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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 Religious Movement Falun Gong in Russia

The twentieth century saw the appearance and spread of various kinds of so-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 bestknown such group in China. After the Chinese government banned Falun Gong and began to repress its practitioners, the movements founder, Li Hongzhi, emigrated to the United States. The doctrine of Falun Gong, Power of the Wheel of Law, is called Falun Dafa, Great Laws of the Wheel of Law. We turn now to the basic postulates of this doctrine. The universe holds a special place in them. In the words of Li Hongzhi, the universe is spiritualized; 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, forbearance (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 Hongzhi does not say how many such levels there are, only that there are low and high levels. Contemporary human society as a whole is at a low level,
English translation 2008 M.E. Sharpe, Inc., from the Russian 2005 Religiovedenie. Deiatelnost kitaiskogo religioznogo dvizheniia falyngun v Rossii, religiovedenie, 2005, no. 3, pp. 3947. Liudmila Aleksandrovna Kravchuk is a candidate of historical sciences. Translated by James E. Walker.
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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. People think that things are right, but in reality very much is wrong. Dont people want to live well? They do want to live well. Maybe they have to spoil others profit; maybe this fosters peoples egoism; maybe they infringe upon others interests, offend others and harm others (Li 1994, p. 47). People are described in this way to emphasize the value of the teaching of 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 themselves of suffering and disease and prolong their lifetime on earth. This opportunity is made available in the teaching of Falun Dafa. The founder of this teaching acts as an intermediary between the great enlightened ones and everyday people. He explains the Law and transmits gong (energy). Li Hongzhi transforms into disciples the audiences at his lectures, and his followers call him Teacher. Falunthe Wheel of Law, the symbol of the teaching of Falun Dafa is 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].b It is inscribed in a red circle and surrounded by eight yinyang 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 different shapes in different dimensions. Buddhist and Taoist symbols correlate with depictions of the Wheel of Law. Not accidentally, some, including Li Hongzhi, consider their key to be yin-yang symbols. According to the teaching of Falun Dafa, Buddhism and Taoism are the two major systems; all the rest of the world 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 practitioner. When I talk about the great laws of the Wheel of Law, I am gradually putting the Wheel of Law in everyone. Some feel [this], and some do not. While most people feel it [others do not] because the essence of human bodies is not the same (Li 1994, p. 36). When rotating clockwise, the wheel absorbs energy from the universe;

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

when rotating counterclockwise it releases energy, creating a distinctive energy field around the practitioners body. Energy from outside can be conducive to a practitioners salvation. The energy released has a beneficial 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 maximum similarity 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, the practitioners spiritual and physical cultivation is accomplished within the framework of Falun Dafa. Spiritual cultivation includes living according to the criteria of truth, benevolence, and forbearance, as well as reading the works of Li Hongzhi. Physical cultivation involves performing a set of exercises to music. In Li Hongzhis book, these exercises are called qigong, which goes back to prehistoric civilization. People pay attention to practice [lian] and do not pay attention to cultivation.

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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 the cultivation of heart nature, then your gong will grow, and your level [of cultivation] 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 dimensions, 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 what we formerly thought of as ideational, as that which exists in a persons consciousness, white substance is completely material. Therefore, when the 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 karma and in Buddhism is called evil actions. The two substances exist simultaneously. What are the connections between them? We receive white substance when we suffer, when we are beaten, and when we do good deeds. We receive the black substance when we do bad deeds or treat others badly (Li 1994, p. 28). Depending on what a person does, the quantitative state of the substances can change. There is more white substance around someone who does more good deeds than someone who does more bad deeds. If someone treats another badly, the white substance tears away from the offender 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 system promotes elimination of black karma and, as a result, rehabilitation of the organism. Doctors in hospitals do not eliminate the underlying cause of diseasesthe black substance. They treat illness at the level of ordinary peoplea lower one than the level of practitioners of Falun Dafa. Li Hongzhi emphasizes that his followers are not forbidden to go to a hospital, but only by practicing qigong according to the Falun Dafa system 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 opening of the celestial eye, but Li Hongzhi allows his disciples to open it only to the level of wisdom. If this level were exceeded, a person could

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see other dimensions, see through walls, see through people and see their diseases.c Those who cultivate themselves are ordinary people, with weaknesses, and if they wanted to use their abilities to get rich, no one could stop them. Li Hongzhi cannot permit such interference in the life of contemporary society, so he opens the celestial eye for his followers only to the level of wisdom. Disciples with an open celestial eye can see things that ordinary people cannot see and be convinced that these things exist (Li 1994, p. 46). In other words, Hongzhis disciples need the celestial eye primarily to ensure that their level of cultivation has risen. Evil spirits lie in wait for practitioners on the path of cultivation, and these spirits can take the form of a fox, a polecat, or a snake. If a person is not released from the desires of an ordinary person and wants to acquire supernormal abilities, so that they can cure others illnesses for a fee and get rich doing so, they cannot cultivate themselves at a high level. Moreover, an evil spirit may inhabit them, which will give them these abilities, taking the life energy from them. This phenomenon is called 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 according 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 and various 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 translation, as they may seem to be. Li Hongzhi uses the primitiveness of the text to create some secret in what is said; he gives only hints, guiding his disciples thought and perception for the key that he needs. Evil spirits can also possess Buddha statues in the possession of disciples of the movement. If one is a practitioner of Falun Dafa, Li Hongzhi can protect his disciples. Evil spirits can be driven out by holding his book (which has a photograph of him) and asking him to sanctify the statue (Li 1994, pp. 17879).

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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 instance, it is not allowed for men and women to engage in completion, or for anyone to resort to practice the reading of exorcisms to cure illnesses. In a separate paragraph, he describes the prohibition on killing living beings. We should point out that, in addition to people and animals, plants and all material things are also living beings. In this regard, Li Hongzhi says that it is not necessary to absolutize the prohibition on killing living 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 is recommended 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 which the practitioner needs to be released. Having summarized the recommendations found in Li Hongzhis book, we can comprise the ideal code of a practitioner: (1) the process of cultivation includes performing exercises to music and reading Li Hongzhis book; (2) the place and time selected for practicing cultivation do not matter; (3) it is necessary to train regularly to achieve significant results; (4) the practitioner must abandon the passions and desires of an ordinary person (gong training is not an exercise class; [it] is beyond the things of ordinary people. Practitioners must meet the demands of a higher truth and standards; they have to do this so that they can achieve their goal (Li 1994, p. 189); (5) the practitioner must give up the attachments of an ordinary person, such as eating meat, attachment to food, predilection for quarreling, drinking, and envy; (6) the practitioner must cultivate heart nature; (7) of all the ways of cultivation, it is necessary to follow one (high levels of cultivation can be properly achieved only by cultivating oneself according to Falun Dafa). It is claimed that cultivation according to the Falun Gong system has a beneficial effect on the practitioners physical and spiritual state. Li Hongzhi says that the followers of Falun Gong look younger than others of the same age, and performing the exercises and spiritual practice can prolong their life. He emphasizes that Falun Gong does not cure diseases but purifies the body, resulting in a healthy organism. Two stages can be distinguished in the development of the Falun Gong movement in China: (1) from 1992 to 25 April 1999, the government and the sect peacefully coexisted; (2) from 25 April 1999 to the present

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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 to as the 25 April incident, after which the government of China and social forces abroad paid close attention to Falun Gong. Li Hongzhi first presented Falun Gong to the Chinese in 1992, and his first book, Zhongguo falun gong [Chinese Falun Gong], came out that year. From May 1992 through December 1994, he traveled around the country giving lectures. In 1993, Falun Gong received an award as the primary school of qigong at the Beijing Health Expo. In 1994, Li Hongzhi published his second book, Zhuan falun [Turning the Wheel of Law], and in 1996 he decided to expand the range of his teaching and went to America to lecture. We should emphasize that in the first stage of its existence the Falun Gong association was a syncretic religious movement, most of whose ideas were borrowed from Buddhism. The main goal was spiritual and physical cultivation of its adherents. As the number of followers grew, so did the ambitions of the teachings 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 unauthorized actions of the Falun Gong followers to be a violation of public order and dispersed the demonstrators, arresting some of them. As a reaction to the events in Tianjin, an article appeared by a researcher at the Institute of Theoretical Physics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, He Zuoxiu, I Do Not Agree with Youth Practicing Breathing Exercises. One may assume that this and subsequent articles of a similar nature were ordered by the government and played the role of public criticism of superstitious views.d Another major event connected with the activity of Falun Gong was the attempted self-immolation of seven people in Tiananmen Square on 23 January 2001. One of them died, and four received burns of varying severity. As the Chinese mass media explained it, the incident was carried out by followers of the movement to prove their devotion to Li Hongzhi and enter the heavenly kingdom. This allowed the media to call the event an expression of extreme fanaticism. Li Hongzhis followers believe that this tragedy in Tiananmen was set up by the government to demonstrate the danger of the Falun Gong movement. First, they doubt that the self-immolation was done by

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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 actual videotape of the self-immolation also seems dubious. They note that videotaping is prohibited in Tiananmen, but nevertheless CNN correspondents somehow managed to get the whole incident on tape from beginning to end without any interference from the police (pravda o falun dafa, p. 24). The adherents of Falun Gong deny any participation in the selfimmolation for an obvious reason: this incident cast a shadow on the movements reputation and placed it alongside the Japanese sect Aum Shinrikyo, whose followers organized a terrorist act in March 1995 in the Tokyo subway, using sarin nerve gas. The Chinese governments reaction to the activity of Falun Gong can be characterized as sharply negative: the movements adherents are persecuted and heretical literature is banned. The reasons are the governments reaction to violation of the norms of social and political life established in the country, fear of destabilization of society, and alarm that the authorities power had been shaken. The reaction to the violation of norms primarily suggests that the official ideology is opposing sectarianism. As E.B. Porshneva notes, religious sectarianism and heresy crossed the limits of the accepted attitudes of traditional consciousness, and the principal social meaning of this was that it offered spiritual opposition and an alternative (Porshneva 1991, p. 6). The alternative nature of teachings such as Falun Dafa consisted in criticism of contemporary society. Much as the founders of medieval sects emphasized the depravity of society at that time, in his speeches Li Hongzhi says that humanity is mired in vice and the mass media promotes violence. The fear of destabilization of society is the historical cause of persecutions of heretical teachings. In the history of China, quite a few insurrections were organized by sectarians, including the Taiping Rebellion, that threatened the rule of the Qing dynasty. Foreign researchers draw parallels between uprisings of the past and contemporary events. According to Terry McCarthy, Even more terrifying for the government is the possibility that Falun Gong could morph into a political organization, as has happened with other sects in Chinese historymost famously during the nineteenth century Taiping rebellion, when a martial-arts cult triggered a civil war that left more than a million dead (1999, p. 34).

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The governments fear that the authorities power had been shaken was largely because political functionaries and members of the Communist Party 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 spiritual civilization. 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 campaign against the propagation of Falun Gong teaching was begun at the Zhongnanhai headquarters of the Communist Party and the Chinese government. This campaign can be provisionally divided into two stages: JulyOctober 1999, and October 19992002. The first stage is characterized by criticism of Falun Gong and actions of a propagandistic or educational nature. The second stage includes broad repressive measures: trials and sentencing of the movements followers to prison or labor camp. The Falun Gong movement has found followers in many countries of the 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 ideological vacuum. The long dominance of rigorous atheism in the Soviet Union made any religious teaching more attractive. Many people were disenchanted with transient and haphazard material values. Skepticism and distrust of the dogma and rituals of the old religions have been prevalent in society. A sense of pervading unease has been caused by the cheapening of values and the instability of the world political and economic situation. When the old has not yet been destroyed and the new has not yet been created, many people are concerned about searching for an idea to believe in. People are seeking new values or trying to resurrect old, higher values and lasting realities. 2. A significant role in the teachings popularity is played by ideas

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of alternative healing and prospects of longevity. For Russia, the possibility, promoted by Li Hongzhis teaching, of curing illnesses without medicine is especially attractive in the light of the increasing prices for drugs and health care.e 3. Eastern martial arts and fitness systems have always had an attraction and aura of mystery in Western countries. 4. A role in increasing the number of the movements followers has been played by the halo of martyrdom connected with followers of the out-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 in 1998. The main centers of their activity are St. Petersburg and Moscow. In these cities, the supporters of Falun Gong rent places to offer lectures interpreting the works of Li Hongzhi and providing exercise classes. A Web site of adherents of Falun Gong in Russia says, It was predetermined that you come here. Appreciate this. In reality, entirely different reasons bring adherents into the movement. We can identify some of 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 half months, and has been practicing on her own for about two years. She occasionally attends group classes. She says that she began to feel better, although she had not been to see a doctor before. She had health problems 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 understands her involvement in Falun Gong, since Mama was always involved in something. Tamara also clearly felt a deep sympathy for practitioners in China who have been the victims of oppression. The desire to improve her health came later. Sergei formerly played sports and now believes that sports do not compare with Falun Gong, since cultivation following the system of the Great Law (Falun Dafa) includes both physical and spiritual development. Sergei seems to have found an idea that promotes his spiritual development and a set of exercises that he can use to strengthen his physical health. Nikolai has been involved in various cultivation techniques and once

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bought a Russian translation of Li Hongzhis book, but did not understand anything. He went to classes and started to practice on his own. He realized that practicing in a group provides a fuller feeling of participation in the Great Law than individual practice, so now he practices in a group. What we have here is a practitioners interest in Eastern psychic techniques. As he sees it, Falun Dafa is the best system he has found. The activity of the movements followers in Russia can be divided into two types: proselytizing (propagating the teaching) and intrasectarian activities. We will look at each of them. Press conferences and exhibits are organized, and literature is distributed in Moscow and St. Petersburg. At metro stations, followers of Falun Gong hand out flyers titled Falun Gong. Truth. Benevolence. Forbearance, which tell about the persecutions of Falun Gong disciples in China and acquaint their readers with the miraculous science Falun Dafa. An exhibit of the works of the Chinese artist Zhang Cuiying, a Falun Gong follower, was organized in the home of a Russian artist in 2002. Several of her paintings depicted Buddha sitting in a lotus pose surrounded by symbols of the sect, including Buddhist swastikas and yin-yang symbols. On 16 August 2003, followers of Falun Gong in St. Petersburg organized shows on Nevskii Prospekt. Dances of girls in blue dresses were accompanied by commentary and distribution of flyers. Balloons with the inscription Falun Dafa brings the world Truth, Benevolence, and Forbearance were also distributed. While the dance Inspiration was not a particularly skillful performance, the audience was warned that the dancers were not professionals, just followers of the Falun Gong school of cultivation. In addition to the printed materials in Russian, Chinese passersby were given the epoch times newspapers in Chinese. Each issue had articles devoted to the activity of Falun Gong. Forty thousand of the newspapers were printed in St. Petersburg and distributed free. Zhang Cuiyings paintings were displayed on stands on Nevskii Prospekt, and the epoch times was handed out to Chinese citizens arriving at the Moscow Station in St. Petersburg each evening. The arsenal of Russian disciples of Li Hongzhis teaching also includes web sites, given in their flyers. This list of events held by Russian followers in St. Petersburg is incomplete, since their activity is not covered in the general press. One can find out about planned events only through contact with the followers and visiting their classes.

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According to the flyers, the primary and sole source of funding for Falun Gong activity is private donations from the movements followers. However, the considerable sums invested (printing newspapers and flyers that are distributed free in large numbers, publishing Li Hongzhis books, renting rooms, organizing exhibits) makes this doubtful. One can assume that the movement is also funded from outsidefrom followers of the movement abroad, as well as from foreign special services [intelligence agencies] interested in spreading the movement outside of China.f Intrasectarian activities consist in reading Li Hongzhis book and performing a set of exercises to music. Several centers hold such classes for the practitioners convenience so that everyone can find a suitable time and place. In the summertime, classes are held outdoors, for example, three times a week in Victory Park on Krestovskii Island, on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Sundays at noon. Outdoor classes follow a simplified program, sometimes without reading Li Hongzhis book. The class usually begins with a reading from Li Hongzhis book falun Dafa, in a more or less direct translation of the Chinese text. It is recommended that the book be read constantly. In the words of one disciple, understanding does not come all at once. The more you read, the more you understand, each time discovering something that you had not noticed before. After reading a chapter, the Falun Dafa followers discuss what they have read. Then the disciples perform a set of exercises. There is a five- to ten-minute break in the exercises at 1:00 P.M., if the class is held in the daytime, or at 7:00 P.M. if it is an evening class, to send out righteous thoughts. This ritual appeared in the disciples arsenal after the government in China initiated the campaign of repression against the supporters of Falun Gong. Its purpose is to eliminate evil with righteous thoughts. They are expressed by the formula Fa zheng qian kun xie e quan mie (the Law rectifies the Universe, evil is completely eliminated). This formula has to be repeated for five or ten minutes while sitting with hands folded in a jieyin pose (hands folded in front of the chest, palms up).g The formula is written on a narrow paper strip; on the back it says: The Teachers original words while preaching the Law at the Falun Dafa Conference in Canada in 2001. [He explained:]
And furthermore, from this time on, when practicing in a group or at a large conference such as this, our disciples can enter into a state of peace in five minutes, sitting with hands folded in the Jieyin pose, mentally

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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 practicing 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 Hongzhis work: heaven, earth, and the subterranean world. External noise evidently means the repression campaign carried out by the Chinese government and the associated negative attitude toward followers of the teaching. 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, Combating Heretical Tendencies in Defense of Human Rights, was held with the consulates support on 5 January 2002 in the Mayakovsky Library, displaying materials that were intended to show the harm caused to citizens physical and mental health by practicing Falun Gong. The materials also illustrated the the patient effort of the Chinese government and society to help people who have been deceived by the Falun Gong sect, save them, and return them to a normal life. Consul general Chen Yichu spoke at the opening of the exhibit, sharply criticizing the activity of Falun Gong in China and in Russia [see also Kitai 2000]. Several articles have appeared in the Russian press about the activity of the Falun Gong movement in Russia, containing factual statements without serious analysis of the reasons for the movements popularity on 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 in the Tokyo subway could be repeated in the Russian metro [tsentralnaia gazeta 2001]. In their article Chinese Sect Fights Aliens from Another Planet, izvestia correspondents E. Sudakov and A. Smirnov [2000] also point to the danger from a religious cult with leader worship, which has become an object of insinuations. [See also Sudakov 2001.]

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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 teaching in St. Petersburg. In a friendly situation, a conversation was held on the morals of contemporary society and how Falun Gong can change the human heart for the better. The broadcast covered the persecutions of Falun Gong in China, the real reasons for the repressions, as well as the current situation and worldwide reaction to these disturbing events. The Radio Liberty correspondent took a position sympathetic to the Falun Gong disciples. Thus, the followers of Falun Gong are actively engaged in propagating the movement in Russia. And although they have done nothing to compromise themselves in the few years of the movements existence in Russia, some journalists and public figures do not rule out the possibility that they may act unlawfully. Editors notes
a. All translations from the Chinese are retranslated from Russian. For those who wish a more direct experience of the words of Li Hongzhi, see falun gong (English version), rev. ed. (New York: Universe, 2000). b. The yellow Buddhist swastika is an ancient sun wheel symbol representing auspicious balance in the world. It is a cross with four arms (or bent rays) of equal length. The word stems from the Sanskrit all is well, although the symbol itself is used in many traditions. Its arms go clockwise, unlike the symbol that came to be 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 special shamanic 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 Gong materials. e. See also Swedish anthropologist Galina Lindquists superb ethnography on Russian attraction to folk healers: conjuring hope: Magic and healing in contemporary 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 not immediately obvious. g. For diagrams and instruction, see Li, falun gong (English version), pp. 81124.

References
Falun Dafa. Istina. Dobrota. Terpenie. Flyer distributed by Russian followers of the movement.

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Informatsionnyi tsentr Falun Dafa.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: problemy 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. izvestia, 20 December 2000. V Rossii deistvuet sekta samoubiits. tsentralnaia gazeta, 11 July 2001. www. falundafa.spb.ru.

to order reprints, call 1-800-352-2210; outside the united states, call 717-632-3535.