Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, occupies a liminal space between what is usually called “religion” and what is often termed “spiritual practice.” Practitioners themselves generally describe it as a cultivation path aimed at refining both mind and body, centered on meditation, qigong-style exercises, and moral self-improvement grounded in Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. It does not have many of the institutional features commonly associated with organized religions, such as formal temples, paid clergy, or a structured system of worship and membership. This self-understanding emphasizes personal transformation rather than participation in a religious institution.

At the same time, Falun Gong clearly exhibits many traits that scholars typically associate with religion. It has foundational texts, especially Zhuan Falun, and a body of teachings regarded as authoritative and sacred by adherents. Its worldview includes a cosmology, ideas about karma and spiritual transformation, and a moral code that guides everyday conduct. Devotional attitudes toward the founder’s teachings and the comprehensive ethical framework offered by the practice give it a religion-like character in the eyes of many observers.

Because of this dual character, classification varies significantly across social and political contexts. Many scholars in religious studies tend to regard Falun Gong as a new religious movement, precisely because it provides an overarching spiritual and moral orientation rather than merely a health regimen. Some legal systems outside China have also treated it as a religious practice when assessing claims of persecution. Practitioners, however, usually maintain that it is spiritual cultivation rather than a religion, underscoring its focus on inner practice over external organization.

In the Chinese context, the picture becomes even more complex. The movement was initially tolerated as a qigong-style practice, but the state later banned it and labeled it a harmful cult, using a political and legal category rather than a neutral sociological one. This official stance contrasts sharply with both practitioners’ self-description and many scholars’ analyses. The result is that Falun Gong stands at a crossroads of definitions: lived as a path of personal cultivation, described by many academics as a religion, and treated by the Chinese authorities as a prohibited cultic movement.