July 22nd, 1999… was perhaps the darkest day in China’s long history. On this date, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) formally outlawed the Falun Gong movement, beginning a brutal campaign of terror, torture, and murder. With the orders of “no means are too excessive” and the edict to “eradicate Fallen Gong,” this campaign is unprecedented in scope, unrivaled in nature, and, intensifying with time.

Is this just another modern tragedy involving innocent victims? No. This is a story that begs to be told. A story that wishes to be heard. A story that needs to be understood…clearly.

The story of the Falun Gong movement began just nine years ago, on May 13th, 1992, in Northeastern China. On this day Mr. Li Hongzhi began the process of disseminating the teachings of this ancient discipline to the public. For the next two and a half years, until the end of 1994, Li traveled around China, giving 53 different lecture series, personally teaching only about 20,000 people.

Then, by word of mouth, from heart to heart, without advertising or marketing campaigns, it spread. Fueled by a growing number incredible health improvement stories, the popularity of Falun Gong increased at an extraordinary rate. Soon, amidst the traditionally vibrant Chinese morning culture, parks were brimming with large groups practicing Falun Gong together. By early 1999, a government survey shockingly found that between 70 - 100 million people had taken up the practice in China.

Today, pockets of practitioners have sprung up in almost every state in this country, as well as in over 40 countries around the world; from the continents of South America and Africa, to countries as far-ranging as Costa Rica, Greenland, and Russia. Daily, throughout the world, more people take up the practice, and daily, in China, be it through government pressure tactics of propaganda, “re-education” classes, systematic torture, or death, more people in China are giving up the practice. Previously, an unverifiable estimate of 100 million practitioners worldwide was used. Now, given the circumstances, an accurate number is difficult to ascertain.

To put it quite simply, it is

It is ancient wisdom, rooted in traditional Chinese culture. Termed “xiulian” in Chinese, or a “cultivation practice,” it is a comprehensive self-cultivation/refinement/development system, incorporating all aspects of one’s body, mind, and spirit. Actually, the name Falun Gong is a bit of a misnomer. The correct name is Falun Dafa. Loosely translated, Dafa means “Great Way” or “Great Law,” while Falun translates directly as “Law Wheel” or “Dharma Wheel.” Looking into the teachings, though, one will find that the Falun is a “representation of the Universe.” Thus, an appropriate translation of the name could be “The Great Way of Cultivating and Practicing the Universe,” or “The Great Way of cultivating and practicing the Laws and Principles of the Universe,” or, most succinctly, “The Great Way of the Law of the Universe.”

Falun Dafa is best known for its slow-moving and graceful exercises, 4 of which are done standing, while one is a sitting meditation. Normally performed daily, for varying lengths of time, the exercises are actually considered a secondary component of this system.

The main book of teachings is an edited version of the lectures Mr. Li gave in China, which acts as a manual for one’s own cultivation. While the teachings in Zhuan Falun are broad and profound, they can be summed up in three Chinese characters - Zhen, Shan, Ren - translated as Truth/Truthfulness, Compassion/Benevolence/Kindness, and Forbearance/Tolerance/Patience. Taught as the underlying law, nature, or spirit of our universe, this “Dafa” is also used as the sole criteria “to distinguish good from bad, and right from wrong.”

Cultivation practice is the rigorous and serious process of bringing one’s own nature into ever greater alignment with Zen, Shan, Ren. In doing so, diligent practitioners experience the very real effect that dis-eases, dis-functions, and dis-harmonies in one’s self and in one’s life gradually fade away. What replaces the old is better health, a clearer and calmer mind, renewed energy and vitality, and internal peace. The effects are real, tangible, and incredibly profound. Manifesting in society, practitioners tend to become kinder, more patient and tolerant of others, gentler in nature, and increasingly honest and sincere. In short, practitioners of Falun Dafa walk the path of becoming inherently better people.

Cultivation develops at one’s own pace based upon motivation and determination, and is intensely personal. There is no clergy, no hierarchy, no rituals, no worship, no money collected, no donations accepted, no formal organization, no temples, no membership, no political intentions, and no obligations. It is just you, a set of teachings, the exercises, and one’s relationship with Zhen, Shan, Ren. Learning to look inside for answers, and for shortcomings, is the key. Everything is done voluntarily. All are welcome.

Cultivation in Falun Dafa is a sacred and solemn endeavor. It is the genuine ennobling of the human spirit, the true ascension of the human heart, and the manifestation of one’s higher nature.

It began in the middle of the night under the veil of dark, all over China, authorities dragged hundreds of Falun Dafa contact persons from their beds, ransacked their homes, and forced them into prisons and detention centers. Millions of legally published Falun Dafa books and tapes were confiscated, shredded, and burned. Tens of thousands of Falun Dafa practitioners were arrested and beaten. A massive smear campaign was launched to demonize Falun Dafa, in China and abroad, using fabricated stories and data. and all Falun Dafa websites. Telephones were tapped and e-mail monitored. Foreign reporters were not allowed to contact practitioners, and all Falun Dafa websites were blocked. Suspected leaders were sentenced without trial to long prison terms. Public practice of the exercises was now illegal, home searches commonplace. Tens of thousands were herded into jails and outdoor stadiums. The labor camps began filling. Laws were put in place to retroactively prosecute and sentence practitioners. It even went to the extent of offering the United States $500 million in trade debt relief for the extradition of Mr. Li, now living in New York...and this was just beginning.

The first fatality due to the persecution came in September of 1999. To date, over 200 verifiable deaths attributable to the persecution have occurred, almost all confirmed by Amnesty International. Given the thousands of practitioners that are missing, and the difficulty in getting information out of China, it is safe to say that what is known is only the tip of the iceberg..

Those unwilling to give up the practice lose their jobs, their position in society, and, oftentimes, their homes and family support.. Systematic torture is now widespread; using methods such as shocking with electric batons, injecting toxic and nerve damaging drugs, beating, rape, forced abortions, mutilation, hanging from shackles, forced immolation, and denial of sleep and lavatory privileges. And then...one’s family or work unit is sent the bill. No means are spared in the attempt to get practitioners to “renounce” their beliefs.

The persecution has been taken overseas, too. Documented actions include hacking websites, sending e-mail viruses, use of spies to infiltrate groups of practitioners, vandalizing of property, phone tapping, threatening practitioners and their families, and using economic threats to pressure US officials.

Undeterred, practitioners of Falun Dafa inside China, continue their journeys; enduring hardship, humiliation, and torture. Each and every day fliers appear, posted in various places throughout China, exposing the truth of the persecution to the misinformed public. And...each and every day practitioners are captured, beaten down and hauled away. These are courageous spirits, wearing the face of determination.

Outside of China, the battle to end the persecution is as much alive as it is within. From walking in parades, to candlelight vigils, from handing out fliers on street corners, to large-scale marches... the truth of the persecution is finding its way into the public consciousness.

For those who practice Falun Dafa, cultivation has moved far beyond just personal development and refinement. Now, it is understood that what is at stake is not so much individual interests, but rather, the well-being of higher principles, the understanding of these principles by others, and the manifestation of these principles in our modern society.