Falun Gong: Body-balancing Meditation or Anti-government Cult?

By David Rice
14/11/05

     The ancient Buddhist practice of Falun Gong has been quite a hot topic lately, both because of its massive resurgence in China and in conjunction with some of the worst atrocities since the Vietnam War. Apparently the Chinese Communist Party has been detaining and torturing millions of Gong practitioners across China over the past few months—totally without reason say human rights activists. But is Falun Gong really a benign, secular practice or is it a cultish, insidious organization brainwashing droves of impressionable Chinese youth?

     The practice is a set of traditional exercises—like the less mysterious T’ai Chi—that help balance the body’s spirit and energy, and promote health, strength and longevity. Long dormant in Chinese culture, the last decade has seen the practice’s biggest revival since ancient times. A quick search on the Internet yields hundreds of sites claiming to explain Gong’s mystical principles and those of the related Falun Dafa. Like many martial arts, Gong involves forging and honing an ideal version of the self, free of weakness and imperfection. The sites agree that mastery of Falun Gong requires a samurai-like dedication to perfection, eventually doing away with individuality altogether and ascending to a higher level of existence, something like the Nirvana concept in Indian philosophy.

     The theory is fascinating, but in reality is Falun Gong just a set of harmless movements, taught at free clinics in most Chinese cities, or is there more than meets the eye?

     Since its reintroduction in 1992 by revered teacher Li Hongzhi it has spread to over 100 million people in China and overseas, making it one of the largest new associations in the world. Practitioner reports rave about it, saying how it changed their lives in innumerable positive ways; helping them be better people, find peace and direction. So why then is the Chinese government murdering and torturing devotees to such a degree that many are calling it genocide and an offense against humanity?

     At the Pitt St. Hilton in Sydney recently there was a massive demonstration at a conference for Chinese government officials and high-ranking businessmen. Scores of Chinese-Australians set up outside the hotel with photographs and free information, trying to educate the visitors as to what their government has been doing. Many, like Lucy Zhao, who stood all day handing out leaflets and articles in Chinese and English, say this was a huge opportunity to make the officials privy to facts they may not have access to in China. She says that educating Chinese officials like those gathered at the Hilton may be the best chance Gong supporters in Australia have of stopping the brutality.

     Of course their efforts—despite an array of harrowing, stomach-twisting photos—had little effect as most of the officials passed by uninterested, but still those on the street viewed the day as a step forward.

     There is far too much secrecy surrounding the situation to form an opinion on it at the moment. The canvassers insist that Gong practitioners are being tortured for no reason, victims of a cruel and repressive government that cannot tolerate interest in anything but itself. But the government obviously views the art’s extremely high number of supporters as a threat. Why else would it crack down to the degree that it has? Some have even suggested that Gong’s popularity may be rooted as deep as the Chinese familial system—overprotected only children desperate for any excuse to get out of the house are easily convinced to sign on to a new value system different from their parents’. Is it possible that Falun Gong is preying on vulnerable, rebellious youths to build up an army for unknown purposes?
     Is it possible that Falun Gong has some secret religious or ritualistic affiliations that, when supported by hundreds of millions, really does pose a threat to the Communist Party?

     Is Falun Gong an anarchic cult? The Chinese government seems to think so; the victims and their supporters swear it is not. Only one thing is for sure: Falun Gong is important enough to merit a crackdown unlike anything since Tienneman Square. Whether or not it’s totally harmless is anyone’s guess.

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