What is the Falun?
Key Points
Based on original report from Minghui.org
The emblem of Falun Dafa is called the “Falun,” a Chinese term that translates loosely as “Wheel of Law.” It is composed of two primary elements: yin-yang symbols, which are Taoist in nature, and swastika, which are Buddhist. The swastika, as it is known in English, is commonly seen in Asian Buddhism.
The swastika as presented in the Falun is the symbol of the Buddha.
An Ancient and Universal Symbol
The swastika is an ancient symbol of good fortune embraced through the ages and around the world. However, many people today have vivid memories of Hitler’s abuse of the swastika during World War II, associating it with the horrors of the Holocaust. Hitler misappropriated the swastika, distorting its meaning to millions of people. As a result, they are often surprised to see the swastika as part of the Falun, the symbol of Falun Dafa.
The swastika has long been a powerful and positive symbol in a multitude of cultures spanning the globe. In Eastern cultures, the swastika is a symbol of Buddha. In China, the swastika also embodies the concepts of eternity, infinity and the universe. The Chinese word for the symbol is wan, and in Sanskrit, it is known as srivatsa.
Swastikas Symbolized Good Fortune in the West before WWII
Most people have forgotten the positive image the swastika had even in North America. Post cards such as the one below recall the days before Hitler and the Holocaust gave this timeless symbol of good fortune a completely different meaning for most people in the Western world.
1907 postcard by E. Phillips, a U.S. card publisher
Arizona State Highway markers all bore the swastika before WWII.
The swastika is widely revered in a large number of Native cultures,
including those of the Navajo and Hopi peoples of Arizona.
