Falun Gong
Falun Gong (simplified Chinese: 法轮功; traditional Chinese: 法輪功; pinyin: Fǎlún Gōng; literally "Practice of the Wheel of Law") is 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 qigong introduced by Li Hongzhi in 1992. Falun is also sometimes translated as dharma wheel or chakra. Central to Falun Gong is five sets of meditation exercises (four standing, and one sitting). A few years after its public introduction in 1992, Falun Gong quickly grew to become one of the most popular forms of qigong in Chinese history, and has been growing in popularity around the world.
Falun Gong has been the focus of international controversy since the government of the People's Republic of China began a nationwide suppression of Falun Gong on July 20, 1999. Concerns were triggered especially when 10,000 practitioners assembled in peaceful protest at the Central Appeal Office at Foyou street, outside Zhongnanhai. The assembly was prompted by reports of violence and harassment inflicted upon practitioners by Chinese police in the city of Tianjin, as well as a ban on publishing Falun Dafa materials. Not since the Tiananmen Incident in 1989 had so many people gathered together to protest the government, and the government's reaction to that particular incident was not sympathetic.
There being no concept of membership or organization in Falun Gong practice, the actual number of practitioners is unknown. After the persecution began, the number of Falun Gong practitioners in China was estimated by the government at 1-2 million or even less; however, according to a state-conducted survey in 1998, there were several tens of millions of practitioners in China. Falun Gong sources claim that there were at least 70-100 million practitioners. Some believe that after the July 1999 crackdown, the Chinese regime began publishing what is claimed to be a lower number to downplay Falun Gong's presence in Chinese society. The New York Times mentioned a figure of 70 million in at least two articles, both released 27th of April, 1999 - one of them written by Seth Faison and another by Joseph Kahn, who professed that "Beijing puts the tally of ... followers at 70 million". Renee Schoof, writing for the Associated Press (26th of April, 1999), mentioned a figure of "at least 70 million, according to the State Sports Administration".
The CCP has burned and destroyed books and other materials about Falun Gong, and blocked access to internet resources about the topic. Several reported cases of illegal imprisonment and torture of practitioners have been reported. Treatment of Falun Gong practitioners has been regarded in the West as a major international human rights issue affecting freedom of religion and freedom of speech.
Origins and beliefs
Falun Gong was introduced to the public by Li Hongzhi on 13 May 1992, at the Fifth Middle School, Changchun, China. In China, he only taught the practice for three years. Falun Gong was nominated twice as the "Star Qigong School" in the 1992 and 1993 Asian Health Expo in Beijing. As Falun Dafa practitioners themselves started promoting the system, Li stipulated that it could never be done for fame or profit and that cultivation practice always had to be voluntary. He emphasized that practitioners may only spread the system voluntarily and must not accept any fee, donation or gift in return. Li's insistence that the practice be offered free of charge caused a rift with the China Qigong Research Society, the state administrative body under which Falun Dafa was initially introduced, and Li withdrew from the organization. Falun Gong quickly grew in popularity to become one of the most popular qigong systems in Chinese history. As of 1996, Li Hongzhi took up invitations to teach the practice in numerous countries in Europe and Asia.
According to Li Hongzhi, Falun Dafa 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) or “great inborn quality.”
Beliefs
Central to Falun Gong is the Buddhist concept of "Cultivation practice" – in which the practitioner's goal is said to be elevating their mind nature (xinxing) and letting go of attachments like selfishness, jealousy and greed.
The foundation of Falun Dafa are teachings known in traditional Chinese culture as the "Fa"(Dharma), or "law and principles" – that are set forth in the book Zhuan Falun . At the core of the teachings are the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Li Hongzhi points out that Buddhism teaches "Shan" (Compassion) and Taoism lays emphasis on "Zhen" (Truth). Falun Gong teaches that the "Buddha Dharma", in its highest manifetation, can be summarized in three words – Zhen 真, Shan 善 and Ren 忍, which translate approximately as 'Truthfulness (or Truth), Benevolence (or Compassion), and Forbearance (or Endurance)'. The process of cultivation is thought of to be one in which the practitioner assimilates himself to Zhen 真, Shan 善 and Ren 忍.
In 2002, Li claimed that after spreading Falun Gong for ten years, some of humanity's predestinations had been averted, including a "comet catastrophe" and "the third world war." [1]
In some of his published lectures, Li states that aliens, gods and demons exist, humans have a "celestial eye" in their pineal gland (tianmu, also known as the "third eye"), that Earth has been influenced by extraterrestrials [2], and that remains of unknown prehistoric civilizations can still be found, for instance, in the bottom of the oceans. According to some sources, Li has said that "By mixing the races of humans, the aliens make humans cast off gods," he said in a lecture in Switzerland. These same sources claim that he made a statement: "by embedding their technology and science in human bodies, aliens control their thoughts". However, this is one of the several instances where the alleged direct quotes cannot be traced back to Li. In his Switzerland lecture[3], Li stated: "The way alien beings get human beings to shake free of the gods is to mix the races, causing human beings to become rootless people, just like the plant hybrids people make nowadays." And further, "They have formed a layer of their body within the human body." According to Li, humans are not to be blamed for this: "There are other reasons why they dare to do this sort of thing. It has happened because the Fa of the universe has deviated and gods no longer look after things. So it has to do with high-level beings as well. If this situation is to be turned around, it has to begin from high levels."
Falun Gong's qigong style practises are said by them to develop high levels of 功, gōng, which Falun Gong practitioners use to mean "high level energy" (this is an unconventional use of the word, which in Mandarin Chinese means "merit" or "achievement" and by extension is part of compound terms describing a disciplined regimen.) Falun Gong adherents make the claim that gōng possesses healing properties, and that 氣 qi (which means "breath") only suppresses or postpones illness. See also: kung fu, traditional Chinese medicine. Qigong systems usually teach breathing techniques, visualization and are often associated with traditional Chinese martial arts. Falun Gong teaches that in high-level cultivation practice, one must be in “wuwei” ( Taoist term for an empty yet conscious state of mind) and any form of mind activity or imagination during meditation is considered an “omission”.
It is believed that one can only move forward in cultivation through cultivation of xinxing (mind-nature) and that little progress is achieved by practice of exercises alone. The book Zhuan Falun says:
“As a practitioner, the first thing you should be able to do is to not fight back when you are beaten or sworn at—you must be tolerant. Otherwise, what kind of practitioner will you be?”. . .“If you can tolerate it and yet it preys on your mind, it is still not good enough.”
Though, the central theme of the teachings is how to cultivate one’s own mind-nature, in the several lectures other concepts are discussed – ranging from Buddhas, The Celestial Eye, and The root cause of Sickness to The Structure of Cosmic Bodies, Higher Dimensional Realities, The Structure of Matter and Alien Beings. The Book Zhuan Falun says mankind has gone through several cycles of civilization and points out that several relics have been found that don’t fit into the scientific picture of prehistory.
Another feature of Falun Dafa is promotion of Li's role as the exclusive savior of mankind in this "Dharma ending" period. If a Falun Gong practitioner were only to do the exercises, but fail to live up to Master Li's Dafa, that person would not be considered a Dafa disciple and thus not a candidate for salvation. Falun Gong practitioners are promised the possibility of becoming Gods as long as they stand up for the Dafa.
Also found is the idea that Master Li protects all his disciples, but that if they fail to live up to the requirements of his Dafa he will withdraw his protection and their bodies will be returned to those of ordinary persons and that sickness, old age and even death will return to them. If practitioners live up to the Dafa, they are promised salvation, while non-practitioners who criticize the Dafa, corrupt people and the "dregs" of humanity can expect to be eliminated by the great law in a process called “Fa-rectification.”
Interviewed by Time magazine in May 1999 [4], Li declined to reveal his own teachers or to delineate the provenance of Falun Gong.
Cultivation of Mind and Body
Falun Gong has five sets of basic exercises (including meditation, four standing, and one sitting). The exercises are said to strengthen energy mechanisms that continually transform one’s “benti” (a term referring to "one’s physical body and the bodies in other dimensions").
The true cause of disease is considered karmic and it is said that pathogens, pathogenic chi etc. which apparently appear to be the cause in this dimension are just modalities through which the karmic cause manifests in this dimension. Karma is thought to be of material existence in higher dimensions and is said to be intertwined with bad emotions and attachments like jealousy, greed, anger and hatred. Thus only by letting go of these attachments can one eliminate karma and make progress in cultivation.
It is believed that though the purpose of cultivation practice is not healing and fitness, an illness free state can manifest even from the beginning stages of cultivation practice of mind and body and that this has directly to do with how much one can elevate one’s Xinxing (mind-nature).
Li Hongzhi states that in Falun Gong, a falun is cultivated in the lower abdomen (dan-tian). Falun means "Wheel of Law" in the Chinese language, which appears similar to the Dharma wheel or Chakra. The falun in Falun Gong is depicted as a wheel consisting of five srivatsas and four taijitu, as illustrated on the top right-hand corner of this page. The Falun is said to be a miniature of the universe, and once it is installed into the abdomen, it turns continuously. When the Falun turns clockwise, it absorbs energy from the universe into the body; when it turns counter-clockwise it eliminates waste from the body. Li Hongzhi also points out that the falun in Falun Gong is different from the falun or chakras cultivated in Tantric Tibetan Buddhism.
Surveys conducted on practitioners show remarkable improvements in health. The most extensive being a State sponsored health survey [5] conducted on 12,731 Beijing practitioners in 1998. The survey states: "Our results show that Falun Gong's disease healing rate is 99.1% with a cure rate of 58.5%; Improvement rate is 80.3% in physical health and 96.5% in mental health. The survey indicates that Falun Gong has a significant effect in disease healing and health promotion."
Dr. Lili Feng, Associate Professor at the Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, published scientific findings that Falun Gong exercises boost the immune system and significantly increase cell lifetime expectancy. Her paper concludes: "Our studies suggest that Falun Gong practice alters immunity, cell death, and protein metabolic rate in a systemic fashion. Our findings further suggest that a new paradigm is urgently needed to understand the holistic link between human mind, body and spirit." Professor Feng also cites independent health surveys by five medical institutions in China. The results remain inconclusive and call for further research.
All Falun Gong exercises are taught free of charge by practitioners and are also detailed in Li Hongzhi's books, lectures and exercise instruction videos which may be found free of charge on Falun Dafa Websites.
Emphasis on Moral Nature
Falun Gong lays emphasis on its interpretation of good moral nature. Practitioners are required to emphasize virtue (de), be a good person in all environments, and always think of others before doing things.
As in many traditional practices, lust is thought of as something that hinders a person's progress in cultivation. Though not central to the beliefs, homosexuality is regarded as abnormal and is considered to be an act that brings bad karma upon oneself. "The disgusting homosexuality shows the dirty abnormal psychology of the gay who has lost his ability of reasoning at the present time" states Volume II of Li's Zhuan Falun. In Frankfurt (1998) he was asked about whether homosexuals can practice cultivation. Li said yes, provided that they give up their behavior. "You are wantonly indulging your thoughts. Your thoughts, like the ones I just mentioned, are not actually you. The mentality that makes you homosexual was driven by postnatally-formed bad things. But you yourself were numbed by them and went along with them and wallowed in the mud. You need to find yourself again and stop doing those filthy things. Gods view them as filthy." Falun Gong also believes in the act of retribution, and all good and evil deeds will be paid in return in the due time. Because of this, they see the Chinese government crackdown as an act of "evil", and some pro-Falun Gong groups have reported claims of a number of people dying or suffering spontaneously after their alleged involvement in the crackdown of Falun Gong.
Li Hongzhi points out that according to Buddhism, this is the “Dharma Ending Period"; that during this period makind has undergone great moral degradation and that this has to do with vast cosmic changes. The book Zhuan Falun says "Nobody should blame others for it, as everyone has added fuel to the flame.”
The taking of any life is said to have negative karmic consequences. In one of his lectures, Li Hongzhi controversially states that mixing of races is a chaotic phenomenon that has manifest only in the “Dharma Ending Period” and that different races bear the image of the gods that created them; that each race of people on earth have their own cosmic paradises but people of mixed race lose this connection. According to an article by Andreas Landwehr, a journalist writing for Deutsche Presse Agentur and reproduced in the German Scientology News, Li Hongzhi is quoted as saying: "Anybody who does not belong to his race will not be cared for. I do not just say that. It is really true. I am revealing the secret of heaven to you." However, these words as such haven't been found in any of his public lectures or interviews. Li Hongzhi said in Sydney (1996):
"I have already talked about such interracial children. I have only mentioned the phenomena in this Dharma-ending period. If you are an interracial child, it is, of course, neither your fault nor your parents' fault. Anyway, it is just such a chaotic situation brought about by mankind, in which such a phenomenon has appeared. The yellow people, the white people, and the black people have the corresponding races in heaven. Then, if one is not from his race or does not belong to his people, he will not take care of him. This is the truth, and it is not that I'm making up something here. What I am telling everyone are heavenly secrets. All interracial children were born in the Dharma-ending period. People are not to be blamed for it, because everyone is drifting in the tide, and nobody knows the truth. This is the way they have come through. If you want to practice cultivation, I can help. As for which paradise you will go to, we will need to look at your situation. I will assimilate more of whichever portion that is better preserved. Anyway, you should concentrate on your cultivation and should not concern yourself with these things."
Awards and Recognitions
For the first few years after introducing Falun Gong, Li Hongzhi was granted several awards by Chinese governmental organizations. At the Asian health expo of 1992 and 1993 in Beijing, Falun Gong was successively nominated as the "star qigong".
Falun Gong has been honored with over 900 proclamations and awards[6] from Australia, Canada, China (before the persecution), Japan, Russia, the United States and other countries. Especially in the United States, Falun Dafa has received much praise and acclamation.
Li Hongzhi was nominated twice for the Nobel Peace Prize; he was also nominated by over 28 European Parliament Members for the 2001 Sakharov Award.
Government crackdown
For the first few years after introducing Falun Gong to the world, Li Hongzhi was granted several awards by Chinese governmental organizations to encourage him to continue promoting what was then considered by them to be a wholesome practice. From 1992 to 1994 Li lectured regularly all over the country in front of large audiences. The practice was popularized in mainland China for seven years, mainly by word of mouth and through the Internet.
At the end of May 1998, a Chinese physicist from the Chinese Academy of Science, He Zuoxiu, denounced Falun Gong in an interview on Beijing Television. The program, after showing a video of one of the practice sites, called it a "feudalistic superstition". Falun Gong practitioners have affimed that the people seen in the video were not actually practitioners. The TV station was swamped by protest letters from Falun Gong practitioners, and practitioners were also protesting in front of its offices.
On April 11, 1999, He Zuoxiu published an article in the Tianjin College of Education’s Youth Reader magazine entitled "I Do Not Agree with Youth Practicing Qigong". From April 18 to April 24, Falun Gong practitioners went to Tianjin College of Education, which published the magazine, and related governmental agencies and held peaceful protests..
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. They held no signs and chanted no slogans. Premier Zhu Rongji met with some representatives of the practitioners and promised to resolve the situation within three days. The practitioners dispersed peacefully after they received word that Zhu had agreed to their requests. Nevertheless, it was widely reported by the Chinese media that Falun Gong practitioners organizing a protest in the heart of the Chinese Communist Party alarmed many senior leaders, particularly Jiang Zemin. According to some estimates, at this time there were more than 100,000 Falun Gong practitioners in Beijing alone.
Julie Ching (2001) has stated: "The overseas Chinese-language press has suggested that the Zhongnanhai demonstrations were actually organized in part by the government, to help trump up charges against the Falun Gong, which it had observed and monitored for years through its infiltrators. It even gives the name of a high official, [Luo] Gan, as being the chief Communist organizer of the Zhongnanhai gathering. As secretary general of the State Council, [Luo] had been investigating Falun Gong and had wanted it banned since 1996 but could not find any legal basis for transgression. In that case, it is not certain where the Falun followers intended first to make their petition, but [Luo] had the police direct them to Zhongnanhai, in order to create an incident with which they afterwards could be charged." [7]
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 July 1999, the government declared the practice of Falun Gong illegal. The government had become especially concerned by reports that significant numbers of government officials, as well as military and police personnel, were practitioners. Another influence in the change in policy was the cultural memory of the 19th century Taiping Rebellion, when a religious cult had caused a civil war.
"By unleashing a Mao-style movement [against Falun Gong], Jiang is forcing senior cadres to pledge allegiance to his line," a Communist Party veteran later told CNN's Willy Lam. "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 website which "endeavors to compile, cross-check, organize and publish" [8] reports about the government crackdown on Falun Gong, has confirmed that at least 2,792 (December 2005) Falun Gong practitioners have died while in police or government custody.
Falun Gong representatives and practitioners have said that about 70 million people practice it, which is more than there are members in the Chinese Communist Party (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.
The CCP has issued reports stating that some believers hurt or kill themselves after reading Li's books, and that 1404 people died in China as result of practising Falun Gong, mostly by not seeking medicine for various illnesses [9]. 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 are encouraged to avoid, by practice, most conventional medicine. Falun Gong practitioners point out that no such incident has been reported outside China and that such accusations surfaced only after the persecution started.
He Zuoxiu has also accused some Falun Gong practitioners of harassment because of the articles he wrote, and published a book entitled How Falun Gong Harassed Me and My Family. He Zuoxiu is a relative of Luo Gan, one of the chief perpetrators of the persecution, and he is said to have "become a national hero" for opposing Falun Gong. [10] Therefore, some sources have suspected him of politically motivated careerism (e.g. [11], p99).
The media war
The People's Republic of China (PRC), led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) on July 20, 1999, began a nation-wide suppression of Falun Gong, referring to the practice as an "evil cult" spreading superstition to deceive people. Jiang, the former leader of the CCP, condemned the group in the state-controlled media, stating a position the Chinese government promotes to this day.
CCP claims that the practice has deviated its focus from engaging in spiritual cultivation to engaging in politics, basing their opinions on the existence of numerous websites disparate from, yet in support of, Falun Gong (such as Friends of Falun Gong). Such claims have been strongly criticized in the West. Concurrent Resolution 188[12], unanimously passed by the United States Congress, states
"Propaganda from state-controlled media in the People's Republic of China has inundated the public in an attempt to breed hatred and discrimination."
Falun Gong's supporters, such as The Epoch Times, tend to be conservative and anti-Communist. Kangang Xu, a Falun Gong speaker, is the Chairman of the paper's board.
In China, the CCP has blocked access to certain sites on the Internet (including this article, see History of Wikipedia), and burned Falun Gong's books and materials. In addition, some junk mail filters are targeting [13] emails related to the Falun Gong spiritual movement and other dissidents[14].
On the other hand, there have been incidents in which China's state-owned television networks were jammed with reports on the persecution of Falun Gong. In addition, a syndicated Chinese language newspaper with worldwide circulation, The Epoch Times (English)(Chinese), is accused of having a pro-Falun Gong platform, mainly because it has been the mouthpiece of much of Falun Gong's claims of suppression and torture, but also partly because it has published articles suggesting a declining state in the CCP. These articles include Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party (jiuping), New Zealand to Celebrate 7 Million Renouncing Chinese Communist Party, and others [15].
According to WOIPFG reports, eight Falun Gong practitioners were arrested after one of the jamming incidents in Changchun city, including Liu Chengjun, who was allegedly tortured to death after 21 months incarceration in Jilin Prison.
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 13-year-old girl Liu Siying, doused themselves with gasoline and set themselves on fire in Tiananmen Square. Videos of the incident were widely broadcast on Chinese state television, as were interviews with Siying, who was horribly burned and whose mother, Liu Chunling, did not survive the incident.
Falun Gong practitioners emphatically denied that the people who set themselves on fire could have been actual practitioners, since suicide is completely against Falun Gong's principles. Analysts point out several inconsistencies in the government's version of the story. In Tiananmen Square, the closest building to the People's Hero Monument is at least 10 minutes away. Yet, the flames were put out in less than a minute. Normally, the surveillance camera in Tiananmen Square covers a fixed area. But on this particular day, the camera follows the police to the scene and zooms in to focus on the incident. Though the Chinese media claimed that it was CNN journalists who recorded the close-up shots, the head of the International Department of CNN stated that CNN did not film anything because at the very beginning of the incident, CNN reporters were arrested and their equipment confiscated. Authorities did not allow any reporters other than those from the Xinhua News Agency to interview 13-year-old Siying, nor did they allow any of her family members to visit. Two months after the incident in Tiananmen Square, the hospital announced the sudden death of Siying.
In slow motion deconstructs[16][17]of the video broadcasted by State-run Xinhua News Agency, an object is seen bouncing off Liu Chunling's head or neck. She collapses, suddenly, as if from a blow. Some analysts point out that the body language of the policemen suggests foul-play. 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.
Many observers believe that the incident helped turn public opinion in China against Falun Gong and has rallied support for the government crackdown.
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 December 13, 2005, 2,792 verified cases of Falun Gong practitioners dying in police and government custody mainland China, giving rise to 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 CCP does not deny detaining Falun Gong practitioners, but insists that they died from hunger strikes and refusals to seek medical treatments.
Abraham L. Harpen, Former President of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law sates "At least 43 psychiatric hospitals all over China are being used to detain and torture [Falun Gong] practitioners...We know some of the drugs the hospitals force on sane individuals in an attempt to destroy their will and spirit... we know of the widespread use of psychotropic drugs by ordinary police in jails, brainwashing centers, and labor camps."
As of December 2005, 61 lawsuits have been filed in about 30 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. (See a discussion on universal jurisdiction.) In at least one case, in Belgium, the lawsuit did not proceed further. The Chinese government is directly violating the United Nations Convention Against Torture (UNCAT), also ratified by China. Its second article states: "No exceptional circumstances whatsoever, whether a state of war or a threat of war, internal political instability or any other public emergency, may be invoked as a justification of torture", and "An order from a superior officer or a public authority may not be invoked as a justification of torture."
Christian reactions to Falun Gong are mixed. Some churches have remained silent over the issue, partly because certain Christian groups are also declared illegal in China; indeed, the Roman Catholic Church in Hong Kong is openly sympathetic to Falun Gong. Some churches, however, have accused Falun Gong of being a New Age occult group.
The practice of Falun Gong is currently present in more than 80 countries across the world; government reactions have ranged from open acceptance (United States) to tolerance (Australia) and suspicion (Japan and Singapore).
Resolution No.188[18], passed Unanimously by The United States Congress 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"...
"The campaign of persecution [against Falun Gong] has been 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."...
"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"
Falun Dafa umbrella groups contend that the Chinese authorities spread disinformation in Western countries in order to portray Falun Gong in a negative light, and to get the help of their governments in supressing it.[19]
French Falun Gong, Tibetan Buddhist groups, and other organisations regularly hold protests, sit-ins, distributions of leaflets, and other activities critical of the Chinese government.[20] In 2004, the French Falun Gong association asked president Jacques Chirac to convey a message to the Chinese authorities asking them to stop the crackdown [21]. Falun Gong practitioners have filed criminal charges in France against some officials of the Chinese police apparatus.[22]
Critics of the Falun Gong in the West argue that because of the relationship of dependency that Master Li establishes between himself and his followers, using what they say are a variety of manipulative techniques, the Falun Gong should be thought of as a cult rather than just a new religious movement. A number of prominent American cult experts, including Margaret Singer and Steven Hassan, have stated that Master Li meets their definition of a manipulative cult leader.
24-hour continuous protests
Falun Gong supporters in Vancouver, Canada continue to stage what they claim is the world's longest-running continuous protest against China's treatment of Falun Gong practitioners. [23] The protest, which runs twenty-four hours a day, is located at the entrance to the Chinese Consulate on Granville Street. There are also similar protests being staged in front of the Chinese Embassy in London, New York, and other cities worldwide. They have been continuous since June 5, 2002. [24] The government of Hong Kong allows nearly continuous demonstrations, albeit on a small scale, in tourist areas.
Falun Gong presence overseas
Falun Gong practitioners are often seen on the streets in major metropolitan areas, directly informing the public of the alleged treatment their fellow practitioners in China (and worldwide according to some pamphlets) receive from the Chinese government. In many Western cities (particularly Manhattan, New York City) several elaborate streetside demonstrations can be seen that portray scenes of alleged government brutality. Amidst these public displays are signs with simple slogans, such as "Falun Dafa is Good" and "Bring Jiang to Justice." Falun Gong practitioners are seen requesting passersby to to sign petitions that condemn the torture or to voice support for Falun Gong.
The Falun Gong mouthpiece in the West is the Epoch Times, distributed for free in metropolitan areas in the US, Canada, and Australia; however, the newspaper is intended for a wider audience, and not all of its employees are practitioners. Sound of Hope, a radio station broadcasting to China as well as Western countries, and a TV station named New Tang Dynasty are operated mostly by Falun Gong practitioners.
Some believe that practicing Falun Gong is becoming a legitimate method to gain immigration visas, and that some would-be immigrants, both legal and illegal, have attached themselves to the practice in the hope of gaining permanent residency in Western nations such as Australia, Canada, and the U.S.
Causes or groups that have supported Falun Gong include environmentalists and anti-nuclear campaigners; anti-Communist movements; pro-Tibetan independence and pro-Taiwan independence movements, among many others.
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
- Barend ter Haar, Falun Gong - Evaluation and Further References (incl. extensive bibliography)
External links
- Falun Dafa official website
- Falun Dafa Information Center
- Falun Dafa Minghui Net
- Falun Gong in the U.S.: An Ethnographic Study - a Master's Thesis by Noah Porter, also available in print
- 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
- United States 9th Circuit Court of Appeals' decision reversing the Board of Immigration Appeals order of removal of a woman who provided a Falun Gong member with newspaper articles critical of Chinese Government oppression
- Falun Gong
- On the Collusion of Jiang Zemin and the Chinese Communist Party to Persecute Falun Gong, by the Epoch Times, an anti-CCP newspaper
- Falun Gong practitioner's video about the Chinese govt. persecution
- In Memory Memorial website for practitioners deaths while under persecution, updated with their stories
- Global Mission to Rescue Persecuted Falun Dafa Practitioners Includes a database of Falun Gong persecution cases in China. Searchable by Location, Victim, Criminal, Date.
- World Organization to Investigate the Persecution of Falun Gong (WOIPFG)
- About the arrest and imprisonment of U.S. Citizen Charles Lee in China
- Friends of Falun Gong
- Series of 2001 Pulitzer Prize winning articles on the persecution of Falun Gong in China By Ian Johnson, Wall Street Journal
- Time Asia's article on Falun Gong (May 10, 1999)
- Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party from The Epoch Times
- Falun Gong Info: The True Nature of the Falun Gong by Samuel Luo, a Falun Gong critic.
- Critics and followers of Falun Gong: Adherents find fulfillment, but detractors call movement a cult A San Francisco Chronicle report
- Rick Ross Institute A extensive set of links to anti-FLG articles
- A 2003 speech by Li, singled out for its controversiality.
- Critical exposé from cult watchdog group
- 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[25], neutrophil functions[26], gene expression[27], and immunity[28].
- Link to a story about controversial quotes from Li Hongzhi about FLG
- The official view of the Chinese government: People's Daily excoriates Falun Gong
- FLG article and discussion from bi-racial website
- A H2G2 (free encyclopedia) article