World religions: what is falun dafa?

Falun Dafa is a new but flourishing religious movement boasting some 100 million practitioners, mostly in China.

The movement’s founder, Li Hongzhi, introduced his popular belief system in 1992, drawing selectively upon the tenets of Taoism and Buddhism -- Falun Dafa’s three main principles are truthfulness, benevolence and forbearance -- and infusing them with equal doses of exercise and meditation, a regimen called Falun Gong. Falun Dafa proponents say the discipline leads to mental clarity and is a more powerful tool to fight depression and stress.

Falun Gong itself is a variation qigong (pronounced chee-gong), an ancient Chinese discipline that promotes a healthy mind and body. To this age-old cocktail of beliefs and disciplines, Hongzhi stirred in an equal portion of spirituality.

Hongzhi’s Falun Dafa system spread rapidly, primarily by word of mouth, and within a few years, it had spread from border to border in China and was making inroads globally.

The popularity of Falun Dafa, or “The Practice of the Wheel of Dharma,” caught the Communist government of China off guard. After 10,000 practitioners assembled in Beijing in 1999, the government’s State Council Office for Prevention and Handling of Cults denounced Falun Dafa, labeling it a “spiritual drug” and forbidding its practice. More recently, the government formed its “6-10 Office,” whose job is to “eradicate Falun Gong,” according to proponents of Falun Dafa.

Even though followers of Falun Dafa ascribe to nonviolence and say they support no political agenda, the government was quick to take action against a quickly-forming, vast network of like-minded people.

Practitioners in China maintain that hundreds of thousands of people have been arrested and turned over to forced labor camps or mental institutions since the crackdown. In addition, the Falun Dafa Information Center maintains it has verified more than 1,000 deaths, while suggesting the total is likely five times higher.

Officials from several governments, including the United States, as well as human rights groups like Amnesty International, have urged the Chinese government of Jiang Zemin to ease up on Falun Dafa followers, but the practice remains illegal in China.

As a result, followers often speak out in other countries to draw attention to the persecution of Falun Dafa adherents in China. They maintain that Falun Dafa teaches only a return to the “true self” and encourages people to be more compassionate.

Although a similar message can be found in other forms of Eastern philosophy, Falun Dafa breaks tradition with some of its lesser-known teachings.

Proponents have come under some fire trying to educate people about Falun Dafa’s more unorthodox beliefs, including animal and demonic possession, extraterrestrial intelligence, and paranormal abilities such as clairvoyance. Falun Dafa’s primary text, Zhuan Falun, maintains the earth has been visited by UFOs. It also suggests that TV and radio are conduits used to control people.

More alarming to some people is Falun Dafa’s aversion to modern medicine. Critics say that hundreds of followers have died by following an edict to shun medical treatment, while proponents argue that no one is told to avoid the hospital.

Instead, followers say they are asked to investigate the deeper reasons for illness, which, according to Falun Dafa, are interconnected and curable by following the belief system.

Falun Dafa followers maintain they are not out to make a buck, pointing out that their principal texts are available for free on the Web, although other books and videos are for sale.