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Liu Guizhen's Recovery
in 1947 CCP cadre Liu Guizhen fell gravely ill with tuberculosis. He was relocated to his hometown to die peacefully, but instead he practiced qigong (an umbrella term for mixed Taoist, Buddhist, and Confucian rituals) with a monk and made a miraculous recovery. He would later establish the first qigong clinic in 1953. -
The CQSRA is Established
The China Qigong Scientific Research Association was established by Guo Lin, a cancer survivor who used qigong. -
Li Hongzhi "Emerges from the mountains"
Li Hongzi had been practicing and developing mastery in qigong since 1988, collecting his teachings into one practice known as Falun Gong. -
Li's Rise to Fame
At this point in time, Falun Gong was dedicated towards healing and mastery over illness and disability. During this time, Li visited every health expo he could and quickly became one of the most popular qigong masters. -
Zhuan Falun cont.
The letter starts with Li prohibiting himself or his followers from healing others. He replaces this concept with a fabricated system of "karma", where the suffering is a direct influence of immoral acts from you or your ancestry. Only Li is the judge of what brings karma, and only Li can remove your karma. De, or merit, is also bestowed upon people from Li himself. The core of Zhuan Falun is salvation, where Li is capable of attaching a molecular immortality to others. -
Zhuan Falun
Zhuan Falun was a publication written by Li that drastically changed the landscape of Falun Gong. Zhuan Falun was the first publication from Li that contained proper doctrine, and is one of the first and most influencial steps in converting the practice from secular, self-centered ritual to proper religious claims. His teachings combine the spiritual works he was immersed in along with their ritual, creating a Buddhist - Taoist hybrid known as Falun Dafa. -
Li's teachings expand
Truthfulness, benevolence, and forbearance become the staple virtues of Falun Dafa. Li guarantees he is able to protect his followers from any danger from anywhere under the protection of "Law Bodies". To test the claim, however, one inherently betrays his trust and is not guaranteed survival. Li claimed that the tenth Buddhist successor transferred his power unto him when he was four, and at 12 over 20 successors granted him a level of supernatural power. -
Li distances himself from the CQRS
The CQRS initally stood to give qigong a scientific backing, but Li's refusal to the group left it outside of conventional protection. -
The CCP Bans Falun Dafa
Practitioners and leaders were mass arrested by the CCP. -
Document No. 555
Titled "Notice of the Investigation of Falun Gong" officially labeled the group as giving "heretical teachings" and demanded more investigation. This also marks the beginning of reported harassment of Falun Gong members. -
Li implies himself to be the creator of the universe
Li considered himself to be reincarnated from past Buddha and implies that his "full teaching" made him superior to all other Buddha or gods.