Falun Dafa, also called as Falun Gong, is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline that is Buddhist in nature. It consists of moral teachings, meditation, and gentle exercises that are known in Chinese culture as “qigong.” The exercises are a truly unique and enjoyable, way to improve the health and well-being.
At the core of Falun Dafa are the values of truth, compassion, and forbearance (or in Chinese, Zhen, Shan, Ren). Falun Dafa teaches that these are the most fundamental qualities of the universe itself, and takes them to be a guide for daily life and practice.
By 1999 Falun Dafa was reported to have grown to become the largest, and fastest growing practice of the sort in Chinese if not world history. In just seven years since its 1992 introduction to the public, an estimated 70-100 million people in China were by then making Falun Dafa a part of their daily lives.
In Asia spiritual practices of this variety are often referred to as ways of “cultivation”, or “self-cultivation,” and form an important part of traditional Chinese culture. Various Daoist, Buddhist, and Confucian practices fit this rubric.
Through consistent and dedicated practice, you can achieve a state of selflessness, greater insight and awareness, inner purity, and balance—the inner workings of what might be called true health. Ultimately a practitioner of Falun Dafa approaches what in the Asian tradition is known as “enlightenment” or “attaining the Dao” (or “Way”).
While Falun Gong aspires to inner transformation of the self, it nevertheless typically translates outwardly into positive change in the world, insofar as the practitioner becomes a more patient family member, a more conscientious employee, a more giving member of the community, and so on.
Today Falun Gong is practiced freely in more than 70 countries around the world, with clubs and associations existing in a range of cities, companies, universities, and other settings. Regrettably in China, its country of origin, it is currently banned and the subject of gross human rights violations at the hands of communist rulers. You can learn more about what’s happening in China by visiting www.faluninfo.net.
New England Area Practice Sites
For more information about Falun Dafa or Falun Gong, please visit www.FalunDafa.org.