Falun Gong (ritual, moral, tradition, followers, dogma)

[Green Gaia]

What is Falun Gong?
Falun Gong refers to five sets of movements, which include physical exercise and meditation, that practitioners believe heighten their physical well-being, spirituality, and moral awareness.

Falun Gong motions are done to rotate the falun, a spinning body of energy said to be located at the lower abdomen. Followers believe that performing the exercises stimulates energy within the body and absorbs energy from the universe, which releases negative elements from the body and remedies abnormal conditions within the body.

Falun Gong stems from the Chinese tradition of qigong, an ancient tradition of exercise and meditation. The Falun Gong movement was formerly affiliated with the Qigong Research Association of China, a national federation of qigong groups. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, withdrew from the movement in 1992 because his Falun Gong practice had a more spiritual focus than the other groups, which focused primarily on physical well-being.

What does Falun Gong mean?
Falun means "law wheel," and Gong means "the cultivation of energy and capabilities." Falun Gong is the name for the actual practice; its followers and practitioners typically were called Falun Dafa. However, Falun Gong has come to refer to both the practice and the movement.

The Falun Gong emblem is a mixture of Taoist and Buddhist symbols. In the center is a swastika, or "wan," surrounded by spinning swastikas and yin-yang signs. Li Hongzhi describes the emblem as a miniature of the universe, with the swastika representing the rotating universe.

[Rex]

Why the swastika though? Was it more popular before Nazi Germany?

[Runt]

It has nothing to do with Nazi Germany. It has been used in many cultures before Germany eventually adopted it as its symbol--Celts, Hindus, etc.

[Master Vigil]

Falun Gong is the same as Falun Dafa, I posted about it a while ago. The practitioners are being tortured and killed in china. Its so sad, the chinese government is calling it a cult and trying to ban it. The movements are amazing and simple, and they really charge your chi and relax your mind and body. I suggest you read about it. It is so sad how they are being treated in china.

[FacelessMage]

well first of all i do falun gong and i can tell you that the swastika symbol of the falun is not actually a swastika
a swastika is black and turned the other way
what's used in falun dafa is called a wan or srivatsa symbol
it was used in ancient times to symbolize good fortune.
the wan is something buddhas have which smbolize a buddha's level.
buddhas or higher levels have more or those symbols and some at extremely high levels have them all over their body.
----hope this helps if you were wondering why

[Master Vigil]

Firstly, welcome!!

buddhas or higher levels have more or those symbols and some at extremely high levels have them all over their body.

What do you mean by this? Are they markings? Why do statues and artistic renderings of Siddhartha, and other buddha's not have these markings?

[Suraj]

I tried Falun Gong myself, I enjoyed the the exercises, but did not like the dogmatic tone of the teachings of the central text, nor did I feel I learnt much from them, as they mostly all theory.

Master Vigil, the symbol above is indeed a Swastika, and before the Nazi's adopted it as their national symbol, it was a symbol used in Hinduism(and many other cultures) as a symbol of good fortune and luck.

[Master Vigil]

Originally Posted by Suraj

I tried Falun Gong myself, I enjoyed the the excercises, but did not like the dogmatic tone of the teachings of the central text, nor did I felt I learnt much more them, as they mostly all theory.

I agree, I felt traditional Chi Gong has much more to offer.

Master Vigil, the symbol above is indeed a Swastika, and before the Nazi's adopted it as their national symbol, it was a symbol used in Hinduism(and many other cultures) as a symbol of good fortune and luck.

I know this, Faceless Mage said that buddhas had these markings all over their bodies. Which I disagree with.

[Suraj]

Oh I see. I'm surprised you understood what I wrote, it was full of typos and missing words. I've edited it now!

[Doktormartini]

I believe the Swastika was used long ago in India and Japan and is used to represent happiness...correct? Sometimes you will see a statue of Buddha whit hime holding his palm out, and on his chest is a Swastika.