It was almost four years ago, my family and I had just finished dinner at one of our favorite restaurants in Chinatown and we were en route to the subway station when I noticed a middle-aged woman standing at the stairs of the entrance. As I passed her, she eagerly handed me a pamphlet and being the curious child I always was, I took it without hesitation. At first glance, I immediately noticed three people gracing the cover, all of whom were dressed in loose, light-colored clothing sitting Indian-style with their legs folded and hands resting peacefully above both their knees. They looked seemingly calm and collected, happy even. It wasn’t upon further reading however did I realize these people were actually just a few of 100 million Falun Gong practitioners worldwide, 70 million of which face the dangers of persecution in China on a daily basis.
Falun Gong (or Falun Dafa) was first introduced to the public in China in 1992 by Li Hongzhi. Although it has often been debated over whether or not Falun Gong can be regarded as a religion, the practice itself can be better described as a therapeutic combination of various spiritual beliefs and qigong, a practice aimed at refining the body and mind through a combination of exercises and meditation (somewhat similar to yoga). Within a few years since its introduction in1992, Falun Gong quickly grew to be the most popular form of qigong in China, even receiving initial praise and encouragement from the Chinese government due to the physical and mental benefits. What differentiates Falun Gong from other qigong practices (and probably the very reason why Falun Gong is the most popular) is its emphasis on not only physical cultivation, but moral and spiritual cultivation as well, based on truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. Many people who practice Falun Gong cite its profound effects on the improvement of their physical and mental health. As of now, there are Falun Gong practitioners in over 60 countries, including Falun Gong centers and student clubs in many cities in the United States (M.I.T., Columbia, Yale, Stanford, etc…).The Chinese government soon found the teachings of Falun Gong to be controversial and threatening as Falun Gong’s popularity grew, especially because of the practice’s advocacy against materialistic desire in a time of Chinese modernization and technological/scientific advancement. Starting in 1999, China started a massive propaganda campaign aimed at eliminating the peaceful practice of Falun Gong, deeming practitioners to be part of a “cult” and erecting a ban on the practice. Subsequently, in June 1999, thousands of practitioners were arrested in Zhongnanhai during a peaceful protest against an article published by He Zuoxiu, a physicist who had denounced and criticized the practice. Since 1999, the Chinese government has continued to persecute hundreds of thousands of practitioners through the most inhumane means of torture (sticking bamboo shoots into fingernail beds, binding and beating, force-feeding, burning, drowning, harvesting practitioners’ organs to the black market, etc…), regardless of age or gender. The Chinese government has also targeted and purged many practitioners’ families and friends in attempts at eliminating the spread of the practice and its teachings as a whole. Despite the persecution however, Falun Gong’s popularity and influence continues to gain global momentum.
The night I received the pamphlet wasn’t the first time I heard about Falun Gong. Growing up in New York City, I often witnessed demonstrations where Falun Gong practitioners would stage mock torture exhibitions along busy Manhattan streets in hopes of raising awareness regarding the persecution in China. However, because of the Chinese government’s propaganda campaign and the gruesome nature of the tortures, the issue of Falun Gong has become taboo within most Chinese families. Many grandparents and parents alike would often denounce the practice, criticize Falun Gong practitioners and/or hush up their children and avoid talking about the subject altogether. When I was younger, the pictures of bloody bodies and bruised practitioners I saw during these demonstrations traumatized me and I too, grew up thinking Falun Gong was an evil practice, though I admittedly didn’t know much the practice or persecution. It wasn’t until I read up on the issue on my own did I realize the massive scale in which these tortures were being inflicted throughout China. Currently, practitioners in China are tormented indiscriminately, often until they fall into comas and die. Even practitioners abroad are harassed by members suspected to be affiliated with the Chinese government, with peaceful protests often turning into physical attacks and angry backlashes between bystanders and practitioners (Queens, NY – May 2008).
I started a club in high school dedicated to raising awareness about the Falun Gong persecution in China. Unfortunately, I soon found that many people, students and teachers alike, were afraid of affiliating themselves with the cause, despite my emphasis on the club’s neutrality on the practice (the club did not aim to promote or denounce the practice but rather, it solely focused on the persecution). I was saddened to see several faculty members turn down my request to be the club’s advisor out of fear, even though it was a widely known and unsaid truth that club advisors were only needed as part of standard procedure – they really weren’t required to play any real substantial role in the club at all. What really horrified me however, was the vandalizing of club posters, which were burned and torn down just minutes within being put up. Words like “masochists” and “suicidal chinamen” are just some examples of what students scrawled on the club posters. At that time, I didn’t know whether I should’ve felt angry or sad and I wondered exactly how many of these students actually read up on the issue and knew what was really going on. Part of me understood where they were coming from and really wanted to forgive them for what they had done because I had also harbored similar feelings of fear and discomfort, though I couldn’t fathom ever going to such an extent in showing these feelings. The club consistently struggled with membership and later on, I found out that faculty were also playing a part in taking down the club posters, citing “controversy” as part of the reason why did they so. At that point, I was teetering on the brink of anger – although I realized the practice itself may be controversial, I still wholeheartedly believed the persecution itself was in desperate need of attention…why wouldn’t others feel the same?
To put it simply, the focus should’ve never been whether or not Falun Gong is a legitimate and/or lawful practice. The manner in which the Chinese government has dealt with practitioners has turned the current situation into an urgent human rights issue. Clearly, regardless of whether one’s views, it can be agreed that no human should ever have to go through such brutal persecution, nor do they deserve to be subjected to cruel treatment simply because of their beliefs. It is not up the Chinese government to decide what religious or spiritual practices are right or wrong, nor do they have the right to inflict sadistic harm on those that peacefully practice Falun Gong on their own accord. Thus, it is in light of the present crisis am I appealing to the Bryn Mawr community for help. With everyone’s help in raising awareness and gathering humanitarian support for the millions of practitioners facing persecution, a peaceful resolution may very possibly be obtained.
For more information, please visit:
http://www.faluninfo.net/
http://www.fofg.org/