Falun Gong Around the World

 

Persecuted in China, yet thriving in Taiwan

Falun Gong practitioners perform a special demonstration the exercise outside the National Theater in Taipei, Taiwan.

In stark contrast with persecution in Mainland China, Falun Dafa has flourished in Taiwan, where the government openly embraces the practice. Today, the number of Falun Gong adherents in Taiwan is estimated at 600,000. Several Falun Gong summer retreats for school teachers have been organized with the endorsement of the board of education, and practitioners of Falun Gong have also been welcomed into the nation's prisons so they can teach the practice to inmates.

 

Peaceful in Paris 

Falun Gong adherents practice meditation in the shadow of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, silently protesting for the end of persecution in China.

In March, 1995, Falun Gong’s founder Mr. Li Hongzhi taught the principles of the practice at the Chinese embassy in Paris at the request of embassy officials. This marked the beginning of Falun Dafa’s spread outside of Mainland China. Today there are regular Falun Gong exercise sites in over 25 French cities and towns.

  

 

Monumental 

Thousands of Falun Gong adherents from around the world practice meditation on the National Mall in Washington, DC. 

“It has been sixteen years since Mr. Li Hongzhi started publicly spreading Falun Dafa to the world community. This powerful spiritual practice that is based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance deserves to be commended.[…] Despite the persecution that continues in China, these beliefs continue to thrive. This is a fact to be extremely proud of.”
-- Massachusetts Congressman James P. McGovern

 

Falun Gong in the cradle of African civilization 

Ethiopian Falun Gong adherents practice the second set of meditative exercises. 

Beginning around 2004, Falun Gong began to spread widely across the African continent, from South Africa to Egypt; Ghana to Ethiopia. In Ethiopia, one of the oldest and most advanced historic civilizations in Africa, Falun Dafa became a legally registered entity in 2006, and its main text, Zhuan Falun, has been translated into Amharic.

 

 

Looking to the heavens in Argentina 

A Falun Gong practitioner performs during a celebration in Buenos Aires. The characters on the right read Truth, Compassion, Tolerance.

Though rooted in Asian spiritual traditions,  Falun Dafa’s principles have universal appeal, and the practice has spread to over 75 countries worldwide. In Latin America, regular Falun Gong practice sites can be found in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Costa Rica, Chile, Columbia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Venezuela.

 

 

Falun Dafa Day in Sydney 

Falun Gong practitioner meditate during a celebration in Sydney commemorating the tenth anniversary of Falun Gong’s introduction to the public.

Since the very beginning of Falun Gong’s spread in China and around the world,  a deeply enshrined principle of the practice is that it is always taught completely free of charge,  making it accessible to people of any and all socio-economic backgrounds.  Practice sites, like this one in Australia, are generally found in public parks, and Falun Gong’s texts can all be downloaded free of charge at www.falundafa.org.

 

 

Chinese culture on display in London

Celebrations in London mark the fourteenth anniversary of Falun Dafa’s introduction in China in May, 2006. 

The practice of self-cultivation as expressed in Falun Gong is a concept as old as Chinese culture itself, being deeply rooted in Buddhist and Daoist tradition. In many ways, Falun Gong represents a revival of ancient Chinese spirituality,  and its connection to traditional Chinese culture is often displayed in cultural performances, like this one in London. 

 

 

Parade in the City of Angels

The beauty and resilience of Falun Dafa is put on display during a parade through Chinatown in Los Angeles.

“Falun Gong is based on practicing truthfulness and compassion and tolerance. Throughout my career as a college professor and a community activist and a United States Senator for Minnesota I have believed in the values that you represent more than any values. I believe that pacifist and peaceful people should be allow to organize and live freely in their country and in their society.”


-- The late Senator Paul Wellstone

 

Holding the Wheel on Canada's Parliament Hill 

Falun Gong adherents practice the second meditative exercise in Ottawa, Canada

“It must be our responsibility, Canadians all from wherever we are … to affirm and reaffirm and re-commit ourselves to the values of Truth, Compassion and Forbearance--not only as expressions and examples of the best in ancient Chinese values, but as universal norms that inspire us all, wherever we may be.”  -- Canadian Member of Parliament and former Attorney General Irwin Cotler

 

 

Falun Gong flourishing in India

School children in Bengalaru (Bangalore), India, practice the first exercise of Falun Gong. 

Throughout much of India, Falun Gong has been recognized as a tremendous source of moral guidance and spiritual well-being. In numerous schools, like this one in Bengalaru (Bangalore), students are encouraged to take up the practice as a means of promoting concentration and calm.

 

 

Falun Gong Celebrated in Thailand 

Falun Dafa practitioners perform classical Chinese dance in Bangkok, Thailand

As with many other nations in Asia, Falun Gong has struck a chord in Thailand, where its practitioners are yearly invited to perform at the national festival celebrating the King’s birthday. 

 

Coming Together in Taipei 

Taiwanese practitioners of Falun Gong meditate to form the symbol of Falun Dafa, characterized by the Buddhist srivatsa symbol in the center. 

Falun Gong’s popularity in Taiwan is exemplified by the praise it has garnered from government officials from across party lines,  including former president Chen Shui-Bian,  as well as current president Ma Ying-Jeou.  While serving as Mayor of Taipei in 2002, Mr. Ma attended a gathering of over 5,000 Falun Gong adherents, saying that Falun Gong’s teachings and principles have “made millions of people healthy and has improved their morality.”

 

Falun Gong in Turkey

Falun Gong adherents in Turkey assemble in a park to practice the exercises

“I am probably the most suspicious person in the world when it comes to beliefs. As a lawyer, I look for evidence; I insist on tangible signs. And yet when I read the book Zhuan Falun [Falun Gong’s central text], I felt that everything that I had seen in the world constituted evidence for what is described in this book about 'Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance.' Since becoming a Falun Dafa practitioner I have noticed the following changes in myself: After years of suffering from medical problems in my back, it is now practically pain-free. I am more peaceful. I no longer yell at my children. I am less anxious. I have become the person I always wanted to be."

– A Falun Gong practitioner in Turkey

 

Falun Gong in the birthplace of Buddhism

A Falun Gong exercise site in India

As the birthplace of the Buddha Shakyamuni in the fifth century BC, Buddhism has a long history in India. It is no surprise then that Falun Gong – a discipline belonging to the Buddha school – has a deep resonance with the people in this nation of 1.1 billion.