Falun Gong

File:Falun8.svg

Falun, the emblem of Falun Dafa

Falun Gong, (simplified Chinese: 法轮功; traditional Chinese: 法輪功; pinyin: Fǎlún Gōng; literally "Practice of the Wheel of Law") also known as Falun Dafa, (simplified Chinese: 法轮大法; traditional Chinese: 法輪大法; pinyin: Fǎlún dàfǎ; lit. "Great Law of the Wheel of Law") is a system of "mind and body cultivation" introduced by Li Hongzhi (surname "Li") to the public in 1992. Falun Dafa has five sets of meditation exercises (four standing and one sitting meditation). The teachings of Falun Dafa are articulated in the two main books of the practice, Falun Gong[8] and Zhuan Falun[9]. The teachings refer to Falun Dafa as "cultivation practice", meaning that it involves a set of teachings, often referred to as "the Fa" (or "Dharma", or "Law"): "Falun Buddha Fa is a great, high-level cultivation way of the Buddha School, in which assimilation to the supreme nature of the universe, Zhen-Shan-Ren [Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance], is the foundation of cultivation practice." In these teachings, Li discusses questions such as "cultivation of virtue and character", "moral standards for different levels", and "salvation of sentient beings", among others. The teachings have been described as spiritual, religious or metaphysical, depending on the point of view.

Falun Gong has been the focus of international attention since July 20, 1999, when the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) began a nationwide crackdown, except in the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macau. Several governments, international human rights organizations and scholars consider the ban a human rights violation. Particular concerns have been raised over reports of torture and illegal imprisonment of Falun Gong practitioners in China. The Chinese government claims to have banned the group for "illegal activities, advocating superstition and spreading fallacies, hoodwinking people, inciting and creating disturbances, and jeopardizing social stability."

Amnesty International has stated: "All the information available indicates that the crackdown is politically motivated, with legislation being used retroactively to convict people on politically-driven charges, and new regulations introduced to further restrict fundamental freedoms." A resolution that passed by a 420-0 vote in the U.S. House of Representatives condemns unequivocally the persecution of Falun Gong and states: "Falun Gong is a peaceful and nonviolent form of personal belief and practice with millions of adherents in the People's Republic of China and elsewhere [...] Jiang Zemin's regime has created notorious government '610' offices throughout the People's Republic of China with the special task of overseeing the persecution of Falun Gong members through organized brainwashing, torture, and murder [...] propaganda from state-controlled media in the People's Republic of China has inundated the public in an attempt to breed hatred and discrimination [...] the campaign of persecution has been generated by the Government of the People's Republic of China, is carried out by government officials and police at all levels, and has permeated every segment of society and every level of government in the People's Republic of China."

The exact number of Falun Gong practitioners is not known. There are no practitioner registers or membership in Falun Gong. A figure of 70 million practitioners was quoted in a New York Times article published April 27, 1999. According to the article, this figure was the estimate of PRC government. However, according to a statement posted on November 1, 1999 on the website of the Chinese embassy, the number of practitioners estimated by Beijing was 2.1 million. FalunInfo.Net, a website maintained by Falun Gong practitioners, has stated that "after crackdown in July 1999 [...] the Chinese regime began spreading a much lower number -- 1 or 2 million -- in an apparent attempt to downplay Falun Gong's presence in Chinese society." A main Falun Gong website states a figure of 100 million practitioners worldwide.

Origins

Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) was introduced to the public by Li Hongzhi on May 13, 1992 in Changchun, Jilin. According to Li, Falun Gong is an advanced "cultivation system" in the "Buddha School" which, in the past, was handed down to chosen disciples and served as an intensive "cultivation method" that required practitioners with extremely high “Xinxing” (mind-nature; heart-nature; character) or “great inborn quality.” Li taught the practice for three years and since then Falun Gong has also been promoted by practitioners themselves voluntarily. Falun Gong quickly grew in popularity in China, and starting in 1996 Li and his followers introduced the practice to other countries.

Theoretical background

The content of Li Hongzhi's books include commentaries on questions that have been raised in China's qigong community. Falun Gong originally surfaced in the institutional field of alternative Chinese science, not religion. The debate between what can be called "naturalist" and "supernaturalist" schools of qigong theory has produced a considerable amount of literature. Xu Jian stated in The Journal of Asian Studies 58 (4 November 1999): "Situated both in scientific researches on qigong and in the prevailing nationalistic revival of traditional beliefs and values, this discursive struggle has articulated itself as an intellectual debate and enlisted on both sides a host of well-known writers and scientists — so much so that a veritable corpus of literature on qigong resulted. In it, two conflicting discourses became identifiable. Taking “discourse” in its contemporary sense as referring to forms of representation that generate specific cultural and historical fields of meaning, we can describe one such discourse as rational and scientific and the other as psychosomatic and metaphysical. Each strives to establish its own order of power and knowledge, its own “truth” about the “reality” of qigong, although they differ drastically in their explanation of many of its phenomena. The controversy centers on the question of whether and how qigong can induce “supranormal abilities” (teyi gongneng). The psychosomatic discourse emphasizes the inexplicable power of qigong and relishes its occult workings, whereas the rational discourse strives to demystify many of its phenomena and to situate it strictly in the knowledge of modern science." The Chinese government has generally tried to encourage qigong as a science and discourage religious or supernatural elements. However, the category of science in China tends to include things that are generally not considered scientific in the West, including qigong and traditional Chinese medicine.

David Aikman has written in American Spectator (March 2000): "Pragmatic and good-natured Americans may believe that qigong belongs in a general category of socially neutral, New Age-style concepts that are merely subjective, not necessarily harmful, and incapable of scientific proof. But China's scientific community doesn't share this view. Experiments under controlled conditions established by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in the late 1970s and early 1980s concluded that qi, when emitted by a qigong expert, actually constitutes measurable infrared electromagnetic waves and causes chemical changes in static water through mental concentration. Qi, according to much of China's scientific establishment, for all intents existed."

Theories about the cultivation of elixir (dan), "placement of the mysterious pass" (xuanguan shewei), among others, are also found in ancient Chinese texts such as The Book of Elixir (Dan Jing), Daoist Canon (Tao Zang) and Guide to Nature and Longevity (Xingming Guizhi). Falun Gong's teachings tap into a wide array of phenomena and cultural heritage that has been debated for ages. It is noteworthy that the definitions of many terms usually differ somewhat from Buddhist and Daoist traditions. The theories behind it has also drawn criticism from some quarters, being called "pseudoscience."

Li Hongzhi States in Falun Buddha Fa Lecture in Europe: "Since the time Dafa was made public, I have unveiled some inexplicable phenomena in qigong as well as things that hadn’t been explained in the qigong community. But this isn’t the reason why so many people are studying Dafa. It’s because our Fa can truly enable people to Consummate, truly save people, and allow you to truly ascend to high levels in the process of cultivation. Whether it’s your realm of mind or the physical quality of your body, the Fa truly enables you to reach the standards of different levels. It absolutely can assume this role."

Noah Porter (2003) quotes Andrew P. Kipnis (2001) and states: "Thus, to the Western layperson, qigong of all sorts may seem to be religious because it deals with spiritual matters. Because Li Hongzhi makes use of many concepts from Buddhism and Taoism in his writings, this may make Falun Gong seem even more like a religion to the outsider; Falun Gong grew initially into a space termed scientific [in China], but was insulated from the spaces formally acknowledged as institutionalized science in Western countries"

Founding

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Li Hongzhi lecturing on Falun Dafa in United Nations General Assembly Hall, Geneva

The Falun Gong web site Clearwisdom.net, introduces Li Hongzhi, the Founder of Falun Gong as: "Mr. Li Hongzhi introduced the practice of Falun Gong to the general public in China in 1992. He then taught the practice publicly for two years in China, after which the practice continued to grow primarily by word-of-mouth. In keeping with Chinese tradition, Mr. Li is often respectfully referred to as 'Master' or 'Teacher.' He is not accorded special treatment, nor does he accept money or donations from students of Falun Gong. He has worked to ensure that the practice is available to all people, and without any terms or conditions. He has been awarded over 400 honors and is a two-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee."[10]

A biography of Li Hongzhi appeared as an appendix to the Falun Dafa text Zhuan Falun. According to the biography, Li Hongzhi had been taught ways of "cultivation practice" (xiulian) by several Masters of the Dao and the Buddhist schools of thought from a very young age. This biography says that he was trained by Quan Jue, the 10th Heir to the Great Law of the Buddha School, at age four. He was then trained by a Taoist master at age eight. This master left him at age twelve, and he was then trained by a master of the Great Way School with the Taoist alias of True Taoist, who came from the Changbai Mountains.

Practitioners

The exact number of Falun Gong practitioners is not known. There are no practitioner registers or membership. A figure of 70 million practitioners was quoted in a New York Times article published April 27, 1999. According to the article, this figure was the estimate of PRC government. However, according to a statement posted on November 1, 1999 on the website of the Chinese embassy, the number of practitioners estimated by Beijing was 2.1 million. A main Falun Gong website states a figure of 100 million practitioners worldwide. Falun Gong maintains that after crackdown in July 1999, the Government started to deliberately to downplay Falun Gong's presence in Chinese society by spreading a much lower number (1 or 2 million) practitioners.

History and timeline

Main article: History of Falun Gong

Li Hongzhi began teaching Falun Gong to the public on May 13, 1992, in Changchun, Jilin. Invited by qigong organizations from each area, Mr. Li traveled to almost all major cities in China from 1992 to 1994 to teach the practice. From 1995 to 1999, Li introduced the practice to other countries. Since then, Falun Gong has been voluntarily promoted by practitioners themselves, with Li giving speeches on an irregular basis around the world.

Persecution of Falun Gong in China

Main article: Persecution of Falun Gong

In April 1999, a Tianjin professor, He Zuoxiu, wrote an article in the Tianjin College of Education’s Youth Reader magazine entitled “I Do Not Agree with Youth Practicing qigong,” and made special mention of Falun Gong . On April 25, Falun Gong practitioners lined the streets near Zhongnanhai in a silent protest against the government, alleging unfair treatment of its practitioners in Tianjin. On July 22, 1999, the People's Republic of China issued a statement banning Falun Gong in mainland China, fearing "a serious ideological and political struggle that would have a bearing on the future of the Communist Party and the State".

Falun Gong claims institutionalized persecution of their practitioners under the singular body of the Communist Party of China. Since the ban started, various human rights groups and western governments have condemned the Chinese government for its alleged human rights abuses, including allegations of torture. The ban continues to this day.

Beliefs and teachings

Main article: Teachings of Falun Gong

The foundation of Falun Dafa are teachings known in traditional Chinese culture as the "Fa" (Dharma), or "Dharma and principles" – that are set forth in the book Zhuan Falun. Falun Gong students are taught that their Fa or "Buddha Law" can be summarized in three words – Zhen 真, Shan 善 and Ren 忍, which translate approximately as 'truthfulness, benevolence (or compassion), and forbearance'. The process of cultivation is said to be one in which the practitioner assimilates himself or herself to Zhen, Shan and Ren.

The teachings and principles of Falun Gong are captured in two main books written by Li Hongzhi: Falun Gong (Law Wheel Qi Gong) and Zhuan Falun (Turning the Law Wheel). Falun Gong is an introductory book that discusses qigong, introduces the principles and provides illustrations and explanations of the exercises. Zhuan Falun is the core text of Falun Dafa practice.

Research into health benefits

Research conducted into the health benefits of Falun Dafa include work by Quan-Zhen Li (Ph.D, M.D), Richard J. Johnson (M.D.), Ping Li (Ph.D) et al. Their paper titled Genomic Profiling of Neutrophil Transcripts in Asian qigong Practitioners: A Pilot Study in Gene Regulation by Mind–Body[11] reports the result of studies conducted on Neutrophils/polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) of Falun Gong practitioners. The study reports that among the 6 practitioners on whom the genomic profiling was done, in comparison to the control group, about 200 genes were found consistently up-regulated or down-regulated. The study states:

"We here report the cellular and molecular changes in Falun Gong practitioners' PMNs that may attribute to enhanced immunity, alteration of apoptotic properties in favor of a rapid resolution of inflammation, as well as PMNs longevity based upon a much more economical balance of protein synthesis and degradation."

"Drastic system-level changes of gene expression were detected in PMNs of Falun Gong practitioners, while little changes were detected among non-practitioners, despite the differences in age and gender. Most interestingly, the genes that are regulated in a consensus fashion among the practitioners can be grouped into several functional clusters, which are directly linked to PMN functions in anti-viral immunity, apoptotic property and possibly longevity based upon a much more economical balance of protein synthesis and degradation."

The Falun Dafa Australia website lists three surveys conducted in China in 1998, all of which suggest significant improvement in health levels. While the latter two provide no information related to who performed the surveys, the first lists a team of eleven researchers assembled from various institutes, hospitals, and universities. This survey was conducted on over ten thousand Falun Gong adherents in Beijing. The results suggest that among the participants Falun Gong’s disease healing rate was 99.1% with a cure rate of 58.5%

The rate of improvement in physical health was 80.3%, while 96.5% in mental health. The results of this survey indicate that Falun Gong has a significant effect in disease healing and improving health.

Third Party Views

Main article: Third party views on Falun Gong

Apart from the general negative rhetoric against Falun Gong from the Communist Party of China and people who support its arguments, Falun Gong's critics also come from psychological, religious, and philosophical circles. Falun Gong has received criticism from anti-cult experts in the United States, as reported by the San Francisco Chronicle., Some academics claim Falun Gong has misinterpreted or skewed principles of qigong, Buddhism, and Taoism. Li Hongzhi has been subject to controversy based on the content of his lectures and his claims of having supernatural powers.

Differences between Falun Gong and other beliefs

Main article: Third party views on Falun Gong § Differences between Falun Gong, Buddhism, qigong and other beliefs

Whether Falun Gong cultivation practice derives legitimacy from the ancient teachings of Buddhism is a matter of some controversy. Supporters say that traditional Chinese teachings called the Fa (Dharma) or “Dharma and principles” form the foundation for their Falun Dafa. In Zhuan Falun, Li states “Falun Dafa is one of 84,000 cultivation ways in the Buddha’s School, which has never been made public during the historical period of this human civilization.” However, as reported by Benjamin Penny (2005), Falun Gong’s earliest critics stated that by dramatically changing the meanings of traditional Buddhist terms, Li misrepresents the basic tenets of Buddhism and should not claim to be part of that tradition.

Debatable significance of Falun Gong awards and recognitions

Main article: Third party views on Falun Gong § Debatable significance of Falun Gong awards and recognitions

There is some controversy about how meaningful Falun Gong’s many municipal awards and recognitions are and how they are used to promote the Falun Gong. Patsy Rahn (2000), states they “are documents routinely obtained by groups from public officials in the US for public relations purposes” and may be used to mislead people in China into believing “that the American government supports Master Li and his Falun Gong practitioners.” Noah Porter (2003) argues that these awards are not always easy to get, citing one example from Tampa, Florida.

Falun Gong and the Anti-Cult Movement

Critics of Falun Gong in the West have argued that Li Hongzhi establishes a relationship of dependency between himself and his followers, and uses what they say are a variety of manipulative techniques. They consider that Falun Gong should be thought of as a "cult" rather than a new religious movement or metaphysical qigong. A number of American writers in the field of cultic studies, including Rick Ross, Margaret Singer and Steven Hassan, have claimed that Li Hongzhi meets their definition of a "manipulative cult leader."

While cult experts have not reached a consensus definition for a cult, they often focus on what is considered the coercive behavior of the group leader as an indicator for the potentially damaging aspects of a particular group. In a New Times article (March 23-29, 2000) the "cult expert" Margaret Singer stated: “Some will say it’s not but Falun Gong looks like a cult to me. My criteria is a self-appointed person with secret knowledge to share, who gets his followers convinced he is the pipeline to the eternal good life. Doesn’t that sound like Master Li?”

However, opinions within the scientific community are notably varied. According to Philip Jenkins (2000) (quoted by Porter 2003), along with fringe religious groups almost always came movements to denounce or even eradicate them; the definition of a cult was not created in a vacuum, but rather is "a prefabricated script some centuries in the making, incorporating charges that might originally have been developed long ago against a wide variety of movements". Porter points out that supernormality was already a part of qigong before Falun Gong was introduced, as was moral guidance. Also, "Falun Gong does not force practitioners to sign contracts, threaten physical or economic harm for apostasy, or any other such coercive methods that are often attributed to cults. If someone tried Falun Gong and disliked it for any reason, they would have nothing to fear from practitioners. Also, it is interesting to note that practitioners are cognizant that Falun Gong does not fit neatly into categories like qigong or religion, and some are looking for more accurate ways of describing it to non-practitioners." Porter also opines that it is unfair to make comparisons between Falun Gong and cults such as People's Temple and Branch Davidians; "such statements irresponsibly leave the impression that Falun Gong has similarities to these violent groups, when in fact Falun Gong practitioners have consistently refused to use violence against those who persecute them."

Ethics

Falun Gong lays emphasis on its ideas of good moral nature and morality. Practitioners are required to emphasize virtue (de), be a good person in all environments, and always be considerate of others when doing things.

According to Li Hongzhi, the sole criterion that distinguishes good from bad is the unchanging characteristic of the universe: Zhen-Shan-Ren (Truthfulness, Benevolence and Forbearance). In Zhuan Falun, Li states:

“As a practitioner, one must follow this characteristic of the universe to conduct himself instead of the standard of ordinary people…. As a human being, if you can follow this universe’s characteristic of Zhen-Shan-Ren, you are a good person.”

In May 1998, Li made statements condemning homosexuality. He stated that homosexuality was "dark state of mind", and suggested that homosexuality was incompatible with cultivation. However, homosexuals can practice Falun Gong if they "correct this bad behavior".

In a speech in Los Angeles (2006), Li Hongzhi spoke for the first time about what he sees as a big problem—cultivators not accepting criticism well. He also suggested that practitioners may be too focused on making judgments about others:

• "As cultivators, think about it—I've talked about this in Zhuan Falun and in my earlier teachings on Fa—I have said, "Don't hit back when hit, don't talk back when insulted." When others mistreat you, you should respond with just a smile and let that be the end of it. And when others are embroiled in conflict and you are just an onlooker, you should think about it, "How can I do better? If I were in that position, would I be able to control my xinxing and face the criticism and disapproval like a cultivator?" Cultivation is about looking inside yourself. Whether you are right or wrong, you should examine yourself.
• Cultivation is about getting rid of human attachments. If you always reject reproaches and criticism, always point your fingers at others, and always refute others' disapproval and criticism, is that cultivating? How is that cultivating? You have grown used to focusing on other people's shortcomings, and never take examining your own self seriously. When others' cultivation one day meets with success, what about you? Isn't Master hoping that you are cultivating well? Why won't you accept criticism, and why do you keep focusing on other people? Why not cultivate inward and examine your own self? Why do you get agitated when you are criticized? How many of you seated here can keep at ease when someone points at you out of the blue and berates you? How many of you can stay unruffled and search for the reason on your part when faced with others' criticism and chiding?"

Falun Gong also believes in the act of retribution, and that all good and evil deeds will be paid in return in the due time. Falun Gong practitioners see the PRC government crackdown as an act of "evil".

The Epoch Times

Main article: Epoch Times

According to the Epoch Times, it was founded in New York in May 2000, following the arrest of a small circle of journalists in China [12]. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa, has stated in his lectures that the Epoch Times “was established by Dafa disciples for validating the Fa."

The publication itself presents an obvious political slant that is pro-Falun Gong and anti-Communist Party of China. The website's home page has a centered counter which displays in large numerals the number of people who have allegedly quit the Communist Party of China. This number is now over 23 million .

Falun Gong outside mainland China

Main article: Falun Gong outside China

The suppression of Falun Gong practitioners has been regarded by some western governments as a major international human rights issue. As of December 2005, sixty-one lawsuits have been filed in about thirty countries charging Jiang and several other senior officials with genocide, torture, and crimes against humanity for their roles in the treatment of Falun Gong in mainland China. The PRC government is accused by Falun Gong and many human rights groups of violating the United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT), also ratified by the People's Republic of China.

A resolution that passed by a 420-0 vote in the U.S. House of Representatives in July 2002, condemns unequivocally the persecution of Falun Gong and states: "Falun Gong is a peaceful and nonviolent form of personal belief and practice with millions of adherents in the People's Republic of China and elsewhere [...] Jiang Zemin's regime has created notorious government '610' offices throughout the People's Republic of China with the special task of overseeing the persecution of Falun Gong members through organized brainwashing, torture, and murder [...] propaganda from state-controlled media in the People's Republic of China has inundated the public in an attempt to breed hatred and discrimination [...] the campaign of persecution has been generated by the Government of the People's Republic of China, is carried out by government officials and police at all levels, and has permeated every segment of society and every level of government in the People's Republic of China."

Further reading

• Ian Adams, Riley Adams and Rocco Galati, Power of the Wheel: The Falun Gong Revolution (Toronto: Stoddart Publishing, 2000) hard cover ISBN 0-7737-3270-5
• Maria Hsia Chang, Falun Gong: The End of Days (New Haven, Connecticut: Yale University Press, 2004) ISBN 0-300-10227-5
• Barend ter Haar, Falun Gong - Evaluation and Further References (incl. extensive bibliography)
• Li Hongzhi, Falun Gong (Law Wheel qigong) (Yih Chyun, 1993)
• Li Hongzhi, Essentials for Further Advancement (Yih Chyun, 2000?)
• Danny Schechter, Falun Gong's Challenge to China (Akashic Books, 2000) hardback ISBN 1-888451-13-0, paperback ISBN 1-888451-27-0
• Margaret Thaler Singer, Cults in Our Midst: The Continuing Fight Against Their Hidden Menace Revised edition. (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2003). ISBN 0-7879-6741-6
• Mo Wen, Poisonous Deceit: How The Chinese Government Literally Gets Away With Murder By Lying Deceiving And Fabricating Its "evidence" Against Falun Gong: An Hbcu Story (Toronto: Deep Six, 2002) Paperback. ISBN 0-9731181-0-5

External links

Falun Gong sites

• Falun Dafa
• Falun Gong official website
• Falun Dafa Information Center
• Falun Dafa Minghui Net
• Falun Canada includes Zhuan Falun II in Chinese
• Pure Insight
• Global Coalition To Bring Jiang To Justice
• The Epoch Times
• Friends of Falun Gong
• Genomic Profiling of Neutrophil Transcripts in Asian qigong Practitioners A Pilot Study in Gene Regulation by Mind–Body Interaction reports the result of studies conducted on Neutrophils/polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) of Falun Gong practitioners. The study reports that among the 6 practitioners on whom the genomic profiling was done, in comparison to the control group, about 200 genes were found consistently up-regulated or down-regulated.

Critical sites

• The Two Tales of Falun Gong: Radicalism in a traditional form, a DOC file
• Critics and followers of Falun Gong: Adherents find fulfillment, but detractors call movement a cult (September 18, 2005) A San Francisco Chronicle report
• Rick Ross Institute A extensive set of links to articles critical of FLG
• Steve Hassan’s Freedom of Mind Center, an exit counselor's claims of mind control techniques used by Falun Gong
• Bay Area Reporter: Supes Support “Homophobic Cult” detailed report on SF Resolution 66-06
• SF Chronicle: Dissident media linked to Falun Gong exposes the connection between the Falun Gong and the Epoch Times
• Time Asia's article on Falun Gong (May 10, 1999)
• Commentary About Falun Gong (August 3, 2001) James Randi Educational Foundation
• The Falun Gong: Beyond the Headlines (2000) abstract of article by Patsy Rahn available in Cultic Studies Journal, Volume 17, pages 166-186.

Other sites

• Falun Gong - Evaluation and Further References (Prof. Barend ter Haar, Leiden Univ.) An introductory analysis of the Falun Gong movement in Chinese society and culture from the perspective of the scholar of traditional Chinese religious culture.
• The China Psychiatric Crisis: Following Up on the Plight of the Falun Gong
• Congressional Research Service (CRS) Reports regarding Falun Gong
• Tsinghua University practitioners' views on science. Part 1 and part 2.
• Controversial preliminary data and claims on Falun Gong's effect on the body: cardiac cells, neutrophil functions, gene expression, and immunity.
• Link to a story about controversial quotes from Li Hongzhi about FLG
• A H2G2 edited-guide BBC: Is Falun Gong really an "evil cult"?