2003 Mid-US Fa Conference Solemnly Held in Chicago, Master Li Hongzhi Attends and Gives Lecture

On Sunday June 22 2003, Dafa practitioners held the Mid-US Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in downtown Chicago. It was a grand occasion, solemn, harmonious and full of hope. Master Li Hongzhi arrived and gave a lecture on the Fa. All Dafa practitioners felt the solemnity and sacredness of our historic mission of validating the Fa.

On Sunday morning in Chicago, under a sky filled with brilliant sunshine, nearly 3000 Dafa practitioners from around the world gathered in the Fairmont Hotel located in downtown Chicago on the shore of beautiful Lake Michigan. Practitioners came from the Mid-US, across North America, from Europe and many other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, taking a brief period of time away from their busy schedules, daily lives and truth clarification efforts. As the number of people planning to attend the conference doubled in only a few days, the conference originally scheduled to be held entirely in the Empire Hall was expanded and held in three halls simultaneously.

The scene reminded people of the International Dafa Conferences held during the peaceful times before the persecution of Falun Dafa. The number of practitioners in attendance was significantly greater than at other conferences held over the past four years during the persecution. It was notable that the conference attendance rose to 3000 people. Dafa practitioners' demeanour and actions reflected their more mature, rational, tolerant and calm nature through the process of preparing for and participating in the activities during the Fa conference.

Three years ago, on June 16 2000, prior to the 2000 Chicago Fa conference, Master Li Hongzhi published the new article "Toward Consummation," which was extraordinarily significant. Master pointed out the practitioners' fundamental attachments requiring practitioners to pay urgent attention and resolve them immediately. Three years later, today Master personally attended this Fa conference and gave a lecture on the Fa, so that Dafa disciples may feel the honor of being Fa-rectification Dafa disciples, and to let everyone clearly see the current situation of Fa-rectification.

Practitioners all realised that the persecution imposed on Dafa practitioners abroad by the head of evil has completely failed, and the persecution of Dafa practitioners in Mainland China has in general begun to lessen and become weaker. Dafa practitioners as one body, have turned from the difficulty of taking a defensive position when the dark clouds covered the entire sky on July 20 1999, to become unprecedented in proactively and comprehensively clarifying the truth and exposing the evil in its diversified forms. At the same time, Dafa practitioners also realised the evil's persecution of Dafa practitioners in the human world is still brutal, requiring practitioners to not lower our guard.

Dafa practitioners in attendance expressed that the experience sharing presentations by fellow practitioners at this Fa conference were well organised in the topics they contained. The presentations played an important role in exchanging Fa-rectification experiences, sharing understandings, and encouraging practitioners to strive forward together to make greater improvements in cultivation. During the Fa conference, Dafa practitioners arranged many meetings on various topics, in addition to holding parades, appealing in front of the Chinese Consulate, artistic performances and a press conference. The meetings allow practitioners to get to know and understand each other better, creating a brighter outlook for later coordination and cooperation as a whole.