Why is Falun Gong banned? New Chinese sect "Falun Gong". What is Falun Gong

Over the past two years, many events related to the Falun Gong sect have occurred in China. The authorities launched a massive attack on this para-religious organization, subjecting its members to severe reprisals. In this short article in the most general outline the essence of the doctrine and practice of Falun Gong is outlined, and the reasons for the severe conflict between the authorities and this sect are analyzed.

The name of the sect consists of two parts: “falun” - in Buddhist terminology means the “wheel of law” of the Buddha (dharmachakra). In Chinese, “fa” means Buddhist, and “lun” means disk, circle, wheel, rotation, which goes back to the Hindu concept of “chakra” (cosmic law), as well as to the yogic concept of chakras as certain energy centers of the body. One of the Chinese names for Buddha is Lunwang, that is, “wheel-turning king of the law”; the same word denotes chakravartins - mythical universal rulers who supposedly prepare the world for the coming of Buddha. “Gong” is directly related to the ancient Chinese psychotechnical tradition of the Taoist direction. The hieroglyph “gun” itself, among other things, means “achievement”, “feat”, “action”, “effect”, “skill”, etc. In traditional Chinese philosophy, the word "qi" is understood as "pneuma", the universal substance of the universe, as the filler of the human body associated with blood circulation, and as a manifestation of mental activity 1 . The word "qigong" refers to a variety of traditional systems, mostly of Taoist origin, which pursue the goal of internal cultivation through meditation and breathing exercises. An important role is played by the idea of ​​the unity of man and the cosmos - microcosm and macrocosm.

Currently, a great variety of different schools of “qigong” are widespread in China. The communist authorities allowed their existence as a type of traditional breathing exercises. Moreover, “qigong”, along with traditional Chinese medicine and acupuncture, has always been advertised, including abroad, as one of the achievements of ancient Chinese culture. The mystical aspect has always been carefully separated, indicating that it is enough just to take appropriate postures and follow the rhythm of breathing in order to achieve healing. Public performances by Qigong masters, who lay down under reinforced concrete floors or lifted a truck, were considered a kind of Chinese circus.

And then in 1992, a new school of “qigong” appeared, calling itself “Falun Gong”. Its founder was a certain Li Hongzhi, a native of the town of Gongzhuling, in Haide County, Jilin Province in Northeast China. He was born on July 7, 1952, but subsequently, in an effort to gain additional authority among his followers, he changed the date of his birth so that it lunar calendar coincided with Buddha's birthday. Li Hongzhi's biography is unremarkable: he studied at high school, in the 1970s he worked at an army stable, then became a trumpeter for the forest police. From 1982 to 1991 he worked in the security service in one of the food companies in the city of Changchun. In May 1992, he began to preach his teachings, claiming that for many years he had secretly studied with Buddhist and Taoist teachers. Official Chinese propaganda, obviously based on intelligence data, claims that Li Hongzhi began to practice “qigong” only in 1988, mastered a little two styles of this gymnastics (jiugongbaguagong and chanmigun), and also combined them with elements of Thai national dance, with which I met during a trip to Thailand. The practice of Falun Gong, in addition to “spiritual exercises,” also includes gymnastics. These are five complexes that bear the following names: the Buddha Stretches Thousands of Arms method, the Falun standing pile method, the two pole piercing method, the Falun heavenly circle method, and the method of enhancing miracles 2 .

In fact, the attempts of the Chinese authorities to present Li Hongzhi as an illiterate adventurer 3, which he most likely is, do not clarify the essence of the matter at all. Indeed, by the time the government began to suppress the sect, it had 39 branches in various cities of China, 1,900 training centers and 28,000 “primary organizations” 4. How did the Falun Gong sect reach such popularity that its followers number in the millions? It is difficult to give a more precise figure: Li Hongzhi speaks of 100 million, the Chinese authorities - about 2-3 million. Since one deliberately overstates the data, while others underestimate it, the truth, apparently, is in the middle.

It is obvious that the reasons for the spread of Falun Gong in the PRC are rooted in the current state of Chinese society, and to be more precise, the emergence of the sect was quite consistent, as they like to say in China, with the spirit of the times. The Chinese Communist Party's reforms over the years have aimed to ensure sustained economic development and modernization while maintaining the CCP's monopoly on political power, particularly through tight ideological control. However, the results do not quite meet expectations. The disproportionate development of various regions of the country, corruption, the growth of unemployment in cities and hidden unemployment in rural areas and many other factors have given rise to sentiments of discontent that are quite widespread and rooted in a variety of social strata. The complete devaluation of the values ​​of the official ideology and the suppression of attempts to achieve minimal political reforms led to disappointment in public life.

The search for resolution of life conflicts began to gradually shift into the sphere of mystical quests, but not within the framework of officially recognized religions. Religious organizations existing in the PRC (regardless of religion) are strictly controlled by the authorities, do not have extensive national structures and do not enjoy the trust of the majority of the population. And here a “teaching” appears, outwardly based on the officially recognized health practice of “qigong”. This means that it can spread in various circles of society. Involving new followers can happen gradually. At first, those who “just want to improve their health” over time master religious teachings, begin to systematically “study” the texts of “Falun Gong”, worship the “Teacher”, and so on. Gradually, information about “miraculous healings” spreads in society and a wave of new members begins to arrive in the ranks of the sect with renewed vigor. This brings to life the centuries-old tradition of secret societies and sects that emerged from time to time in China and posed a significant threat to power. In modern conditions, the attractiveness of Falun Gong for workers, peasants, ordinary employees, and pensioners is as follows:

1. the discrediting of the Communist Party gave rise to the need to join some other paternalistic organization, so as not to feel abandoned to the mercy of fate;
2. the outwardly healthful and internally hidden religious character of the sect made it quite safe in the eyes of people: this is not some kind of oppositional political party;
3. in an atheistic society, a sect that, along with myths and some scientific arguments, had understandable success;
4. living in desperate conditions, disillusioned with reforms, millions of people grabbed the idea of ​​the impending collapse of the universe as a saving straw: there is no need to worry about the problems of everyday life anymore, the main thing is to strive for correct transition to a new world that will be recreated after the disaster.

Initially, Li registered with the Chinese Association for the Study of Qigong, but was soon forced to leave its ranks, since the religious concept of Falun Gong did not fit into the framework of the materialistic ideology of the official organization. It must be assumed that by 1998, when Li Hongzhi moved to New York, relations between the sect and the authorities had already become quite tense, and the inventor of Falun Gong had accumulated enough funds to continue leading his followers from abroad without being in danger repression.

Information about the theory and practice of Falun Gong was distributed in China in the form of books, laser discs, video and audio tapes. While Li Hongzhi lived in China, he traveled widely around the country, conducting paid trainings and giving lectures. The authorities announced that the total income. received by the leadership of the sect amounted to about 5.5 million US dollars. 5 The scale of the case can be judged by the fact that by the end of 1999, the police had confiscated about 10 million copies of Falun Gong books and other printed materials 6 .

The growth in the number of Falun Gong supporters over time began to worry the Chinese authorities, especially due to the fact that many members of the Communist Party, as well as senior officials of government agencies and the military, began to practice. As noted by Pennsylvania State University professor J. de Lisle, the mass entry of communists into the sect is a sign of an obvious decline in party discipline and a general destabilization of the internal political situation 7 . It became clear to the leadership of the CPC that an enemy had appeared on the horizon, much more terrible than the “bourgeois liberals,” since, unlike the latter, he enjoyed, if not mass, then multimillion-dollar support of the population.

Critical articles began to appear in the press, which qualified Falun Gong as a “heretical sect” (xiejiao) 8 and as a “cult.”

In response, the sect resorted to silent demonstrations (in 1998 near television centers that criticized them), then at Tianjin Normal University on April 22, 1999, and finally in Beijing. Falun Gong adherents made their most visible appearance on April 25, when about 10,000 people formed a human chain around the Zhongnanhai government headquarters. An organized force suddenly and unexpectedly appeared on the political arena, deciding to oppose itself to the totalitarian regime. The sect demonstrated an exceptionally high ability to effectively mobilize its members. This is exactly what Li Hongzhi strived for in his time, creating the primary cells of Falun Gong on the ground. Modern means of communication: e-mail, fax messages and telephone have made it possible to ensure almost immediate execution of orders 10.

The official reaction to such audacity was not long in coming. Literally a few days later, repression began against the sect and its members throughout the country. The sectarians tried to resist: their peaceful demonstrations took place in almost 30 cities 11 . On July 22, 1999, the Falun Gong sect was outlawed for spreading falsehoods, cheating, and inciting riots. The next day, Li Hongzhi tried to attract the attention of international organizations and governments of other countries to the conflict, but achieved only that he himself was put on the wanted list on July 29. Hundreds, if not thousands of sect supporters ended up in the dock. Many, according to press reports, were subjected to extrajudicial measures. At present, we do not yet have accurate information about the statistics of these repressions. Special orders were issued that categorically prohibited members of the Communist Party and government officials from participating in the sect.

It must be borne in mind that at present the Falun Gong teaching has already become widespread in many countries of the world, primarily in the USA 12 . Li Hongzhi's eclectic system found a grateful audience in societies that had been indoctrinated with "New Age" concepts. The commercial lure of quick and “clean”, “non-drug” recovery with the prospect of a significant prolongation of life also worked. Therefore, it becomes clear with what ease it was possible to launch a campaign in defense of the sect in many countries. As for the position of the media, politicians and the “public,” it was also implicitly predetermined. After all, the topic of human rights violations is Washington’s most important instrument of pressure on Beijing, so no one even began to understand in detail the essence of the matter. Falun Gong followers were declared innocent sufferers.

The mood of the West worried the PRC, which would like to understand the reasons for its drastic actions. The importance the Chinese government attaches to its fight against Falun Gong can be judged by the fact that at a meeting in Auckland, New Zealand, in September 1999, Chinese President Jiang Zemin presented American President B. Clinton with a book in which the most the activities of the sect 13 were described in impartial tones, which, presumably, did not make an impression on the Washington administration.

On November 18 and 19, 1999, the US House of Representatives and Senate passed a resolution calling on the Chinese government to respect human rights and not put pressure on Falun Gong. Simultaneously with the participation of Falun Gong supporters in the USA, Australia, Hong Kong, Taiwan and others, a noisy campaign of protests unfolded; a great many reports of “illegal persecution” appeared in the media and on the Internet, but practically no one gave any more or less serious analysis of what this sect actually was 14.

It goes without saying that international support for Li Hongzhi and his supporters provoked angry protests from Beijing and did not change its policies. On December 26, four leading figures of the sect (all members of the CCP!) were sentenced by a Beijing court to prison terms ranging from 7 to 18 (!) years. Trials and arrests continued in the future. Many leading figures in Falun Gong were charged with stealing state secrets. This concept is very vague if we are talking about a socialist society, where huge amounts of information are classified “just in case”. For us, it is important that during the campaign the authorities emphasize the anti-state nature of the sect.

It is interesting that, refuting the criticism of American legislators, Chinese diplomats argued that Falun Gong is not a religious organization (i.e., an acceptable phenomenon in the religious life of society), but a “cult” that does not obey the law, undermines public order, and violates religious freedom , deceiving his followers, associated with criminal offenses and seeking political activity. It is obvious that the PRC resorts to such rhetoric to maintain a dialogue with the American audience, some of which will never agree with the persecution of any religion, but will be sympathetic to the suppression of the “cult.” As a matter of fact, this rather ambiguous and differently understood term itself was borrowed by Beijing propagandists from the arsenal of American religious studies.

One of the main accusations brought against Falun Gong is that the exercises developed by Li Hongzhi lead to mental illness and death (Xinhua News Agency reported on July 30, 1999 that throughout China at that time 743 people lost their lives due to Falun Gong practices, and by the end of the year this figure had risen to 1,400). In this case, they refer to the American “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders,” which mentions “a psychotic reaction associated with qigong exercises.” This is a rather strange propaganda technique, since the American book, in turn, refers to the “Chinese Classification of Mental Disorders.” However, let us give a detailed definition of the mentioned psychotic reaction (belonging to the category of specifically culturally conditioned), about which we're talking about: "an acute, short-lived attack characterized by dissociative, paranoid or other psychotic and non-psychotic symptoms, resulting from the practice of... Qigong... Individuals involved in excessive practice of this practice are most susceptible" 15. In this regard, the countless facts cited by the Chinese media that Falun Gong followers: cut their stomachs with scissors become understandable; jumped out of the window; self-immolated; drowned by jumping into a well; perceived their parents as demons and killed them, as well as their husbands, wives and children, etc.

Representatives of Falun Gong in the PRC and abroad claim that they do not belong to a “cult” because they do not have a leader, they do not have any form of religious worship or ritual.

One can only claim that Falun Gong has no leader if one is in a state of deep, almost painful delusion, or if one wants to deceive public opinion. After all, it is Li Hongzhi who is the only source of information about the doctrine of the sect and only through him is it possible to practice correctly. He himself speaks about this in a document called “The Regulations Regarding the Transmission of the Law and Gong to Disciples of the Great Law of Falun”: “Others are not able to preach the Great Law, they do not know the real content of the meaning of the Law that I think about and about which I preach at my level of the hierarchy" (as in the text. - Author's note). In other words, Li Hongzhi arrogated to himself the inaccessible status of a person who possesses the secrets of the universe and is located at a “hierarchical level” of exceptional height. The book “Zhuan Falun” 16 also says: “I have achieved considerable success and had a positive impact on the entire (emphasis added - author) society”, “no one except me transmits gong to the highest levels of the hierarchy” (p. 5 ), “I can help everyone” (p. 8), “my Law Body is behind you, there is no danger for you” (p. 69), “if you listen to the sound recording constantly, you will understand more and more deeply the essence of the Law and draw from this more and more new understanding, especially when you read my book" (p. 71). Therefore, adherents were recommended to constantly read and listen to the works of their teacher, who insisted that he was invisibly present nearby. They were taught that without a mentor they were helpless: “you are not able to explain this Law” (ibid.).

The "Teacher" constantly accompanies his followers invisibly. He is omnipresent. Here is an example from the book “Zhuan Falun”, which talks about various tests that practitioners of the teaching have to endure: “The form of such interference can be from the devil, and sometimes from the Teacher who tests you, for which he resorts to such techniques as creating things out of nothing " (p. 115).

Without completely rejecting traditional religions, Li Hongzhi allows the worship of Buddha images. However, he emphasizes that they must be sanctified by righteous people. Since these are not easy to find, and otherwise “an unclean spirit, like a fox or ferret,” may get into the figurine” (p. 101), the following method of consecration is proposed: “Take my book (since it contains my photograph) or simply my photograph and, holding the Buddha statue in your hands folded in the mudra (as in the text, apparently the mudra is meant. - Author) of a large lotus, ask the Teacher to consecrate the image, as you would ask me. Just half a minute is enough, and the issue will be resolved." (p. 103). The photograph of the “Teacher” itself exudes divine power, and his “spirit”, presumably, inhabits the figurine to become an object of worship!?

The sect requires strict adherence to internal rules. Violators are in danger. A document dated April 20, 1994, signed by Li Hongzhi and entitled “Requirements for Counseling Centers for the Great Law of Falun,” states: “It is strictly forbidden for disciples of the Great Law to practice other gongfa... If something happens to them without listening to advice, then they themselves will be responsible for this" (hereinafter in this paragraph as in the text posted on the Internet. - Author). It also speaks of mandatory resistance to any opposition to the sect: “Resolutely boycott acts that violate the content of the “great Law” 17. The “Requirements” establish the rules of daily practice for members of the sect: “one must study the Law and read books as daily compulsory disciplines.” It is especially noted , that it is necessary to “improve both spirituality and physical movements at the same time.” Thus, the assertion of the sect’s lawyers that its members were simply engaged in physical education is refuted.

The fact that Falun Gong followers clearly attributed supernatural abilities to their leader can be judged by contradiction, based on the methods of official counter-propaganda. The Xinhua agency reported that for 1982-1992. Li Hongzhi constantly purchased medicines for treatment. This means that there is a belief among sectarians that Li is absolutely healthy and does not need the help of doctors. It is appropriate to note here that the sect is blamed for the deaths of many people who refused medical care, relying on the methods of the “Teacher”.

In order to finally resolve the question of whether Falun Gong is a religious sect, it is necessary to turn to the texts of its founder, Li Hongzhi. Analysis of his statements - best way give an answer to the question posed.

Heidelberg University professor Barend ter Haar, who opened a special page on the Internet for academic discussion of the Falun Gong issue, views Li Hongzhi’s teachings as “a combination of a religious lifestyle and meditative practice,” and he sees “clearly Buddhist inspiration” in the sect’s texts (admitting, however, that he “cursorily” read the book “Zhuan Falun”).

In the book "Zhuan Falun" Li Hongzhi indicates that the sources of his ideas are the "Buddha Law" and the "Tao System", i.e. seems to be in accordance with the Chinese syncretic tradition. In order not to be caught in dogmatic errors or poor knowledge of the canon, he refuses to classify his system as religious. The idea of ​​“the most mysterious, supernatural science” comes to the fore. On the one hand, this gives the author complete freedom in the development of his “system”. On the other hand, it quite reasonably appeals to the consciousness of the modern Chinese, who retain at least unconscious ties with the national religious tradition, convinced by atheistic propaganda of the “superiority of science over superstition,” disillusioned with the “ideas of Marx and all the others” and in search of a new ideology.

It is clear why a detailed analysis of Li Hongzhi's ideas has not yet been presented. Reading the notes of his lectures, which are an obscure eclectic decoction of information gleaned from various religious systems, as well as from popular science and pseudoscientific literature, is a thankless task. Nevertheless, let's get started.

Cosmology. Outer space “was kind” and gave rise to the first life. The reason for this is not only that the cosmos acts as an impersonal creative or self-unfolding agency, but also contains substances that can give rise to life (a bow towards materialism, there will be many of them, because for Li Hongzhi it is important to convince his followers of the “scientificness” of his teaching ). The main properties of the pantheistically deified cosmos, all matter, living and inanimate, are three: “truth, kindness and patience” (zhen, shan, ren). Therefore, everyone who strives to comprehend the truth must develop the same in himself.

Li Hongzhi claims that in some places on earth there are remnants of civilizations that existed a hundred million years ago. However, these civilizations disappeared at certain intervals, burying almost all people under their ruins. He states: “I once checked in detail and found out that humanity has suffered death 81 times” (p. 15).

In addition to Earth, there are thousands of planets inhabited by intelligent beings who travel in space on UFOs. Their experience is an example of the fact that there are alternative paths of development to the earthly path, in which people at their current level of development do not understand everything. “Alien UFOs fly at unimaginable speeds and can grow and shrink. They followed a completely different line of development. They have a different approach to science” (p. 148).

In the universe there are numerous hierarchies of enlightened beings related to Li Hongzhi, who observe his activities and have the ability to create peace, apparently acting as demiurges acting on behalf of cosmic law. There are also saints of a lower level - "ground Buddhas and ground Taoists" who live secretly in the mountains and forests. “There are several thousand of them all over the world, most of them live in our country (China - author).” They use "rather primitive methods" of cultivation, lower than those of Falun Gong (p. 103). Thus, we can find an appropriate place for the members of the sect: they are in the middle between the inhabitants of heaven and the saints who have not yet left the earthly vale.

Symbols of the sect. The emblem of Falun Gong is a yellow circle with a red circle in the middle. In the red circle there is a yellow hieroglyph “wan” (Buddhist swastika, the sign of the heart of Buddha), along the circle on a yellow field there are four more such hieroglyphs, as well as four symbols of the “great limit” - “taiji” 18. Li Hongzhi claims that this emblem is a model of the universe, which is in constant rotation.

Ontology. “Everything is predetermined by fate,” “all the actions of ordinary people... are predetermined by fate.” The cause of a person’s torment is the evil deeds committed in past lives and forming karma (ate). To avoid suffering, i.e. not to get sick, get rid of disasters and “become sinless”, the path of self-improvement, “return to the source of life” (Taoist idea) and “achieving true awakening” (Buddhism) are proposed. To do this, you need to engage in the practice of Falun Gong, which will first simply improve the body’s health, and then “the human body will be completely replaced by a high-energy substance” (p. 8). It is noted that “from the point of view of a high level of hierarchy, a person does not live in order to be a person” in modern sense words (spoiled by “social relations”), but merge with the Universe (p. 56). At the level of ordinary people there are those who “must be completely destroyed,” but they are given “another chance” for salvation through the practice of “Falun Gong” (ibid.). In addition to spiritual improvement, Li Hongzhi, quite in the Taoist spirit, promises the achievement of immortality of the body: “qualitative changes will occur, which is why ... a person will remain young forever” (p. 169).

Li Hongzhi acknowledges the existence of evil spirits. “There are devils everywhere” (p. 61), he writes, recognizing the possibility of people being possessed by “unclean animal spirits, such as the fox, ferret and snake” (p. 60). He also states that practicing Falun Gong can attract the devil (p. 112) and gives numerous examples of how this happens, obviously based on both personal observations and the experience of his followers. It is difficult to escape from the devil: “without the protection of my body of the Law, you yourself will not be able to do this” (ibid.).

The doctrine of salvation. Achieving “zhen, shan, ren,” according to Li Hongzhi, is the main goal of Taoists, Buddhists, and Falun Gong members. The shortest way to self-improvement is Qigong in the Falun Gong version. This technique is attributed to prehistoric origins, and it is emphasized that scientific research in a certain way, specific manifestations of the “organism of qigong masters” were recorded, i.e. it is emphasized that “qigong” is not an “idealistic view”, but a “materialistic reality” (p. 16).

“Gong” is considered as “improvement energy”, which should be increased by receiving it from the hands of the “Teacher”. This requires certain conditions, in particular, the improvement of “xinxing,” or the thinking, unchanging principle in a person. "Xinxing" includes "de", or materialized morality. (In passing, we note that Li Hongzhi avoids the question of dividing the world into spirit and matter: “matter and spirit are identical”, “matter... is a natural spirit” - p. 18). "De" is "white matter", and karma is "black". The task is to deplete karma and increase “de”. To do this, it is proposed to humbly endure all kinds of suffering, since the karma of the victim automatically flows onto the offender, which in turn improves its “de” at the expense of the enemy. Therefore, it is even proposed to engage in a kind of “vampirism”, running into conflicts for the sake of collecting “de” 19. Improving “de” allows the “Teacher” to increase “gun” in the student, and he gradually reaches the “Buddha level”. Li Hongzhi claimed that in his lectures he "personally implanted" Falun into the "lower belly" of his listeners (p. 24). "Falun", being a "universe in miniature", "has all the superpowers inherent in the Universe, it can automatically move and rotate" (ibid.). With this "Falun", members of the sect expected to achieve supernatural results. It seems that the idea of ​​​​an energy ring located in the lower part of the human body was borrowed by Li Hongzhi from the tantric tradition. It teaches that at the base of the spinal column there is a certain latent energy - kundalini, which, being awakened by yogic exercises, rises along the "central energy channel" and ultimately leads to the transformation of the body into incorruptibility 20.

All Falun Gong followers inevitably improve their health and morale, notes Li Hongzhi. As an illustration, the experience with the introduction of sectarian teachings “in socialist production” is given: “Since workers and employees began to learn Falun Dafa (the great law of Falun. - Author), they began to come to work early and leave late. They work with diligence and prudence, they willingly carry out any task that is entrusted to them. No one is pursuing personal gain. All this has led to a change in the spiritual appearance of the plant. The economic efficiency of the plant has also improved" (p. 82).

Li Hongzhi promised his disciples to make them the receptacle of the deified cosmos and in the future become the rulers of the universe. Here the influence of the Buddhist tradition is clear, which understands the universe as alien to any teleology and as the result of the karmic actions of living beings in all their rebirths. Only, according to the teachings of Li Hongzhi, people who successfully improve themselves will be able to become an elite group that determines the further transformation of the world. He credits himself with the ability to teach the adherents of the sect to rise above the laws of karma, which, from the point of view of Buddhism, are immutable. You just need to surrender to the power that the “Teacher” puts in you: “Falun has mental ability. It itself knows what to do” (p. 26). The deified leader of the sect subjugates the adherents to his will through zombification. Constantly reading his books and listening to his voice, they indulged in psychophysical exercises, believing that Li Hongzhi had implanted an “eternity microchip” in them. They expected eternal youth, omnipotence and heavenly pleasures, but became slaves.

The ultimate goal of self-improvement and achieving the “highest hierarchy”, above the “degree of Zhulay” (Tathagata), i.e. Buddha, appears rather banal in the performance of Li Hongzhi: “Life without illness, without suffering, when you have everything you want - this is what the life of the celestials looks like” (p. 39). The self-improver “just has to stretch out his hand, and he will have everything he wants,” and this will happen in his own paradise - “Paradise” (p. 91).

There is an eschatological tension in Li Hongzhi's sermon: "We are in last time in the last period of decline and death of dharma (as in the text. - Author) we preach the orthodox Law" (p. 69). Those who did not have time are late! Moreover, soon we need to prepare for the worst: "in outer space for a long time there was a big explosion,” and its consequences will soon reach the earth. “The property of the Universe and the substances in it will explode completely,” and you need to have time to create in yourself a new spiritual property corresponding to the new universe, the one that the “great enlightened ones” will create after the catastrophe ( p. 96).

Representatives of higher hierarchies sometimes come into human society, but not without fear. The fact is that their memory is erased, and they can easily “get stuck in the swamp of fame and self-interest.” In a good way The way to overcome such a dead end is “a method called madness” (sic!). A person with good data for self-improvement must be “forced to be in a state of madness, a certain part of his brain should be locked” for two to three years. When he suffers properly, his “de” will improve, his “tun” will rise. “After this, consciousness is returned to the person” (pp. 111-112). In other words, if someone has simply gone crazy by practicing Falun Gong, there is no need to worry, they are depleting their karma.

Miracles. Here we come to a very important topic: miracles. Li Hongzhi repeatedly emphasized that his disciples could do all sorts of incredible things (“white magic” - p. 22; “many living beings are produced in your body” - p. 23), of course, thereby tempting people 21 . What is the use of warnings to refrain from performing miracles? This is exactly what the public needs.

The authorities also did not stand aside; they were scared. Talking about the discovery of the mystical all-seeing “third eye” (tianmu) in his students. Li Hongzhi spoke about the need to restrain the ability to “see everything”: otherwise “state secrets could not be preserved” (p. 30). After the start of the repressions, the authorities, for greater seriousness, accused the sect of stealing state secrets.

Followers of Li Hongzhi supposedly can see the future, have answers to all questions, and can cure diseases. But doing the latter is strictly forbidden: “The worldly community is precisely one that is in a state of birth, old age, illness and death, existing by predestination... If you cure someone, it means you are violating this principle” (p. 145) . Adepts are told that over time they will be able to work miracles, but they should restrain themselves, taking the example of the “Teacher”: they can do everything, but they don’t...

Relations with other religions. About Chan Buddhism: “In fact, they distorted the meaning of Shakyamuni’s statement” (p. 9). Li Hongzhi is quite dismissive of Buddhism in general, noting that there is a lot of primitiveness in the teachings of the Buddha, since he preached “for people who originated from the recently formed primitive society and were very primitive" (p. 11). The leader of "Falun Gong" himself declares that he is at such a high level of the "hierarchy" (tsenci) that he can continue the revelation of the "Buddha Law" to a much greater extent than is done in Buddhism .

So, we are presented with a teaching that claims greater truth and a higher level of dedication to the secrets of the universe than the religious traditions recognized in China. The author of this teaching acts as an indisputable authority, a “Teacher”, possessing wisdom inaccessible to other people and associated with the “celestials”. He acts as a transmitter of heavenly secrets to perishing people, he is their savior. All followers of the sect are encouraged to perform psychophysical exercises to change the body, transforming it into a different “energy substance”, which, in particular, is not subject to aging. The need for the speedy adoption of the Falun Gong teachings is motivated by an impending universal catastrophe, in which only zealous adherents of the sect can be saved.

Supporters of Falun Gong believe that salvation from death is possible with the help of special psychophysical exercises. However, there is a main precondition: the “Teacher” places a certain mystical self-propelled intelligent omniscient entity “Falun” in the body of the adepts. The cultivation of Falun is the main religious ritual of the sect, although it may outwardly look like just gymnastics. This is deception.

In addition, Li Hongzhi claims that even with the help of his photography, Buddha images can be sanctified. Hinting with the date of his birth at a connection with the Tathagata, he pursues a very specific goal: “to inhabit the statue” and become an object of worship.

Falun Gong has a clear organizational structure and well-developed channels of interaction using the most modern means of communication. Thanks to this, the sect has the ability to quickly and effectively mobilize its members to carry out mass actions.

Members of the sect are required to strictly adhere to orthodoxy; deviations from the “teachings” of Li Hongzhi are not allowed. The practice of Falun Gong involves constant reference to the works of the founder of the sect: books, audio and video recordings, which allowed the organizers of the cult to put their business on a commercial basis and have significant income.

Appealing to the consciousness of the modern Chinese, religiously and ideologically disoriented, the Falun Gong sect, hiding behind the slogan of “scientificness,” actually fraudulently recruited a huge number of people into its ranks. Li Hongzhi dedicated their despair to his vanity and self-interest.

At the same time, we do not yet have sufficient grounds to assert that Falun Gong is a totalitarian sect. Perhaps not enough time has passed for the structure of the organization to completely crystallize. This can now be judged by the nature of the development of the international Falun Gong community, to which Li Hongzhi and his circle are now making efforts.

Let us emphasize once again: regardless of what exactly the essence of the Falun Gong teaching is, the problem concerning the relationship of the Chinese state with the sect is primarily of a political nature. This was openly stated by many Chinese figures, including the honorary chairman of the central committee of the Democratic League of China (one of the non-communist parties in the PRC) Qian Weichang. The head of the United Front Affairs Department of the CPC Central Committee, Wang Zhaoguo, was even more harsh in his assessment: the Falun Gong incident can only be compared with the riots of June 4, 1989 (Referring to the student demonstration in Beijing's Tiananmen Square.) In the commentary The Xinhua agency described the Falun Gong sect as “a political force opposing the Communist Party of China and the central government. It preaches idealism, theism (it is completely unclear on what basis such a conclusion is made. - Author) and feudal prejudices. It has created strongholds points (zhan) throughout the country on different levels and even infiltrated some important party and government institutions." In November 1999, the head of the Communist Party and state, Jiang Zemin himself, condemned Falun Gong, calling the sect a "cult."

The Chinese government hastened to create a legal basis for the fight against Falun Gong. On October 30, 1999, the Standing Committee of the National People's Congress adopted a resolution banning the activities of "heretical cult organizations." The document, which contains no mention of Falun Gong, does not define what such “cults” are, only stating that they operate “under the guise of religion, Qigong, or in other illegal forms.” The most dangerous consequences of the activities of “cults,” according to the text, are “violation of the law,” “organization of mass gatherings with the aim of undermining public order,” “murder, rape, fraud,” etc. The resolution called for severely dealing with the instigators and showing leniency towards those who was involved in cult organizations through deception. If in this regard we take into account that, according to Hong Kong observers, 35,000 members of the sect have already been subjected to repression, then one can imagine how vast the ranks of Falun Gong are.

Soon there followed an explanation from the Supreme People's Court and the General People's Procuratorate of the People's Republic of China regarding what “cults” are: “illegal groups using religion, “qigong” or other means as a cover, deifying their leaders, attracting new members into their ranks and carrying out control over them, deceiving society by inventing and spreading superstitions and threatening society." These authorities also explained that Falun Gong falls under the provisions of Sections 1, 2 and 3 of Article 300 of the PRC Criminal Code, which refers to “superstitious sects and secret societies” 22 . One cannot resist drawing analogies between what is happening now and the events of the distant past, when various kinds of secret societies and millenarian religious sects organized anti-government movements and uprisings, often threatening the existence of dynasties.

Participation in the communist sect apparently caused the greatest concern to the authorities. An example of someone who was into Falun Gong is the case of General Yu Changxin, a high-ranking scientist at an institute affiliated with the Air Force. In January 2000, he was sentenced to 17 years in prison for his involvement in a cult.

It must be said that the repressions did not completely break the sectarians’ willingness to fight against the authorities. This is quite consistent with the teachings of Li Hongzhi, who argued that the accumulation of merit for a good rebirth is possible only through suffering ("You need to experience some hardships, endure some share of grief and suffering, it is unacceptable that you do not experience anything"23) . The end of October 1999 was a time of fairly massive demonstrations by sectarians who arrived in Beijing in an organized manner from different parts of the country and from abroad. Thus, they testified their disagreement with the decision of the NPC Standing Committee to ban sects. It was with the goal of suffering for the idea that supporters of Falun Gong staged a New Year's demonstration in Tiananmen Square on January 1, 2000. A month later, an attempt was made to cover the portrait of Mao Zedong hanging on Beijing's Tiananmen Gate with a portrait of Li Hongzhi 24 . In both cases, a significant part of the protest participants were holders of foreign passports, and could not be subjected to the same harsh repression as Chinese citizens. Another attempt to hold a demonstration was made on the occasion of the Lunar New Year on February 4, 25.

The Internet plays a significant role in the confrontation between the Chinese authorities and the sect. The global computer network is used by both sides to disseminate their views on the issue of banning Falun Gong in the PRC. It is obvious that the Chinese government was unprepared for the fact that Li Hongzhi's followers made e-mail the most convenient means of interaction between Falun Gong branches in different provinces and were able to very effectively carry out protest events.

It's interesting that in lately repression began against other Qigong groups, such as the Zhonggong school, which has about 20 million followers and approximately 100 branches, 1,000 training centers and 180,000 teachers in different parts of China. The Qilin group of companies, based in Tianjin and engaged in tourism and health services, was closed. This group, according to press reports, financed Zhonggong. The confiscated funds of Zhonggong amounted to approximately US$10 million. 26 The founder of Zhonggong, Zhang Hongbao, went on the run.

The fact that another group was subjected to repression by the authorities indicates that the PRC government is seriously concerned about a completely new problem for it - the onset of mysticism, well organized and strongly rooted in the national tradition.

Priest Peter Ivanov, Dr. sciences

Notes

1. Kobzev A.I., Yurkevich A.G. Qi. // Chinese philosophy. Encyclopedic Dictionary. Ed. M.L. Titarenko. M.: Mysl, 1994, p. 431.
2. See: Li Hongzhi. Falun Dafa. M.: Publishing house of the Russian Peoples' Friendship University, 1999, pp. 320-331.
3. Li Hongzhi's texts, most of them recordings of his public speeches, shocked readers with their low literary quality. In response to accusations of illiteracy. Li Hongzhi resorted to a specific trick: he announced that modern language fails to adequately convey his teaching. In Russian it looks like this: “...it is by no means impossible to express the guiding direction of Dafa at higher levels with modern normative words.” different degrees hierarchy and manifestation of the Fa (Fa) at each degree, even if it is impossible to set in motion the evolution and advancement of the disciples' bengyi (One's own body) and gongs, it is impossible to set in motion such a significant change" (Li Hongzhi. Zhuan Falun. The Great Law of the Buddha Falun. M .: Publishing House of the Russian Peoples' Friendship University, 1998, p. 189). The text gives the impression of complete nonsense also because, like all other works of Li Hongzhi, translated into Russian, whether published in Russia or posted on the Internet, is the result of the work of Chinese people who do not sufficiently speak Russian.
4. Xinhua News Agency, 1999, July 22.
5. Xinhua News Agency, 1999, Dec. 26.
6. "Toronto Globe and Mail", 2000, Jan. 31.
7. de Lisle J. China. Who's Afraid of Falun Gong? "Asia Times", 1999, Aug. 10.
8. The mention of heresy causes bewilderment among the European reader, since heresy is a deviation from the true doctrine. So, we must assume that the CCP has true knowledge, which Falun Gong distorts? In fact, the Chinese term "xiejiao" would be more correctly translated as "false teaching." It is also important to keep in mind that in the history of China, such exercises were considered by the authorities as a threat to the stability of the state.
9. University professor He Zuoxu spoke in a youth magazine criticizing the spread of Falun Gong among teenagers.
10. The organization of the sect in Chongqing, the capital of Sichuan province, looked like this: at the top - a central office, three branches, 56 first- and second-level training centers, 890 training groups. There were 358 sect leaders working at all five levels of the city organization.
11. According to authorities at the end of 1999, there had been 78 demonstrations involving 300 or more people. Xinhua News Agency, 1999, Dec. 26.
12. According to the Internet, Falun Gong organizations exist in the USA (in at least 45 states), Canada, Belgium, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Austria, Germany, Slovakia, Sweden, England, Russia, Israel, Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, Australia, New Zealand, etc.
13. Associated Press, 1999, Sept. 12. Ji Shi's book is called "Li Hongzhi and his Falun Gong." Beijing, Xinxing Publishing House, 1999.
14. An exception is an employee of the J.C. Fairbank Center for East Asian Studies at Harvard University, now teaching in Beijing, Prof. K.-A.Shlefogt. He reproached the world press for bias, since the media deliberately turn a blind eye to the fact that Falun Gong manipulates its members, instilling unquestioning obedience in them and suppressing their will, deifies its leader and pursues the goal of enriching a narrow group of people, as well as with its practices causes direct harm to human health. “Decisive action by the authorities is extremely important,” he writes, “because cults deprive people of the ability to defend themselves. Followers of Falun Gong fell into a trap without realizing it. The true criminals are those who lead the sect.” The true criminals are those who leads the sect" ("China Daily", 1999, Aug. 18.). K.-A. Schlevogt noted that many other areas of "qigong" have the opportunity to continue to develop in China. As further developments showed, here he was not quite right.
15. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV). 4th Edition. Wash., American Psychiatric Association, 1994, p. 847.
16. Where this book is cited, only the page number is indicated in parentheses in the text.
17. Li Hongzhi himself widely uses the concept of “heresy”, referring to various new religions and sects penetrating China (Zhuan Falun, p. 52).
18. The symbolism of Falun Gong is rooted in the Buddhist-Taoist tradition. However, Li Hongzhi stipulates that he has nothing to do with the fascists: “Some say: this sign is similar to the Hitlers (as in the text - Author). I will tell you that this sign in itself does not represent any concept about classes" (p. 93).
19. One of the followers of the sect, living in Moscow, spoke at a conference dedicated to Falun Gong. It was carried out with the help of “Swedish comrades” in September 1999 in St. Petersburg. He shared with his colleagues a method for improving “de”: the best way to do this is to find yourself in a traffic jam during rush hour. There is anger all around, and you sit and proudly increase the “matter of morality” (data from the Russian site “Falun Gong” on the Internet; which, apparently, is also maintained by the Chinese. The site’s visitor counter reads: “you are such and such a person who came from - for predestination").
20. Paribok A. Kundalini. Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism // Dictionary. M.: Publishing House Respublika, 1996, p. 249-250.
21. “If you reveal everything to people, then, seeing that it is all true, then everyone will begin to improve, including those who cannot be forgiven” (p. 22).
22. "China Daily", 1999, Nov. 1.
23. "Zhuan Falun", p. 48.
24. "South China Morning Post", 2000 Jan. 30.
25. "Chicago Tribune", 2000, Feb. II.
26. "Australian Financial Review", 2000, Feb. 1; "South China Morning Post", 2000, Feb. 2.

When Falun Gong books became bestsellers in 1996, they were banned; When state media estimated that 70 million people practiced Falun Gong, which was more than the number of members of the Chinese Communist Party at that time, the media was overwhelmed by a wave of lies about Falun Gong, and state security agencies began to spy on practitioners and harass them in every possible way.

It is in response to these violations by the authorities of the Constitution of their country that practitioners gathered in Beijing in April 1999.

A Washington Post article published in 1999 states that “Jiang single-handedly decided that Falun Gong “must be destroyed” (article on English). Journalists and inside sources noted Jiang's "envy" of Falun Gong and his obsession with "eradicating" the practice.

China analyst Willy Lam believes that by organizing a national campaign, Jiang wanted to "rig" the government for himself, while at the same time destroying a group he considered a threat to his power.

In addition, the difference between the ideology of the atheistic Communist Party and the ideology of the spiritual practice of Falun Gong, which is based on the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, played a role.

Finally, as noted in the book Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, the persecution of Falun Gong is the latest in a series of brutal campaigns used by the Party to remind the population that the people are under its constant control.

Mao Zedong once said that in China a cultural revolution should be carried out every seven or eight years. Indeed, since 1950, not a decade has passed without the state carrying out some brutal campaign aimed at suppressing the masses. From the suppression of counter-revolutionaries, the Great Leap Forward, the Cultural Revolution, the brutal suppression, and the persecution of Falun Gong, the Party killed between 60 and 80 million Chinese citizens.

- The Chinese Communist Party is not stupid - it is unlikely that it would kill innocent people like that?

Hitler is not stupid - but he killed 6 million Jews. Why did the Khmer Rouge kill one out of every four Cambodians? If Tibetan monks only want to worship and meditate piously, why are they still tortured and killed in Chinese gulags? If teenage girls in Darfur did nothing wrong, why were they raped? Mladic was not a fool, why did he want to kill all the Muslim men in Srebrenica?

It is possible to look at things from the point of view of the perpetrators and thus understand their economic and political motivation behind the massacres. However, we believe that to some extent there is an evil involved that is difficult to come to terms with - how can such things be done to a person?

On the other hand, many Chinese either take part in this campaign or turn a blind eye to it precisely because they intuitively know what evil the Communist Party can commit. After carrying out public executions, organizing, cannibalism and massacres - in total, 60 to 80 million relatives of these people died during the CCP's rule - the evil committed against Falun Gong was already all too well known.

- If Falun Gong is good, why was it banned? Why don't they do this to other groups?

Firstly, many other groups have also been banned and persecuted. Christians who refuse to attend Party-controlled churches, Tibetan Buddhists and, of course, democrats and other human rights activists are all persecuted in China, in some cases the persecution lasts for decades. There are also qigong movements that are prohibited, and you will no longer see their followers performing exercises in Chinese parks.

There is no need to look for those who are persecuted more than others. These groups are subject to gross abuses, resulting in tragedy for countless relatives of these people. Moreover, the aggressor against these groups is the same person.

If asked how the persecution of Falun Gong is different from the persecution of other groups today, the answer can be that the difference is as follows:

In terms of the number of followers, Falun Gong was the largest group in society other than the Communist Party. According to the calculations of the Chinese government itself in the late 90s. At least 70 million people engaged in this practice, reflecting the sheer number of people affected by the persecution. The US State Department notes that Falun Gong practitioners reportedly make up about half of all prisoners in forced labor camps in China. Based on reports from survivors of these camps, it can be concluded that in some cases, about 90% of the prisoners are Falun Gong practitioners. In the winter of 2007, a huge number of additional Falun Gong practitioners were placed in new cells.

Jiang Zemin and the Communist Party began a thorough campaign to destroy Falun Gong. IN early period persecution, the Chinese typically responded to the campaign as Maoist, evocative, and which they believed was a thing of the past. In this regard, Falun Gong, like groups during the Cultural Revolution, has become a target for repression: the practice and followers are attacked by intense propaganda, followed by door-to-door searches for followers, beaten, publicly shamed, and subjected to torture for which no one is held accountable. Like many groups in the 1960s, Falun Gong has been subject to financial ruin and mass exile to forced labor camps on a scale not seen since Mao's death in 1976.

- How did the persecution begin?

The persecution officially began at 3:00 pm on July 22, 1999, when China Central Television (CCTV) began broadcasting programs about the new ban with anti-Falun Gong propaganda. Falun Gong followers who were on their way to petition the government in defense of the practice at the time were rounded up, placed on buses, and detained in stadiums and conference halls. Immediately after this, Falun Gong book burnings were organized and show trials were held.

Two days before the nationwide crackdown was announced, Falun Gong coordinators, who were regarded as the main ones, were arrested at night at their home.

More than a month before the start of the persecution, on June 10, Jiang Zemin created the 610 Office to destroy Falun Gong. Two months earlier, about 20 Falun Gong practitioners were arrested and beaten for peacefully protesting in the form of sitting meditation in front of a magazine that had slandered Falun Gong. This arrest led to the famous event at the walls of Zhongnanhai, where thousands of practitioners gathered there. During 1998, Falun Gong practitioners meditating in parks were closely monitored and interrogated by security forces.

The beginning of the persecution can be seen as early as 1996, when the first article criticizing Falun Gong appeared in the Chinese newspaper Guangming Daily, marking the beginning of attacks on Falun Gong in state media.

Didn't Falun Gong followers surround Zhongnanhai? Didn't this provoke the Chinese government?

On April 25, 1999, approximately 10,000 Falun Gong practitioners gathered outside the Zhongnanhai government headquarters in Beijing. This meeting was legal, and the people gathered intended to appeal to the nearby State Appeals Office, not to the government house.

The right to appeal against abuses committed in China is guaranteed by the Constitution. In fact, on the eve of these events, authorities in the city of Tianjin, located near Beijing (where Falun Gong practitioners were arrested and beaten), advised Falun Gong practitioners to submit a petition directly in Beijing.

Practitioners gathered in response to the state persecution that had already begun. IN in this case this was the result of a 3-year media attack on Falun Gong, the beating of 45 Falun Gong supporters in the city of Tianjin, and the banning of Falun Gong books.

This gathering of people was completely peaceful. Also, not a single passage or passage was blocked; movement was free.

In fact, it could have led to a completely different result. That day, Zhu Rongji, then the prime minister, met with Falun Gong representatives and promised to resolve their problems. The practitioners who were detained in Tianjin were released. However, a few hours later, when everyone had already left, Jiang Zemin intervened and completely changed the policy. He accused practitioners of keeping Zhongnanhai under "siege" and said that if Falun Gong was not destroyed, it would be a disgrace to the party and show its weakness.

- It seems that Falun Gong has changed its nature and has now become highest degree politicized?

First, despite the fact that Falun Gong followers protest, file lawsuits against Chinese officials, and convince the Chinese to leave the Communist Party, they remain persistently disinterested in gaining power.

Falun Gong's founder and practitioners in China and abroad have constantly made it clear that they do not want to gain power, they only want to stop the persecution. Many years have passed and the Communist Party has not changed its genocidal policy towards Falun Gong, so the only apparent possible way to stop the persecution is to destroy the Communist Party.

Secondly, such activities by Falun Gong practitioners were not carried out in any form before the persecution began. All Falun Gong practitioners did before the suppression began was to meditate and read Falun Gong literature in a group or at home and introduce other people to the practice.

Lastly, even if Falun Gong were involved in politics, what's wrong with that? In any free society this clearly cannot be grounds for persecution. Only in a state with an authoritarian communist party regime, a regime that does not tolerate any ideology different from it, is it considered a crime to engage in politics.

- In what form does persecution take place?

In China, the Communist Party uses all available methods to force people to abandon their faith through intimidation and pressure. Falun Gong followers are denied education, fired from their jobs, and deprived of custody of their children; they are publicly humiliated, kidnapped and sexually abused in police stations. Those who expose the abuses they suffered in custody are sent to prison for "divulging state secrets."

All practitioners are denied legal representation, and some are sentenced to up to 18 years in prison simply for their faith. According to reports, hundreds of thousands were sent to forced labor camps (Chinese Gulag system) without trial or investigation. Many healthy, normal people were sent to psychiatric hospitals, where they were forcibly injected with drugs that destroyed the nervous system.

Currently, the Center has confirmed 3,415 deaths of Falun Gong adherents as a result of the persecution (it is believed that there are many more); Hundreds of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners are imprisoned in prisons and forced labor camps. Independent experts also confirmed the fact that it was being sold to imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners.

One of the reasons why Falun Gong was banned in China was its enormous popularity in the Middle Kingdom at the end of the twentieth century. So it will be better if I first talk about the reasons for its popularity.

Briefly tell the history of Falun Gong, we can say that until the 90s of the twentieth century, Falun Gong was a very small school - the master taught only one student per generation.

But seeing that after the Cultural Revolution, numerous qigong schools turned into gymnastics and did not fulfill the main task - to provide people with opportunities for spiritual improvement, Master Li Hongzhi decided to open his school to everyone.

If we express the self-improvement principle of Falun Gong in Russian words, then these would be the words: Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. Those. A Falun Gong practitioner should always try to tell the truth, act truthfully, and maintain a calm mind with patience and kindness.

In 1992, the master registered Falun Gong as a regular school of qigong and began giving lectures throughout the country, which were later published in the form of the book Zhuan Falun. By 1999, about 100 million people were practicing Falun Gong throughout China. The specific number was unknown because according to the school's rules, it did not keep lists of people who practiced Falun Gong. The school also had neither centralized management nor tuition fees.

The process for new students to join looked like this. A person came to a practice site - usually it was some kind of city park, learned the Falun Gong exercises there and began to practice.

But it was precisely the large number and rapid growth of popularity that became one of the reasons why the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party decided to ban Falun Gong. And then they began to repress the people involved in it.

Illegal ban on Falun Gong

Since the existence of Falun Gong did not violate any laws of the People's Republic of China, the Communist Party was unable to legally ban it, and the entire suppression was carried out along party lines, in the form of "telephone law." This is when a higher party official simply orders his subordinate to perform illegal actions without leaving written orders.

Thus, despite the fact that the persecution of Falun Gong in China has been going on since 1999, there is not a single known written order from the leadership of the Chinese Communist Party to ban Falun Gong. And according to all existing Chinese laws - official There is no ban on Falun Gong in China. We’ll talk about the reasons for the unofficial ban below.

Why is Falun Gong banned in China?

Perhaps the first reason for banning Falun Gong in China is its popularity in the country. After all, the number of people involved in it exceeded the number of members of the Chinese Communist Party.

And from this came the second reason - in China, the Communist Party controls all movements, be it religions or qigong schools. Control is carried out simply - a party official is appointed to the leadership of the school and the entire organization automatically becomes controlled by the party.

But in the case of Falun Gong, which had no centralized leadership, this method did not work. And here we move on to the third reason - in Falun Gong there is no tuition fee, no monetary contributions, and accordingly there is nothing and no one to pay taxes. But the authorities controlling all qigong schools did not want to come to terms with such a “loss”.

It is known that while Falun Gong was not yet “banned” but was already gaining popularity, they approached Master Li with a proposal to introduce tuition fees. But he refused, saying that Falun Gong is for self-improvement, and you cannot take money for it.

But, of course, all this was only indirect reasons; the real reason, and many independent Chinese experts agree on this, was the political adventure of the then leader of the Chinese Communist Party, Jiang Zemin.

By 1999, Jiang did not have sufficient political authority in the party he led. All his predecessors were famous for something, but compared to them he seemed like an ordinary mediocrity.

So he decided to follow the example of Mao Zedong, who, having unleashed repression of dissidents on an unprecedented scale, called the Great Cultural Revolution, achieved absolute power in the country. It was only necessary to find a group of dissidents who could be labeled “enemies of the people.” And why he chose Falun Gong - see the previous three reasons.

Information war

To justify the existence of persecution in modern China, Jiang launched an information war against Falun Gong. The party-controlled media pumped out a ton of negativity, blaming Falun Gong for everything they could think of. This misinformed work continues to this day. Apparently, it serves as a cover for the illegal trade in the organs of Falun Gong practitioners killed in prison.

Why do some people think that Falun Gong is banned in Russia?

The result of this propaganda campaign against Falun Gong was that many websites and even media outlets on the RuNet reprinted materials from Chinese government media. And here’s what’s interesting: in China, the persecution of Falun Gong has been going on secretly for many years, without covering this topic in the media. In fact, on the Chinese Internet, one word “Falun Gong” or “Falun Dafa” is enough for an article or post to social network were blocked.

And Russian sites using Chinese Communist Party propaganda against Falun Gong seem to be more than ten years behind the times. Apparently because of them, some people find this article by searching: why Falun Gong is banned in Russia. I’ll say it especially for them - Falun Gong is not banned in Russia. The main book of Falun Gong, Zhuan Falun, has been banned from distribution because it contains an image of the Buddhist swastika. You can read more about this in the articles:

Let us return to the topic of China.

Illegal trade in organs of disenfranchised people

Since the start of the large-scale persecution of Falun Gong, Chinese prisons and labor camps have been filled with hundreds of thousands of new political prisoners without any rights. The party leadership demanded from the prison authorities their ideological re-education. Which was carried out through torture.

Soon, as a result of such re-education, the first deaths appeared in prisons, whose deaths were recorded as suicides. The bodies were dealt with in the same way as executed criminals - their organs were given to transplant clinics.

Soon, not “random” victims began to die in prisons, but those whose organs were being purchased. This is how Chinese clinics provided a suitable donor organ within 1-2 weeks. (In the USA, for comparison, you need to wait 5-7 years for a donor heart).

When they began to make big money in prisons, and from the deaths of people who posed a problem for the country's leadership, higher authorities willingly turned a blind eye to this.

Rehabilitation of Falun Gong

Most likely, the modern leadership of China would be happy to stop the repression of Falun Gong, but then it will need to be rehabilitated, which means that all officials involved in serious crimes, such as torture, murder and organ trafficking, will have to be punished. Which will put the Communist Party and the state in a bad light.

In addition, the party officials involved in these crimes still occupy high positions in the government and do their best to obstruct the rehabilitation of Falun Gong. But, judging by the news from China, gradually, the officials who carried out the repression are being put on trial on charges of corruption.

Perhaps Chinese leader Xi Jinping plans to quietly deal with the criminals in his party, and then, just as quietly, rehabilitate Falun Gong. But until this happens, the repression continues and people continue to die.

July 20, 1999, 16 years ago, is a day that tens and hundreds of millions of Chinese residents will forever remember. It was on this day that the persecution of Falun Gong began, and over 70 million Chinese people, not including their relatives, experienced a life-changing event. They were discredited in the media. Many survived dismissals, prisons, correctional camps, torture, and some were subjected to forced organ harvesting. It was on July 20, 1999 that former Chinese President Jiang Zemin opposed the spiritual practice of Falun Gong to society by issuing a directive to “Damage the reputation of Falun Gong followers, ruin them and destroy them physically.”

July 20 every year for 16 recent years followers in almost all major cities of the world, including Kyiv, go out with public actions to the local embassies of the People's Republic of China or to the main streets and squares of the city. They demonstrate their meditation exercises to passersby and talk about how like-minded people are persecuted in China. They give beautiful paper lotuses to passers-by and collect signatures in petitions to free followers of the teaching from prisons and correctional camps.

We found out why Falun Gong followers fell out of favor with the Chinese authorities and what the scale of these repressions behind the “Great Wall of China” is.

The Extent of the Persecution of Falun Gong

“The Communist Party must destroy Falun Gong... How is it possible that the Marxism we profess, the materialism and atheism we believe in cannot destroy what Falun Gong propagates? If this were true, wouldn’t we become a laughing stock?” - Jiang Zemin wrote on April 25, 1999, in a letter addressed to senior leaders of the Chinese Communist Party.

To purposefully suppress Falun Gong in China, the authorities created a special committee with almost unlimited powers - the “610 Committee”. In order to justify the suppression of Falun Gong to the public, the Chinese Communist Party used Chinese media under its control, in particular the Xinhua News Agency and the People's Daily newspaper.

In 1999, in some major cities, the number of Falun Gong practitioners numbered in the tens of thousands. However, since July 20, 1999, the police have arrested people who try to go out and do these exercises.

Since 2000, in its annual reports, the human rights organization Amnesty International has highlighted the situation of the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese authorities.

In 2006, UN Special Rapporteur on the Prevention of Torture Manfred Nowak reported that 66% of torture victims in China are Falun Gong practitioners.

Amnesty International's (AI) annual human rights report in 2011 claimed that Chinese authorities had renewed a campaign to "transform" Falun Gong practitioners by requiring prison and prison camp officials to force imprisoned followers of the teaching to renounce their faith. Those who were unwilling to sign a statement renouncing their faith (prison guards called them “stubborn”) were subjected to torture, usually until the person cooperated with them. Many, according to AI, died in custody or shortly after release.

Since January 1, 2011, the Falun Dafa Information Center has documented more than 30 cases of death of followers of the teaching as a result of beatings and torture. The organization believes that although the actual number of deaths due to repression is much higher, even with such calculations, there is no other group of people among prisoners of conscience in China where the death rate is higher.

According to the Falun Dafa Information Center, to date, 3,432 deaths of Falun Gong practitioners have been officially recorded as a result of the persecution in China. In addition, the organization states that over 100,000 people have been illegally sent to labor camps and more than 6,000 have been sentenced to prison terms of up to 18 years.

Testimony of a torture victim

About 100 types of torture are used on Falun Gong followers: dousing with ice water, sticking bamboo sticks under the nails, sleep deprivation, force-feeding urine and feces, putting a plastic bag over the head, “dead man's bed”, etc. This is stated by the public organization Falun Gong Human Rights Working Group, which protects the rights of followers of this teaching. She provides a description of these tortures on her website, and also indicates a specific list of places where they are used.

A Chinese man, Li (a pseudonym is indicated for security reasons), who left China in 2005 and lives in Kyiv, spoke in more detail about how Falun Gong followers are treated in Chinese prisons. In 2000, his mother was detained in a forced labor camp for one year. On May 17, 2002, she was arrested in Jiagedachi District and sentenced to Harbin Heilongjiang Women's Prison for 12 years (from May 19, 2002 to May 18, 2014) “for participating in the activities of the Falun Gong organization.”

The last time he saw her was in 2005, when he was allowed to see his mother in prison. “She used to [weigh] 60–70 kg, and in 2005, when I saw her, she became about 30 kg,” Lee said. He also conveys the story of his mother, which he managed to write down during the meeting. “I was tied to a chair for the whole day, I was so tired that I often fell on the floor,” Lee reports her words. “They inserted toothpicks between my eyelids, stabbed me with needles, pulled my ears hard, and slapped me. My face even became distorted because of this. It was restored only after a few years. These 7 days were the most terrible in my life, when I remember this, I involuntarily shudder.”

“After the persecution began in 1999, Mom went to the Chinese government to talk about the benefits of practicing Falun Dafa for people and the pointlessness of the persecution,” Li told us, “but because of this, the Chinese Communist Party illegally sentenced her to a year in a labor camp and 12 years in prison! She was persecuted very much in prison with cruel torture.” Li said he called Heilongjiang Prison again two weeks ago, hoping to talk to his mother, but prison guards again refused.

His mother, Li Yushu, also managed to convey outside the prison through other prisoners and free Falun Gong practitioners from the city of Harbin a description of the torture methods that were used on her in prison. Her story was published on the website minghui.net, where Falun Gong practitioners in China post the latest first-hand information regarding the persecution situation throughout China. Below is part of Li Yushu's story:

“On March 14, 2005, I was transferred to the 10th district, to a specially built hospital. Criminal Xu Zhen (murderer) very actively persecuted Falun Dafa practitioners in order to get early release from prison. She lives on the 3rd floor. One day she ordered me to go upstairs from the 1st floor, but I refused. She and other criminals then forcibly carried me to the 3rd floor, dressed me in prison clothes, and forced me to watch videos slandering Falun Gong. I took off my prison uniform and because of this they beat me.”

Forced organ harvesting

David Matas, a renowned Canadian human rights activist, together with former member Canadian government David Kilgour published a report that indirectly confirmed the existence of the illegal practice of organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners in China. By analyzing official data from the PRC on the number of operations performed from 2000 to 2005. and compared with the same number over the previous 6 years - from 1994 to 1999. - they concluded that 41,500 more operations were performed. To make sure whether imprisoned Falun Gong practitioners were the donors of these transactions, the two Canadians decided to investigate.

However, when they wanted to go to China to conduct a face-to-face investigation, the Chinese Embassy did not issue them a visa. Therefore, Kilgour and Matas conducted their research in absentia, using telephone calls where they presented themselves as needing an organ transplant and asked if they could be provided with organs for the operation as soon as possible, for example, organs from Falun Gong practitioners. According to their report, they called about 120 Chinese hospitals where transplant operations were performed. Of these, 15 admitted to using Falun Gong practitioners as organ donors. 14 clinics recognized the use of live organs from prisoners. Ten hospitals said information about the source of organs is confidential and they cannot disclose it over the phone.

In addition, the researchers called 36 different detention centers and courts in China, four of which admitted using organs from Falun Gong practitioners.

David Matas showed us a letter sent to the Chinese Embassy on May 31, 2006, asking for a one-month visa in order to find out whether forced organ harvesting actually occurs in clinics and prison camps in China. However, when David Kilgour came to a meeting with a representative of the embassy, ​​the latter argued for refusing to travel for the investigation by saying that it was enough to believe the information from the Chinese Canadian Embassy that there was no organ harvesting in China and therefore there was no need to go to China.

Why did the persecution of Falun Gong begin?

From the time Falun Gong was introduced to the public in May 1992 until the persecution began in July 1999, the number of Falun Gong practitioners grew to tens of millions. In 1999 officials The Chinese government said in interviews with the Associated Press and the New York Times that their research shows that "at least 70 million" Chinese practice Falun Gong" (AP: 4/26/1999; New York Times: 4/27/1999 ).

"Jiang was jealous of Falun Gong's widespread popularity among people," says Dr. Shiyu Zhou, spokesman for the Falun Dafa Information Center, pointing to the main instigator of the persecution. - Falun Gong has attracted national attention and truly brought change to society. After so many years of hustle and bustle, the people of China have returned to the more traditional Chinese way of life, working together, thinking of others first, and emphasizing kindness. It may sound strange at first, but people's admiration for Falun Gong made him angry. This is main reason why did he do this?

Another reason for the Chinese government to initiate repression at the Falun Dafa Information Center is the incompatibility of the atheistic communist ideology and the Falun Gong teachings, based on the spiritual principles of “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance” and the traditional culture of China.

In a CNN column, the director of the Laogai Research Foundation, Chinese dissident Harry Wu, pointed out that there are at least 1,100 forced labor camps in China that are tightly controlled by the Chinese Communist Party. Harry Wu believes that the Laogai camp system operates as a repressive mechanism to control and essentially destroy anyone whose political, religious or social views differ from the line of the Chinese Communist Party.