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| What is Falun Gong? |
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Falun Gong practitioners
meditating in New Zealand, 2001
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A Look at Falun Gong
Falun Gong is one of a variety of Chinese health and spiritual
practices known loosely as “qigong.” According to
some estimates over 2000 different forms of qigong exist in
China, with many dating back centuries; archaeological findings
trace qigong to as far back as 3000 or more years ago. Falun
Gong, like its kin, consists of gentle exercises and special
postures, combined with a meditation component. Many liken its
technique to tai-chi or yoga. Falun Gong is also referred to
by some as “Falun Dafa.”
Aside from its popularity (70-100 million by most accounts),
what is usually said to distinguish Falun Gong is its emphasis
on moral rectitude, referred to by its practitioners as “self-cultivation,”
or “cultivation” for short. Three values—truth,
compassion, and tolerance—form the backbone of Falun Gong’s
philosophy. Practitioners of the art aspire to live by such
values in their daily lives, achieving, over time, a state of
selflessness and inner balance.
The discipline was first made public in May of 1992 by Li Hongzhi,
who adherents regard as the practice’s founder or instructor;
prior to 1992, Falun Gong is said to have been taught in private
to a single student and passed down in a lineage manner. Li
taught the practice throughout China for most of three years,
lecturing in the early 90’s to audiences of up to several
thousand and gaining a large following. Within a few years reportedly
hundreds of thousands had taken up the practice. News reports
and word of mouth acclaimed Falun Gong’s health benefits
and positive impact.
By 1996 Falun Gong had established itself as the dominant force
in China’s qigong and fitness scene, with Li’s third
book, Zhuan Falun, landing on Beijing’s bestseller list;
millions were said to be practicing by then. Li also began to
teach the practice abroad around that time, traveling to Sweden
first, and later France, Germany, Australia, and the United
States among other nations. Today Falun Gong is said to be practiced
in over 50 different countries.
A number of governments outside of China have lauded the practice,
bestowing Falun Gong and its teacher with several hundred proclamations
and recognitions along with three consecutive nominations for
the Nobel Peace Prize. A number of states and municipalities
in the U.S. have designated days or weeks in recognition of
Falun Gong and its civic value. A number of legislators, ranging
from the late U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone (D-MN) to Congresswoman
Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), have been vocal in their support
of Falun Gong.
Falun Gong’s reception in the West has been overshadowed
in recent years by waves of oppression in the People’s
Republic of China, where the practice is now outlawed and persecuted.
Since July of 1999 communist officials, most notably Party head
Jiang Zemin, have campaigned to “eradicate” Falun
Gong and any support for it among the Chinese people or foreign
governments.
According to the Falun Dafa Information Center, as of November
2002, over 500 have died from maltreatment in custody, although
sources inside China place the number of deaths in the thousands.
Hundreds of thousands more suffer relentless abuse in prisons,
forced labor camps, and brainwashing facilities.
For more information about the practice of Falun Gong, please
visit:
http://www.falundafa.org |
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