About Us
An Introduction
of the Founder of the Whole Elephant Institute
In 1992, an ancient cultivation practice called Falun Gong (now known as Falun Dafa)(http://www.falundafa.org/), deeply rooted in the traditional Chinese culture, was first introduced to the Chinese public. Although China has five-thousands of years of civilization, the traditional culture of China was totally destroyed by the Chinese Communist Party. Falun Gong gained rapid popularity in China due to the amazing health benefits experienced by the practitioners. By 1999, 100 million Chinese people were practicing Falun Gong. The principles of Truth-Compassion-Tolerance taught by Falun Gong make a sharp contrast to the communist ideology of class struggle and killing (so-called revolution). The top-leader of the Chinese Communist Party, Jiang Zemin, made a statement that Falun Gong has the potential to eliminate the Chinese Communist Party. Under such fear, he ordered nation-wide persecution towards Falun Gong practitioners on July 20, 1999. He planned to eliminate this practice from the land of China within three months. However, almost ten years later, Falun Gong not only is not eliminated, but now has been spread to every corner of the world. Under the most horrific persecution, Falun Gong continues to be spread inside of China. Falun Gong practitioners are like the plum blossoms which are most beautiful after a harsh winter. The wonder and beauty of Falun Gong will soon be recognized by the world. Falun Gong has already become the most popular practice of mind-body-spirit.
Dr. Tongwen Wang, is a world renowned cancer researcher from Harvard Medical School/Massachusetts General hospital and has made cutting edge discoveries in the frontier field of life science. She started to practice Falun Gong in the Spring of year 2000 and immediately experienced amazing health benefits. Soon she collaborated with another scientist in the field of Immunology in Baylor School of Medicine, Dr. Lili Feng, to study the impact of the practice of Falun Gong to the human immune system. Such efforts revealed the molecular manifestation of the broadly experienced health benefits of practicing Falun Gong and provided the scientific proof for the drastic cellular changes associated with a genuine practice of both mind and body. Based upon these observations, Dr. Wang also made a leap in her scientific pursue for a cure of cancer. She became convinced that the ultimate solution of all human diseases, especially those which are called system diseases, such as cancer, cardiac vascular diseases, diabetes, obesity and neurodegenerative diseases, will be from the work of one’s mind and heart.
Between 2002 and 2005, Dr. Wang presented her work in this area to the international scientific community and also wrote articles to educate the general public on this subject. Upon her speech at Harvard University published at an internationally renowned Chinese newspaper (http://www.epochtimes.com/), under the topic " 治疗癌症的灵丹妙药在哪里?" (http://www.dajiyuan.com/gb/2/12/10/c9630.htm) (English version is "A Wake Up Call from the Microcosm" http://www.pureinsight.org/node/195), the Chinese Central Government immediately placed her onto a black list for persecution. The former Chinese Consul General in Chinese Consulate of San Francisco, Peng Keyu, directly orchastrated a hate propaganda campaign to target Falun Dafa practitioners' family members in the United States. Through first using hate propaganda to brainwash a group of psychiatrists associated with the American Family Foundation (now named as International Cultic Studies Association), under the banner of "Anti-cult", Peng started to target Dr. Wang's husband with hate propaganda, which eventually led to her husband (a Jewish man) divorcing her and even took away her son, Noah. Enduring unimaginable emotional torture, Dr. Wang continued her research efforts. In 2003, Dr. Wang became the American Cancer Society Scholar and was at the peak of her research career. She submitted a research proposal to National Institute of Health (NIH) (http://www.nih.gov) in the area of systematically study the phenomena associated with the Health Benefits of Falun Dafa cultivation practice and received strong support from NIH. However, the Director of her workplace suddenly started to object her work in this area. Later she found out that the Director was visited by a representative sent from the then-Governor of Washington State, Gary Locke, who was heavily involved in trading with China. A former assistant of Gary Locke revealed that Gary Locke used to receive phone calls directly from the Central Chinese Government on the issue of Falun Gong. Gary Locke also has a close association with Peng Keyu. Peng Keyu directly participated in defaming Falun Gong to the elected officials in Washington State, causing the former Mayor of Seattle (Paul Schell) to withdraw the proclamation he issued to Falun Gong practitioners in Seattle, in 1999.
At the end of 2003, when Dr. Wang announced her continued research interest in studying the health benefits of Falun Dafa practice in front of the panel of scientific advisory committee for the research center, her research interest was encouraged by the panel. However, the Director of the research center personally decided on the termination of her research position, suggesting that she shall "do that kind of research in your own research center". At the end of the year 2004, her laboratory was forced to be shut down, despite her existing faculty appintment at the University of Washington, large amount of leftover research fundings and ongoing research projects. Two years later, Dr. Wang was informed that all of her research products accumulated from her fifteen years of research efforts, which had consumed at least hundreds of millions of dollars from the American Tax payers, were all trashed.
In 2005, Dr. Wang’s parents and brother, under the poisoning effects of the CCP’s hate propaganda towards Falun Gong, were convinced that the losses Dr. Wang experienced in her family life and career are due to her practicing Falun Gong, and started to assist the CCP to persecute Dr. Wang. Through presenting a fake medical diagnosis to the court, Dr. Wang’s brother, Dr. Jianxin Bao, labeled Dr. Wang to be suffering from mental illness and eventually obtained guardianship over her. Subsequently, he took away all of her financial resources and attempted to lure her to return to China to “have a better future”. If Dr. Wang followed this arrangement, she would be most likely another victim added onto the long list of Falun Gong practitioners tortured to death in mental hospitals, injected with nerve poisonous drugs.
Despite of all these adversities, Dr. Wang eventually relocated to New York. The Whole Elephant Institute was first registered in July 2005. Dr. Wang became pregnant in the same month, and on March 22, 2006, she gave birth to her lovely daughter, Lotus Blossom Weiss, who was delivered by Mr. Brian Weiss, the man who insisted to marry her despite hearing Dr. Wang to be "mentally ill" from Dr. Wang's family members, who were trying to force Dr. Wang to return to China. Under the support from her new family, Dr. Wang started to station in Flushing to serve the general public. In the past three years, Dr. Wang's public education efforts allowed her to be broadly connected with the Spanish, Indian, Taiwanese, Chinese and recently, the Korean Community. She is now fully supported by the diverse community of Flushing, where she loves as her home and family. However, the infiltration of the Chinese Communist Party directly reached into every aspect of lives in Flushing. In 2008, hundreds of CCP mobs were sent by the Chinese Government to attack Falun Gong practitioners in Flushing and created the hate crime incidents (see "Flushing Hate Crime Incidents" on this website). Dr. Wang and her two-year old daughter, Lotus, were attacked by the mobs. Her work on the Whole Elephant Institute has also been repeatedly interrupted due to discrimination towards her as a Falun Gong practitioner. In April 2009, the home office of the Whole Elephant Institute was shut down under discrimination-based unlawful eviction. Furthermore, all of Dr. Wang's belongs were unlawfully locked away and tossed out. Dr. Wang and her daughter Lotus were forced to relocate from one place to another and normal living was made impossible. Lotus was forced to leave Flushing in August 2009 and is now temporarily housed by Mr. Herman Weiss, a great man who has been quietly supporting Dr. Wang's new family. Dr. Wang was housed by Mr. Abraham Hidalgo, his kind-hearted mother and sister, and later by Ms. Ling Lee, a brave Taiwanese lady who has been treating Dr. Wang like her own daughter. At present, a new office of the Whole Elephant Institute is established in Flushing. Dr. Wang's recent connection and involvement with the Korean Community are destined to bridge an intimate cross-talk between the Korean Community and Chinese Community. Dr. Wang is committed to bring the Flushing Community to unity and harmony, with the wisdom she gained through the cultivation practice of Falun Dafa.
Our organization has two aspects of activities: education and research
In the past two years, since the establishment of the organization, we have been carrying out the following activities:
1. Community Education and Services:
Recognizing the depth and richness of the ancient Chinese science of mind, body and spirit, this organization has been focusing upon the promotion of traditional Chinese culture in the local community in Flushing, New York. In the Spring of 2006, a Community Service Center was set up in Flushing Mall, where many people came to benefit from our bilingual education programs.
Efforts have been made in selecting a team of members who understand the mission of our organization and therefore will work together for the successful operation of our organization.
This organization has also been carrying out public education of the ongoing persecution of Falun Dafa by the Chinese Communist Party. The Community Service Center in Flushing Mall provided the general public with free instruction of Falun Dafa exercises and also helped Chinese general public to officially Quit the Chinese Communist Party and all organizations associated with it.
However, due to the adverse effects of the hate propaganda spread by the Chinese Communist Government regarding the practice of Falun Dafa, this organization has been suffering from discrimination from the local community of the oversea Chinese population. Hate crimes have been carried out towards local Falun Dafa practitioners, who are members of our organization. Recognizing such an issue, public education of the truth of Falun Dafa shall be still a main emphasis of this organization at present and in the near future.
Since this organization emphasizes the public education of the science of mind, body and spirit, efforts will be placed onto the following projects:
A. Establish broad collaboration with local non-profit organizations, schools, churches, community centers and senior centers to effectively deliver the information on the practice of Falun Dafa and the health benefits of this practice.
B. Establish community projects to offer the wisdom of traditional Chinese culture to the general public. Such projects include but not limited to:
a. Government sponsored Community Health Workshops
b. Set up Community Centers for the promotion of traditional Chinese culture, in the formats of after-school programs, special programs for Moms and Toddlers; special programs for the Gifted and Talented; East-West Culture Exchange Programs
c. Set up Compassion Centers for Seniors, Run-Away or Drop-out Youth, Troubled New Immigrants, Single-Moms, Rehabilitation for Youth with Addiction
d. Community News Letter
e. Community Health Magazine
f. Community Health Expo Seminar Series
g. Science Café Project: establish a chain of Cafés which feature public presentations on life science by frontier scientists
h. Create documentary movies that systematically document the social and health benefits of the practice of Falun Dafa
i. Establish collaborative projects with newspaper, radio station and television station to share information resource
The above listed activities will be initiated starting early in 2009, in Flushing, New York. Positions for project leaders are open.
2. Health Research and Development
At present, most of the government fundings in the field of life science is being consumed by research work in non-human related research subjects. Human biology is at its embryonic stage. The fundamental assumption of the entire life science field, in fact, is flawed, in that human is assumed to be no different from animal. The key elements of mind and spirit are totally ignored in the basic research fields that suppose to aim at finding a cure for human diseases. Most of the frontier discoveries that challenge the current existing paradigms of life science are not able to reach the general public due to the exoteric language system of the life science, or simply suppressed by the authorities of the field who are holding onto the old paradigms for their own fame and profits. Genuine scientists find it hard to survive in the profit-driven scientific research field. As a leading scientist in the field of cancer researcher, the President of this organization is committed to reveal the problems of the current life science system and is devoted to pave a new path for the future life science, through the work of this organization. The following aspects will be carried out in the future research and development area of this organization:
A. A team of frontier scientists will be invited to carry out the “dry bench” research of frontier research discoveries from ancient to modern time that will lead mankind to an elevated level of perception of a larger truth. Such efforts are essential to identify the flaws of the existing scientific paradigms and reveal the correct approach for future science.
B. Research projects will be developed to embody the studies of the intimate relationship of Mind, Body and Spirit. Preliminary studies on the molecular-level comparison of Falun Dafa practitioners and control groups have revealed amazing changes in the immune cells of the studied Falun Dafa practitioners. More systematic longitudinal studies will be carried out in this area. Funding on the this project will be from public support and government fundings.
C. Innovative research projects in various areas of frontier life science will be carried out. Talented scientists from Mainland China will be recruited to the United States through this organization. An entire new system of research and publication will be explored, including novel mentor-disciple relationship for training, dry bench research’s implementation in preventing wasteful projects due to the lack of thoroughly thought-out experimental designs, cross-field collaborations to investigate mind-body interactions and energy fields associated with the practice of Falun Dafa, and the publication of experimental results tailored to the immediate benefits of the general public, through public media network and community health magazines.
D. Artists and musicians will be recruited to work with scientists for the purpose of developing a path for effective scientific communications among all levels of people by breaking down language barriers using creative arts and music.
E. Develop cross-field research projects to allow the entry of traditional Chinese ancient medical science into the mainstream life science field. The molecular-level changes associated with acupuncture and special herb remedies, as well as that associated with music healing, will be studied. The comparative studies of different mind-body practices as well as religious practices will also be carried out. The health effects to the general public associated with the most famous traditional Chinese culture show here in New York, the Shen Yun Show (www.ShenYunPerformingArts.org) will be a subject of research of our Organization.
F. Research projects to validate the impact of the practice of Falun Dafa to the health of the mind will be carried out.
If you are interested in learning more about our work, please come to visit us at:
Location:
144-25 33rd Ave
Flushing, NY 11354
Time:
Mon-Fri: 10:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Sat and Sun: By appointment