United Kingdom: Falun Dafa Practitioners in London Celebrate World Falun Dafa Day

Falun Dafa practitioners in the United Kingdom celebrated the 22nd World Falun Dafa Day and wished Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of the practice, a happy 70th birthday. They gathered in front of the Royal Institute of British Architects on May 9th, 2021, to mark the occasion.

UK Falun Dafa practitioners celebrate World Falun Dafa Day.

On the bright and sunny day, practitioners demonstrated the Falun Dafa exercises and unfurled a banner that read, “Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day.” Many practitioners who attended the activity also expressed their gratitude for Master Li and Falun Dafa.

Everlasting Gratitude
Sri Lankan Lasitha Senanayake and his British wife Racheli Senanayake are both Falun Dafa practitioners. Lasitha first encountered Falun Dafa in 2005. During that time, Lasitha was young and full of energy and was already interested in Chinese martial arts. After coming to the United Kingdom, he started to go to tourist sites to talk to people about the persecution of practitioners in China as well as how he’d benefited from the practice. “I was short tempered in the past, but after cultivating Falun Dafa, I was able to calm down. I’ve changed quite a lot,” he said.

His wife Racheli, who has been practicing Falun Dafa for 13 years, works with people with communications disorders. It’s a job that requires professional knowledge, love, and patience.

Racheli said that she’d always liked to meditate even before she took up Falun Dafa. The hardest thing for her was entering into tranquility. During her college days in the United States, she encountered Falun Dafa and took the initiative to learn more about it. “It’s hard for me to say why I decided to practice Falun Dafa. All I knew was that this was what I’ve wanted,” she exclaimed.

Lasitha and Racheli met at St. Martin’s Place, a location they frequent on Saturdays to inform passersby about the persecution of Falun Dafa in China. They got married in 2014 and had twin boys last year. The twins are five months old, and, like many Dafa practitioners’ children, they are very healthy and like to smile.

Lasitha Senanayake, his wife Racheli, and their twin boys celebrate World Falun Dafa Day.

Lasitha and Racheli Senanayake press their palms together at the event as a sign of respect for Master Li. “Today is a very special day. Today is World Falun Dafa Day and Master’s Li Hongzhi’s birthday. We are extremely grateful to Master! We are grateful to Master for doing everything for the world and sentient beings.”

“I Need to do Something for Justice”
Victoria Ledwidge is a performer. She started to learn about Falun Dafa after a friend told her that the practice was being persecuted in China.

“At first, I was shocked to hear that a tragic persecution like this was happening in China and I thought I needed to do something for justice. I was completely drawn to Dafa after finding out what it is and knowing about the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I started to read Master Li Hongzhi’s book Zhuan Falun and experienced something miraculous. I felt that everything the book said was true, and when I was confused about life, I would always find answers in the book. It is truly amazing. Thank you, Master!”

Finding the True Meaning of Life
Although Tina Peng is a young, new Falun Dafa practitioner, she is able to strictly adhere to the practice’s principles. “I’d always think about the true meaning of life,” she explained.

Tina was working at a Chinese medicinal shop when she encountered Falun Dafa while chatting with a doctor in 2016. After reading Zhuan Falun, she realized that it solved many questions she had about life. She enlightened to that fact that everything in the book is true, “Many things have happened to me before, like the issue of the Celestial Eye, so I know that this is genuine cultivation. I’ve found the true meaning of life and have started to see myself as a cultivator.”

For Tina, World Falun Dafa Day is cause for celebration, “I am very happy each year on World Falun Dafa Day. I am very grateful to Master and feel very honored to be in this group. I’ve experienced many physical and psychological changes these years. I can abide by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance while at work and communicating with others. I still have many shortcomings, but I will try my best to abide by Master’s teachings and be considerate of others. I am very grateful to Master and wish Master a happy 70th birthday. I also hope to cultivate better in the future, do the three things well, and keep up with the process of Fa-rectification.”