Strike a pose; feet placed shoulder-width apart, knees slightly bent, tongue touching upper palate, lips closed, eyes gently shut, and a serene expression. This is the stance Falun Gong practitioners for Fozban Quianshou Fa (the buddha showing a thousand hands) achieve. Though a traditional Chinese meditation practice, the calm has lifted for Falun Gong practitioners who have come under attack in their native country for practicing the outlawed exercise.
Students at Tufts have been practicing Falun Gong as a group for the past three years. Now, in addition to meditating, they're helping persecuted fellow practitioners overseas.
Though the Chinese government supported the introduction of Falun Gong to the public in 1992, the Chinese Communist Party outlawed the practice in 1999, according to Christine Moon, president of the Falun Dafa Association at Tufts (TFDA).
Falun Dafa, which incorporates Buddhist and Taoist principles, is the movement which incorporates the exercises of Falun Gong. The movement existed on a small scale before its introduction to the general public. In the early days of Falun Dafa, practitioners demonstrated motivation and better morale in factories and work units, but the Chinese Communist Party declared the meditation practice illegal due to the supposedly threatening presence of 100 million practitioners in over 40 countries, according to Moon.
"The [party] embarked on a systematic, brutal campaign against tens of millions of men, women and children of every occupation, social status, and age to eradicate this peaceful practice," Moon said.
According to the Falun Dafa Info Center, www.faluninfo.net, 180 people have died as a result of the government's actions against the quash the Falun Gong movement. Worldwide, an appeal has gone out to end persecution of Falun Gong practitioners.
"The vicious crackdown of Falun Gong not only severely violates the fundamental freedom of belief, expression, and assembly, but also leads to a growing scourge of torture to innocent people in China," read an appeal to Falun Gong practitioners worldwide.
Xiaomei Qi, a member of the Falun Dafa Association, has personal ties to practitioners in China. "Some of my friends are still in jail only because they refused to stop practicing Falun Gong in public and teaching [its] truth," she said.
Since Falun Gong is not a political exercise, students say that the government should not persecute practitioners. "The persecution is not understandable because Falun Gong is not an organization, it's just people reading some books and doing a set of exercises," Qi said. "It is just like people learning Chi Ti or Yoga, but it is not just for good health, it is also to be more considerate and [to have] higher moral standards." Falun Gong intends to open energy channels and strengthen cultivation, a term that refers to the concept of transforming body, mind, and soul. Main components include gentle exercises and meditation, the close study of Zhuan Falun, the principle book, and the belief in "truthfulness, benevolence, and forbearance" for self-improvement.
Moon was attracted to the exercise for its philosophical possibilities. "Unlike most practitioners, it was not the meditative aspect," she said. "I've been interested since high school in the meaning of life [and figuring out] why am I here." She said she is also interested in understanding why individuals suffer.
Jason Pomerleau, the first undergraduate practitioner on campus in 1998, was attracted to Falun Gong by one of it's objectives: "To return to one's true self." Pomerleau hoped to improve himself and to discover his inner sincerity. He found Falun Gong to be so beneficial that he sent Zhuan Falun to his brother in an effort to help him emotionally.
Practitioners have found support for the political aspect of the issue even among those who do not practice Falun Gong. "Many people share the same basic principles of truthfulness, benevolence, and forbearance, so they believe that the Chinese government's persecution of Falun Dafa has no basis," she said.
Globally, Master Li, the leader of Falun Dafa, received his second consecutive nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. And last semester, TFDA gave presentations to members of Amnesty International and Tufts Coalition for Social Justice and Non-violence on the persecution in China. Such incidents have become a worldwide human rights concern.
"[The persecution] is a human rights consideration that needs attention," said Doug Hansen, a member of the Coalition who attended TFDA's presentation. "I'm a strong believer in the ability to express oneself."
In February, journalist Danny Schechter participated in the Tufts Institute for Leadership and International Perspective (TILIP) Symposium, "Globalization and China." His documentary, Falun Gong's Challenge to China, has aired on TUTV last month and may be played once more this year.
TFDA meets in Davis Square and the Powderhouse Rotary to practice, and holds regular Wednesday meetings on campus.
Practitioners are making arguments in Geneva at the United Nations Human Rights Commission Session to end the turmoil in China. And on March 19, the UN released a press statement addressing the shaky future of Falun Gong.
"Will the Chinese regime begin to move towards a more open, civil society, or will it further step up its control and oppression for fear of losing power? In many ways, Falun Gong has become a litmus test of which path China will take," the statement said.
TFDA will host an informational workshop on Falun Gong Tuesday, April 17 from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. in the Large Conference Room of the campus center. The group holds regular meetings on Wednesdays from 7:30 to 8 p.m. on the lawn across from the campus center and readings in the Schwartz Room of the campus center on Wednesdays from 8 to 10 p.m.
