Sweden: Support at a Gothenburg Health Expo: “I think that the whole world should practise Falun Gong!”

On the weekend of the 5th and 6th of March, a health expo was held at the Hotel Kusten in Gothenburg. The expo organisers had already advertised the event and let people know that. Falun Gong practitioners would display meditation exercises. The Falun Gong practitioners were invited by the expo organisers but, since Falun Gong is non-commercial and there is no collecting money from practitioners or accepting donations, the practitioners helped to set up the event instead of paying for the exhibition space.

The practitioners took folded paper lotus flowers which they later handed out to the expo visitors. They also brought lotus flowers made from cloth and shells to decorate their stand. On the wall they put the three characters Zhen, Shan, Ren (Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance). The new Swedish translation of the introductory book Falun Gong was also on display and could be bought at cost price.

The expo opened and the visitors began to pour in. Many looked curiously at the Falun Gong stand and watched the video of the Falun Gong exercises. People took paper lotus flowers and the practitioners explained how the beautiful lotus flowers grow from the mud in dark and dirty water. With great effort and patience they grow up to the surface and burst out in blossom into pure, beautiful flowers. The lotus has always been a symbol of cultivation and the practitioners also explained that Falun Gong is a cultivation practice in which one tries to assimilate to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance. One of the visitors said, "If everyone practised Falun Gong, there would be no evil." Another said, "I think that the whole world should practise Falun Gong!"

Originally published in Swedish at http://se.clearharmony.net/articles/200503/13708.html