Religion cannot be mingled with politics; otherwise, its leader will necessarily be preoccupied with worldly affairs. Paying lip service to teaching people’s hearts to be good and leading people back to the pure land, his heart is bound to be evil and hypocritical; what he pursues will certainly be fame and self-interest. Power is what everyday people crave, while fame is a great obstacle to completing cultivation. Gradually, this person is bound to become the leader of an evil religion. Because religion’s goal is to teach people to be good so that they may eventually return to their heavenly kingdom, the principles it preaches must be higher than those in human society. If they are applied to politics in the human world, this is the most serious corruption of heavenly principles. How can Gods and Buddhas be driven by human attachments and involved in dirty political matters and power struggles in human society? This is what a human being does when driven by his demon-nature. Such a religion is bound to be used by governments to engage in violence and launch religious wars, thereby becoming an evil religion that harms mankind.
Having "all people practice religion" will not do, either. First, this can easily alter religious doctrines and reduce them to theories of ordinary human society. Second, religion can easily be turned into a political tool that will then tarnish the Buddha Fa’s image. Third, religious leaders will become politicians, and this will make religion come to an end, thereby turning it into an evil religion.
Falun Dafa is not a religion, but future generations will regard it as one. It is taught to human beings for the purpose of cultivation practice, rather than to establish a religion. There can be a large number of people learning Dafa, but it is not permitted to turn all of a nation’s citizens into religious followers and make everyone take part in the unified activities of cultivation practice. Cultivation practice in Dafa is always voluntary. Never force anyone to participate in cultivation practice.
In no period of the future can Dafa be used for any political matters. Dafa can make people’s hearts become good, thereby stabilizing society. But by no means is it taught for the purpose of maintaining these things of human society. Disciples, keep in mind that in the future, no matter how much pressure there might be from political and powerful forces, Dafa can never be used by political powers.
Never get involved in politics, nor interfere with state affairs. Genuinely practice cultivation and be good. Keep Dafa pure, unchanged, and indestructible like diamond, and it will thereby exist forever.
Li Hongzhi
September 7, 1996