Falun emblemFalun Gong (Traditional Chinese: 法輪功; Simplified Chinese: 法轮功; pinyin: Fǎlún Gōng; literally "Practice of the Wheel of Law") or Falun Dafa (Traditional Chinese: 法輪大法; Simplified Chinese: 法轮大法; pinyin: Fǎlún dàfǎ; lit. "Great Law of the Wheel of Law") is a Chinese spiritual practice, with beliefs similar to those found in Buddhism and Taoism, purporting to improve the mind, body, and spirit. The actual number of Falun Gong followers is a matter of dispute: Falun Gong itself claims to have over 100 million , including 70 million inside China; current official Chinese estimates put the number at about ten million, while, prior to the onset of the persecution, surveys pointed to 70 million practitioners.

The People's Republic of China(PRC), led by the Chinese Communist Party(CCP), became concerned by instances where Falun Gong practitioners gathered in large numbers almost instantaneously, and referred to the practice as an "evil cult" spreading superstition to deceive people. Whether Falun Gong is a beneficial spiritual practice or a manipulative cult has been the subject of much debate. The former leader of the CCP, Jiang Zemin, used his power to condemn the group using the state controlled media. It should be noted, however, that Falun Gong has always denied itself being a religion or a cult, despite having some principles similar to the cores of Buddhism and Taoism. The basis for the denial comes directly from Falun Gong's teachings, which claim that the practice encompasses the entire universe, including and beyond the Buddhist and Taoist schools.

Since the persecution of the practice in China, the CCP claims that the practice has deviated its focus from engaging in spiritual cultivation to engaging in politics, basing their opinions on the existence of numerous websites disparate from, yet in support of, Falun Gong (such as Friends of Falun Gong (http://www.fofg.org)). It is important to note that, due to an implication derived from its core principles, the teachings of Falun Gong discourage political involvement.

Origins and Beliefs
People practicing Falun Gong exercises outside of Queen's Park, Toronto, Ontario
Falun Gong practitioners enacting torture scenes in New York CityFalun Dafa was introduced to the general public in 1992 by Li Hongzhi (now residing in Brooklyn, New York), and grew very swiftly in popularity not only in China but worldwide. It was popularized widely under the CCP's supervision for seven years. An estimate of the CCP presented in 1998 on the public television (state owned) in Shanghai mentioned that in mainland China alone the number of practitioners were approx. 70-100 million.

Falun Gong contains a number of beliefs, some of which are similar to various schools and systems of belief such as Buddhism, Taoism, and Christianity, and others being unique to Falun Gong.

Core Beliefs
The three basic moral principles of Falun Gong are: Zhen, Shan and Ren, which translate approximately as 'Truthfulness, Benevolence or Compassion, and Forbearance or Tolerance'. It is through focusing on these qualities that Falun Gong practitioners say they develop what they call their xinxing (moral character) which then purportedly gives the potential to develop high levels of 功, gōng, (which Falun Gong practitioners use to mean "high level energy," in Mandarin Chinese gōng means "merit" or "achievement" and by extension it is part of compound terms describing a disciplined regimen). Practitioners of Falun Gong claim that gōng possesses healing properties and that 氣 qì (which means "breath") only suppresses or postpones illness. See also: qigong, kung fu, alternative medicine.

Purifying the Body
Central to Falun Gong are five sets of exercises (including meditation) that are said to help in the purification of the mind and the body. Falun Gong practitioners believe that illnesses are the result of karma (similar to black or bad karma in other systems), and are taught that the practice of these exercises will cleanse the body and eliminate the karma, thereby improving health. In Li Hongzhi's composition of nine lectures that he originally gave throughout China, Zhuan Falun (http://www.falundafa.org/eng/books.htm), Li states that he can personally eliminate karma; however, he also repeatedly asserts that his purpose is not to cure diseases. All Falun Gong exercises are taught free of charge by Falun Gong practitioners and are detailed in Li's books, which may also be found free of charge on their websites (such as http://www.falundafa.org).

In Zhuan Falun, Li Hongzhi states that a Falun resides in the abdomen of all true practitioners of Falun Gong. Falun means "Wheel of Law" in the Chinese language, which can be translated as a Dharma wheel or a Chakra; to Falun Gong practitioners, the Falun is specifically a wheel consisting of five srivatsas and four taijitu, as illustrated on the top right-hand corner of this page. The Falun is said to be a miniature of the universe, and once it is installed into the abdomen, it turns continuously. When the Falun turns clockwise, it absorbs energy from the universe into the body; when it turns counter-clockwise it eliminates waste from the body. Some of Falun Gong practitioners believe they can see this Falun rotating in their abdomens, provided their "celestial eye" (said to be associated with the pineal body) is open.

Morality
Li teaches that the five exercises and the Falun are not sufficient to ensure a person's physical, mental and spiritual well-being; only by living a morally upright life according to the principles of "Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance" can a Falun Gong practitioner be said to experience increased vitality, health, and peace of mind.

Specifically, Falun Gong teaches a form of conservative morality. For example, the act of homosexuality is regarded as a sin, the taking of any life is said to have negative consequences, and some even perceive miscegenation to be discouraged by the teachings of Li Hongzhi. However, in the central book of Falun Gong, " Zhuan Falun (http://www.falundafa.org/eng/books.htm#zhuanfalun) it is stressed that all sinners and sentient beings should be treated with tolerance and compassion and that practitioners should not act in an extreme manner. It should also be noted that practitioners are not required to become vegetarians. In his lectures, Li Hongzhi also suggests that different races bear the image of the gods that created them and have their respective cosmic paradise. As a result, some people feel that miscegenation is discouraged in Falun Gong, though it has been observed that many practitioners still reside in interracial marriages.

Other Beliefs
Like other spiritual practices and religions, some of the teachings of Falun Gong contain supernatural elements that may not have undebatable scientific evidence. Li Hongzhi has stated that gods and demons exist, humans have a "celestial eye," extraterrestrials "have begun to invade the human mind" unknown prehistoric civilizations can still be found. When interviewed by Time magazine in May 1999, Li declined to name his own teachers or to delineate the actual provenance of Falun Gong, though earlier text versions (mysteriously discontinued since the persecution) are said to clarify the issue. Furthermore, in 2002, Li claimed that after spreading Falun Gong for ten years, humanity's predestinations had changed, including a "comet catastrophe" and "the third world war."