activity of falun gong in russia

7/22/2019 Activity of Falun Gong in Russia

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36 ANTHROPOLOGY & ARCHEOLOGY OF EURASIA

Anthropology & Archeology of Eurasia, vol. 46, no. 3 (Winter 20078), pp. 3650.

2008 M.E. Sharpe, Inc. All rights reserved.ISSN 10611959/2008 $9.50 + 0.00.DOI 10.2753/AAE1061-1959460302

A. KRAVCHUK

Activity of the Chinese ReligiousMovement Falun Gong in Russia

The twentieth century saw the appearance and spread of various kinds ofso-called new religious movements. Another name for these movements,sects, is also found in the literature.

The Falun Gong movement, founded in 1992, has become the best-

known such group in China. After the Chinese government banned FalunGong and began to repress its practitioners, the movements founder, LiHongzhi, emigrated to the United States. The doctrine of Falun Gong,Power of the Wheel of Law, is called Falun Dafa, Great Laws of theWheel of Law.

We turn now to the basic postulates of this doctrine. The universeholds a special place in them. In the words of Li Hongzhi, the universe isspiritualized; it possesses such qualities (criteria) as truth, benevolence,

forbearance. Human lives are created in the universe; therefore people,like the universe, have inherent characteristics: truth, benevolence, for-bearance (Li 1994, p. 4).a

The presence of these qualities in every living being makes it possible

to discern their level of spiritual development. In his book, Li Hongzhidoes not say how many such levels there are, only that there are low andhigh levels. Contemporary human society as a whole is at a low level,

English translation 2008 M.E. Sharpe, Inc., from the Russian 2005 Religio-vedenie. Deiatelnostkitaiskogo religioznogo dvizheniia falyngun v Rossii,


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designated as the impure society of ordinary people. Everyday human

society is contaminated by a powerful flow [and is like] a dye vat. Peoplethink that things are right, but in reality very much is wrong. Dont peoplewant to live well? They do want to live well. Maybe they have to spoilothers profit; maybe this fosters peoples egoism; maybe they infringeupon others interests, offend others and harm others (Li 1994, p. 47).People are described in this way to emphasize the value of the teachingof Falun Dafa and of those who practice it.

The great enlightened ones at a high level of spiritual development in

the universe give people a chance to save themselves, to rid themselvesof suffering and disease and prolong their lifetime on earth. This oppor-tunity is made available in the teaching of Falun Dafa. The founder ofthis teaching acts as an intermediary between the great enlightened onesand everyday people. He explains the Law and transmits gong(energy).Li Hongzhi transforms into disciples the audiences at his lectures, andhis followers call him Teacher.

Falunthe Wheel of Law, the symbol of the teaching of Falun Dafais a replica of the universe. Its depiction on the cover of Li Hongzhis

book is an orange circle with a yellow Buddhist swastika in the middle[see Figure 1].bIt is inscribed in a red circle and surrounded by eight yin-yang symbols, including two in black and red, and two in black and blue.These combinations of colors are not symbolic, and many practitioners

at a high level of cultivation may see other colors. The Wheel of Law,like the universe, is in motion and, like all material beings, has differentshapes in different dimensions.

Buddhist and Taoist symbols correlate with depictions of the Wheel

of Law. Not accidentally, some, including Li Hongzhi, consider theirkey to be yin-yang symbols. According to the teaching of Falun Dafa,Buddhism and Taoism are the two major systems; all the rest of theworld religions and teachings belong to one or the other. For example,Confucianism belongs to Taoism; and Western religions, to Buddhism

(Li 1994, p. 159).The Wheel of Law links practitioners with the Universe. Li Hongzhi

locates the wheel of law in the lower part of the abdomen of each prac-titioner. When I talk about the great laws of the Wheel of Law, I amgradually putting the Wheel of Law in everyone. Some feel [this], andsome do not While most people feel it [others do not] because the essence


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[Figure 1.The Falun Gong symbol as a replica of the universe.]

when rotating counterclockwise it releases energy, creating a distinctiveenergy field around the practitioners body. Energy from outside can beconducive to a practitioners salvation. The energy released has a ben-

eficial effect on the people around a practitioner of Falun Dafa.The goal of cultivation, according to Falun Dafa, is to return to the

sources, to the truth, to save oneself and to attain a state of maximumsimilarity to the universe.

The teaching of Falun Dafa consists of two components: cultivation

of the soul and cultivation of the body (fate, life). In other words, thepractitioners spiritual and physical cultivation is accomplished withinthe framework of Falun Dafa. Spiritual cultivation includes living ac-cording to the criteria of truth, benevolence, and forbearance, as well asreading the works of Li Hongzhi. Physical cultivation involves perform-ing a set of exercises to music In Li Hongzhis book these exercises


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These two components are equally important and neither can replace

the other.True cultivation requires that you cultivate the heart; [this] is called

the cultivation of heart nature. . . . You have to pay attention to thecultivation of heart nature, then your gong will grow, and your level [ofcultivation] will rise (Li 1994, p. 23 [cf. Li 1999]).

According to Li Hongzhis teaching, there are two types of substances:black (karma) and white. A person has a certain body in other dimen-sions, and in one dimension the human body is surrounded by a field.

What is this field? It is that we call a white substance. Contrary to whatwe formerly thought of as ideational, as that which exists in a personsconsciousness, white substance is completely material. Therefore, whenthe ancient ones talked about accumulating or wasting white substance,they spoke truly (Li 1994, p. 27).

At the same time, a black substance exists, which we here call karmaand in Buddhism is called evil actions. The two substances exist simul-taneously. What are the connections between them? We receive whitesubstance when we suffer, when we are beaten, and when we do good

deeds. We receive the black substance when we do bad deeds or treatothers badly (Li 1994, p. 28).

Depending on what a person does, the quantitative state of the sub-stances can change. There is more white substance around someonewho does more good deeds than someone who does more bad deeds. Ifsomeone treats another badly, the white substance tears away from theoffender and flies to the person he is offending.

Black karma is why people get sick. A field of it surrounds a person

because they have done bad deeds in the past. Practicing the qigong sys-tem promotes elimination of black karma and, as a result, rehabilitationof the organism. Doctors in hospitals do not eliminate the underlyingcause of diseasesthe black substance. They treat illness at the levelof ordinary peoplea lower one than the level of practitioners of FalunDafa. Li Hongzhi emphasizes that his followers are not forbidden to goto a hospital, but only by practicing qigong according to the Falun Dafasystem can one purify the organism and eliminate the underlying cause(Li 1994, pp. 25657).

In those who cultivate themselves at a high level, a celestial eye opens.This is a point between the eyebrows There is more than one level of


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see other dimensions, see through walls, see through people and see

their diseases.cThose who cultivate themselves are ordinary people, withweaknesses, and if they wanted to use their abilities to get rich, no onecould stop them. Li Hongzhi cannot permit such interference in the lifeof contemporary society, so he opens the celestial eye for his followersonly to the level of wisdom. Disciples with an open celestial eye cansee things that ordinary people cannot see and be convinced that thesethings exist (Li 1994, p. 46). In other words, Hongzhis disciples needthe celestial eye primarily to ensure that their level of cultivation has

risen.Evil spirits lie in wait for practitioners on the path of cultivation, andthese spirits can take the form of a fox, a polecat, or a snake. If a personis not released from the desires of an ordinary person and wants toacquire supernormal abilities, so that they can cure others illnesses fora fee and get rich doing so, they cannot cultivate themselves at a highlevel. Moreover, an evil spirit may inhabit them, which will give themthese abilities, taking the life energy from them. This phenomenon iscalled possession by an unclean spirit or an extra body.

In the history of humanity, an animal is not permitted to inhabit a human

body; if it does, whoever sees this has to kill it [the animalL.K.]. This

is not permissible for anyone. But in our contemporary society there are

people who invite it, who need it, who accept it. Some people think, I did

not exactly invite it! You did not invite it, but you did aspire to acquire

supernormal abilities. Can enlightened beings cultivating themselves ac-

cording to the reformed Law give such abilities to you? Aspiration is an

attachment of everyday people; this desire must be abandoned. Who can

give you [supernormal abilities]? Only demons in other dimensions andvarious animals can do this. Isnt it the same as inviting them? So here

they came. (Li 1994, p. 103)

We should point out that things that are unclear and illogical in Li

Hongzhis text, like the excerpt given above, are not the fault of the trans-lation, as they may seem to be. Li Hongzhi uses the primitiveness of thetext to create some secret in what is said; he gives only hints, guidinghis disciples thought and perception for the key that he needs.

Evil spirits can also possess Buddha statues in the possession of dis-ciples of the movement. If one is a practitioner of Falun Dafa, Li Hongzhican protect his disciples Evil spirits can be driven out by holding his


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Li Hongzhi devotes some paragraphs in his book to prohibitions and

description of actions that may cause one to fall into heresy. For in-stance, it is not allowed for men and women to engage in completion, orfor anyone to resort to practice the reading of exorcisms to cure illnesses.In a separate paragraph, he describes the prohibition on killing living be-ings. We should point out that, in addition to people and animals, plantsand all material things are also living beings. In this regard, Li Hongzhisays that it is not necessary to absolutize the prohibition on killing liv-ing beings. People have the right to maintain life, Therefore, our living

environment should meet a persons need to live (Li 1994, p. 233).The practitioners of Falun Dafa are also advised not to eat meat, but it isrecommended that they give it up gradually. In the process of cultivation,consumption of meat will no longer be necessary for a true practitioner,since this is one of the attachments of an ordinary person from whichthe practitioner needs to be released.

Having summarized the recommendations found in Li Hongzhisbook, we can comprise the ideal code of a practitioner: (1) the processof cultivation includes performing exercises to music and reading Li

Hongzhis book; (2) the place and time selected for practicing cultivationdo not matter; (3) it is necessary to train regularly to achieve significantresults; (4) the practitioner must abandon the passions and desires of anordinary person (gong training is not an exercise class; [it] is beyondthe things of ordinary people. Practitioners must meet the demands ofa higher truth and standards; they have to do this so that they canachieve their goal (Li 1994, p. 189); (5) the practitioner must give upthe attachments of an ordinary person, such as eating meat, attachment to

food, predilection for quarreling, drinking, and envy; (6) the practitionermust cultivate heart nature; (7) of all the ways of cultivation, it is neces-sary to follow one (high levels of cultivation can be properly achievedonly by cultivating oneself according to Falun Dafa).

It is claimed that cultivation according to the Falun Gong system hasa beneficial effect on the practitioners physical and spiritual state. LiHongzhi says that the followers of Falun Gong look younger than othersof the same age, and performing the exercises and spiritual practicecan prolong their life. He emphasizes that Falun Gong does not curediseases but purifies the body, resulting in a healthy organism.

Two stages can be distinguished in the development of the Falun Gong


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a political campaign has been waged against heretical teaching. This

division is based on an event in Tiananmen Squarewhat is referred toas the 25 April incident, after which the government of China and socialforces abroad paid close attention to Falun Gong.

Li Hongzhi first presented Falun Gong to the Chinese in 1992, andhis first book,Zhongguo Falun gong[Chinese Falun Gong], came outthat year. From May 1992 through December 1994, he traveled aroundthe country giving lectures. In 1993, Falun Gong received an award asthe primary school of qigong at the Beijing Health Expo. In 1994, Li

Hongzhi published his second book, Zhuan falun[Turning the Wheelof Law], and in 1996 he decided to expand the range of his teaching andwent to America to lecture.

We should emphasize that in the first stage of its existence the FalunGong association was a syncretic religious movement, most of whoseideas were borrowed from Buddhism. The main goal was spiritual andphysical cultivation of its adherents.

As the number of followers grew, so did the ambitions of the teach-ings founder. He began conducting so-called sit-down strikes to check

his disciples devotion. On 2324 April 1999, such strikes took place,in particular, in Tianjin. The government considered the unauthorizedactions of the Falun Gong followers to be a violation of public order anddispersed the demonstrators, arresting some of them.

As a reaction to the events in Tianjin, an article appeared by a re-searcher at the Institute of Theoretical Physics of the Chinese Academyof Sciences, He Zuoxiu, I Do Not Agree with Youth Practicing Breath-ing Exercises. One may assume that this and subsequent articles of a

similar nature were ordered by the government and played the role ofpublic criticism of superstitious views.d

Another major event connected with the activity of Falun Gong wasthe attempted self-immolation of seven people in Tiananmen Square on23 January 2001. One of them died, and four received burns of varyingseverity. As the Chinese mass media explained it, the incident was carriedout by followers of the movement to prove their devotion to Li Hongzhi

and enter the heavenly kingdom. This allowed the media to call theevent an expression of extreme fanaticism.

Li Hongzhis followers believe that this tragedy in Tiananmen wasset up by the government to demonstrate the danger of the Falun Gong


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Falun Gong disciples, since suicide is not encouraged by Li Hongzhis

teaching. From the point of view of the teachings disciples, the actualvideotape of the self-immolation also seems dubious. They note thatvideotaping is prohibited in Tiananmen, but nevertheless CNN corre-spondents somehow managed to get the whole incident on tape frombeginning to end without any interference from the police (Pravda oFalun dafa, p. 24).

The adherents of Falun Gong deny any participation in the self-immolation for an obvious reason: this incident cast a shadow on the

movements reputation and placed it alongside the Japanese sect AumShinrikyo, whose followers organized a terrorist act in March 1995 inthe Tokyo subway, using sarin nerve gas.

The Chinese governments reaction to the activity of Falun Gongcan be characterized as sharply negative: the movements adherents arepersecuted and heretical literature is banned. The reasons are the gov-ernments reaction to violation of the norms of social and political lifeestablished in the country, fear of destabilization of society, and alarmthat the authorities power had been shaken.

The reaction to the violation of norms primarily suggests that theofficial ideology is opposing sectarianism. As E.B. Porshneva notes,religious sectarianism and heresy crossed the limits of the acceptedattitudes of traditional consciousness, and the principal social meaningof this was that it offered spiritual opposition and an alternative (Porsh-neva 1991, p. 6). The alternative nature of teachings such as Falun Dafaconsisted in criticism of contemporary society. Much as the founders ofmedieval sects emphasized the depravity of society at that time, in his

speeches Li Hongzhi says that humanity is mired in vice and the massmedia promotes violence.

The fear of destabilization of society is the historical cause of perse-cutions of heretical teachings. In the history of China, quite a few insur-rections were organized by sectarians, including the Taiping Rebellion,that threatened the rule of the Qing dynasty. Foreign researchers drawparallels between uprisings of the past and contemporary events. Accord-ing to Terry McCarthy, Even more terrifying for the government is thepossibility that Falun Gong could morph into a political organization, ashas happened with other sects in Chinese historymost famously duringthe nineteenth century Taiping rebellion when a martial-arts cult triggered


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The governments fear that the authorities power had been shaken was

largely because political functionaries and members of the CommunistParty had joined the Falun Gong movement.

The Chinese government fears the groups harmful effects upon Party

unity and social control. First, Chinese leaders fear that the presence of

Falun Gong adherents within the Communist Party and other political

institutions undermines cohesion within the regime at a time when the

governments basis of legitimacyeconomic growthis faltering. For

many Party members, Falun Gong not only offers physical benefits, but a

belief system that is more appealing than Jiang Zemins socialist spiritualcivilization. Before the events of April 1999, many members of the Party,

Peoples Liberation Army and Public Security apparatus became involved

in the movement. Vice President Hu Jintao stated that of 2.1 million known

members of the Falun Gong group, one-third belonged to the Communist

Party. (Schechter 2001, p. 217)

After the April 1999 demonstration was broken up, the campaignagainst the propagation of Falun Gong teaching was begun at the Zhong-nanhai headquarters of the Communist Party and the Chinese government.

This campaign can be provisionally divided into two stages: JulyOctober1999, and October 19992002. The first stage is characterized by criticismof Falun Gong and actions of a propagandistic or educational nature. The

second stage includes broad repressive measures: trials and sentencingof the movements followers to prison or labor camp.

The Falun Gong movement has found followers in many countries ofthe world, including France, the United States, England, and Russia.

Among the reasons for its popularity in Russia, we can single out the

following.1. The search for a way out of the ideological crisis, filling the ideo-

logical vacuum. The long dominance of rigorous atheism in the SovietUnion made any religious teaching more attractive. Many people were

disenchanted with transient and haphazard material values. Skepticismand distrust of the dogma and rituals of the old religions have beenprevalent in society. A sense of pervading unease has been caused bythe cheapening of values and the instability of the world political andeconomic situation. When the old has not yet been destroyed and the newhas not yet been created, many people are concerned about searching foran idea to believe in People are seeking new values or trying to resurrect


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of alternative healing and prospects of longevity. For Russia, the pos-

sibility, promoted by Li Hongzhis teaching, of curing illnesses withoutmedicine is especially attractive in the light of the increasing prices fordrugs and health care.e

3. Eastern martial arts and fitness systems have always had an attrac-tion and aura of mystery in Western countries.

4. A role in increasing the number of the movements followers hasbeen played by the halo of martyrdom connected with followers of theout-of-favor sect in China and its founder, Li Hongzhi, who has taken

refuge from the Chinese authorities in the United States.The first followers of Falun Gong teaching in Russia appeared in1998. The main centers of their activity are St. Petersburg and Moscow.In these cities, the supporters of Falun Gong rent places to offer lecturesinterpreting the works of Li Hongzhi and providing exercise classes.

A Web site of adherents of Falun Gong in Russia says, It was pre-determined that you come here. Appreciate this. In reality, entirely dif-ferent reasons bring adherents into the movement. We can identify someof these reasons based on conversations with followers of Li Hongzhi

in St. Petersburg.Tamara read an article in a magazine about the persecutions of the

Falun Gong sect in China and wrote down its name. Three months later,she picked up a flyer at the metro, practiced in a group for two and halfmonths, and has been practicing on her own for about two years. Sheoccasionally attends group classes. She says that she began to feel bet-ter, although she had not been to see a doctor before. She had healthproblems but did not want to go to the doctor. She believes that even

the field [aura] of a practitioner has a beneficial effect on those nearby.For instance, her younger daughter feels better than before, though she

herself is not involved in Falun Gong. Tamaras family understandsher involvement in Falun Gong, since Mama was always involved insomething. Tamara also clearly felt a deep sympathy for practitioners inChina who have been the victims of oppression. The desire to improveher health came later.

Sergei formerly played sports and now believes that sports do not com-pare with Falun Gong, since cultivation following the system of the GreatLaw (Falun Dafa) includes both physical and spiritual development. Sergeiseems to have found an idea that promotes his spiritual development and a


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bought a Russian translation of Li Hongzhis book, but did not under-

stand anything. He went to classes and started to practice on his own. Herealized that practicing in a group provides a fuller feeling of participa-tion in the Great Law than individual practice, so now he practices in agroup. What we have here is a practitioners interest in Eastern psychictechniques. As he sees it, Falun Dafa is the best system he has found.

The activity of the movements followers in Russia can be divided intotwo types: proselytizing (propagating the teaching) and intrasectarianactivities. We will look at each of them.

Press conferences and exhibits are organized, and literature is distrib-uted in Moscow and St. Petersburg. At metro stations, followers of FalunGong hand out flyers titled Falun Gong. Truth. Benevolence. Forbear-ance, which tell about the persecutions of Falun Gong disciples in Chinaand acquaint their readers with the miraculous science Falun Dafa.

An exhibit of the works of the Chinese artist Zhang Cuiying, a Fa-lun Gong follower, was organized in the home of a Russian artist in2002. Several of her paintings depicted Buddha sitting in a lotus posesurrounded by symbols of the sect, including Buddhist swastikas and

yin-yang symbols.On 16 August 2003, followers of Falun Gong in St. Petersburg orga-

nized shows on Nevskii Prospekt. Dances of girls in blue dresses wereaccompanied by commentary and distribution of flyers. Balloons withthe inscription Falun Dafa brings the world Truth, Benevolence, andForbearance were also distributed. While the dance Inspiration wasnot a particularly skillful performance, the audience was warned that thedancers were not professionals, just followers of the Falun Gong school

of cultivation.In addition to the printed materials in Russian, Chinese passersby were

given theEpoch Timesnewspapers in Chinese. Each issue had articlesdevoted to the activity of Falun Gong. Forty thousand of the newspaperswere printed in St. Petersburg and distributed free. Zhang Cuiyingspaintings were displayed on stands on Nevskii Prospekt, and theEpochTimeswas handed out to Chinese citizens arriving at the Moscow Stationin St. Petersburg each evening. The arsenal of Russian disciples of LiHongzhis teaching also includes web sites, given in their flyers.

This list of events held by Russian followers in St. Petersburg is in-complete since their activity is not covered in the general press One can


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eliminating from their consciousness karma, false ideas that have taken

root, or external noise. In this state, think that you want to eliminate them,and they will be eliminated. This will take just five minutes. When practic-

ing in a group, mentally concentrate on eliminating evil within the Three

Realms, holding one hand vertical in front of your chest and thinking at

that moment, using righteous thoughts for approximately five minutes

and all this must be done. This will work because you are great cultivators

and are different from everyday people. But if you want to use this to do

something that cultivators are not supposed to do, it will not work, and

as soon as such thoughts occur there will be retribution, or you will fall

from your level. You must remember this!

Here, the Three Realms are the three worlds mentioned in Li Hong-zhis work: heaven, earth, and the subterranean world. External noiseevidently means the repression campaign carried out by the Chinese

government and the associated negative attitude toward followers of theteaching.

It goes without saying that the Chinese consulate general in St.Petersburg supports the Chinese government in its struggle against the

spread of Falun Dafa teaching. For instance, an exhibit, CombatingHeretical Tendencies in Defense of Human Rights, was held with theconsulates support on 5 January 2002 in the Mayakovsky Library, dis-playing materials that were intended to show the harm caused to citizensphysical and mental health by practicing Falun Gong. The materials also

illustrated the the patient effort of the Chinese government and society tohelp people who have been deceived by the Falun Gong sect, save them,and return them to a normal life. Consul general Chen Yichu spoke atthe opening of the exhibit, sharply criticizing the activity of Falun Gongin China and in Russia [see also Kitai2000].

Several articles have appeared in the Russian press about the activityof the Falun Gong movement in Russia, containing factual statementswithout serious analysis of the reasons for the movements popularityon Russian soil. In the article Suicide Sect Operates in Russia, the[anonymous] author compares Falun Gong with Aum Shinrikyo and

does not rule out the possibility that a situation like the sarin attack inthe Tokyo subway could be repeated in the Russian metro [Tsentralnaia

gazeta2001]. In their article Chinese Sect Fights Aliens from AnotherPlanet,Izvestiacorrespondents E. Sudakov and A. Smirnov [2000] also


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According to a Web site of Falun Gong followers, in July 2003 a Radio

Liberty correspondent had a conversation with disciples of the teachingin St. Petersburg. In a friendly situation, a conversation was held on themorals of contemporary society and how Falun Gong can change thehuman heart for the better. The broadcast covered the persecutions ofFalun Gong in China, the real reasons for the repressions, as well as thecurrent situation and worldwide reaction to these disturbing events. TheRadio Liberty correspondent took a position sympathetic to the FalunGong disciples.

Thus, the followers of Falun Gong are actively engaged in propagat-ing the movement in Russia. And although they have done nothing tocompromise themselves in the few years of the movements existence inRussia, some journalists and public figures do not rule out the possibilitythat they may act unlawfully.

Editors notes

a. All translations from the Chinese are retranslated from Russian. For those whowish a more direct experience of the words of Li Hongzhi, see Falun Gong(Englishversion), rev. ed. (New York: Universe, 2000).

b. The yellow Buddhist swastika is an ancient sun wheel symbol representingauspicious balance in the world. It is a cross with four arms (or bent rays) of equallength. The word stems from the Sanskrit all is well, although the symbol itselfis used in many traditions. Its arms go clockwise, unlike the symbol that came tobe associated with the Nazis.

c. Fascination with the possibility of X-ray vision is considerable in Russia,especially among those with shamanic spiritual traditions and belief in specialshamanic gifts.

d. Use of the word superstitious is in the original without quotes, possibly

providing clues to the authors own opinions of at least some of the Falun Gongmaterials.

e. See also Swedish anthropologist Galina Lindquists superb ethnography onRussian attraction to folk healers: Conjuring Hope: Magic and Healing in Contem-

porary Russia (New York: Berghahn Books, 2006).f. Veiled reference here is to the United States, although the logic of why our

intelligence service would wish to help spread Falun Gong outside China is notimmediately obvious.

g. For diagrams and instruction, see Li, Falun Gong (English version), pp.81124.

References


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Informatsionnyi tsentr FalunDafa.www.faluninfo.ru.

Kitai. Fakty i tsifry.Available at www.faluninfo.ru. Tianjin, 2000.Li Hongzhi.Zhuan falun [Turning the Wheel of Law]. [n.p.:] Zhongguo guangbo

dianshi chubanshe, 1994.. Falun Dafa.Moscow: RUDN, 1999.McCarthy, Terry. The Son of Heaven? Time,29 November 1999, pp. 3033.Porshneva, E.B.Religioznye dvizheniia pozdnesrednevekovskogo Kitaia: prob-

lemy ideologii.Moscow: Nauka, 1991.Pravda o Falun dafa(sb. statei)[The Truth About Falun Dafa] [n.p., n.d.].Schechter, D. Falun Gongs Challenge to China. Spiritual Practice or Evil

Cult?New York: Akashic Books, 2001.Sudakov, E. Kitaiskie UFO-okhotniki na piterskikh ulitsakh.Izvestia,19

May 2001.Sudakov, E., and Smirnov, A. Kitaiskaia sekta voiuet s inoplanetianami.Izves-

tia,20 December 2000.V Rossii deistvuet sekta samoubiits. Tsentralnaia gazeta,11 July 2001. www.

falundafa.spb.ru.


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