B“ased on four gentle exercises, meditation and the study of the principles truthfulness, compassion and tolerance, the ancient discipline of Falun Dafa has transformed my life in the most wonderful ways,” says the Finnish former fashion model and international cosmetics spokesperson Mrs. Pia-Maria Norris.
“It’s all the wisdom of ancient China made accessible for the modern world,” says Mrs. Norris. “For me, it’s the art – and science – of living a rich, healthy and profoundly beautiful life.”

The Art of Self- Healing
The art of self-healing and the pursuit of longevity have been hallowed traditions in Eastern cultures for millennia and form an integral part of classical Chinese culture, and are often referred to as ways of “cultivation,” or “self-cultivation”. Various Daoist, Buddhist, and Confucian practices fit this rubric.
In many parks throughout China, as well as Western cities with large Chinese populations, groups of people can be seen in the early mornings performing graceful, gentle exercises. To a Western observer, they might seem like a cross between dance and calisthenics, and to most, do not fail to captivate and charm.
To the West, one of the most widely known practices of this sort is Tai Chi, but Tai Chi is only one of the many techniques known as “cultivation practices” that seek to improve physical, mental and spiritual well-being. In recent years the rise of one of these ancient disciplines, Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, has been noted for its remarkable and rapid spread throughout China and the world, and for its many documented health and anti-aging benefits.
“People found that Falun Dafa worked, and worked well,” says Zhao Ming, a post doctorate student and native of Beijing. “Pretty much everyone knew somebody who had tried it and benefitted, physically or psychologically.”
Indeed, with Falun Dafa now practiced in over 100 countries worldwide by an estimated 100 million people, reports of health and energy improvements abound. “Better sleep, less stress, increased energy, better digestion, glowing and beautiful skin,” says Mrs. Norris. “The list goes on and on…I even find my emotional state much more calm, focused and balanced.”

Falun Dafa, an Ancient Way in the Modern World
For thousands of years Falun Dafa was passed on privately before its public introduction by Mr. Li Hongzhi in 1992 in China. The practice quickly spread by word of mouth. Falun Dafa’s primary text, Zhuan Falun, appeared on China’s best seller lists, and by 1999 Falun Dafa had already grown to become the largest and fastest growing practice of the sort in Chinese, if not world, history. In just seven years, an estimated 70 – 100 million people were practicing Falun Dafa. It was this same popularity that all of a sudden caused a dramatic and violent change in political winds in July 1999, when a few leaders of the Chinese communist regime declared it a ‘threat’, and began a violent persecutory campaign, despite having praised it for years for all its benefits.
For example by 1999, the same year the persecution began, Chinese officials went so far as to quantify Falun Dafa’s benefits, such as when one official from China’s National Sports Commission, speaking with U.S. News & World Report, declared that Falun Dafa “can save each person 1,000 yuan in annual medical fees. If 100 million people are practicing it, that’s 100 billion yuan saved per year in medical fees.”
The same year, The People’s Public Security News—the official newspaper of China’s Ministry of Public Security—praised Mr. Li for his contributions “in promoting the traditional crime-fighting virtues of the Chinese people, in safeguarding social order and security, and in promoting rectitude in society.”

The crackdown and persecution has lasted until today, resulting in millions abducted, tens of thousands tortured and thousands dead, and has been sharply condemned by human rights groups and governments across the world such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, the U.S. Congress and the European Parliament.

Internationally Falun Dafa continues to be the subject of many citations, awards, and proclamations, conferred by government officials and a variety of organizations. Mr. Li is a five-time Nobel Peace Prize nominee and was nominated by the European Parliament for the Sakharov Prize For Freedom of Thought. Many who practice Falun Dafa have also been the recipients of service awards in their communities and at their workplaces.

Deeper Health and Wellness
Prior to the persecution campaign, in 1993, Mr. Li was named the “Most Welcomed Qigong Master” in Beijing and bestowed by an official body with the Award for Advancing Frontier Science. Word was quickly spreading that Falun Dafa’s healing efficacy had long-lasting, even remarkable, results. Chronic ailments disappeared, and even life-threatening diseases were healed.
People reported everything from better sleep and less stress to increased energy, better moods, better digestion, anti-aging benefits, and even recovery from chronic diseases.
But how does a simple program of exercise, meditation, and principled living make for such an impact? What makes Falun Dafa different? What makes it “work”?
In the words of practitioners, Falun Dafa works on multiple levels, going deeper, as it were, than typical exercise programs or health protocols.
Dr. Jingduan, MD, from the Tao Institute, who is both an eastern and western trained doctor in New York that has written various articles on the health benefits and anti-aging effects of Falun Gong, explains it the following way:
“It works on an energetic level. It is not just about your flesh and blood. It works on the body on a different level, it gets at the deeper roots of illness by working on the mind and the body.
From the modern Western medical perspective, we can appreciate that elimination of stress and unhealthful lifestyles and habits would reduce the incidence and severity of serious medical conditions, such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypertension, substance-related illnesses and other diseases. But we aren’t able to fully understand why this is so, nor can we identify the mechanism.
From the traditional Chinese medical (TCM) perspective, we are able to understand a little bit more about the mechanism. First, emotional stress is the fundamental cause of health problems; it makes the body vulnerable to external pathogens. In Falun Gong, cultivating xinxing (one’s character) and practicing Truth-Compassion-Tolerance helps people to have happy and peaceful minds, which eliminates the primary causes of illness as it effects the body in profound ways, many of which also include anti-aging benefits such as improved skin, less wrinkles, a healthy and glowing complexion etc.
Second, TCM holds that qi (pronounced “chee”) is a living energetic force, and its sufficient, smooth, and properly directed flow is the key to health. Third, in the view of TCM, blockage of energy channels, also called meridians, is the direct cause of pain, tumors, and many other health conditions. To keep meridians open is the essential element of successful TCM treatment, and the Falun Gong exercises and meditation are a very effective way of doing so.”
A central component of Falun Dafa is its teachings, which complement the four gentle exercises and meditation. Many say it is the teachings, in fact, that form the core of the practice and that differentiate Falun Dafa. It’s the blend of virtuous living, of aligning one’s life with higher principles, and powerful exercises that proves such a winning combination.
In the words of Falun Dafa’s founder, Mr. Li Hongzhi, “assimilation to the highest qualities of the universe—Zhen (truthfulness) Shan (compassion) Ren (forbearance) —is the foundation of practice. Practice is guided by these supreme qualities, and based on the very laws which underlie the development of the cosmos.”
So, through consistent and dedicated practice, practitioners of Falun Dafa comes to achieve a state of greater insight and awareness, selflessness, inner purity, and balance—the deeper workings of what might be called true health. And ultimately, he or she approaches a state of spiritual attainment that in the Asian tradition is known as “enlightenment” or “attaining the Dao (Way)”, or just simply, transcending the mundane world.

Today Falun Gong is practiced in more than 100 countries around the world, and the Falun Gong books have been translated into over 30 languages. Mr. Li has always insisted that the practice be taught for free and available to all, and as such, all Falun Dafa books, video recordings, and related materials can be downloaded for free from www.falundafa.org, where you can also find a list of all available practice sites around the world.

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