Although Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) is deeply rooted in ancient Chinese culture, it was first introduced to the public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi, the practice’s founder and teacher. Now, over 100 million people worldwide perform the simple, graceful exercises on a daily basis while striving to conduct themselves according to Falun Dafa’s fundamental guiding principles: Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.　　　

　　The vast majority of people who take up the practice experience significant improvements in many aspects of their lives. A previously published collection of short articles, Life and Hope Renewed--he Healing Power of Falun Dafa, described the profound health benefits of Falun Dafa. This companion volume focuses on another important aspect of people’s lives: the tremendous personal growth that can be achieved by cultivating one’s character through practicing Falun Gong.

　　The Origins of Falun Dafa　　

　　From 1992 to 1994, Mr. Li Hongzhi gave over 50 lecture series on the practice, typically consisting of a two-hour class every day for nine days. During the classes, generally one and a half hours were used to lecture on the principles of Falun Dafa, and the last half hour was used to teach the exercises. By the end of a lecture series, attendees would have received the essential teachings and learned all of the exercises.　　　

　　In December 1994, the main text of Falun Dafa, Zhuan Falun, was published, and at this time the lecture series came to an end. The book provided newcomers who had not attended the lecture series the opportunity to learn the practice on their own. Veteran practitioners benefited as well, as this book became the cornerstone text for continuous improvement, providing practitioners with guidance at every stage of their cultivation.　　　

　　Because of its tremendous power to improve health and elevate character, Falun Dafa stood out from the myriad of other qigong systems being taught and practiced in China at that time. Before July 1999, by early dawn, almost every Chinese park would be brimming with people practicing the exercises, which were always taught free of charge by volunteers in each city. Spread primarily by word of mouth, Falun Dafa grew very quickly.

　　The practitioners came from different geographic regions and spanned all ages, social strata and walks of life. Many government agencies and mainstream media acknowledged and supported Falun Dafa.　　　

　　Cultivation Practice

　　Falun Dafa is a cultivation practice for elevating the mind and enhancing physical health. Although the concept of “cultivation” may not be familiar to many Westerners, looking through the list of definitions of　“cultivate” in the dictionary, we do find that it relates to “growth, development, improvement, and refinement of something,” in this case, a person, through “education, training, labor, and attention.” But this does not tell the whole story.　　

　　In China, there is a rich tradition of cultivation. The term in Chinese is xiu lian. Xiu means to “repair” or “fix.” Lian means to “smelt” or “refine,” and written in Chinese, this character looks similar to and has the same pronunciation as the term “to practice [exercises].” This is only a direct translation of the characters that make up the term.　　

　　To get a more complete understanding of the concept of cultivation, we can look to China’s history. Around 2,500 years ago, the sage Lao Zi appeared in China. Around the same time, Shakyamuni appeared in India. Lao Zi wrote the book Dao De Jing, which was how most people learned about what he called the “Dao” or the “Way.” Shakyamuni spread Buddhism in India for 49 years, which then made its way to China. These two schools then formed the basis for many spiritual practices in China.　　　

　　Religions are also considered forms of cultivation. For example, there is the religion of Buddhism, which has temples, monks and nuns, rituals, and many other formalities of a religion, and there are many different denominations of Buddhism. The cultivation way of the Buddha school does not end there though, as there are many practices from this school that are not considered part of the Buddhist religion. Often these practices are comprised of simply a teacher and students, but there are no religious formalities or places of worship. These are also considered cultivation ways. The same is true for the Daoist school. There is the religion of Daoism, but there are also many Daoist practices that are not religions. So in China, it is not considered necessary to be a member of a religion in order to achieve the goal of elevating one's spiritual level—but one does need a cultivation practice. Here in the West, since we don’t really have the concept of cultivation, anything spiritual or that has to do with transcending the human world has traditionally fallen under the concept of religion.　　　

　　Falun Dafa is such a cultivation way, encompassing the essence of all other cultivation ways in the form of its guiding principles, Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Indeed, regardless of their religious affiliation or spiritual beliefs, people can universally identify with these three core principles of Falun Dafa.　　

　　The Practice of Falun Dafa

　　Many of the essential truths of Falun Dafa were taught in private for thousands of years. It was common in China's history to teach this way, as these timeless principles were often passed from a teacher to a single student. In the 1960's and 1970's, many qigong practices were introduced to the public. At that time, mostly just exercises and some basic principles were taught, and by doing these qigong exercises, people were able to improve their health.　　　

　　Since Falun Dafa is a cultivation practice for both the mind and body, a practitioner not only does the exercises to transform the energy of his body for increased health, but also strives to elevate his character by following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.　　　

　　The five exercises themselves are easy to learn and practice. Mr. Li Hongzhi gives explanations of each of the exercises in　The Great Consummation Way of Falun Dafa, portions of which are quoted below:

　　The first exercise is called “Buddha Showing a Thousand Hands.”　　　　

　　“At the core of Buddha Showing a thousand Hands is stretching of the body. This stretching unblocks areas where energy is congested, stimulates the energy within the body and under the skin so that it circulates vigorously, and automatically absorbs a great amount of energy from the universe. This enables all of the meridians in a practitioner's body to open at the beginning. When one performs this exercise, the body will have a special feeling of warmth and of the existence of a strong energy field. his is caused by the stretching and opening of all meridians throughout the body.”

　　The second exercise is called “he Falun Standing Stance.”　　　　　

　　“Falun Standing Stance is a tranquil standing meditation composed of four wheel-holding positions.　　

　　Frequent performance of Falun Standing Stance will facilitate the complete opening of the entire body. It is a comprehensive means of cultivation practice that enhances wisdom, increases strength, raises one’s level, and strengthens divine powers. The movements are　simple, but much can be achieved through the exercise.　　

　　Beginners' arms may feel heavy and painful. After doing the exercises, the whole body will immediately feel relaxed, without feeling the kind of fatigue that comes from working.”

　　The third exercise is called “Penetrating the Two Cosmic Extremes.”　　　　

　　“Penetrating the Two Cosmic Extremes channels the cosmos' energy and mixes it with the energy inside one's body. A great amount of energy is expelled and taken in during this exercise, enabling a practitioner to purify　his or her body in a very short time. At the same time, the exercise opens the meridians on top of the head and　unblocks the passages underneath the feet.”

　　The fourth exercise is called “he Great Heavenly Circuit.”　　　　　

　　“Falun Heavenly Circuit enables the energy of the human body to circulate over large areas—that is, not just in one or several meridians, but from the entire yin side to the entire yang side of the body, back and forth continuously. his exercise is far beyond the usual methods of opening the meridians or the Great and Small Heavenly Circuits. Falun Heavenly Circuit is an intermediate-level cultivation method. With the previous three exercises as a base, the meridians of the entire body　(including the Great Heavenly Circuit) can be quickly opened through performing this exercise.”

　　The fifth exercise is called “Strengthening Divine Powers.”　　　　

　　“Strengthening Divine Powers is a tranquil cultivation　exercise. It’s a multi-purpose exercise that strengthens divine powers (including supernormal abilities) and gong potency by turning the Falun using Buddha hand signs. This exercise is above the intermediate level and was originally a secret exercise. Performing this exercise requires sitting with both legs crossed. Single-leg crossing is acceptable at the initial stage if double-leg crossing cannot be done.”

　　Cultivation of Character　

　　Although Falun Dafa has physical exercises, they are supplementary to the cultivation of one’s character, or xinxing (see glossary). In general, this is done by studying Zhuan Falun, the core text containing the teachings of Falun Dafa, and by living according to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. he importance placed on the elevation of character separates Falun Dafa from most other qigong practices popularized in China over the past several decades, as other practices focus primarily on physical exercises for health and fitness.　　　

　　The meaning of the term “character,” as it is used in the practice of Falun Gong, is somewhat broader than its dictionary definition. In Zhuan Falun, Master Li describes it this way:　

　　“So what is character? Character includes virtue (which is a type of matter), it includes enduring, it includes awakening to things, it includes giving up things—giving up all the desires and all the attachments that are found in an ordinary person—and you also　have to endure hardship, to name just a few things. So it includes a lot of different things. You need to improve every aspect of your character, and only when you do that will you really improve.”　　　

　　As a practitioner cultivates character, he or she treats everything that happens in daily life as a test and an opportunity to improve. For example, if someone berates a practitioner, he or she would take this as an opportunity to put Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance into practice. Rather than getting upset and responding in kind, perhaps the practitioner would understand that it would be best to just let it go, or calmly and kindly explain the situation that brought about the conflict. here are no formulas providing specific ways to act in every situation, but by reading Zhuan Falun, practitioners gain their own understanding of how to cultivate character and how to take these tribulations that all of us meet in our lives as opportunities to improve.　　　

　　Practitioners find that as they cultivate, they are frequently gaining new understandings of how to live according to Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. Perhaps in the beginning of cultivation, a practitioner might respond one way when insulted, but after cultivating for a while and gaining a better understanding of the principles, he might treat the same situation quite differently.　　

　　Another aspect of cultivating character that is frequently mentioned in this book involves "letting go of attachments." It is important to note that this is not the same concept as striving to become detached from life or one's problems. On the contrary, it's a process of facing up to one's shortcomings and life's difficulties and rising above them. In the context of cultivation practice, "letting go of attachments" refers to gradually giving up notions, behaviors, and thought patterns that prevent a person from fully assimilating to Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.　　　

　　The relationship between mental and physical health is extremely important. By cultivating character, practitioners are also directly and positively affecting their physical health. his is thought to be one reason why the practice of Falun Dafa has such outstanding results in healing illnesses.

　　Scientiic Findings　　

　　The precise way in which the practice of Falun Dafa works to heal illness is not fully understood by modern science, but its effects can be measured through scientific study.　　　

　　A Chinese government census taken in 1998 indicated that 70 to 100 million people were practicing Falun Dafa in China alone. his made Falun Dafa by far the most popular qigong practice in China’s history. Many practitioners testified from their personal experience that Falun Dafa had powerful healing properties. In 1998, the first major health survey was conducted on Falun Dafa practitioners in Beijing.　　

　　According to the survey, out of 12,731 participants, 93.4% initially had conditions of illness and 49.8% had suffered from at least three diseases before they began practicing Falun Dafa. Through learning and practicing Falun Dafa, the practitioners’ health improved to varying degrees, with 58.5% reporting complete recovery. Comparing practitioners’ health before and after practicing Falun Dafa, 80.3% of the participants reported improvements. Among these people, the percentage of people reporting that they felt “very energetic” increased from 3.5 before practicing to 55.3 after practicing. These numbers demonstrate that Falun Dafa is remarkably effective in curing illness, increasing energy, and improving one’s overall sense of well-being. Being healthy includes having both a healthy body and a healthy mind. he survey demonstrated that 12,287 people, or 96.5% of the participants, felt healthier psychologically after practicing Falun Dafa.　　　

　　The Beijing survey indicated that the number of people practicing Falun Dafa increased every year, with the growth rate also becoming more rapid. The fact that Falun Dafa attracted such a great number of practitioners in such a short time provides further evidence that Falun Dafa is indeed effective in healing illness and improving health.　　　

　　According to the survey, Falun Dafa practitioners saved 3,270 yuan in medical expenses per person per year for the nation. Multiplying this figure by the millions of people practicing, one can easily see that Falun Dafa saved China a tremendous amount of money in medical costs and resources. This is one of the reasons why Falun Dafa has been widely regarded as being beneficial, not just for individuals, but also for society as a whole.　　　

　　A survey was also conducted in Taiwan. Out of 1,182 participants, 72% of Falun Dafa practitioners used only one health insurance card, which allows the recipient 6 visits to health care providers, per year, a reduction in usage of almost 50% compared to the general population. he report also pointed out that Falun Dafa has a remarkable effect on eliminating unhealthy habits and addictions. he study showed an 81% success rate for quitting smoking, 77% for abstaining from alcohol, and 85% for quitting gambling.　　　

　　To learn more about Falun Dafa's profound healing powers, please read Life and Hope Renewed--The Healing Power of Falun Dafa.

　　The Persecution in China: “Ruin their reputations, bankrupt them financially, and destroy them physically.”　　

　　Because of the great benefits offered by the practice of Falun Dafa, it quickly became the most popular form of qigong in China, with the number of practitioners exceeding the total membership of the Communist Party. Its immense popularity drew the attention of Jiang Zemin, then Chairman, Communist Party General Secretary, and Head of the Military Commission in China. As the powerful head of the Communist Party, which has stamped out any diversity of thought since its inception, Jiang and others in the Party leadership ordered the police to curtail Falun Dafa activities and the state-run media to reverse course and publish defamatory stories about Falun Dafa.　　　

　　In response to a set of such articles, a group of practitioners went to the magazine agency in the city of Tianjin to clarify some facts about Falun Dafa, hoping to resolve any misunderstandings that may have taken place. To their surprise, their peaceful discussions were interrupted when over 300 riot police descended upon them, physically assaulting them and arresting 45 of them. When questioned, the Tianjin authorities directed the practitioners to take their appeal to Beijing, stating that the arrests were made at the directive of the Central Government.　　

　　On April 25, 1999, about 10,000 Falun Dafa practitioners went to the State Council’s Appeals Bureau near Zhongnanhai to lodge an appeal. Then-Premier Zhu Rongji met with these practitioners and at the end of the day ordered the Tianjin police to release the wrongfully arrested practitioners and repeated the government’s policy of not interfering with people’s freedom to practice.　　　

　　Although the incident was peacefully resolved, Jiang Zemin saw this as an opportunity to eliminate a perceived threat. On July 20, 1999, Jiang launched the full-blown persecution with mass arrests, beatings, and unlawful detention of tens of thousands of Falun Dafa practitioners. The police burned Falun Dafa books and ransacked practitioners’ homes, and the media saturated the country with propaganda to defame Falun Dafa. Later, when the suppression of Falun Gong proved more difficult than anticipated, Jiang issued the infamous directive which created the genocidal nature of this persecution: “Ruin their reputations, bankrupt them financially, and destroy them physically.”　　　

　　After seven years of intense, nationwide persecution, millions of practitioners have been arrested, detained, or sent to forced labor camps without trial. Thousands have been sent to mental hospitals to be injected with psychotropic drugs, and women have been sexually abused in police custody. Some have even been forced to have abortions against their will. And recently, even more appalling atrocities have been revealed: China’s vast network of labor camps, detention centers, and secret concentration camps are being used to facilitate the harvesting of organs from living Falun Gong practitioners, to be sold for profit in the transplant trade. The bodies are then cremated to destroy the evidence.　　

　　As of this writing, close to 3,000 practitioners are verified to have died in police custody, most as a result of torture, but when all of the Chinese Communist Party’s dark secrets are revealed, the actual figure will almost certainly be shown to be much higher.　　

　　Outside of China, Falun Dafa has flourished throughout the rest of the world. he practice has spread to more than 70 countries, receiving more than 1100 awards and other forms of recognition from local governments and civic organizations. In the meantime, in spite of the brutality that the practitioners in China have been subjected to, there has not been a single case of retaliation or violence on the part of the practitioners. The last seven years stand as a powerful testament to the universal appeal of “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance” and the firm resolve of the people that live according to these principles

　　Conclusion　　　

　　In a very brief period of time, Falun Dafa and the teachings of Mr. Li Hongzhi have exerted a powerful and beneficial influence throughout the world. To further share the benefits of Falun Gong, we have published this volume of short articles by people whose practice of Falun Dafa uplifted their hearts and minds and gave them a renewed life of spiritual and physical well-being.　　　

　　Millions of people around the world have improved their physical health and elevated their character through practicing Falun Dafa, and the stories presented here represent only a tiny fraction of those who have benefited. Many people begin to experience positive changes simply by reading Zhuan Falun, while others find improvements taking place gradually over a period of time in which they diligently practice the exercises and study the teachings. Practicing Falun Dafa for the sole purpose of healing one's physical illness is not encouraged, but many practitioners have experienced that when they let go of their attachments, elevate their hearts and minds, and conduct their lives according to “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance,” problems that seem insurmountable through conventional means very often miraculously disappear.