The Chinese Medicine of Falun Gong

On Nov. 14 in Compton, Dr. Hongqi Li, a professor in at FSU’s Biology department, taught a workshop about the Chinese practice of Falun Gong. Falun Gong is used to be self-reflective and encourages positive thinking. Around the world, people have used this practice to heal their bodies and Dr. Li was able to share his story about being healed using Falun Gong by sharing the history of the practice and the ease that others could be able to practice it as well.

Now, what is Falun Gong? Some may describe it simply as stretching, others as a Chinese medicine, or they consider it to be both. Falun Gong is an offshoot of another practice called Qigong which is the discipline of vital breath and began in the 1950’s to reach back in time to encourage using traditional Chinese medicine in an age of modernizing science. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was suspicious of such practice for its “feudal” history, but there was a scientific development that would soon validate Qigong and spread the practice all over China.

Through time, there were thousands of supporters but also an increasing number of  people who condemned the practice. In an attempt to restore the movement, Qigong Master Li Hongzhi founded Falun Gong, or Discipline of the Dharma Wheel, where it was promised that those who practice would be freed from their problems by putting them into the mini cosmos that was represented by the Falun Gong symbol, The Law Wheel. In the symbol, there is what looks like a modern-day Swastika. However, the symbol in the wheel is facing the opposite direction and is a symbol of good fortune in Asian culture while also representing the Buddha School within the emblem. Then, there are Taji or Yin-Yang symbols which represent the School of Tau.

The overall practice of Falun Gong is rooted in zhen, shan and ren, truthfulness, compassion and forbearance and is meant to cultivate both the mind and the body. Master Li Hongzhi, in an attempt to escape the continued criticism of Qigong, moved to the US and also released a book, Zhuan Falun, The Revolving Dharma Wheel. The book was to be considered the main teachings of Falun Gong and consisted of transcriptions of a 9 part lecture that would guide people in their practice. However, the book was considered to be sacred, causing the government to be on their toes as religion is highly regulated in China. There were peaceful demonstrations in parts of China to showcase Falun Gong and show it is harmless. But, when nearly 20,000 members showed up at the CCP’s doors, it was branded as being a “heretical cult”, and the CCP said it was the greatest danger to state security since the 1989 student demonstrations in Tiananmen Square. Even today, the researching of Falun Gong is strictly monitored, and there can be serious repercussions into looking into the practice.

Dr. Hongqi Li went on to tell us of his personal experience with Qigong and Falun Gong when he began practicing in 1990. Before Falun Gong, he was prone to migraines, gastritis, shoulder and knee arthritis and was often asleep both night and day. He practiced Qigong to the best of his ability, as the practice was banned in China during the Cultural Revolution, and that helped with his pain. However, in 1992 when Falun Gong was introduced to the public, his pain began to be completely eliminated. Dr. Li was able to find answers in the Zhuan Falun, the sacred text of Falun Gong, and wanted to share with others. In 1999, the CCP banned the movement for being a “danger”, and Dr. Li came to Frostburg soon after. From 2002 to 2017, it became difficult to practice. He began to notice that his vision and dental health began to worsen. This year, he did resume his almost daily practice and his health has once again stabilized.

After learning the history, the controversy and a personal account, it was time for those in attendance to practice themselves. Dr. Hongqi Li took the members of the workshop through part of the first exercise to show a small snippet of what he does and how he does it. Throughout the exercises ,your eyes would normally be closed, but for beginners, they are going to have to be open. He then took us through a series of stretches, pushing your body and ending with sudden release to relax the muscles and feel more calm in the end. It was really only a series of stretches and feeling the flow of movement through your body, but it was also very calming and overall good for your body. He noted that it is best to memorize the exercises to fully immerse your mind as well, and the first exercise at least was quite short and simple, easy to memorize. For anyone interested, all of the exercises are available on YouTube. There is also a book to explain all of Falun Gong that is available in 42 languages. Dr. Hongqi Li wants to begin a Falun Gong Club of sorts where members are able to come together, clear their minds and attempt to elevate their mind and bodies. Next Thursday, Nov. 29th, he will be meeting in Compton at 7pm to answer any questions about Falun Gong and to teach anyone who is curious. Falun Gong is meant to heighten one’s body and mind in order to eliminate pain and suffering through simply changing your thought processes and increasing your blood flow in your body. The exercises are extremely challenging and often not too time consuming. It is simply meant to help you with whatever problem you have.