Germany: Helping People Understand Falun Gong and the Persecution in China

On October 1st, 2005, the activity centre for senior citizens in a district in Cologne, Germany held the second information exchange meeting for senior citizens on the theme of "keeping your health." When Falun Gong practitioners in Cologne learned about the news, they got in contact with the organiser because they thought this is a good chance to inform people about Falun Gong. The organiser gladly invited Falun Gong practitioners and forty other groups to participate in this activity.

After receiving the invitation, the practitioners embarked on the preparation for this activity. Everybody gathered in the house of a fellow practitioner to prepare banners, exhibition boards and paper Lotus Flowers together. All this is part of their cultivation path to learn how to cooperate with each other and give up the attachment to one's own ideas and accept others' opinions when it is necessary. All the efforts were not for oneself, but to help people understand Falun Gong and understand the truth of the persecution and benefit from it.

At the beginning of the meeting, the practitioners first visited all the other groups in the exhibition and presented them with paper Lotus Flowers. People liked this delicate Lotus Flower very much. Soon the Lotus Flowers were everywhere, over the desk and on the walls in the whole exhibition arena. During the brief introduction, our practitioners introduced Falun Gong and invited people to participate in the exercise teaching in the afternoon when they had time.

Many senior citizens attending the activity had not heard of Falun Gong, and they listened to the introduction by our practitioners with keen interest. When they heard that Falun Gong was suppressed and practitioners were persecuted in China, they were shocked and regarded that as unbelievable. They wanted to offer help and did not hesitate to sign their names to show support. The head of the district and the organiser also came to Falun Gong's exhibition booth. Our practitioners introduced Falun Gong to them in detail. Before leaving, the head of the district gladly pinned a paper Lotus Flower on his suit and wished success to the exhibition.

In the exercise teaching session, a lot of interested persons showed up. Among them a grandmother who was already eighty five years old. She learned all five sets of the exercises in high spirits. All the people present learned very conscientiously. Some senior citizens who had problems with their legs sat on chairs to watch others learn the exercises. A reporter from a local newspaper took a lot of photos. Later practitioners introduced Falun Gong to him and answered his questions.

A younger lady learned about the situation of Falun Gong from our practitioners on the podium and stayed to ask a lot of questions afterwards. At last she said to our practitioners she could not understand why Falun Gong practitioners in China would be persecuted for practising such peaceful exercises. She expressed gratitude to our practitioners and left with something to think about. Some people enquired about the time and place for learning the practice. When they learned that Falun Gong is taught all over the world for free, they expressed disbelief.

The activity was very successful. Falun Gong practitioners were inspired to further seize every opportunity to let more people understand the truth about Falun Gong.