The Falun Emblem
The Falun Emblem is the symbol of Falun Dafa. As described by Master Li Hongzhi in "Zhuan Falun", "The Law Wheel of the BuddhaSchool, the Yin-Yang of the TaoSchool, and the ten-directional world are all reflected in the Falun -the Law-Wheel." "The configuration of Falun is a miniature of the universe and has its own form of existence and process of evolution in each of the other spaces. Therefore, I call it a world."
"Falun Dafa is practiced according to the evolution principle of the Universe. Therefore what we cultivate is Great Law and Great Tao. ".
The symbol represents the BuddhaSchool and it has also been a symbol of good fortune in China and many other cultures. The Taiji (Yin-Yang) symbols represent the Tao School.
Quoted from Lecture Five in "Zhuan Falun"
The symbol of our Falun Dafa is Falun. Those with supernormal capabilities can see that this Falun is rotating. The same is true for our small Falun badges, which are also rotating. Our cultivation practice is guided by Zhen-Shan-Ren, the characteristic of the universe, and by the principles of the cosmos’ evolution. Therefore, what we cultivate is quite immense. In a sense, this Falun emblem is a miniature of the universe. The BuddhaSchool conceptualizes the universe as a world of ten directions with four faces and eight sides. Perhaps some people can see a vertical energy column above and below it. With its top and bottom, Falun exactly makes up the ten-directional world and constitutes this universe. It represents the BuddhaSchool’s summary of the universe.
This universe, of course, consists of numerous galaxies including our Milky Way. The whole universe is in motion, and so are all galaxies within it. Therefore, the Taiji symbols and the small symbols in the emblem are also rotating. The entire Falun is rotating, and the large symbol in the center is rotating as well. In a sense, it symbolizes our Milky Way. Because we are of the BuddhaSchool, the center retains the symbol of the BuddhaSchool; this is how its surface looks. All different substances have their forms of existence in those other dimensions where they have very substantial and very complex processes of evolution and forms of existence. This Falun emblem is the miniature of the universe. It also has its own form of existence and process of evolution in all other dimensions, so I call it a world.
When Falun rotates clockwise, it can automatically absorb energy from the universe. Rotating counter-clockwise, it can give off energy. Inward (clockwise) rotation offers self-salvation while outward (counter-clockwise) rotation offers salvation to others—this is a feature of our practice. Some people have asked: "Since we’re of the BuddhaSchool, why is there also Taiji? Doesn’t Taiji belong to the TaoSchool?" It is because what we cultivate is very immense, which is the same as cultivating the entire universe. Then think about it, everyone: This universe consists of two major schools, the BuddhaSchool and the TaoSchool. With either of them excluded, it will not constitute a complete universe, nor can it be called a complete universe. Consequently, we have included things from the TaoSchool. Also, some people have said that in addition to only the TaoSchool, there are also Christianity, Confucianism, other religions, etc. Let me tell you that after its cultivation reaches a very high level, Confucianism belongs to the TaoSchool; when many Western religious cultivation practices reach higher levels, they are classified as belonging to the same system of the BuddhaSchool. There are only two such major schools.
Then why do two of the Taiji patterns have red color at the top and blue color at the bottom, and the other two Taiji patterns have red color at the top and black color at the bottom? What we generally understand is that Taiji is made of the two substances of black and white, the qi of yin and yang. That notion comes from a very low level, as Taiji has different manifestations in different dimensions. At the highest level, its colors manifest in this way. The Tao that we commonly understand has this red color at the top and this black color at the bottom. For instance, some of our practitioners’ tianmu are open, and they have discovered that the red color they see with their flesh eyes is green in the adjacent dimension. The golden color is seen as purple in another dimension, as it has this inversion. In other words, colors change from dimension to dimension. The Taiji with the red color at the top and the blue color at the bottom belongs to the Great Pre-Taoism, which includes the cultivation practices from the QimenSchool. The four smaller symbols are from the BuddhaSchool. They are the same as the one in the middle, which is also from the BuddhaSchool. The Falun in these colors is relatively bright, and we use it as the symbol of Falun Dafa.
The Falun that we see through tianmu is not necessarily in these colors, because its background color can change, although its pattern does not change. When the Falun that I have installed in your lower abdominal area rotates, your tianmu may see it as red, purple, green, or perhaps colorless. Its background color keeps changing in the order of red, orange, yellow, green, sky-blue, blue, and purple. As a result, what you see may be different colors, but the svastikam1 symbols or the Taiji’s colors and pattern within it will remain the same. We find that this background color looks relatively good, so we have adopted it. Those with supernormal capabilities can see a lot of things beyond this dimension.
Some people say: "This symbol looks like Hitler’s stuff." Let me tell you that this symbol itself does not connote any concepts of class. Some people say: "If its corner tilts to this side, it’ll be Hitler’s stuff." It is not so, because it rotates both ways. Our human society began to know this symbol widely twenty-five hundred years ago in Sakyamuni’s time. It has only been several decades since Hitler’s time during World War II. He appropriated it, but the color he used was different from ours. It was black and pointing upwards, and was used in the upright position. I will only address so much regarding this Falun, though I have only mentioned its superficial form.
Then what does this svastikam1 symbolize in our BuddhaSchool? Some people say that it stands for good fortune, which is an interpretation of everyday people. Let me tell you that signifies a Buddha’s level. It only exists at the Buddha level. A Bodhisattva or an Arhat does not have it. But senior Bodhisattvas, the Four Senior Bodhisattvas, have it. We have found that these Senior Bodhisattvas have far surpassed the level of ordinary Buddhas, and they are even higher than a Tathagata. Beyond the level of Tathagata, there are numerous Buddhas. A Tathagata has only one symbol. Those who have reached beyond the level of Tathagata will have more symbols. A Buddha whose level is twice as high as a Tathagata has two symbols. For those who are still higher, they have three, four, five svastikams, and so on. Some have so many svastikams that they are all over their bodies, including on their heads, shoulders, and knees. When there are too many of them, they will even appear on their palms, fingers, foot arches, toes, etc. As one’s level continually increases, one will have more and more symbols. Therefore, the symbol represents a Buddha’s status. The higher a Buddha’s status, the more symbols a Buddha has.
End of Quotes from “Zhuan Falun”.
1 svastikam—"Wheel of light" from Sanskrit, the symbol dates back over 2,500 years and has been unearthed in cultural relics in Greece, Peru, India, and China. For centuries it has connoted good fortune, represented the sun, and been held in positive regard.