Falun Gong: A Growing Tempest in China (Enlightenment News: 8/22/99)

The recent stories of political repression in mainland China bring to mind the brutal atrocities that took place there some ten years ago. Today, a low-keyed spiritual revolution is starting to develop in China that may ultimately topple the Communist government. At the pinnacle of this movement is a flourishing, spiritual discipline called Falun Gong, which blends together Taoism and Buddhism. Its many "cultivators"-the name that is preferred by students of this new school- say that they have no political agenda; however, they are, assuredly, affecting the political climate in China. Unfortunately, at the present time, it is impossible to separate the political realities of this developing story from the spiritual. The two seem inextricably intertwined. And that is a shame.

Here is an official introduction to Falun Gong as taken from one of their brochures:

"Falun Dafa (also know as Falun Gong) is an advanced cultivation system of mind, body and spirit based on ancient wisdom. It was introduced to the public by Master Li Hongzhi in 1992. Today, there are about 100 million Falun Dafa practitioners in over 30 countries in Asia, Australia, Europe and North America.

Falun Dafa includes five sets of exercises that work on the energy circulation of the body. The movements are smooth and flowing, and can be done easily by any age group. They have been proven to have wonderful physical and mental health benefits. Many doctors are now recommending these types of exercises to their patients.

The effectiveness of Falun Dafa is founded on its profound teachings, which advocate Zhen (truth, truthfulness), Shan (compassion, kindness, benevolence), and Ren (tolerance, forbearance). Practitioners are to be good individuals in all environments and conditions. Disallowed by the teachings, Falun Dafa does not have any binding memberships, political intentions, or any religious rituals.

Falun Dafa has helped practitioners to improve their health, to purify their mind, to uplift their spirit, and to deepen their understanding of life, humanity and the universe. It has helped numerous school students to turn away from alcohol, drugs, violence, and various unhealthy habits."

[http://www.mindspring.com/~falun/]

Having read two of Li Hongzhi books, I have little doubt that his system is most beneficial to one's health, although it is not so radically different from other paths that lead to spiritual growth and enlightenment. But Hongzhi's concepts appear directed at an entire culture rather than a relatively few number of individuals. Let me expand upon this:

Personally, I've made a major commitment in my life to the study of both Zen and Integral Yoga: which includes the daily practice of meditation. I have studied both for over fifteen years. Experience has taught me that meditation changes one's consciousness in a most profound manner and eventually remolds one's entire zeitgeist.

However, as valuable as the study of Yoga and Zen can be, such disciplines aren't for everyone. Some months ago, I had the privilege of attending a conference featuring [a Zen Master], the Abbot of [a Zen school]. [He] is a brilliant man and a scintillating speaker. But there were only twelve people in the room, despite the fact that the event had been promoted. Although none of the participants were perturbed by this small turnout, it was clear that Zen, at least in the city of Pittsburgh, PA, isn't likely to change the way most of its citizens think-and neither is Yoga.

Should anyone care? And more broadly, is a dearth of spirituality eally a problem? Many would say not. They would say that people will hear the call when they are ready. Well, in the case of the exponential growth of Falun Gong, one is tempted to believe that many are hearing the call.

Estimates of the total number of "cultivators" range anywhere from 60 to 100 million. And most reliable sources put the number far closer to 100 million rather than 60 million. According to some reports, most people in China believe in Falun Gong to a greater or less degree. Most impressive is the fact that this discipline was spawned as recently as 1992.

Only a short time ago, it was highly praised by the leadership of mainland China. It was considered to be a wonderful form of exercise for both the body and spirit. But the views of the Chinese government have changed radically. For the movement has them spooked. It's now illegal to practice the discipline and those who persist are being savagely repressed. High ranking government employees who have embraced these teachings are frequently being sent to "re-education" camps. As this is being written, the Chinese government has been pressing its attack against high-ranking officials who practice Falun Gong.

The books of Master Li Hongzhi are being turned into pulp with shredding machines at government sponsored gatherings-the modern equivalent of book burning.

Clearly, the government of China fears a discipline that has won the allegiance of millions of people. Although the "cultivators" maintain a non-political stance, they have won the hearts of millions. And for a totalitarian government, such power is viewed as being destabilizing.

Over the past few years, the Falun Gong movement has spread around the world. Although most "cultivators" are still of Chinese extraction, there are signs that that picture is rapidly changing. Some in our media have attempted to portray the average "cultivator" as being poor, uneducated, and disaffected. I judge that to be an erroneous description. I don't dispute that there are people fitting the aforementioned description who are practicing Falun Gong, but the people that I have met do not fit the profile. Indeed most are college educated and many have advanced degrees. Furthermore, many have degrees in the hard sciences, such as physics. Groups of cultivators have appeared on some of the most prestigious of American campuses, including Cal Tech.

Among the "cultivators," no one likes to be thought of as a leader. I suppose this is for a number of good reasons. To be labeled a Falun Gong leader in China is to risk imprisonment or worse. [Editor's note: this is author's misunderstanding. The real reason is that Falun Gong has no formal organization and coordinators are all voluntary. And practitioners take fame and ranks very lightly.] Obviously, we have a far different mindset here in the United States. However, here, too, titles can be troublesome. For example, Spiritual gurus are held in disdain. Ironically, because of the respectability that the burgeoning martial arts movement has had in the States, the term Master, when used in context with physical training seems, I think, acceptable to most Americans.

The practice of the five exercises of Falun Gong, which to the uninitiated resemble Tai Chi exercises, is supposed to bring more than tranquility and health. According to Li Hongzhi, paranormal powers may also manifest, such as clairvoyance, clairaudience, telepathy, and precognition. However, as is the case with most teachers of the esoteric, Li Hongzhi cautions students from actively pursuing these powers.

When I queried one physicist who practices Falun Gong about how he squared talk of the paranormal with his formal, mainstream education, he said that there are a lot of things that aren't yet understood by conventional science. Coming from a mainstream scientist, that remark struck me as being refreshingly objective.

Most of us who have studied Yoga are well aware of associated paranormal powers. But a lot of mainstream scientists still choke at the mention of psi.

Li Hongzhi's books focus on what he calls Buddha Law. As he explains it: "Buddha Law is most profound, and the most mystic and supernormal science of all theories in the world. To open up this field, it is necessary to make a fundamental change of the mentality of ordinary people; otherwise the truth of the cosmos will forever remain a myth to mankind and ordinary people will always crawl along within the boundary delimited by their own ignorance.

What is Buddha Law after all? Is it a religion? A philosophy? That is only the understanding of " the modernistic scholars of Buddhism." They merely study the theory. They regard Buddha Law as something like a category of philosophy and make a study of and do the so-called research on it with a critical eye. Nevertheless, Buddha Law is more than that little bit recorded in the Sutras, which only deals with Buddha Law at the elementary level. Buddha Law is an insight into all mysteries of the cosmos and encompasses everything while leaving out nothing from the particle, the molecule to the universe, from even the smaller to the greater. Buddha Law is an exposition of the cosmic qualities 'Zhen-Shan-Ren-Truth, Compassion, and forbearance-presented at different levels in different ways. It is what the Tao School means by Tao and the Buddha school by Law."

[http://www.mindspring.com/~falun/]

Mysticism has played an important role throughout China's long history. As China has become, marginally, less regimented in recent years, hundreds of Falun Gong sects have flourished. While government officials had no problem with people practicing harmless exercises, they began to have second thoughts when popular Falun Gong cultivators started to come to the fore. Despite the vehement denials of Falun Gong practitioners, the movement does have people who have come to be considered leaders, at least by the standards of the Chinese overnment.

Have the followers of Falun Gong moved prematurely? Have they attempted to grapple too soon with the repressive communist party? That's difficult to tell; however, early reports seem to indicate that the government's fierce attack is netting results. For instance, a key person in the Falun Gong movement, Li Qihau, has "confessed the error of his ways." Li, 81, retired 15 years ago after a lifetime in the communist cause. Until a short time ago, he was a follower of Falun Gong. Because of his high ranking among China's elite, he was a very important figure to the Falun Gong movement. Li had previously urged China's leaders to look favorably upon Falun Gong and to begin the exercises and meditations associated with it.

With his defection from Falun Gong, the government has struck a severe blow to the movement. But as history has shown, it is difficult to fight an idea-to repress spirituality once it has started to grow. And the Internet has proven to be a vital and flexible tool for publicizing the sects. Electronic versions of all of the books by Li Hongzhi are available free of charge, along with videos and music.

Training in the practice of Falun Gong is available at no charge. Teams of dedicated cultivators will provide instruction and printed materials.

Although one can learn to practice alone by watching the online video and reading the materials, learning from an instructor clearly has its advantages. Some of the hand movements are a bit difficult to discern by watching the video. Part of the problem stems from a lack of close up shots. Cultivators also stress that greater spiritual energy is developed when people practice in groups.

I think that is also one of the attractive aspects of the regimen. Even to the casual observer, there is undeniable grace and serenity to the movements.

One has to be impressed with the growth of Falun Gong throughout the world. It seems especially adaptable to today's realities. It appeals to people of all ages and brings them together in a harmonious fashion. Will the movement be self-sustaining here in the West? It's a question that can't be answered at the moment.

But I would, certainly, encourage those seeking a spiritual path upon which to journey to take the time to make a serious study of this most remarkable discipline.