Falun Gong
- Thread starter tintrail
- Start date
DurfBarian
Diabloii.Net Member
I think it's par for the course for the CCP . . . react with extreme prejudice to any force that looks like it might take the place of the government in the people's hearts. Religion is dangerous because people will take its teachings over the orders of rulers; stamp it out. It's the Chinese Communist Way.
but it is not a religion. it is a practice of exercises. both the state and the founder (Li Hongzhi) agree that it is not religious. and so i am stuck wondering why they are afraid of it. maybe because it has a bigger following than the CCp itself? maybe that coupled with the fact that if the current leaders of Falun were to try and make Falun into a politically oriented practice, and oppose the CCP directly, then it is possible, maybe even plausible that the CCP would not last long?DurfBarian said:
thoughts on this?
DurfBarian
Diabloii.Net Member
I don't think FLG has any chance of booting the CCP from power. But I think the CCP has been paranoid for decades about allowing people to receive teachings from any source other than the government. The media is locked down, the Internet is heavily filtered, and the schools teach only what the central planners tell them to teach. So of course the party will react harshly against a nongovernment group that tries to offer people its own teachings--whether they are officially classified as "religious" or not. (And I was under the impression that many practitioners of FLG did see it as a form of faith, not just an exercise regimen.)
Durf hit the nail on the head. The CCP will try their darndest to get rid of anything they think might undermine their position. It doesn't matter that the Falun Gong are non-violent and not really even a religion (it's more of a spiritual practice, and certainly not an organised religion), if it diverts the attention of a lot of people from the state it will be supressed.
They get together over at my campus too. I did get a different impression of them though cos they were actively protesting against China, setting up petitions etc. Definitely resembled something more like organised religion/society than just a simple exercise society.
possibly the worst essay i have ever written, but hey, i only took 3.5 hours to bang this out, and i dont really give a crap about this anthro class. just thought i would post my views. :lol:
In his book promoting Falun Gong (Falun Dafa), Li Hongzhi employs various bogus scientific examples to ground his practice. The moderately studied reader needs to employ suspension of belief to read through his book, since the so called ‘scientific facts’ which he presents are blaringly counter to common sense and what is known about the world from the established scientific community (source1). Thus there is no solid basis for anyone to believe in his exercises as a means to reach his three ethical postulates, yet Falun Gong today has a huge following that practice and follow the Falun exercise religiously. In addition, the Chinese government feels that Falun Gong presents enough of a threat to the state that they have outlawed it in China. Thus there must be something not apparent at first glance going on with Falun Gong which has led not only to its great popularity, but subsequently to its outlawed status by the Chinese state. I would argue that to the Chinese government Falun Gong represents a practice saturated with meaning, and the government’s inability to precipitate a fixed and clear meaning from the practice has led to its qualification as dangerous to the Chinese state. The inability of the Chinese state to extract a meaning from the practice of Falun Gong stems from the underlying structure of Falun Gong, a structure which lends itself toward multiple unclear meanings, and this combined with the charismatic type of authority of the practice leads to the opposition from the Chinese state.
The basis upon which Falun Gong is formed is clearly flawed from a strictly scientific viewpoint, since Li Hongzhi quotes several spurious facts, for example the existence of ‘500 thousand year old nuclear reactors’ (source1, 20). Glaringly false facts such as this one are provided to lend credence to Falun Gong, and because of their glaring falseness should not establish any basis for the practice. And yet the number of followers of Falun Gong even outnumbers the number of followers that the Chinese Communist Party has. This seeming contradiction can be resolved by noting that Falun Gong is an example of charismatic authority, where the leader Li Hongzhi has had a personal revelation in that he knows that the world will end if people do not start abiding by the three ethical postulates. The presence of this charismatic authority, together with the fact that Falun Gong offers people a nonreligious and non committed way in which to focus their energy can help explain the contradiction. The appeal of Falun Gong lies partly in its low demand on the follower, that is, the follower’s normal life is not greatly disrupted if they choose to practice Falun Gong (source3, **). Indeed, according to Li Hongzhi “the gong cultivates you while you are not practicing†(source1, 44). Another reason for the popularity of Falun Gong is that it does not require the follower to know or do anything out of the ordinary; the exercises practiced are straightforward and similar to those found in other types of exercise (source3, **).
One of the aims of Falun Gong is to promote Li Hongzhi’s three ethical postulates. The three postulates are truth, benevolence, and forbearance, and according to Li Hongzhi, through the practice of Falun Gong you will achieve these three ethical postulates. The three postulates are connected to the Millenarian aspect of Falun Gong; according to Li Hongzhi the end of the world is nearing because the present government is failing to provide people with a way to achieve three ethical postulates, and thus prevent the end of the world. Li Hongzhi says that through practicing Falun Gong, a follower will achieve these three postulates, and consequently prevent the end of the world (source1, 44-45). This one precipitated interpretation of Falun Gong is decidedly anti-state (Chinese state), and it provides a good example of why the Chinese state has chosen to outlaw Falun Gong. The Chinese Communist Party is trying to advocate its own type of modernity upon China and the Chinese people, while Falun Gong appears (at least under this one precipitated meaning) to be opposed to this path of modernity, viewing it as a world ending trajectory.
The practice of Falun Gong is not a religious one; the government as well as Li himself does not consider it as such, but it has reached a point where people practice it religiously, and from this religious nature stems its danger. The number of followers that Falun Gong now has outnumbers the followers of the Chinese Communist Party. Although there is no real threat that could be posed to the state if the charismatic leading figures chose to precipitate the meaning of Falun Gong into one which is overtly anti-state, nevertheless, there remains the possibility that such an act could happen, and if it did, the outcome would not be guaranteed one way or the other, and thus the state feels pressure to eliminate the threat before it becomes one.
Another facet of Falun Gong’s dangerous nature which concerns the Chinese state is the religious interpretation which can be precipitated from the practice. On the face of it, Falun Gong is offered as exercise which will enable you to achieve the three ethical postulates, but on a deeper level, the underlying structure of Falun Gong ensures that the true meaning of Falun Gong is always hidden amongst a variety of other meanings. One example of this structure is apparent in the naming of the various exercises that are performed in Falun Gong. While these exercise are performed under the pretext of enhancing your energy levels and bringing you closer towards achieving the three ethical postulates, it seems that they also have some religious associations. The exercises are all named after various deities, and not just after what action they represent, as is the case in most other similar forms of exercise (source3, 93-105). Thus doing these exercises can be viewed as a way in which the follower can get in touch with the various deities advocated by Falun Gong, and this would make Falun Gong religious practice. This semi-religious state that Falun Gong can adopt, together with the religious fever with which followers practice the exercises can be taken to mean that Falun Gong is actually a religious movement. This precipitated meaning is dangerous to the state, because people have a tendency to take religious teachings over the orders or teachings of the state, in this case the people would be more interested in following Falun Gong than the modern path advocated by the Chinese state. This ability to extract multiple differing meanings of Falun Gong illustrates the saturated nature of the practice, and hence its potential danger toward the Chinese state.
Thus Falun Gong while seemingly harmless at first, actually represents a saturation of meanings, which represent a dangerous situation to the Chinese state, and it is for this reason that the Chinese Communist Party outlawed Falun Gong in China.
In his book promoting Falun Gong (Falun Dafa), Li Hongzhi employs various bogus scientific examples to ground his practice. The moderately studied reader needs to employ suspension of belief to read through his book, since the so called ‘scientific facts’ which he presents are blaringly counter to common sense and what is known about the world from the established scientific community (source1). Thus there is no solid basis for anyone to believe in his exercises as a means to reach his three ethical postulates, yet Falun Gong today has a huge following that practice and follow the Falun exercise religiously. In addition, the Chinese government feels that Falun Gong presents enough of a threat to the state that they have outlawed it in China. Thus there must be something not apparent at first glance going on with Falun Gong which has led not only to its great popularity, but subsequently to its outlawed status by the Chinese state. I would argue that to the Chinese government Falun Gong represents a practice saturated with meaning, and the government’s inability to precipitate a fixed and clear meaning from the practice has led to its qualification as dangerous to the Chinese state. The inability of the Chinese state to extract a meaning from the practice of Falun Gong stems from the underlying structure of Falun Gong, a structure which lends itself toward multiple unclear meanings, and this combined with the charismatic type of authority of the practice leads to the opposition from the Chinese state.
The basis upon which Falun Gong is formed is clearly flawed from a strictly scientific viewpoint, since Li Hongzhi quotes several spurious facts, for example the existence of ‘500 thousand year old nuclear reactors’ (source1, 20). Glaringly false facts such as this one are provided to lend credence to Falun Gong, and because of their glaring falseness should not establish any basis for the practice. And yet the number of followers of Falun Gong even outnumbers the number of followers that the Chinese Communist Party has. This seeming contradiction can be resolved by noting that Falun Gong is an example of charismatic authority, where the leader Li Hongzhi has had a personal revelation in that he knows that the world will end if people do not start abiding by the three ethical postulates. The presence of this charismatic authority, together with the fact that Falun Gong offers people a nonreligious and non committed way in which to focus their energy can help explain the contradiction. The appeal of Falun Gong lies partly in its low demand on the follower, that is, the follower’s normal life is not greatly disrupted if they choose to practice Falun Gong (source3, **). Indeed, according to Li Hongzhi “the gong cultivates you while you are not practicing†(source1, 44). Another reason for the popularity of Falun Gong is that it does not require the follower to know or do anything out of the ordinary; the exercises practiced are straightforward and similar to those found in other types of exercise (source3, **).
One of the aims of Falun Gong is to promote Li Hongzhi’s three ethical postulates. The three postulates are truth, benevolence, and forbearance, and according to Li Hongzhi, through the practice of Falun Gong you will achieve these three ethical postulates. The three postulates are connected to the Millenarian aspect of Falun Gong; according to Li Hongzhi the end of the world is nearing because the present government is failing to provide people with a way to achieve three ethical postulates, and thus prevent the end of the world. Li Hongzhi says that through practicing Falun Gong, a follower will achieve these three postulates, and consequently prevent the end of the world (source1, 44-45). This one precipitated interpretation of Falun Gong is decidedly anti-state (Chinese state), and it provides a good example of why the Chinese state has chosen to outlaw Falun Gong. The Chinese Communist Party is trying to advocate its own type of modernity upon China and the Chinese people, while Falun Gong appears (at least under this one precipitated meaning) to be opposed to this path of modernity, viewing it as a world ending trajectory.
The practice of Falun Gong is not a religious one; the government as well as Li himself does not consider it as such, but it has reached a point where people practice it religiously, and from this religious nature stems its danger. The number of followers that Falun Gong now has outnumbers the followers of the Chinese Communist Party. Although there is no real threat that could be posed to the state if the charismatic leading figures chose to precipitate the meaning of Falun Gong into one which is overtly anti-state, nevertheless, there remains the possibility that such an act could happen, and if it did, the outcome would not be guaranteed one way or the other, and thus the state feels pressure to eliminate the threat before it becomes one.
Another facet of Falun Gong’s dangerous nature which concerns the Chinese state is the religious interpretation which can be precipitated from the practice. On the face of it, Falun Gong is offered as exercise which will enable you to achieve the three ethical postulates, but on a deeper level, the underlying structure of Falun Gong ensures that the true meaning of Falun Gong is always hidden amongst a variety of other meanings. One example of this structure is apparent in the naming of the various exercises that are performed in Falun Gong. While these exercise are performed under the pretext of enhancing your energy levels and bringing you closer towards achieving the three ethical postulates, it seems that they also have some religious associations. The exercises are all named after various deities, and not just after what action they represent, as is the case in most other similar forms of exercise (source3, 93-105). Thus doing these exercises can be viewed as a way in which the follower can get in touch with the various deities advocated by Falun Gong, and this would make Falun Gong religious practice. This semi-religious state that Falun Gong can adopt, together with the religious fever with which followers practice the exercises can be taken to mean that Falun Gong is actually a religious movement. This precipitated meaning is dangerous to the state, because people have a tendency to take religious teachings over the orders or teachings of the state, in this case the people would be more interested in following Falun Gong than the modern path advocated by the Chinese state. This ability to extract multiple differing meanings of Falun Gong illustrates the saturated nature of the practice, and hence its potential danger toward the Chinese state.
Thus Falun Gong while seemingly harmless at first, actually represents a saturation of meanings, which represent a dangerous situation to the Chinese state, and it is for this reason that the Chinese Communist Party outlawed Falun Gong in China.