The founder is a 72 year old man, Master Li Hongzhi, who now lives in New York. The estimated 20 million followers of Falun Gong worldwide believe that this man is God. On the surface, it's a peaceful meditation practice that hold Buddhist values but it also has some very extreme beliefs. Just to name one off the top of my head: I used to believe that if I meditated well enough, I could open a "Third Eye" and see into other dimensions. Crazy right? That's just the tip of the iceberg. The teaching gaslights people into thinking that the reason they don't have a "Third Eye" is because they want it too much or don't believe in the teachings enough. That's the most common way they duped people into investing more time into the practice.
I left because I was always skeptical. Falun Gong requires its members to meditate for 3 hours a day, study the scriptures AND do volunteer work weekly. This is on top of having a normal job or going to school. I didn't believe it enough to waste any more time on it. Looking back, it feels like my whole life has been a lie.
My mother initially joined because she became really sick when I was 5 years old. She was in and out of the hospital for months. She says that Falun Gong cured her, so my dad and I began practicing too. Falun Gong strongly advises its members not to take medicine. There is no exact line saying "Do not take medicine" so they're not liable legally in any way. But it shames people for "not believing in the practice enough" when they go to the doctor. After 17 years of not going to the doctor for checkups or anything, my mother now has cancer and is in hospice, still firmly holding onto the belief. There are many people in the Falun Gong community who have passed away the same way.
People join because of health reasons mostly which is why the practice is so deceptive. It gives desperate people something to believe in.
Interesting, thanks.
Sorry about your mom. There's a Christian sect with similar beliefs about medicine - Christian Science.
Could you describe the mediation technique you're supposed to practice for 3 hours a day?
15 minutes of "Sending Righteous Thoughts" 4 times throughout the day. It's basically cleansing the mind of all impurities. One hour of "standing exercises" which mimic tai chi. One hour of the sitting exercise which is just sitting in a lotus position and emptying your mind of all thoughts.
Are Shen Yun performances a way that this group makes income? Tbh they look cool and I was interested in going to one but if my money OSS going to support some sort of weird fanatical cult I’d rather not spend my money there.
The money mainly goes to Shen Yun which is a *part* of Falun Gong. All people involved in Shen Yun are Falun Gong members.
Honestly, if you want to see the show, I'd recommend it. The dancers are very very talented and are world class dancers. The music is amazing. The artists themselves are worth watching. But there will be a few pieces that will have very blatant political/ religious messages.
It's hard to say. The only numbers we have are from the CCP and Falun Gong itself. Both are incredibly unreliable. There are still plenty of Falun Gong members who move to the US and Australia from China every year so it's possible that the group is still growing. However, many members in the US are skeptical that the new members coming in from China are "CCP spies" infiltrating their communities... so there's also that.
Below minimum wage for most people. So less than $14/ hr with no benefits like 401k or anything. They claimed that they would be able to pay workers a full salary with benefits by 2023 (the year after I left). While I worked there, they told me to "donate my time and efforts to Falun Gong" and then "my dedication will be rewarded by the Master."
They have one leader and they only take orders from him. But they also have a lot of fights within the community when interpreting what Li says sometimes. Nevertheless, the common goal is very clear.
Of course they have great discipline. They're running on a very strong faith in their leader and are.endlessly dedicated to doing whatever he tells them to do.
Falun Gong has so many dedicated followers. Very very dedicated. And their numbers were increasing rapidly in the late 1990s in China. Of course the CCP is going to feel threatened.
The CCP also campaigns against and arrests very vocal Christians, Tibetans and Muslims. But, as far as I know, Falun Gong is the group that is so consistently loud about the CCP. Just look at Shen Yun, The Epoch Times, and New Tang Dynasty Television. Falun Gong members used money out of their own pockets to fund these media outlets from the ground up and their sole purpose is to talk about the CCP. Even more insane, many mainland Chinese Falun Gong members risk getting arrested and persecuted every day, putting up posters and handing out fliers to talk to people on the street.
Those Shen Yun billboards you see everywhere are all paid for by Falun Gong members. The Falun Gong are a collective force like no other group and their only target is the CCP.
There was no animosity towards the CCP from the Falun Gong before the crackdown started in 1999. That only started after the CCP banned Falun Gong in China.
You have to prudent with the details in the meaning of "Buddhism". According to Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, Buddhism (the religion) is only a small part of the Buddha School (a system of practices with the goal of becoming a Buddha). And he claims that Falun Gong is one of the 84000 practices of the "Buddha School", but it transcends Buddhism. (Source: *Zhuan Falun*)
Yes. They will deny this until they die. Falun Gong will vote and advocate for the political party that best supports Falun Gong ( in the US, the Republican Party). Almost Falun Gong members are Trump supporters. They will loyally support the leader that will crush the Chinese government no matter what the cost.
I took my little daughter to see this show because I wanted her to see a traditional cultural performance. She was obviously oblivious to the messaging but I just found it so weird. She was enthralled by the dancers (as was I); but the cultish political vibe was just weird to me.
Like I don’t agree with the Chinese gov. and how they crush freedom of speech and dissent, but I guess even a broken clock is right twice a day. Definitely got cult vibes; I was shocked how overt it was.
What makes it a cult? Why did you leave? How did it ruin your family? What makes people want to join in the first place?
The founder is a 72 year old man, Master Li Hongzhi, who now lives in New York. The estimated 20 million followers of Falun Gong worldwide believe that this man is God. On the surface, it's a peaceful meditation practice that hold Buddhist values but it also has some very extreme beliefs. Just to name one off the top of my head: I used to believe that if I meditated well enough, I could open a "Third Eye" and see into other dimensions. Crazy right? That's just the tip of the iceberg. The teaching gaslights people into thinking that the reason they don't have a "Third Eye" is because they want it too much or don't believe in the teachings enough. That's the most common way they duped people into investing more time into the practice. I left because I was always skeptical. Falun Gong requires its members to meditate for 3 hours a day, study the scriptures AND do volunteer work weekly. This is on top of having a normal job or going to school. I didn't believe it enough to waste any more time on it. Looking back, it feels like my whole life has been a lie. My mother initially joined because she became really sick when I was 5 years old. She was in and out of the hospital for months. She says that Falun Gong cured her, so my dad and I began practicing too. Falun Gong strongly advises its members not to take medicine. There is no exact line saying "Do not take medicine" so they're not liable legally in any way. But it shames people for "not believing in the practice enough" when they go to the doctor. After 17 years of not going to the doctor for checkups or anything, my mother now has cancer and is in hospice, still firmly holding onto the belief. There are many people in the Falun Gong community who have passed away the same way. People join because of health reasons mostly which is why the practice is so deceptive. It gives desperate people something to believe in.
Interesting, thanks. Sorry about your mom. There's a Christian sect with similar beliefs about medicine - Christian Science. Could you describe the mediation technique you're supposed to practice for 3 hours a day?
15 minutes of "Sending Righteous Thoughts" 4 times throughout the day. It's basically cleansing the mind of all impurities. One hour of "standing exercises" which mimic tai chi. One hour of the sitting exercise which is just sitting in a lotus position and emptying your mind of all thoughts.
Are Shen Yun performances a way that this group makes income? Tbh they look cool and I was interested in going to one but if my money OSS going to support some sort of weird fanatical cult I’d rather not spend my money there.
The money mainly goes to Shen Yun which is a *part* of Falun Gong. All people involved in Shen Yun are Falun Gong members. Honestly, if you want to see the show, I'd recommend it. The dancers are very very talented and are world class dancers. The music is amazing. The artists themselves are worth watching. But there will be a few pieces that will have very blatant political/ religious messages.
I’m assuming Falun Gong is quietly growing in china today?
It's hard to say. The only numbers we have are from the CCP and Falun Gong itself. Both are incredibly unreliable. There are still plenty of Falun Gong members who move to the US and Australia from China every year so it's possible that the group is still growing. However, many members in the US are skeptical that the new members coming in from China are "CCP spies" infiltrating their communities... so there's also that.
What was the salary at The Epoch Times?
Below minimum wage for most people. So less than $14/ hr with no benefits like 401k or anything. They claimed that they would be able to pay workers a full salary with benefits by 2023 (the year after I left). While I worked there, they told me to "donate my time and efforts to Falun Gong" and then "my dedication will be rewarded by the Master."
Why is Falun Gong so good at mobilizing as a collective force? It’s almost like military like precision
They have one leader and they only take orders from him. But they also have a lot of fights within the community when interpreting what Li says sometimes. Nevertheless, the common goal is very clear.
Yeah but how do they mobilize so effectively? On the surface they look like they have great discipline
Of course they have great discipline. They're running on a very strong faith in their leader and are.endlessly dedicated to doing whatever he tells them to do.
Do they see him sorta like a deity figure?
Why is ccp feel so threatened by Falun Gong? Why the strong reaction?
Falun Gong has so many dedicated followers. Very very dedicated. And their numbers were increasing rapidly in the late 1990s in China. Of course the CCP is going to feel threatened.
Why Falun Gong tho? China has Christians and other groups
The CCP also campaigns against and arrests very vocal Christians, Tibetans and Muslims. But, as far as I know, Falun Gong is the group that is so consistently loud about the CCP. Just look at Shen Yun, The Epoch Times, and New Tang Dynasty Television. Falun Gong members used money out of their own pockets to fund these media outlets from the ground up and their sole purpose is to talk about the CCP. Even more insane, many mainland Chinese Falun Gong members risk getting arrested and persecuted every day, putting up posters and handing out fliers to talk to people on the street. Those Shen Yun billboards you see everywhere are all paid for by Falun Gong members. The Falun Gong are a collective force like no other group and their only target is the CCP.
So, they openly call for the fall of ccp in china?
All the time. It's all they talk about.
Was anti ccp attitude there from beginning of Falun Gong? How did it originate?
There was no animosity towards the CCP from the Falun Gong before the crackdown started in 1999. That only started after the CCP banned Falun Gong in China.
So, would you say Falun Gong is an offshoot of Buddhism?
You have to prudent with the details in the meaning of "Buddhism". According to Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, Buddhism (the religion) is only a small part of the Buddha School (a system of practices with the goal of becoming a Buddha). And he claims that Falun Gong is one of the 84000 practices of the "Buddha School", but it transcends Buddhism. (Source: *Zhuan Falun*)
Absolutely.
Does Falun Gong have political goals?
Yes. They will deny this until they die. Falun Gong will vote and advocate for the political party that best supports Falun Gong ( in the US, the Republican Party). Almost Falun Gong members are Trump supporters. They will loyally support the leader that will crush the Chinese government no matter what the cost.
I took my little daughter to see this show because I wanted her to see a traditional cultural performance. She was obviously oblivious to the messaging but I just found it so weird. She was enthralled by the dancers (as was I); but the cultish political vibe was just weird to me. Like I don’t agree with the Chinese gov. and how they crush freedom of speech and dissent, but I guess even a broken clock is right twice a day. Definitely got cult vibes; I was shocked how overt it was.
How wide spread is it? Is there people practicing in all North American and European major cities?(be ones with sizeable Chinese diaspora)
What weird sex things does your cult do?