A dangerous occult sect "Falun Gong" is developing in Russia. What you need to know

In Russia, criminal cases against followers of the Falun Gong occult sect (the organization is banned in Russia and recognized as extremist) are being brought more and more often. Thus, in early December, one of its members was arrested in Moscow. The organization emerged in the early 1990s in China, it is based on breathing exercises qigong and a synthesis of teachings of Buddhism and traditional Chinese beliefs. What the followers of this cult believe in and what it is dangerous - in the material "Izvestia".

What is "Falun Gong"

- The concept of "Falun Gong" can be translated as "spiritual energy of the wheel of the law". The second name of the sect is "Falun Dafa" ("practice of the wheel of law"). The movement was founded by Li Hongzhi, a native of northern China. In his biography for followers, he claimed that from childhood he comprehended the practices of powerful Buddhist and Taoist monks. In this way he allegedly developed various supernatural abilities such as invisibility and levitation, as well as learning martial arts. He formalized his "knowledge" into a system of spiritual practices, calling it "Falun Gong".

- At the heart of "Falun Gong" is such a phenomenon as qigong. It is a complex of physical and breathing exercises, which can be considered both as gymnastics and as an element of martial arts. Qigong is an integral part of Chinese culture and worldview. By the time Li Hongzhi introduced Falun Gong to the general public, there were many qigong schools in China whose visitors were thus exposed to the history and culture of their country. The popularity of qigong peaked in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when there were more than two thousand schools in China. However, if at its core the movement was quite harmless, then later it separated from qigong and began to preach the desire for superpowers, promote the chosen leader and mentally enslave its followers.

What is dangerous "Falun Gong"

- To the purely physical component, Li Hongzhi added a spiritual component. He preached the perfection of character with the help of ideas drawn from Buddhism, Taoism and Confucianism. To his followers, Li Hongzhi guaranteed that they would avoid all diseases and always keep a clear mind.

- Falun Gong differs from many similar movements in that it emphasizes the acquisition of superhuman abilities. Followers could supposedly learn to be invisible and possess great power. At the same time, they are not allowed to use these abilities for practical purposes, their presence is necessary only to achieve spiritual heights. The ultimate goal of Falun Gong adherents is to achieve enlightenment.

- The teachings of Falun Gong deny the achievements of science and technology, considering them a hindrance on the way to gaining knowledge. A special emphasis is placed on the rejection of modern medicine, because, according to adherents, "Falun Gong" itself helps to find unlimited health. The role of the mentor Li Hongzhi is also great in the teachings: it is his opinion on this or that issue is correct for followers, and reading his books is an obligatory part of the practice.

How Falun Gong evolved

- Li Hongzhi introduced Falun Gong to the general public in 1992. He was able to quickly gain popularity by holding his qigong classes in parks and squares, which attracted additional attention. In addition, practicing in public spaces helped him save money on rent for his adepts, and the prices at his school were much lower than others. Li Hongzhi also held paid seminars and sold books, pamphlets, and symbols of his teachings. In the early 1990s, the number of his students passed 1 million.

- The school's leader began to claim that he was the only person capable of accessing the cosmos and developing supernatural abilities in others. In 1996, Li Hongzhi pulled the organization out of the China Qigong Research Society, explaining that his school's mission was to "take people to higher levels." From that point on, Falun Gong went from being one of the many schools of spiritual practices to an occult-mystic type religion, religious scholars believe.

- Li Hongzhi's sermons of spiritual perfection led to the fact that the mental pressure exerted on adherents provoked them to commit crimes and suicide. Moreover, they were taught that disregard for life and death was a good thing that one should supposedly strive for. The Falun Gong network grew rapidly and within a few years had covered not only the whole of China, but also began to spread around the world. Li Hongzhi himself left China in 1995 and began to live abroad.

- At the same time, the organization began to show more and more signs of a sect. Its followers broke off relationships with their loved ones, gave Falun Gong everything they had, and then lost interest in them.

- In the 1990s, Chinese media and academia criticized Falun Gong for spreading superstition. In response, adherents staged silent demonstrations around editorial offices, reading the holy book and conducting meditations. Chinese authorities began to disperse the demonstrators, thus provoking more demonstrations.

- In 1999, the largest demonstration of Falun Gong followers took place. Tens of thousands of people blocked the government quarter of Zhongnanhai in Beijing. They demanded an end to the persecution and the release of arrested adherents. By that time, according to the authorities' calculations, the Falun Gong sect had already been involved in the deaths of 1,700 people. This number included both sudden and unmotivated massacres of relatives and friends by sect members and suicides. The movement was then completely banned in China and its leaders were sentenced to prison terms.

- In the second half of the 1990s, during its heyday, Falun Gong had 39 branches in various Chinese cities, 1,900 training centers and 28,000 "primary organizations." The sect leader earned money from personal "donations" from all members, the sale of symbols, books, expensive icons with his image, "special" courses and seminars. In China, he was suspected of a number of economic crimes

- Despite this, the Falun Gong cult continued to exist and two years later led to the most high-profile tragedy. Five adherents committed a group suicide in Beijing's central Tiananmen Square. A woman and her 12-year-old daughter died and three others were injured.

- All this time, since 1995, Li Hongzhi lived in the United States, the country's authorities supported him. With their help, subdivisions of the sect appeared not only in the States, but also in Canada, Australia, Germany and France. Overseas Falun Gong associations are on the list of 75 NPOs that are supported by the International Religious Freedom Alliance (IRFA) created by the U.S. State Department in 2020. In parallel, the sect's teachings have emphasized fighting the Chinese Communist Party and calling for the overthrow of the current government.

- In 2015, the leader of the Izhevsk cell was detained for extremism, at the same time the regional branch in Khakassia was first recognized as an extremist organization and its activities were banned in Russia. In 2020, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office recognized several organizations associated with Falun Gong as undesirable in the country. In 2024, law enforcement agencies conducted several major operations to identify and shut down Falun Gong branches, and several cell leaders and followers were arrested.

- Despite this, the cult is spreading in Russia and other countries of the former Soviet Union. Its leaders distribute extremist literature and exploit the fascination with Eastern practices. At first, the religious component of Falun Gong is carefully concealed; it is revealed only when a new follower has sufficiently submitted to the sect and will not be able to leave it.