What are Falun Gong’s teachings and beliefs?
At the core of Falun Gong are the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance (or in Chinese, Zhen 真, Shan 善, and Ren 忍). Falun Gong teaches that these are the most fundamental qualities of the universe. Practitioners strive to adopt these qualities in their daily life through meditation, Qigong-like exercises, and the study of moral principles.
The entire set of original Falun Gong teachings can be freely accessed at the Falun Dafa official site https://falundafa.org.
Where can I learn to practice?
Visit FalunDafa.org—at this website, you can view instructional videos to learn the exercises or download the Falun Gong books, all for free. Many find it beneficial to learn from volunteers at a local park. You can use this website to find a practice site near you.
Visit LearnFalunDafa.org—if you prefer to have instruction online, you can sign up for free online classes available on this website.
Is Falun Dafa a religion?
Qigong practices like Falun Gong are part of a broader tradition of “cultivation practice” that has existed throughout Asia for millennia. In the West, Falun Gong is often classified as a religion on the basis of its theological and moral teachings. However, Falun Gong differs from religions in the conventional sense in that it does not involve worship, initiation rituals, or the collection of money. People are free to come and go and everyone is welcome regardless of background.
Why is it banned in China?
Falun Gong was widely popular across China throughout the 1990s and highly praised and awarded by the Chinese government at the time. However, a few top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party launched a violent campaign against the practice in 1999, due to Falun Gong’s growing popularity and because they felt Falun Gong’s emphasis on moral living and traditional Chinese culture was a threat to the atheist communist regime, which largely rules by control and fear.
Many insiders also point out that China’s top leader at the time, Jiang Zemin, personally resented Falun Gong’s popularity, fearing it was stealing attention away from his efforts to build a lasting legacy for himself.
Governments around the world and human rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called on the Chinese Communist Party to stop the persecution of Falun Gong. They have condemned the persecution as an illegal attack by a paranoid regime against believers of a peaceful faith.
To learn more about the persecution, please refer faluninfo.net or this Freedom House report.
Who Started Falun Gong?
Falun Gong was first made public by Mr. Li Hongzhi, a native of Changchun, China. Now living in the United States, Mr. Li is a four-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee and was nominated by the European Parliament for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. He is also the recipient of U.S.-based Freedom House’s International Religious Freedom Award.
What’s the difference between Falun Gong and Falun Dafa?
“Falun Dafa” and “Falun Gong” refer to the same practice. “Falun Dafa” is the formal name, whereas “Falun Gong” is a more colloquial term made popular in China.
In English, “Falun Dafa” translates to “Law Wheel of The Great Law.”