Thursday, March 21, 2019

Falun Gong: Religious Persecution in China


History of Falun Gong

At the height of the Cultural Revolution, Mao Zedong had it banned due to its links to ancient Chinese religion, but the ban was removed when a lab claimed to have found qigong energy (life energy). In the 1970s, the Chinese government began promoting qigong, a series of exercises designed to improve physical and spiritual health, to promote traditional Chinese medicine. From the late 1970s to the 1990s, millions of Chinese were drawn to qigong due to the purported health benefits, which resulted in many qigong organizations, magazines and much more.

In 1992, Li Hongzhi founded Falun Gong/Falun Dafa, which means discipline of the Dharma wheel. Li promised to install purifying wheels in the bodies of his followers to free them from all physical issues.

The government initially welcomed Falun Gong due to its core values of honesty, compassion and forbearance. It also filled the spiritual vacuum left by the Cultural Revolution, which resulted in Falun Dafa gaining upward of 100 million followers by the end of 1998. This all changed when state-run media began criticizing Falun Gong, which lead to 20,000+ practitioners peacefully protesting at the Zhongnanhai Leadership Compound in Beijing. The size of the protest surprised Chinese leadership and resulted in them banning the movement, even going so far as calling it a “heretical cult”.  

China was not initially successful in suppressing the movement due to Falun Gong practitioners moving to the United States and Canada. Falun Gong practitioners told Western media that China was threatening their religious freedom. The Western media dropped coverage on the persecution of Falun Gong because the Chinese government claimed that Falun Gong was a cult and they claimed that members immolated themselves in Tiananmen Square in 2001. 



protest to stop persecution of Falun Gong in New York City
Beliefs of Falun Dafa
Falun Gong heavily draws from both Buddhism and Taoism, much like Buddhism, Falun Gong teaches that desire is the source of all suffering and attachments prevent practitioners from ending the reincarnation cycle. Falun Gong states that everyone accumulates karma and virtue throughout their lifetime, the ratio of virtue to karma will decide their next life.

To improve upon the ratio of virtue and karma, practitioners must increase their levels of Xinxing, which is the relinquishing of all immoral thoughts and it includes the 3 cosmic qualities of Zhen (Truth), Shan (Compassion) and Ren (Forbearance/Tolerance). According to Ian Adam’s “The Theories and Practices of Li Hongzhi:  Power of the Wheel the Falun Gong Revolution, he writes that Ren is very similar to the Christian value of charity, except Falun Gong practitioners are complete pacifists; they would not fight even in the direst circumstances.

From Taoism, Falun Dafa took the idea of inner alchemy, which focuses on the cultivation of Qi energy; this can be achieved by meditating and self-improvement, which results in accumulation of gong energy. Cultivation of gong energy leads to communion with spirits that will advise you, though Li Hongzhi warns that some of these spirits are evil.  


Persecution of Falun Gong
Since the turn of the century, the Chinese government has been relentlessly persecuting Falun Dafa, a 2006 report from the UN reported that 2/3 of Chinese torture cases were Falun Dafa practitioners. The persecution of Falun Gong practitioners has also been documented by the following: Amnesty International, the U.S State Department, The Human Rights Watch, The U.S Commission on International Religious Freedom, and other NGOs.

The Chinese Communist government fears anything that removes the people’s allegiance to the CCP, and they believe the diversity of thought is a threat to the communist regime. As a result, Falun Gong beliefs and practices are the most censored terms on China’s intranet.

Moreover, the Chinese government openly admits that they use the organs of executed criminals for organ donations; Falun Gong practitioners are also a source of many of these organs, though there is still a gap between organ donations vs. total transplants





Swoon Films: The Persecution of Falun Gong




Conclusion
All in all, Falun Dafa was founded by Li Hongzhi in 1992. The CCP welcomed its presence until the 1999 protest, which scared the Communist Party into persecuting and smearing Falun Dafa. Falun Gong draws heavily from Buddhism and Taoism and practitioners are pacifists until death. Finally, because Falun Dafa offers ideas that are different from that of the Chinese Communist Party, Falun Gong has become one of the most censored terms on the Chinese intranet and the government is currently using them for unethical organ transplants.  

Works Cited

Ownby, David. “Falun Gong.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 25 May 2016, www.britannica.com/topic/Falun-Gong.
Stenudd, Stefan. What Is Qi Energy?, Qi Energy Exercises, www.qienergyexercises.com/what-is-qi-energy.htm.
“The Theories and Practices of Li Hongzhi.” Power of the Wheel the Falun Gong Revolution, by Ian Adams et al., Stoddart, 2001, pp. 75–115.
“WHAT IS FALUN GONG?” Faluninfo, Falun Dafa Info Center, faluninfo.net/what-is-falun-gong-2/.
“What Is Falun Gong?” GotQuestions.org, GotQuestions.org, 28 June 2017, www.gotquestions.org/Falun-Gong.html.

Winter, Max. “Falun Gong (Spiritual Movement).” Research Starters, Ebscohost, 2019, eds.a.ebscohost.com/eds/detail/detail?vid=3&sid=92aaeb47-b47f-47d8-ad5e-237ede651e1a%40sessionmgr4007&bdata=JkF1dGhUeXBlPWNwaWQmY3VzdGlkPXM5MDU4NTU1JnNpdGU9ZWRzLWxpdmUmc2NvcGU9c2l0ZQ%3d%3d#AN=87321420&db=ers.
United States. Cong. Committee- Executive Commission on China Falun Gong in China: Review and Update  112th Cong. 2nd sess. Washington: GPO, 2013

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