Falun Gong: The Basics

Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a spiritual practice that millions around the world have made a part of their lives. Rooted in Buddhist tradition, it consists of two main components: self-improvement through the study of teachings, and gentle exercises and meditation. The belief system of Falun Dafa offers the possibility of spiritual growth through disciplined practice. Its teachings encourage learners to let go of unhealthy attachments as they strive to attune their lives to the underlying qualities of the universe: Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. People who practice Falun Dafa often find it to be life-changing. Many experience dramatic health benefits as well as newfound energy, mental clarity, and stress relief. More importantly, many feel that in Falun Dafa they have found a deeply rewarding spiritual path. Falun Dafa books and instructional videos are available for free at: https://www.falundafa.org/ Learn about the persecution of Falun Dafa by the communist regime in China: https://faluninfo.net/

For more than a decade, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been systematically killing innocent people on a large scale, and extracting their vital organs to fuel a multi-billion dollar organ transplant industry. A vast majority of the victims are Falun Gong practitioners, who have been detained by the CCP simply because of their faith. Both the United States Congress and European Parliament passed resolutions condemning this horrible crime. Israel, Spain, Italy and Taiwan all passed laws aimed at preventing their citizens from any involvement with China’s forced organ harvesting. Most significantly, an internationally renowned expert on genocide and crimes against humanity, Sir Geoffrey Nice QC, who famously lead the prosecution against former Yugoslavian dictator Slobodan Milosevic for war crimes, chaired an independent tribunal based in London called the China Tribunal. This tribunal conducted the most thorough and substantive analysis of forced organ extraction in China to date. The tribunal’s findings, announced in June 2019, concluded that prisoners of conscience have been—and continue to be—killed in China for their organs “on a significant scale.” And that most of the victims are Falun Gong practitioners. In a 2020 interview, human rights attorney David Matas shared a striking observation connecting forced organ harvesting with the coronavirus pandemic…

It’s an early Sunday morning at Veterans Park in Otisville, upstate New York. At a time of year when the trees are still green, but the mornings start to have a slight chill in the air. People of various ages, ethnicities and backgrounds slowly begin to fill up the otherwise empty park. They move quietly into a circle. With their eyes closed, they perform graceful, slow movements following meditation music from a loud speaker placed in the middle. For the last 20 years you’ve heard journalists talking about them on the T.V. and radio. You’ve seen them holding rallies and peace protests around the world. They are practitioners of Falun Gong. Who are these people? What motivates them? And how might their struggle to expose the Chinese Communist Party have far reaching implications for all of us?

In 1999, there were 100 million people practicing Falun Gong in China. Because of its popularity and independence, communist leader Jiang Zemin ordered the practice be “eradicated.” Millions have been detained, imprisoned, or tortured. Thousands confirmed died from torture in custody, with the true death toll likely many times higher.

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a spiritual practice in the Buddhist tradition that espouses the core tenets of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance. Although introduced to the public in China in 1992, its roots extend back thousands of years. Tens of millions of people practice in China. Falun Gong is also practiced in over 80 countries around the world.