Practicing Falun Gong
Practitioners of Falun Dafa reported a variety of benefits, from fortified health and energy to stress relief and peace of mind.
However, Falun Dafa is different from most other qigong practices in that it goes beyond the pursuit of health and wellness to the attainment of deeper wisdom and spiritual enlightenment. The three principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance, along with the five exercises, provide the blueprint for self-improvement in the practice. Through doing the exercises and studying Mr. Li’s teachings, practitioners strive to become better people and come to new understandings of the world around them.
Recommended Books for Beginners
Zhuan Falun
Zhuan Falun (Revolving the Law Wheel) is the main book of Falun Dafa. All the principles of Falun Dafa are contained in the Book.
Falun Gong
Falun Gong is the introductory book of Falun Dafa. It’s recommended for beginners to read this book first if you are not familiar with the concept and terminologies.
The Great Way of Spiritual Perfection
“Exercises are the supplementary means for reaching perfection.”
Mr. Li Hongzhi offers detailed explanations of Falun Dafa exercises in the book.
Local Practice Site
If you would like to learn from someone in your area, with the contact information here you’ll be well on your way! All Falun Dafa activities are free of charge.
Falun Gong FAQs
At the core of Falun Gong are the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance (or in Chinese, Zhen 真, Shan 善, and Ren 忍). Falun Gong teaches that these are the most fundamental qualities of the universe. Practitioners strive to adopt these qualities in their daily life through meditation, Qigong-like exercises, and the study of moral principles.
Qigong practices like Falun Gong are part of a broader tradition of “cultivation practice” that has existed throughout Asia for millennia. In the West, Falun Gong is often classified as a religion on the basis of its theological and moral teachings. However, Falun Gong differs greatly from religions in the conventional sense in that it does not involve worship, rituals, or the collection of money. People are free to come and go and everyone is welcome regardless of background.
Falun Gong is open to everyone. Although it originated in China, it is practised by people around the world. Today, millions of people from different ethnic, cultural, and racial backgrounds and from all walks of life practise Falun Gong. It is taught by volunteers in over 130 countries across the globe. Falun Gong books have been translated into 40 languages and are available free online.
In early 1999, Chinese government officials and state-run media estimated that 70–100 million people were practising Falun Gong in China, making it the fastest-growing spiritual teaching in the world at that time. Today, although people who practise Falun Gong are found in over 130 countries around the world, it is difficult to give precise numbers because the practice has no concept of membership.
Falun Gong was first made public by Mr. Li Hongzhi, a native of Changchun, China. Now living in the United States, Mr. Li is a five-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee and was nominated by the European Parliament for the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought. He is also the recipient of U.S.-based Freedom House’s International Religious Freedom Award.
Falun Gong was widely popular across China throughout the 1990s and highly praised and awarded by the Chinese government at the time. However, a few top leaders of the Chinese Communist Party launched a violent campaign against the practice in 1999, due to Falun Gong’s growing popularity and because they felt Falun Gong’s emphasis on moral living and traditional Chinese culture was a threat to the atheist communist regime, which largely rules by control and fear.
Many insiders also point out that China’s top leader at the time, Jiang Zemin, personally resented Falun Gong’s popularity, fearing it was stealing attention away from his efforts to build a lasting legacy for himself.
Governments around the world and human rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch have called on the Chinese Communist Party to stop the persecution of Falun Gong. They have condemned the persecution as an illegal attack by a paranoid regime against believers of a peaceful faith.
“Falun Dafa” and “Falun Gong” refer to the same practice. “Falun Dafa” is the formal name, whereas “Falun Gong” is a more colloquial term made popular in China.
In English, “Falun Dafa” translates to “Law Wheel of The Great Law.”
