United Kingdom: Practitioners Express Gratitude to the Founder of Falun Dafa

“Happy Birthday, Master!” shouted Falun Dafa practitioners in one voice while taking a group picture on Trafalgar Square in London on May 7, 2017. The photo was to be sent as a greeting to the World Falun Dafa Day celebration on May 13 and as birthday wish to the founder of the practice, Master Li Hongzhi.

Falun Dafa practitioners in the U.K. take a group photo on Trafalgar Square in London to celebrate Master Li Hongzhi's birthday and World Falun Dafa Day

Falun Gong practitioners Roman and Emiko bring their one-year-old daughter to the celebration	Fiona (left) and Sonia participate in the celebration in traditional Tang Dynasty costumes

Fiona practises Falun Dafa along with her husband and their child. Whenever they run into conflicts, they try look inward for their own problems instead of arguing with each other. She is grateful that the practice brings them peace as individuals and as a family.

Sonia said, “I used to be short-tempered before my cultivation. Cultivation has given me the right direction. I found my negativity could be eliminated. I thank Master so much for bringing Dafa to us and guiding us to the righteous way.”

Young practitioners Leonardo and Sebastian participate in the parade with their mom Suzi	Seventy-nine-year-old Mrs. Wang participates in the celebration with her daughter Sunny and grandson

Suzi and her husband Thomas have been following the teachings of Falun Dafa for more than ten years. Their sons, seven-year-old Leonardo and five-year-old Sebastian, grew up listening to Master Li's lectures. Leonardo reads Zhuan Falun in Chinese for an hour each day, and began to memorize it. The boys were excited to participate in Falun Dafa Day activities with their parents and grandparents.

Sunny and her husband have been practicing Falun Dafa for over ten years. Mrs. Wang came to the U.K. from China to visit her daughter a few months ago. Although she had been influenced by the regime’s slanderous propaganda, she changed her view after seeing the positive effect the practice had on her daughter and son-in-law. She started reading the book Zhuan Falun and doing the exercises.

Her health began to improve right away. She said, “I could feel energy rotating on the top of my head every time I did exercises. The warm energy flow penetrated my body from head to feet. I used to have arthritis, and had to wear knee pads and socks to sleep. Now I don't need them, but still feel comfortably warm at night. I had been taking medicine for my high blood pressure for thirty years, and I don't need it any more.”

Danosha (right) and Lorraine at the World Falun Dafa Day celebration	Mrs. Huang says, “I thank Master from the bottom of my heart!”

Danosha and Lorraine both started practicing Falun Gong three years ago. Danosha said, “Falun Dafa has made my life more and more peaceful. It enables me to face pressure and challenges with a calm strength. It's more and more so as I cultivate myself.” Danosha felt the moment of sending birthday wishes to Master was beautiful, though she can't speak Chinese.

Lorraine said, “I have found something beautiful and beneficial. I can't sit by while the persecution continues in China. Such a great practice is suppressed and slandered! I have to tell people facts.”

It was the first time Lorraine participated in the parade holding a portrait of a Chinese practitioner who was killed in the persecution. “I had a feeling of holiness. I felt honored. It's a feeling hard to describe!”

Mrs. Huang from the mainland China started practicing Falun Gong a year ago. She used to have several health problems, including insomnia, headache, lower back pain, shoulder pain, stomach pain and hematuria. One of her friends suggested Falun Dafa to her. She learned the exercises by watching Master's exercise-teaching videos online. Her condition began to improve within a week. Her lower back pain eased up and the hematuria was gone.

She then started reading Falun Gong books. All her symptoms were gone within a month. She was amazed and asked her friend, “Why didn't you tell me about this earlier?!” It turned out her friend had worried that she might have been negatively influenced by the Chinese propaganda about Falun Dafa, since she had just come from China.

Mrs. Huang said, “I finally realized Falun Dafa is great after experiencing its power myself.”

She added, “I used to be depressed, and complained a lot. I had deep worries about the future. Now I'm positive. When I run into any issues in life, I focus on other people's merits and my own shortcomings. My husband and my friends say I'm like a different person. I used be short-tempered, but now I'm calm, tolerant, and happy. I would like to tell everyone: this is the power of Falun Dafa.”