Chinese sect followers hit Mumbai’s streets

You may have seen many bands marching on the road on occasions like marriage or other festive events. Falun Dafa did the same this week.

The sect originated in China and has now spread to 150 cities across Europe, USA, UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan and Thailand. It has won numerous awards for healing practices worldwide. This band, which consists of 100 practitioners, come to India on September 24. They have performed in cities like Kolkata and Nagpur.

The aim of the musical band is to spread the message of peace through truth, compassion and tolerance, which are the basic principles of Falun Dafa. At the same time, the band will create awareness about the inhuman persecution suffered by practitioners  of its methods in China for the last decade.

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) is an ancient spiritual practice of mind and body refinement which includes slow moving exercises and meditation.

It was introduced to the masses by Master Li Hongzhi in China in 1992. Now it is being practiced in 118 countries by about 100 million people in the world.

“The practice of Falun Dafa exercise enhances the energy level of the body and induces tranquillity of the mind,” said Hung Yao Wen, a practitioner from Taiwan.

She added, “The effect is so refreshing that it improves performance levels and endurance of the body. Some people even say that they are more relaxed after practicing the exercises than after sleeping for long hours. Regular practice leads to a healthy body and a peaceful mental state.”

While the Falun Dafa sect is getting popular worldwide, ironically in its home country, China, the practice has been banned since 1999. “Since the exercises of Falun Gong were relatively simple and highly beneficial, it soon became popular throughout China through word-of-mouth publicity,” said Chang Lee, another performer in the band. 

He added, “When the number of practitioners started threatening the following of the Communist Party, the then president Jiang Zemin declared Falun Gong illegal nationwide on July 20, 1999. The Communist Party is rattled by the popularity of the sect.”