Falun Dafa

Fei Tian Academy of the Arts strives to provide an uplifting environment of learning and self-improvement for its students and staff based on the Falun Dafa principles Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.

Introduction

Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong) is an ancient form of qigong, the practice of refining the body and mind through special exercises and meditation. Like tai chi, qigong is a vital part of many people's lives in Asia; almost every Chinese park is brimming by the break of dawn with people practicing these arts.

Only a few years after its public introduction in 1992, Falun Dafa quickly grew to become the most popular form of qigong ever in Chinese history. The major reason for this is that Falun Dafa distinguishes itself from other qigong practices by emphasizing not only physical cultivation, but also cultivation of one's moral character in daily life according to higher principles taught by Mr. Li Hongzhi, Falun Dafa's founder.

Falun Dafa's effectiveness in improving health and its profound principles have quickly made the practice immensely popular throughout the entire world. Since being introduced to the general public by Mr. Li, Falun Dafa has attracted tens of millions of people in over 60 countries. Most major cities and universities in the United States, Canada, Australia, and Europe have English-speaking Falun Dafa practice groups.

The people who practice Falun Dafa come from every imaginable walk of life, as Falun Dafa transcends cultural, social, economic, and national boundaries. The practice has spread largely by word of mouth, as those who learn it usually find the benefits simply too good to keep to themselves.

The practice

The practice of Falun Dafa is simple, yet profound and effective. It consists primarily of two components: self-improvement through studying Mr. Li's teachings, and performing Falun Dafa's five gentle exercises. The exercises, which include a meditation, are easy to learn, enjoyable, and at the same time both relaxing and energizing. Many students of Falun Dafa enjoy doing them together as a group outdoors. The teachings are articulated in two books, Falun Gong (Law Wheel Qigong) and Zhuan Falun (Turning the Law Wheel), which are available in over a dozen languages, including English.

The benefits of practicing Falun Dafa are numerous and varied, ranging from improved health and newfound energy to mental clarity, stress relief, and peace of mind. Yet Falun Dafa is different from most other qigong practices in that it goes beyond the pursuit of health and fitness to the goal of wisdom and enlightenment. At the heart of the practice are the supreme principles of the universe: Truthfulness, Benevolence, and Forbearance. Through a combination of studying the books and performing the exercises, practitioners strive to become better people by embodying these principles in everything they do.

Persecution in China

Unfortunately, Falun Dafa is currently persecuted in its homeland of China. Certain leaders in China's Communist Party (or "CCP") feared the practice's growing size and influence, and in 1999 banned it and began a campaign of violence, propaganda, and hatred. The move bespoke of a broader intolerance towards religious belief by the CCP, which is sworn to atheism. Roman Catholics are labeled an "evil cult" in China today, and subject to persecution, as are Protestants who do not register with official state-run "patriotic" churches, Tibetan Buddhists, Uighur Muslims, and other faith groups.

One key measure in the Party's suppression has been to limit, and distort, the information about Falun Dafa available to people-both in China and around the world. Right from the start of the suppression, the communist regime banned all books and informational media produced by, or discussing positively, Falun Dafa. All websites relating to the practice were immediately blocked. Eerily reminiscent of Farenheit 451, millions of Falun Dafa books were seized forcibly and burned publicly in mass rallies. The regime feared people might learn, if they knew not already, that Falun Dafa was a healthy, normal, and positive way of life. The second stage, directed by the Ministry of Propaganda, was to try to paint Falun Dafa as dangerous, deviant, and abnormal through misinformation.

Human rights organizations such as Amnesty International have documented thousands of cases of torture suffered by Falun Dafa adherents, with some estimating that as many as 40,000 members have died in custody from violent maltreatment. The United States Congress and other governments have strongly reproached China's regime for its actions. On July 24, 2002, the congress of the United States passed Concurrent Resolution 188, unanimously condemning persecution.

In face of such terrible persecution, Falun Dafa's practitioners have held fast to their faith and responded with only nonviolent, principled means. During these years of violence, torture, and denigration, not a single case is known of a Falun Dafa adherent responding in kind. Rather, they have tried only to reason with China's rulers (such as by filing petitions or writing letters) and remind China's citizenry that Falun Dafa is good. This bespeaks, we believe, of Falun Dafa's capacity to cultivate moral goodness and fortitude in a person's heart.

References

For more information on Falun Dafa and related current events, please visit http://falundafa.org and http://faluninfo.net.