Hallandsposten (Swedish newspaper): Chinese mysticism amidst market stalls

In news reports from the Middle Kingdom we have been able to follow the government’s regular hunt for Falun Gong practitioners. Exactly how many have been imprisoned, put in re-education camps, and tortured to force them to give up their belief is unclear, but according to Hans Bengtsson the number is over 75 million.

Non-political

"For me it is unbelievable how Falun Gong can be considered a threat. We practitioners do not get involved in politics or anything else that can be associated with society power. (...) It is very fruitful to come out and tell people about the goodness and Falun Gong and the evilness of this brutal persecution. People seem interested, and in Laholm (a city in Sweden) we had no problem to get a group together who wanted to learn." (...)

According to the practitioners themselves, Falun Gong is a method for self-refinement where one tries conduct one's behaviour according to the principles of truthfulness, compassion and forbearance. (...)

Positive effects

"In the beginning the Chinese government was positive to the movement as they saw a connection with the falling of hospital costs. Something happened in 1999, which changed their opinion, and since then the practitioners are being persecuted," says Hans Bengtsson.

Thus, in what way has Hans Bengtsson himself noticed the positive effects of Falun Gong? Is he a more harmonious man today than 1999 when he first became a practitioner?

"The difference is huge. I have become more clear minded, can function on all cylinders, and have gained a deeper understanding for the problems one faces in life. Besides, I have gained a completely different insight in the connection between cause and affect in the relationship between people."