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Falun Gong, (; literally "Practice of the Wheel of Law") also known as Falun Dafa, (; lit. "Great Law of the Wheel of Law") is a system of "mind and body cultivation" introduced by Li Hongzhi (whose surname is Li) to the public in 1992. Falun Gong refers to five sets of meditation exercises (four standing, and one sitting meditation), and Falun Dafa refers to a set of religious teachings. Li claims to provide salvation for mankind * and his Dafa (great law) is judging all beings in a process called Fa-rectification. * Falun Gong has been the focus of international controversy since July 20, 1999, when the government of the People's Republic of China (PRC) began a suppression of the movement nationwide, except in the special administrative region of Hong Kong. The PRC government claims to have banned the group for what it considers to be illegal activities. 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 has introduced the practice to other countries. At the beginning, Li introduced himself to the public as a Qigong master. In A Short Biography of Mr. Li Hongzhi, which appeared as an appendix in the Chinese version of his book, Zhuan Falun, before 1996, it was claimed that Li was guided by more than 20 masters of both the Buddhist and Taoist cultivation ways since the age of four. Li’s first teacher reportedly introduced him to the cultivation of truth, compassion and forbearance (zhen, shan, ren). At age of eight, he was reported to have acquired supernatural powers. It was claimed that he could levitate off the ground and become invisible simply by thinking "Nobody can see me.” Two other claims of supernatural powers were his ability to control people’s movements by thoughts and to move himself anywhere he wanted by thought alone. The biography also claimed Li has discovered the truth of the universe and the origin of humankind and has foreseen the development and future of the humankind. In Li Hongzhi’s Canadian lectures held on May 23, 1999 in Toronto, a question was asked to Mr. Li: "I want to recommend to a newspaper that they publish the Master’s biography. Is this appropriate?" and he answered:
Interviewed by Time magazine in May 1999, Li Hongzhi was asked to name his teachers. In response Li stated, "I do not wish to have their names known. I had masters in two schools." History and timeline Falun Gong was introduced to the public by Li Hongzhi 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, Mr. Li Hongzhi introduced the practice to other countries. Since then, Falun Gong has been voluntarily promoted by practitioners themselves. Beliefs and teachings 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 teaches that what it calls the "Buddha Law" can be summarized in three words – Zhen , Shan and Ren , 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 真, Shan 善 and Ren 忍. 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 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. The study states:
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.• Criticism and controversies Criticism and controversy about the Falun Gong began a few years after its introduction in China in 1992 and continues to this day. Differences between Falun Gong 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 “the 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. Li as a savior or supernatural entity Li has never directly said he is God, but some critics say that he assumes the role of a divinity by virtue of his claimed supernatural powers (Chang, 2004). In addition to claiming to be the exclusive savior of mankind during this "Dharma ending period," Li promises his disciples that they themselves will become gods some day. He has numerous fashen (law bodies) which, it is claimed, can also exercise "great supernatural power," cure illnesses and know what the practitioners are thinking at all times. Fa-rectification: Lis version of the apocalypse? Whether Li’s teaching that his Dafa (great law) is judging all sentient beings amounts to an apocalyptic prediction is a matter of some debate. Practitioners strongly reject the apocalyptic label, while commentators generally come to an opposite conclusion. Maria Chang (2004) writes: "Just as human civilizations had been destroyed in the past because of immorality, Li is convinced that the moral decadence of our times is leading to another apocalypse. His writings and speeches are replete with references to the 'Dharma-ending period' of 'the apocalypse,' the 'Great Havoc,' and the 'end times' (mojie). With the end days approaching, Li has set about disseminating Falun Dafa so as 'to provide salvation to mankind ... in this final period of the Last Havoc.'" 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 sexual orientation Li has made statements condemning homosexuality, suggesting a homosexual has a "dark heart, turning demonic." However, homosexuals can practice Falun Gong if they "correct this bad behavior". The teachings of Falun Gong are seen as homophobic by critics, while defenders of the Falun Gong dispute whether statements made by Falun Gong's founder are fairly interpreted. Ethics 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. 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:
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:
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. Because of this, Falun Gong practitioners see the PRC 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. Suppression of Falun Gong In July 1999, the PRC government declared the practice of Falun Gong illegal in mainland China. Several weeks earlier, for 12 hours on April 25, about 10,000 people gathered at the Central Appeal Office at Foyou street, There has been international response to the suppression. According to the Falun Gong's Falun Dafa Clearwisdom.net site, there are, as of June 3, 2006, 2,898 reported cases of Falun Gong practitioners dying in police and government custody in China, giving rise to allegations of torture and police brutality. The report also alleges that hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners have been detained, with more than 100,000 sentenced to forced-labor camps. Theoretical and epistemological Studies The content of Li Hongzhi's books include commentaries on questions that have been raised in China's qigong community. 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 a number of terms used in the Falun Gong context differ somewhat from the definitions traditionally used in Buddhist and Daoist belief systems. Falun Gong outside mainland China The suppression of Falun Gong practitioners has been regarded by most 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. Falun Gong practitioners are often seen on the streets in major metropolitan areas, directly informing the public of the suppression of practitioners in mainland China. Further reading Falun Gong sites Critical sites Other sites | |||||||
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