Romania: Introducing Falun Dafa in Craiova

Falun Dafa practitioners in Romania recently held activities to introduce Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong) in the historic city of Craiova, November 12-14, 2021.

A practitioner talks about Falun Dafa at Electroputere Parc shopping center, November 2021.	Falun Dafa information days at the Electroputere Parc shopping center in Craiova November 13-14, 2021.

A Great Encouragement
Since the day practitioners began planning the event, the Covid infection rate, which was quite high in Craiova, has been steadily decreasing.

The information day events were held at the Electroputere Parc shopping centre. There were more people than usual in this area during the practitioners’ activities.

Practitioners demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises and offered a variety of materials to the public, including the monthly Romanian-language booklet reporting on the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, Falun Gong Info - issue 37. They distributed leaflets and handmade origami lotus flowers. As the new year is approaching, practitioners also distributed calendars with information about Dafa, which has become a tradition.

They also collected petition signatures to call on the President of Romania to condemn the Chinese regime’s forced organ harvesting from Falun Gong practitioners persecuted for their faith in China.

Falun Dafa exercise demonstration at the main entrance of Electroputere Parc shopping center, November 2021

A 12-year-old girl and her mother stopped at the practitioners’ booth. She was very interested in the practice, asked questions, and listened carefully to the practitioners’ introduction to Falun Dafa.

Sometimes at these activities, people open their hearts, sharing their own troubles and looking for a glimmer of hope that goodness will prevail.

A practitioner who took part in the event recounted an experience with a passerby: “I gave a leaflet to a woman and talked to her about our practice and the persecution of practitioners in China.

“I briefly described what Falun Dafa cultivation practice consists of, that it is based on the three principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, which practitioners follow to improve their behavior, character, and thinking, and talked about how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) forces these people, through brutal methods–beatings and torture–to give up their practice because it is not in line with communist ideology.

“When I told her that these people are being coerced by the CCP to sign statements to renounce their belief in exchange for an end to the beatings and their release from prison, she said to me, ‘Now I really understand what this persecution means, because I am also a religious person and I have a certain religion that I practice faithfully.’”

The practitioner continued, “When I mentioned that the CCP has spread persecution all over the world with this plague, the woman replied, ‘This is indeed so. We are no longer allowed to go to church as we used to, unless we accept the restrictions imposed on us, which were also caused by the CCP.’ I thought her understanding was truly insightful.”

A man stopped and talked with the practitioners. He knew about former CCP leader Jiang Zemin. He spoke about the horrors of communism in Romania and the Chinese dictator’s relations with the authorities in Romania and even in Craiova. He said that it is necessary to tell people about the persecution, to let them know what those criminals who persecute practitioners do. He added that he knows what persecution means because he has relatives who were persecuted by communists.

This man believes that people need to wake up because the CCP’s influence in the world is enormous and will have serious consequences for mankind. He mentioned the pandemic as a specific example, something that is already happening in the world. He also offered to help and handed out leaflets alongside the practitioners.

Because the practitioners’ event was publicized on social media, many people visited both the booth at the Electroputere Parc shopping center and the local exercise site at the center of the beautiful and historic Romanescu Park.

A woman in her 40s visited the park with her two teenage daughters. She asked for information about Falun Dafa and then said, “I specifically came here today because I saw the event on the internet. I understood that it was something good and I wanted more information because I’d like my family to start practicing. I want to help my children understand.”

Employees from the mall also came over to the presentation booth and asked for calendars, flyers, and lotus flowers to bring to their workplaces. They also wanted materials to take to their homes and to give to acquaintances.

Close to the end of the event, after all the calendars had been given out, a man came out of the mall and said he saw how beautiful the calendars were and that he wanted one. There was only one calendar left–the one on the display stand. He was very happy to receive it and left smiling and holding the calendar tightly to his chest.

Half an hour before the end of the activity, as it was getting dark and cold, a member of the Bucharest Philharmonic came over to the booth to express his support. He said that he knew about Falun Dafa and what kind of people Falun Dafa practitioners are. “I’m glad you’re here!” he said.

Falun Dafa practitioners and visitors in Romanescu Park

Observations
During all three days of the event in Craiova, Falun Dafa practitioners also went to Romanescu Park–their weekly practice site, and did the exercises together.

Many people came to the park to watch the exercises, and for some, to start practicing. The harmonious atmosphere of the practice environment and the natural setting encouraged communication between new and veteran practitioners, as well as casual visitors.

Several practitioners shared about their cultivation journeys with Falun Dafa.

“I started practicing three years ago. I’ve been coming here for three years. I work in the healthcare system. The benefits of Falun Dafa practice are very, very high. After a long shift at work, when I come here, I recover completely… after a 24-hour shift at work!

“And at home when I do the exercises, it’s the same. They’ re great! At work, when we have time, we go to a room and practice the exercises. Any other benefits? Well, actually energy, you feel you have a lot of energy. And my relationship with my family has changed enormously. I have two children, a daughter who is 19 and a 10-year-old son. Since I’ve started practicing Falun Dafa, everything has changed [for the better] in my house.”

Another regular at the practice site said, “I have been practicing Falun Gong for almost a year. Spiritually and emotionally, I am more peaceful and calmer. I have fewer problems, fewer worries, and it makes me feel better. Physically, I was already well before, but emotionally, I can say that I feel some progress in terms of stability. I’ll keep coming because I enjoy it and I feel really good.”

A visitor who said he knew a little about Falun Dafa came at the urging of his wife, who had seen the online invitation to the event and was curious. After doing the exercises, he said he felt really good, “like gymnastics, so to speak, where you just feel good.” He didn’t find the exercises difficult. When told that he did well, he replied, “That’s because I understand what’s going on,” referring to the movement of his palms during the exercises.

Another person who joined the exercises said, “I felt the harmony and serenity of the practice place, the state of calmness made itself felt, my body felt relaxed, my mind became peaceful and calm, and a pleasant warmth enveloped me from head to toe. I felt like I was in a divine place. At the end of the meditation, which lasted an hour, we [husband and wife] felt refreshed, like after a restful night’s sleep.

During the fifth exercise, the sitting meditation, a husband and wife came by and sat in the meditation position directly on the grass, even though it was wet and cold. A practitioner went over to them and gave them a blanket to sit on, then explained the exercise. As she listened to the instructions and performed the exercise, the woman’s eyes filled with tears and she said she was deeply amazed by what she felt in her body. Tears began to flow down her face, which had become very bright. As they were leaving, the husband said that his wife had recently undergone back surgery.

The practitioners, who came from all over Romania, concluded that the days’ events had reached a lot of people, even in the restrictive conditions of the time. They believe that it was all possible due to their constant cooperation, compassion, and tolerance.