Germany: Falun Gong Practitioners Bring Peace and Harmony to a Conference of the International Federation of Professional Aroma-Therapists

On the afternoon of May the 1st, in a hall on the second floor of the vintage convention centre on the banks of the Neckar River in Heidelberg, nearly forty pharmacists and alternative medicine experts, mainly from Germany, attentively watched Falun Gong practitioners demonstrating Falun Gong exercises at the front of the hall. They earnestly learned the slow-moving and gentle movements, while Falun Gong music gently resounded around the hall.

The two-day International Conference of the International Federation of Professional Aroma Therapists was convened there, and was attended by more than 270 pharmacists and experts in this field from Germany, England, Ireland, Austria and the U.S. According to the agenda, among the twenty five presentations on various kinds of alternative medicines were two reports about Falun Gong. Chinese herbal doctor Zhou Xiu delivered the reports and demonstrated the exercises.

On the evening of April the 30th, a party featuring traditional Chinese culture relaxed the participants after a day long conference. Falun Gong practitioners presented them with a programme composed of a traditional Chinese dance, solo playing of a Chinese instrument called the zither and singing. In the main hall, a Dunhuang Flying Fairy Dance was performed together with some long ribbons in seven colours and blossoming pink lotus flowers flying in front of the white screen usually used for projection of professional slides. During the intermission, the spokesman of the Frankfurt-headquartered of Human Rights International, Mr. Lessenthin, was invited to the podium to briefly introduce China's human rights situation. He specially mentioned the cruel persecution of Falun Gong by Jiang’s regime during the past five years.

The report on Falun Gong furnished Ms. Martina Brust, a pharmacist from the Saar State, with fresh feelings and a brand-new knowledge about the Orient. When learning the Falun Gong exercises, she quickly felt a warm stream between her palms. Ms. Brust felt that the performances on April the 30th, "Brought serenity and peacefulness to people.” Like many other German people, she had already heard of the persecution through German media reports. She said, "I think the reason for this persecution is that Jiang’s regime was afraid that Falun Gong might become a formidable force to threaten its political power. However, it is against Falun Gong’s principles of ‘Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.’ It is impossible for those who comply with the principles of ‘Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance’ to overthrow a political power with violence."

Susanne Faerber, who runs a pharmacy in Munich, said, “Every programme performed at the party was professional.” When trying to learn the Falun Gong exercises, she felt the harmony that the exercises brought to her heart. As to the reasons why Jiang’s regime is persecuting Falun Gong, she expressed some different opinions, “Since Falun Gong is so effective in keeping fit these practitioners’ mindsets are more and more stable and they have had their own way of thinking. Therefore, they will no longer be controlled by the government so easily. I think that is what the Chinese Government is afraid of.” During the conference, she bought some Falun Gong books and exercise-teaching videotapes in order to continue practising at home.

Mr. Wollner, one of the conference organisers who invited Falun Gong practitioners to perform, expressed that should there be any similar occasions in the future and he will continue to invite Falun Gong practitioners. Judging from the favourable and positive feedback from those who attended the party, he was firmly convinced that Falun Gong practitioners would convey a peaceful and harmonious artistic conception to the audience again in their performance next time, and present the beauty of oriental traditional culture on the German stage.