Falun Gong

Falun Gong ({{zh-tsp |t=法輪功 |s=法轮功 |p=Fǎlún Gōng}}; literally "Practice of the Wheel of Law") or Falun Dafa ({{zh-tsp |t=法輪大法 |s=法轮大法 |p=Fǎlún dàfǎ}}; lit. "Great Law of the Wheel of Law") is a Chinese spiritual practice founded by Li Hongzhi, with beliefs similar to those found in Buddhism and Taoism, purporting to improve the mind, body, and spirit, as well as certain characteristics of New Age groups. The actual number of Falun Gong followers is a matter of dispute: Falun Gong itself claims to have over 100 million, 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 about 70 million practitioners.

Related Topics:
Chinese - Li Hongzhi - Buddhism - Taoism - New Age

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The People's Republic of China (PRC), led by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), became concerned by the ability of Falun Gong practitioners to gather in large demonstrations almost instantaneously, and on July 20, 1999, the government began a nation-wide suppression of Falun Gong, referring to the practice as an "evil cult" spreading superstition to deceive people. To be noted that at the time there were said to be 100,000 practitioners in Beijing alone. The former leader of the CCP, Jiang Zemin, condemned the group using the state controlled media, stating a position the Chinese government promotes to this day. The founder of Falun Gong, Li Hongzhi, has in the past denied that it is a religion or a cult, despite its using some language similar to Chinese Buddhism and Taoism. In recent years, however, Li has been using increasingly religious language to describe himself and his mission as well as the spiritual significance of Falun Gong. He claims that his practice of "Fa-rectification" encompasses the entire universe, purporting to include and go beyond all aspects of the Christian, Buddhist and Taoist religions http://www.clearwisdom.net/emh/articles/2003/2/27/32713.html. In distinction to many tightly controlled religious cults, Falun Dafa practitioners are free to enter or leave the group as they please.

Related Topics:
People's Republic of China - Chinese Communist Party - July 20 - 1999 - Cult - Superstition - Jiang Zemin - Spiritual

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Since the persecution of the practice in China, the 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). It is important to note that, due to an implication derived from its core principles, the teachings of Falun Gong are said to forbid any political involvement, and practitioners claim to have little interest in power or politics, the large number of political protests leading to the crackdown notwithstanding. However, Falun Gong's supporters, such as The Epoch Times, tend to be fiercely anti-communist and conservative, and Kangang Xu, a Falun Gong speaker, is the Chairman of the paper's board.

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