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Falun Gong (Traditional Chinese: 法輪功, Simplified Chinese: 法轮功, literally "Practice of the Wheel of Law") or Falun Dafa (Traditional Chinese: 法輪大法, Simplified Chinese: 法轮大法, lit. "Great Law of the Wheel of Law") is a Chinese spiritual movement with influences from Buddhism and Taoism, which purports to improve the mind, body and spirit. The actual number of Falun Gong adherents is a matter of dispute: Falun Gong itself claims to have 100 million followers, including 70 million inside China; current official Chinese estimates put the number at about ten million, while, prior to the onset of the persecution, surveys pointed to 70 million practitioners.

The government of the People's Republic of China, concerned by the group's ability to organize, claims it is an "evil cult" spreading superstition to deceive people. Whether Falun Gong is a harmless spiritual movement or a manipulative cult has been the subject of much debate. The former leader of the People's Republic of China, Jiang Zemin, used his power to condemn the group using the state controlled media. It should be noted, however, that Falun Gong has always denied itself being a religion or a cult, despite having shared principles with Buddhism and Taoism.

Origins and beliefs

Falun Dafa was introduced to the general public in 1992 by Li Hongzhi (now residing in Brooklyn, New York), and grew very swiftly in popularity not only in China but worldwide. It was popularised widely under the PRC government's supervision for 7 years. An estimate of the PRC government presented in 1998 on the public television (state owned) in Shanghai mentioned that in mainland China alone the number of practitioners were approx. 70-100 million.

The three basic moral principles of Falun Gong are: Zhen, Shan and Ren, which translate approximately as 'Truthfulness, Benevolence or Compassion, and Forbearance or Tolerance'. It is through focusing on these qualities that Falun Gong practitioners develop their xinxing (moral character) which then purportedly gives the potential to develop 功, gōng, (which Falun Gong practitioners use to mean "cultivated energy," in Mandarin Chinese gōng means "merit" or "achievement" and by extension it is part of a compound of terms describing a disciplined regimen). See also: qigong, kung fu, Chinese martial arts.

Central to Falun Gong are five sets of exercises that are intended to help in purification of the body. Falun Gong practitioners believe that illnesses are the result of (bad) karma. By truly and honestly living a morally upright life according to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance, a Falun Gong practitioner will experience increased vitality, health, and peace of mind.

In addition to these basic spiritual principles, Falun Gong contains a number of other beliefs, some of which may also be found in various schools of Buddhism and other systems of belief, and others being unique to Falun Gong. In Li Hongzhi's book, Zhuan Falun, he writes he can personally heal disease and that a Falun resides in the abdomen of all true practitioners. However, Li also states repeatedly that he is not here to heal diseases. Some of Falun Gong practitioners believe they can see this Falun rotating in their abdomens, provided their "celestial eye" (in the forehead) is not blocked. Li states that gods and demons exist, as well as extraterrestrials, and that the remains of unknown prehistoric civilizations can still be found. When interviewed by Time magazine in May 1999, Li declined to name his own teachers or to delineate the actual provenance of Falun Gong when asked directly.

Falun Gong also teaches a form of conservative morality. The act of homosexuality is considered blasphemy, and the taking of any life is forbidden (although Falun Gong does not explicitly require its practitioners to become vegetarians). Some feel that miscegenation is discouraged in Falun Gong because of a misunderstanding of Li Hongzhi's discussions of how the different races of humans were each created by gods who looked similar to their creations. Some observers believe that Falun Gong has gained such popularity because it fills a void of morality within the increasingly materialistic Chinese society.

All Falun Gong exercises are taught free of charge by Falun Gong practitioners and are detailed in Li's books, which may also be found free of charge on their websites.

Crackdown

During the first years of the introduction of Falun Gong, Li Hongzhi was granted several awards by Chinese governmental organisations to encourage him to continue promoting what was then considered a wholesome practice. From 1992 to 1994 he lectured regularly all over the country in important Chinese cities before large audiences. The practice was then further spread widely in mainland China for 7 years mainly by word of mouth and through the internet.

In July 1999 the government decided to put a stop to its popularity and the practice of Falun Gong has been persecuted in mainland China ever since. On June 10, 1999, the government established the "6-10" office, an extra-constitutional body, to facilitate the crackdown. Most political analysts believe that this was the direct result of events that occurred in April 1999. In Tianjin, as a result of a critical article in a local paper written by a member of the Chinese Academy of Science, about a thousand Falun Gong practitioners went to the newspaper office asking for rectification. Some practitioners were arrested and were, according to reports, beaten by the police. Several days later, for 12 hours on April 25, about 10,000 people gathered at the Central Appeal Office at Foyou street, outside Zhongnanhai, the headquarters of Chinese Communist Government and lined up along a 2 km stretch. Premier Zhu Rongji met with some representatives of the practitioners and promised to resolve the situation within three days. Despite the fact that the practitioners dispersed peacefully after they received word that Zhu Rongji had agreed to their requests, it was widely reported by the Chinese media that Li's ability to allegedly organize a protest in the heart of the Chinese Communist Party is said to have alarmed many senior leaders, particularly Jiang Zemin.

As CNN's Willy Lam reported a Communist Party veteran providing his analysis: "By unleashing a Mao-style movement , Jiang is forcing senior cadres to pledge allegiance to his line. This will boost Jiang's authority-and may give him enough momentum to enable him to dictate events at the pivotal 16th Communist Party congress next year."

The Falun Dafa Information Center, a representative organization for Falun Gong, has stated that more than 1,200 deaths have been verified in police or government custody due to the government's crackdown on the practice.

Other factors may include the claim that the number of Falun Gong practitioners (100 million worldwide, including 70 million inside China, according to Falun Gong sources) is larger than membership of the Communist Party of China (about 60 million people). Others claim that there were practitioners amongst high officials of the government and that several high ranking army officers had embraced the practice as well and that this was a cause of grave concern for others in power.

The PRC government claimed that Falun Gong is an evil cult. There are many reports allegedly claiming that some believers hurt or kill themselves after reading the books by Li Hongzhi, however none have been verified by independent parties. Some scientists in China claim that there is no scientific evidence to show Falun Gong is beneficial for health. A frequent argument made by Chinese scientists is that followers avoid, by practice, most conventional medicine. A Falun Gong practitioner disputed this claim saying "Why would I go to the doctor if I am not sick? If I needed to see a doctor, I would. But in the 5 years of practicing Falun Gong, I have never been sick."

The Media War

The writings of Falun Gong state that practitioners should not get involved in politics; thus a follower of Falun Gong's teachings will not follow the Communist party's policies. In China however the government blocked access to the internet, blocked information by burning and destroying Falun Gong's books and materials, and therefore leaves the public susceptible to the systematic propaganda of China's state-run media.

On the other hand, there has been several incidents in which China's state-owned television networks were jammed with Falun Gong promotion materials. At that time Falun Gong strongly denied it had the capability to interfere with television broadcasts; however, recent moves by Falun Gong sympathizers to set up a satellite television station in New York has thrown the original denial into doubt. In addition, a Chinese language newspaper with worldwide circulation, The Epoch Times, has a strong pro-Falun Gong platform.

The Tiananmen Square Self-Immolation Incident

The campaign of government criticism begun in 1999 was considered by most observers to be largely ineffectual until January 2001, when persons whom the government claimed were Falun Gong practitioners, among them a thirteen-year old child, allegedly doused themselves with gasoline and set themselves on fire in Tiananmen Square. Gruesome videos of the incident were widely broadcast on Chinese state television, as were interviews with the thirteen-year old who was horribly burned and whose mother did not survive the incident.

Falun Gong practitioners strongly denied that the persons could have been actual Falun Gong practitioners, since killing, especially in the form of suicide, is strictly forbidden by the principles of Falun Gong. In addition, some people have suggested that the incident was either a hoax or staged, pointing out several strange inconsistencies that are present on the video footage of the incident broadcasted by Xinhua News Agency. Among them are the fact that one of the burn victims appears to be wearing protective clothing, has unburnt hair, and the green plastic bottle that supposedly carried the gasoline was not even burned. Independent, third-party investigations continue to be denied by the PRC government.

Observers believe that the incident helped turn public opinion in China against the group and has had the effect of helping the government in intensifying its crackdown.

Some claim that today Falun Gong is no longer influential in mainland China and that only outside of China are there still many believers. It is impossible to accurately determine the number of practitioners in mainland China, due to government efforts to suppress information of its existence.

Foreign Views on Falun Gong

The persecution of Falun Gong practitioners has been regarded in the West as a major international human rights issue. In 2000, Ian Johnson of the Wall Street Journal investigated the reports of abuse, and published a series of investigative articles that won him the Pulitzer Prize the following year. According to the Falun Dafa Information Center (FDI), there are, as of 2005, 1238 verified cases of death of Falun Gong practitioners in mainland China, from allegations of torture and police brutality. The report also states that hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been detained, with more than 100,000 sentenced to forced-labor camps. Moreover, there are more than 30,000 documented cases of persecution. The PRC government does not deny detaining Falun Gong practitioners, but insists that they died from hunger strikes and refusals to seek medical treatments.

As of January, 2004, 16 lawsuits in 12 countries have been filed around the world charging the former Chinese leader Jiang Zemin and several other senior officials with genocide, torture, and crimes against humanity, for their roles in the persecution of Falun Gong in mainland China. In at least one case (in Belgium) the lawsuit did not proceed further.

The Christian churches' reactions to Falun Gong are mixed. Some churches have remained silent over the issue, partly because certain Christian groups are also being persecuted in China; indeed the Roman Catholic Church in Hong Kong is openly sympathetic to Falun Gong. Other churches, however, have accused Falun Gong of being a New Age-like occult group, and of misrepresenting the teachings of Christianity.

In addition, some secular Western scholars have questioned Falun Gong's teachings on homosexuality.

The practise of Falun Gong is currently present in more than 60 countries across the world; government reactions range from open acceptance (United States) to tolerance (Australia) and suspicion (Japan and Singapore).

References

• Li Hongzhi, Zhuan Falun: The Complete Teachings of Falun Gong (Yih Chyun, Fair Winds Press edition 2001) ISBN 1931412537
• 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 1888451130, paperback ISBN 1888451270

External links

• Falun Dafa official website
• Falun Dafa Information Center
• In Memory Memorial website for practitioners deaths while under persecution, updated with their stories
• World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG)
• about the arrest of U.S. Citizen Charles Lee
• Friends of Falun Gong
• Ian Johnson's articles on the Falun Gong crisis
• TIMEasia.com feature on Falun Gong

• Skeptic's Dictionary - entry on Falun Gong
• Apologetics Index - entry on Falun Gong
• FACTNet - entry on Falun Gong
• The Interactive Bible - entry on Falun Gong
• Rick Ross entry on Falun Gong by professional cult watcher
• Chinese Embassy in the USA: Outlawing Falun Gong Cult
• article in party-controlled Chinese newspaper against Falun Gong
• article in party-controlled Chinese newspaper against Falun Gong

• New religious movements