What is Falun Gong and why is China cracking down on it?

It has been targeted in China, like Buddhism in Tibet, because of the communist governments desire to squash religious practices that could undermine their authority.

China, a couple years back, was highly embarrassed when a teen ager who is supposed to be the re-incarnation of a very highly-respected lama in the Buddhist religion was smuggled out of the country when it appeared China was going to imprison him.

There was even talk that they wanted to capture and forcibly coerce him into telling Buddhists that the communist government was a good thing.

Like any communist regime, they consider any organized independant organization or religion a threat to their authority.

I know you can't see it from where you're located, but if anyone wants to see the Falun Gong practitioners in action, drive by the Chinese consulate on Montrose between Westheimer and Richmond. A large group of practitioners sits outside the consulate, meditates, chants and does exercises every day on the public right-of-way and sidewalk.

 

Actually, religion is not <i>officially</i> repressed in China. There are Catholic, Protestant and Muslim churches/mosques that operate (more of less) freely in China with no restrictions from the government. I was recently in China and we saw (incidentaly) a Catholic church and went to a Muslim market.

Falun Gong is NOT a religion. It is more about a a way of living then worship of a deity. The problem is that there are a lot of members and the group has a huge influence on the way the members think. Plus the fact that the "group has taken to interrupting television broadcasts and beaming their own message into the homes of Chinese viewers." CNN Asia Website. This obviously upsets the government.

The government also claims that the group is harmfull to its members as they may choose not to seek appropriate health care, instead relying on the practice for cures. However, I think that's just a government excuse. They are really upset over the political influence the organization has over its followers.

I don't think the Chinese government has any issues with the <i>practice</i>, but with the fact the followers of the practice can be politically influenced by people other than the government.

 

How do we know that it's true, HayesStreet? The CIA probably gives money to high Communist Party officials in China... but how would we know THAT is true?

 

I thought CIA gave money to Saddam Hussein and Bin Laden as well?!

 

HS:

Before we can discuss this "religion", Please know there "religion" first. Not just some abstract excerpt from some website. But the real writings by Li Hongzhi, preferrablly in Chinese. Try to learn about the history of Mr Li as well. Then we can move on to how this guy enmass wealth in poor China by illegal means and moved to the US. Finally, how the things his organization is doing beyond the "religious" teaching.

I have to say, there is elements of that practice inheritant of the old Chinese Taoism practice mixed with vague or twasted Budhism gists. Some people practice it just like any other mind-peacing breath practice by any other Qigong in China. Well, I can do that too if only I buy 10 books about qigong in China and with my previous knowledge with these religions. But, if you do thngs I suggest you do, you'll find this Fanlun Gong is far beyond that. If you think islamic is evil...

 

You always amuse me HS, I have to say.

Right! It's very easy to take a shot at the things you know essentially nothing and let others come up every proof to defend. I don't have a holl of time, but it's sunday, so...

Here are some quotes from Li hongzhi's teaching (in English, so presumablly to a better educated audiance):

In qigong practices that cultivate dan, it is very difficult for one to achieve the state of Unlocking Gong and enlightenment while among ordinary people. Our Falun Dafa does not cultivate dan. Our practice cultivates a Falun in the lower abdomen. I personally install it for practitioners in the class.

We cultivate Falun instead of dan. Falun is a miniature of the universe that possesses all of the universe’s capabilities, and it can operate and rotate automatically.

There are also people who ask me, "Why can it rotate? What’s the reason?" It is easy to understand that dan can form when energy accumulates, but it is inconceivable that Falun rotates. Let me give you an example. The universe is in motion, and all of the universe’s Milky Ways and galaxies are also in motion. The nine planets orbit the sun, and Earth also rotates by itself. Think about it, everyone: Who’s pushing them? Who has given them the force? You cannot understand it with an ordinary person’s mentality, as it is just this rotating mechanism. The same is also true with our Falun, for it just rotates. (well, I guess he did attend highschool, but not much past it)

If you are a true practitioner, our Falun will safeguard you. I am rooted in the universe. If anyone can harm you, he or she would be able to harm me. Put simply, that person would be able to harm this universe. Casually disclosing so many heavenly secrets to everyday people is not allowed. But there is one point to be made. Now, times have changed. My fashen are so numerous that they are uncountable. Besides these practitioners, no matter how many more people there are, I am still able to take care of them.

In our Milky Way, there are over one hundred such paradises. Our Falun Dafa also has a Falun Paradise.


On one occasion I had my mind connected with four or five great enlightened people and great Taos from extremely high levels. Speaking of high levels, their levels were so high that everyday people would find it simply inconceivable. They wanted to know what was on my mind. It is absolutely impossible for other people to read my mind, and other people’s supernormal abilities cannot reach me at all. Nobody is able to understand me or know what is on my mind.

After seeing me, some people will hold my hand and not let it go. When others see these people shaking my hand, they will also shake my hand. I know what is on their mind. Some people are very happy to shake hands with Teacher. Some people want to get some messages and will not release my hand. We have told you that true cultivation practice is your own business. We are not here for healing and fitness, or to give you some messages and heal your illnesses; neither are we concerned with those things. Your illnesses will be cured directly by me. Those who practice at exercise sites will have my fashen to cure their illnesses. Those who study Dafa by reading the book on their own will also have my fashen to cure their illnesses. Do you think that you will increase gong by touching my hand? Isn’t that a joke?
.....

And numerous others. I've heard mor eoutragous things in the lecture by one of his "masters" during a lecture in a University.

This guy essentially proclaim himself as God, and the only one, teaches other not believe anything scientific, not worrying about illness etc, only if they worship him. If you are now interested in being saved by him, you can start reading his book here:
http://www.falundafa.org/book/eng/zflus.html
Of course you won't know in fullness what he was saying to uneducated rural Chinese people in Chinese--that's why I prefer you can read Chinese.


He was a postal worker, then a hooligan, then a charlatan, then a charlatan used by some people outside China with political purpose.

There are no short of charlatan throughout China's long history. This guy probablly is among the biggest. Were it not be western backs like CIA though, he won't amount to anything either. His organization did many illegal things in China, which in part allow himself to live a rich life in US, enjoying superior medical checkup at least twice a year .

The saga about Falun Gong is a sad story, but the way it's being used by some Americans is sadder. Everytime there is someone set himself on fire for Falun gong, I am reminded some similar cult in the US....

 

Here's an article on Falun Gong from The Houston Press. Interesting read.

 

Falun Gong is a dangerous and evil cult and should be eliminated from the face of the earth. Li is no more or less a religious leader than the Rev. Moon.

Do a google search. You'll hit their site. I'd never link it.

 

Hayes, thanks for starting a very interesting thred.

What to do with cults that call themselves religious is an interesting problem.

I know Germany has outlawed Scientology under their laws. In the US it is now treated as a religion.

I don't know the answer.

Another interesting question is what is it about Chinese society (intense poverty or lack of freedom?) that causes such a cult to spread so rapidly.

It also makes me think of how Christianity was veiwed when it started. Of course many Christian ministers have made a bundle off of religious scams. It can be difficult at times to separate a cult from a new religion.

 

What exactly is the difference between a religion and a cult anyway? Seems to me that it's all a matter of your perspective.

 

You are quite disappointing to me if you can't see in the script michecon listed that Falun Gong is an evil cult under the disguise of the religion, when their leader Li Hong Zhi evelate himself to a divine status equal to the universe and delcared that he can cure every illness directly.

This guy is a major crook.

I've talked about Falun Gong a while ago on this board, since this thread is interested in it. I'll quote what I've posted here before as it's basically my overall views on the true colors of Falun Gong and why the American government is behind it.

 

hahah, you amused me more. You started a thread asking what is Falun Gong, while knowing little about it. After I gave you some details about what they were about, you ducked the discussion about falun gong and posted a lengthy article about political opressions, essentially asking others to defend again. Frankly, I won't waste my time again. I won't take your claim of wanting to save lives seriously either if you want to justify for Falun Gong.

 

There is a valid point here, although I don't totally agree. But I do think religion validates themself through history and adapt enough to the society to survive.

 

Liars are liars, no matter how good they are they can't make their lies round, as liars rely on exaggeration and distortion to make lies.

First of all, this Falun Gong is a sneaky organization. It tries make itself more appealing by saying it's a traditional practice, and then it proceeds to say it's introduced to the public in "1992" by LiHongZhi. Since I don't think things since 1992 can be considered traditional, here is a question, why does it fail in introduce its origin? ya know, that how long it's dated back in Chinese history and originated by whom? The fact is, it has no origin before 1992, it's a brainchild of Li to perpetrate his mind controlling purpose through bodily practice.

Falun Gong is a form of new Qigong practice made up by LiHongZhi. Qigong refers to numerous mental process, or meditation means in China. Some of them are old with hundred years of history, some of them are new as people keep invented new methods over the old ones. Falun Gong is a new 10-year-old "Qigong" practice combined with so called "moral teachings" invented by Li. That's why it's not traditional

Let me ask this question, if one made some new music by changing the style and lyrics of traditional folklores, can he pass it off as "traditional" folklores?

Inconsistency abounds in lies.

Furthermore, if that "Chinese government survey" is a reliable source, or may I say, not made up by the Falun Gong members, then why DIDN"T they give reference to that survey to back up their claim of 70-100 million Chinese members?

In fact, even that estimation was done by a Chinese government survey, it's not so hard to see the ridiculousness of such survey. To put things in perspective, it's simply not impossible that there's one Falun Gong member among every 13 Chinese! Only in their wildest dreams!

I guess the trick here is that there's might be such a survey, but it's done not by a credible government agency, but some informal survey conducted by some sina research persons, who might worked in government so that such survey can be linked indirectly and deceivingly to the government. So that Falun Gong can, again, through twisting and distorting situation, borrow Chinese government's authority to perpetuate its populairty in China and gain more support.

Liars are just liars, but these Falun Gong members are no ordinary liars, and they present different faces to different people from different backgrounds. I suspect that LiHongZhi tells his "I'm a buddha reincarnation" BS to Chinese people as Chinese are into buddhism, and then tries to portray Falun Gong as only a meditation process for personal health with some spiritual slogan such as "Truthful, Merciful, Forbearing" in front of foreiners, as they know Buddhism doesn't appeal well to the westerners. Talk about a multifaceted ameba.

"Truthful, Merciful, Forbearing", this kind of slogans reminds me of the evil cult called "Religion of Truth" that engineered the poisonous gas leakage incident in subway some years ago in Japan.

It's really sad, that something like Falun Gong can be used as a crutch in political affairs.