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BY NOAH PARKER
The art of qigong, which is sometimes
referred to as "Chinese yoga," is the practice of mind and body refinement
often done through slow-moving exercises and meditation.
Throughout China's history and, indeed,
throughout the world, numerous schools of qigong have been handed down, each
with its own characteristics and emphasis. Archaeological findings trace
qigong to as far back as 3,000 or more years ago. Through the centuries,
some schools of qigong have taken the form of religion, some have been
passed down privately in monasteries or temples, and some have taken the
form of popular exercises.
Falun Gong--which is also referred to as Falun
Dafa--is an ancient and advanced form of qigong. Falun Gong consists of
gentle exercises combined with a meditation component. Aside from its
popularity (100 million people in 60 countries), what is usually said to
distinguish Falun Gong is its emphasis on the practice of refining one 's
moral character in accordance with three principles--Truthfulness,
Compassion, and Tolerance. These three principles form the backbone of Falun
Gong 's philosophy and practitioners of the discipline aspire to live by
them in their daily lives, striving to achieve, over time, a state of
kindness, selflessness and inner balance.
The principles of Falun Gong are captured in
the two main books written by Mr. Li Hongzhi: Falun Gong (Law Wheel
Qigong) and Zhuan Falun (Turning the Law Wheel).
Falun Gong is a systematic,
introductory book that discusses qigong, introduces the principles of the
practice, and provides illustrations and explanation of the exercises. Falun
Gong is often recommended for beginners and those without a background in
qigong.
Organized in the form of nine lectures,
Zhuan Falun is the most comprehensive and essential work of Falun Gong.
Thorough study of Zhuan Falun is considered necessary for genuine
practice of Falun Gong. Both books and instructional videos are available
free on the Internet.
Falun Gong is correctly identified as a
spiritual practice. It does not have any religious forms--there are no
temples, rituals, clergy, or initiation. Practitioners of Falun Gong
practice according to their own lives and schedules, at home or with a
group, as much as they like or as little. There is no membership, and no
fees collected.
All practice sites teach the exercises free
of charge and are organized by volunteers. Practitioners of Falun Gong are
found in all walks of life: Doctors, lawyers, housewives, parents, students,
scientists, police officers--a broad cross-section of modern life that ranges
from young to old.
A Brief History
The discipline of Falun Gong was first made
public in May of 1992 in China by Mr. Li Hongzhi, who adherents regard as
the practice's founder or teacher; Falun Gong was previously taught only in
private to a single student and passed down in a lineage manner.
Months later, Mr. Li traveled with several
students to Beijing to participate in the Oriental Health Expo where Falun
Gong earned several awards, prompting organizers to invite Mr. Li to give
several impromptu lectures on the principles of the practice.
From 1992 to 1994, Mr. Li lectured on
invitation in almost every major Chinese city, giving 54 lecture series in
all. The number of attendees ranged as high as four thousand. All
instruction at that time was overseen by the Chinese Government's top qigong
organization, the China Qigong Scientific Research Society. Since the
exercises of Falun Gong were relatively simple and easy to learn, those who
had learned could easily show others. Soon, people began establishing
volunteer practice sites in parks and public recreation areas throughout
China. Furthermore, news reports and word of mouth acclaimed Falun Gong's
health benefits and positive impact. Thus, within a few years, hundreds of
thousands had taken up the practice.
During the early-to-mid 90's, Falun Gong was
also widely embraced by the Chinese Government. Mr. Li was invited to speak
at many government venues, such as the Hero's Foundation in the government's
Public Security Department. Mr. Li and Falun Gong also received numerous
awards from state-sponsored venues, such as the "Star Qigong" award given to
Mr. Li at the 1993 Oriental Health Expo in Beijing.
Although Mr. Li had stopped giving public
lectures at the end of 1994, Falun Gong's popularity in China continued to
soar. By 1996 Falun Gong had established itself as the fastest growing
spiritual practice in China, and perhaps, the world. With Mr. Li's third
book, Zhuan Falun, landing on Beijing's bestseller list, millions
were said to be practicing by then as the practice continued to be passed on
by word-of-mouth, and free of charge with volunteer practice sites being
established throughout the country.
Beginning in 1996, Mr. Li also began to teach
the practice abroad, traveling to Sweden first, and later France, Germany,
Australia, and the United States among other nations. As it did inside
China, the practice began to grow outside China through word-of-mouth and
volunteer practice sites.
By the end of 1998, a Chinese Government
survey concluded there were between 70 and 100 million people practicing
Falun Gong in China--more than 8% of the entire population. All seven members
of China's Communist Party's Politburo Standing Committee--the small circle
of leaders who effectively run the country--had read the Falun Gong books,
and some had family members who were practicing. In many areas, Falun Gong
had become a household name, synonymous with good health and principled
living.
The Practice Grows Internationally
Outside China, the practice continued to
grow. In 1998, Falun Gong experience sharing conferences were held in
different cities throughout the world, from Sydney to Frankfurt, from New
York to Singapore. Mr. Li's book Zhuan Falun was translated into
English, and made available for free over the Internet. Over the next
several years, Falun Gong books were translated into over 32 languages.
By 1999, volunteer practice sites existed in
more than 40 countries around the world as listed on Falun Gong's website:
http://www.falundafa.org. Furthermore, the persecution campaign in China
that began in 1999, had an unwitting side-affect around the world: From 1999
to the present, many people outside China expressing interest in the
practice said they first heard about it from news about the persecution. "I
first heard about [Falun Gong] on 60 Minutes when Mike Wallace was
interviewing Jiang Zemin," says Dr. Damon Noto, an orthopedics doctor
working in Boston. "When Jiang Zemin began to explain why he was persecuting
such a peaceful group he became very defensive...it was so obvious to me
that he was hiding something, so I decided to look into it."
Today there are volunteer Falun Gong practice
sites in over 60 different countries, including, Canada, Indonesia, South
Africa, Brazil, Germany and Russia, to name a few. Since Falun Gong is not
an organization, and has no membership roster, it is difficult to gauge
accurately the number of practitioners in each country. Judging from the
rising attendance at local and international experience sharing conferences
around the world, however, it is clear that the practice continues to grow,
with attendance at some conferences growing three-fold in the last four
years. These conferences are coordinated by volunteers, are free of charge
and open to the public. They provide a forum for practitioners to share
their experiences in the practice, and to learn from each other. Held in
major cities around the world where Falun Gong is practiced, their
attendance ranges from a few hundred to over 6,000.
Worldwide Appeals for Justice
When the persecution campaign against Falun
Gong was launched in 1999, the practice was thrust into headline news around
the world. The event impacted Falun Gong practitioners everywhere as many
began volunteering time and resources to appeal to relevant international
bodies for help to end the crisis.
In most large cities around the world (and
many small ones), Falun Gong practitioners have held peaceful public appeals
or processions memorializing those killed in China (see "Killed
in China for Their Beliefs")--all aimed to help raise awareness about the
persecution. They have also maintained peaceful appeals outside Chinese
Embassies and Consulates around the world (see "Events
and News from Around the World"). In some cities, such as Vancouver,
Canada, local practitioners have maintained a presence outside the Chinese
consulate for more than two years, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Across North America, government leaders have
bestowed Falun Gong and Mr. Li with several hundred proclamations and
recognitions for improving health, providing moral guidance, and for
peacefully resisting the persecution in China.
Mr. Li Hongzhi has been nominated for the
Nobel Peace Prize for the past four years in a row, for his stance of
peaceful resistance, and the millions in China who have upheld that teaching
in the face of horrific violence.
Throughout the past four years, Falun Gong
practitioners in China continue an unprecedented, nation-wide campaign that
has been strictly non-violent and non-political. They retain a single
objective: to restore the basic human rights of Falun Gong practitioners to
freely practice their beliefs.
Noah Parker is a software engineer who
studied Buddhism and Taoism for 20 years. He began practicing Falun Gong in
1999.
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Mr. Li Hongzhi lectures in the city of Wuhan during a Falun Dafa Seminar--one
of 54 lecture series Mr. Li gave in nearly 20 cities throughout China.
Widely supported by the Chinese Government in the early 1990's, Mr. Li
lectures for the Hero Foundation in the government's Public Security
Department.
Morning group practice in Chengdu City in 1996, by which time practice sites
like this one were in every major city in China run by volunteers.
In the early 1990's, Mr. Li Hongzhi and Falun Dafa earned numerous awards
and recognitions from government bodies.
By 1998, Falun Gong had spread, largely through word of mouth, to 70-100
million people in China. Volunteer practice sites were in every city.
A Falun Gong conference in Geneva in 1998. Beginning in 1996, Mr. Li
traveled to the U. S., Canada, Sweden and other countries to teach the
practice.
Morning practice in Chicago. By 1999, volunteer Falun Gong practice sites
were found in more than 40 countries around the world.
With more than 300,000 practitioners, Falun Gong is widely popular in Taiwan
where the President and other government leaders publicly support it.
Group practice in New York City's Central Park. Despite a violent
persecution in China, the practice continues to grow around the world.
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