纪烈武、姚洁等人策划于密室，联名写信“上告”，并发动一些“法轮功”练习者打电话“辩论”、写信谩骂、无理纠缠……至“法轮功”邪教组织被取缔之前，中国佛教协会和宗教文化出版社共收到责难、威胁信件600多封。一个“法轮功”邪教头目甚至扬言，要筹集100万元，将出版社库存的这本书全部买走，予以销毁。
李洪志及其“法轮功”邪教组织骨干分子惶惶不可终日，更加暴露出“法轮功”邪教的真实面孔。
拥护政府决定 呼吁除恶反邪
“我坚决拥护政府关于处理‘法轮功’非法组织的决定。这个决定是十分必要，非常及时，完全正确的。”“‘法轮功’不是佛法，不是正式宗教，也不是真正的气功，而是一种地地道道的歪理邪说，它与佛教是根本对立的，同国家的宗教信仰自由政策也是根本对立的。对这种歪理邪说，我们宗教界要特别提高警惕，绝不能让它兴妖作怪。”1999年8月1日，赵朴初在病中得知政府果断处理“法轮功”的消息，十分高兴，鲜明地表达了自己的看法。
2000年8月，中国佛教与道教、伊斯兰教、天主教、基督教五大宗教领袖人物集体出访美国，介绍中国的宗教信仰自由情况，同时深刻揭露“法轮功”邪教面目。
2001年1月，“法轮功”痴迷者天安门广场自焚事件激起了中国佛教等宗教界人士的义愤。他们纷纷呼吁政府依法加大打击“法轮功”邪教的力度，创造一个祥和、安定的社会环境。
新世纪第一个春天，海内外瞩目的“两会”隆重召开。中国佛教协会副会长释圣辉代表宗教界在庄严神圣的人民大会堂发言。他说，正信佛教与“法轮功”邪教有天壤之别。一为慈悲喜舍，关怀众生；一为戕害生命、危害社会。佛教教人慈悲不杀，邪教诱人纵火焚身。佛教教人知恩报恩，邪教诱人六亲不认。佛教教人以社稷为重，邪教教人“挟洋以自重”。不知邪教教主李洪志犯下如此滔天罪行，他自己将如何“消业”？！
中国佛教协会向全国佛教界发出公开信。信中说，应继承朴老遗志，为海潮音，为狮子吼，为金刚怒，积极投身反对“法轮功”邪教的斗争。
中国佛教协会还呼吁全国各大宗教，用慈悲之心，感化冥顽，拯救迷者；以正义之举，除恶反邪，去伪匡正。道教、伊斯兰教、基督教、天主教的信教群众纷纷响应。
一场“宗教反邪”、深入揭批“法轮功”邪教的活动正在神州大地深入展开。（《人民日报》2001年03月20日第六版）
Never allowing Falun Gong to spread heresies
China Buddhist circle further disclosing and denouncing Falun Gong
What Buddhism advocates is adorning the country and benefiting sentient beings; what Buddhist pursues is loving the country as well as the religion, protecting the country and its people. So China Buddhist circle, firmly sticking to what Buddhism advocates, will not allow the cult Falun Gong to disturb the social stability and harmony which Chinese people have achieved with hard work. In particular China Buddhist circle will not allow Falun Gong to adopt the Buddhist terms in its cult fallacies to deceive and hurt people more cruelly.
Since the day when Falun Gong was just founded, China Buddhist circle has begun to disclose and denounce Falun Gong severely. Mr Zhao Puchu, the leading figure of China Buddhist circle has earlier pointed out that Falun Gong was none other but cult. And he has emphasized the significance of exposing Falun Gong and promoted the attack on Falun Gong.
Seeing through Falun Gong and disclosing its cult nature
In 1992, Falun Gong began to spread its heresies. Li Hongzhi has not only brazenly claimed Falun Gong to be the most profound level of Buddhism and has willfully distorted, libeled and pirated Buddhist terms in his fallacies. Those imprudent actions have aroused great dissatisfaction from China Buddhist circle that immediately started to expose and denounce Falun Gong.
In 1996, China Buddhist circle began to disclose Falun Gong to the outside world. Many profound articles such as "Falun Gong is the cult under the camouflage of Buddhism" and "Comments on Li Hongzhi's two-faced tricks" were openly published to help common people see through Falun Gong. People from China Buddhist circle said with great indignant, "How could Li Hongzhi pirate the Buddhist term 'Wheel of Law' as the name of his cult heresy? How could he take the birthday of the Buddha as his own birthday? How could he adopt the Buddhist terms in his fallacies? Since Falun Gong deceived the public repeatedly, people got quite irritated with the term 'Wheel of Law'. Since Falun Dafa endangered the society time and again, Buddhists even felt ashamed of preaching Buddha Dharma. This is the greatest humiliation for the Buddhism and the greatest malignancy intolerable to Buddha Dharma."
Mr. Zhao Puchu was on alert against Falun Gong's vicious actions. In November 1996, Mr. Zhao wrote an instruction on the article "Disclosing Falun Gong's cult nature-- comments on Li Hongzhi's ‘Zhuan Falun' and his Falun Gong" that China Buddhist circle should write and publish more articles to help people see through Falun Gong clearly.
On November 24 and 25, 1996, Mr. Zhao Puchu pointed out in two letters successively that the exposure of Falun Gong was of great urgency and importance and China Buddhist circle should denounce Falun Gong from the perspective of protecting the upright religion as well as maintaining social stability. On November 28, Mr. Zhao Puchu proposed that seminars should be held to collect more ideas about how to denounce Falun Gong. He criticized some people's neutral attitude toward Falun Gong and remarked firmly, "Falun Gong is the cult." This is the first time that Mr. Zhao Puchu clearly and openly declared Falun Gong to be the cult.
On December 7, 1996, Mr Zhao Puchu sent a copy of "Zhuan Falun" to the Buddhist Association of China and in the long letter attached to the book he wrote, "It is not enough to ban on the cult, efforts should also be made to reveal and pull down its fallacies so that our fight against the cult may work." So Mr. Zhao Puchu not only insisted that Falun Gong was the cult but also put forward that it was vital to outlaw Falun Gong and expose deeply its heresies.
Just within a month, in order to clarify Buddhism's upright ideas and thoughts, Mr Zhao Puchu of 90 years old, in spite of his illness, had written one instruction and five letters to denounce the cult Falun Gong. Mr. Zhao's highly social responsibility and political insight have greatly impressed China Buddhist circle and pushed them to carry out stronger attack against Falun Gong.
Thorough exposure of Falun Gong made more know Falun Gong's evil features
Since 1997, China Buddhist circle has published more articles with sharper and keener ideas to denounce Falun Gong.
In January 1998, based on Mr Zhao Puchu's proposal, Buddhist Association of China held a seminar aiming at the cult Falun Gong. Scholars and experts from Buddhist circle and other fields made a deep analysis of Falun Gong and further denounced Falun Gong as a cult attached to Buddhism. At that time Falun Gong went rampant and spread fast, so this seminar adequately revealed that China Buddhist circle would go on with fighting against Falun Gong firmly and bravely.
The disclosure and denouncement of Falun Gong have been on a larger scale. In June 1998, "Qigong of Buddhism and Falun Gong" edited by Chen Xingqiao was published by the Religious Culture Publishing House attached to the National Religious Affairs Bureau and appeared on Internet very soon. The book pointed out sharply that Falun Gong was full of fallacies and self-contradictions. And Li Hongzhi debased and denounced the existing religions and Qigong without restraint. Li Hongzhi exaggerated some limitations of science and certain crises in modern society just for the purpose of fooling and bewitching people. If we do nothing about Falun Gong, Falun Gong would surely endanger our life mainly in the following four aspects. First it would deter the healthy development of the science and Qigong. Second, it would disturb the solidarity and stability of Buddhist circle of China. Third it would negatively influence our country's reforms and opening to the outside world and Chinese people's communications with foreign countries. Fourth it would prevent people from having normal work and life.
The book has met great responses from the society, and it especially helped many Falun Gong practitioners find out Li Hongzhi's true colors. So the book was really a huge bomb cast on the cult Falun Gong. But Li Hongzhi and his Falun Gong, deeply panicked, hated the book very much. The leading figures of Falun Gong such as Li Chang, Ye Hao, Jie liewu and Yao Jie masterminded some activities to oppose the book. They wrote letters to certain authorities, instigated some Falun Gong practitioners to debate with the author or editors by phone call and write letters to denounce the book and defend Falun Gong. Until Chinese government outlawed the cult Falun Gong, the Buddhist Association of China and the Religious Culture Publishing House have received more than 600 letters of this kind. A leading figure of Falun Gong even threatened that he would raise 1 million Yuan to buy all the copies of this book stocked in the Religious Culture Publishing House and then burn them all.
All these activities only revealed clearly that Li Hongzhi and other Falun Gong leading members were always in a state of anxiety and fear, and Falun Gong was just the cult.
Supporting our Government's decision and calling on more to join the anti-cult war
On August 1, 1999, Mr. Zhao Puchu, being informed that our government has officially outlawed Falun Gong, felt excited and remarked, "I fully support our government's decision about Falun Gong. This decision is necessary, timely and totally correct." "Falun Gong does not belong to Fofa nor religion or Qigong. It is an arrant heresy. It is opposite to Buddhism and our country's policy about freedom to believe in religions. So China Buddhist circle should be highly on guard against the cult Falun Gong and never allow it to spread in the society."
In August 2000, China Buddhist leading figures together with the leading figures from China's Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Christianity paid a visit to America. They have introduced China's situation in which all people enjoy the freedom to believe in any religions. At the same time they also deeply exposed the cult nature of Falun Gong.
In January 2001, the issue of some Falun Gong diehards setting themselves on fire on the Tiananmen Square has aroused great indignation of people from China religious Circle. They all appealed to the government that the cult Falun Gong should be denounced and attacked hard so as to create the harmonious and stable social environment.
In the first spring of the new century, China's National People's Congress and Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference were held ceremoniously. Vice chairman of the Buddhist Association of China made a speech on behalf of China religious circle. He said that upright Buddhism was totally different from the cult Falun Gong. Buddhism help to make people wise while cults ruin their wisdom; Buddhism instruct people to be merciful and not to kill while cults entice others to have self-immolation; Buddhism instruct people to reward others for their kindness while cults guide people to be merciless; Buddhism instruct people to love their motherland while cults instigate people to betray their native country. While retribution will certainly come, we just wonder how the cult founder Li Hongzhi can diminish his Karma since he has committed such monstrous crimes.
The Buddhist Association of China issued an open letter to the whole Buddhist circle in China. It read that the Buddhist disciples should carry on Mr. Zhao's unfulfilled wish and fight against the cult Falun Gong vigorously and actively by clarifying to the public the differences between upright religion and cult, revealing the harm of the cult Falun Gong to the nation.
The Buddhism Association of China also calls on the five major religions in China to actively participate in such an anti-cult campaign so as to influence the diehards and save the fanatics with our mercy and carry forward the upright religions while eradicating the cults with our righteous actions. Disciples from Taoism, Islam, Catholicism and Christianity all welcomed this call and made favorable responses.
The large-scale anti-cult campaign has developed from China Buddhist circle to the whole China. All make it the duty to further disclose and denounce the cult Falun Gong.
(People's Daily, sixth edition, March 20, 2001)