Taiwan: "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" Art Exhibition Held at Kaohsiung Medical University

Since the beginning of 2007, the "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" International Art Exhibition has visited many art museums and cultural centers in Taiwan. On November 19th, the exhibit started a 2-week installation at Kaohsiung Medical University.

The paintings in the exhibit are by a group of accomplished artists with various backgrounds. All of them are Falun Gong practitioners and have enlightened to new understandings of art and life through cultivation practice. Their artworks thus depict the wonderful realm of harmony between nature and humans, the principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance," and the principle that "Good will meet with reward and evil will meet with retribution." Many of the works also depict the brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China.

An exhibit guide explains the stories behind the paintings

Visitors were moved by the painting, "Eternity"

The exhibition hall is located on the first floor of the new University dormitory. During the exhibit, many people came in to appreciate the artworks.

Assistant professor Chang Shu-Te teaches art at the university and has held many exhibits in Taiwan and abroad. She said that these artworks not only display traditional arts but also record history. She stood and wept in front of a painting depicting the unyielding faith of a practitioner despite brutal persecution. She said that the practitioner's peaceful attitude and firm faith in the face of brutality and coercion deeply touched her. "That is really remarkable. Only a practitioner can do it," she commented.

Ms. Chen came to view the exhibit on the recommendation of a friend. She was deeply touched by two paintings, "Homeless" and "Why" which depict the plight of Falun Gong children under persecution. "You don't have to read the description of the paintings. Just look at the children' eyes, and one will get the message. Children do not disguise their emotions. These children's eyes tell me that they feel confused and fearful for the suffering of their parents. I am deeply troubled by the children's plight," she said with tears in her eyes.

The painting, "Eternity" includes portraits of 280 Falun Gong practitioners who have died as a result of the persecution. Upon hearing about the background of this painting, Ms. Yu couldn't help condemning the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) atrocities. She questioned, "All these practitioners are obviously good people; why would the CCP torture and kill them? What kind of regime is the CCP?"

A university employee came back to the exhibit after seeing it the day before. He asked whether he could get a copy of Zhuan Falun. An exhibit guide found one for him.

Chen is a student. She said that she was immersed in a bright and peaceful atmosphere as soon as she walked into the exhibit hall. "Every face of the enlightened beings depicted in the paintings is so compassionate, giving me a very comfortable feeling. The realm of harmony between nature and practitioners depicted by paintings such as 'Pure Lotus' and 'Harmony' is very intriguing and inspiring," she said.

After viewing all the paintings, Mr. Yuan said, "I have seen a war between good and evil and also seen the contrast between them." He said that these artworks were all very life like and inspiring. He cited a poem of a great Chinese Confucian educator: "Why is the stream so clear? Because it originates from a living water source." Before leaving the exhibit, he borrowed a copy of Zhuan Falun and said that he would study the book.

Exhibit visitors were not limited to students, faculty and staff members of the medical university. Upon hearing about the exhibit, more than 50 students from the nearby Kaohsiung University of Technology came to see the artworks. They viewed the paintings carefully and listened to the exhibit guides' introduction of the paintings as well as the background of Falun Gong and the persecution. While many had held an indifferent attitude to the persecution of Falun Gong in the past, the exhibit changed them. They now understand why there is growing support for Falun Gong worldwide. One student said, "My life is too comfortable and I don't know much about other people and things happening elsewhere. I will spend more time caring about others. This is a good lesson which we cannot learn in the classroom."

One day, after viewing the paintings, a visitor wrote the following comments on the guest book: "I still have many questions. I do hope that one day the world will come back to the fundamental values and I hope that God will bless every victim of this persecution so that their souls can rest in peace."

The "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" Art Exhibition has visited many countries over the past several years. The show not only exposed the persecution, but also brought home the most treasured moral values to visitors. It reminds visitors that in the long history of the divinely-inspired Chinese culture, the meaning of life is to be compassionate and to return to the origin.