United Kingdom: Falun Gong Practitioners Joyously Celebrate World Falun Dafa Day

Since Master Li introduced Falun Dafa to the public on May 13th, 1992, Dafa has already spread to more than eighty countries and areas, and there are over one hundred million people who have benefited in mind and body all over the world. May 13th, 2008, is the eighth Falun Dafa day, and is also the 16th anniversary of Falun Dafa spreading across the world, and for this purpose, Falun Gong practitioners from England celebrated joyously this day of universal jubilation in the northern part of Trafalgar square on Saturday May 10th.

Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day

May 13th is also the birthday of the founder of Falun Gong, Mr. Li Hongzhi. English Falun Gong practitioners wish their compassionate and great Teacher Happy Birthday!

The celebration started with the sounds of music. English Falun Gong practitioners wearing golden costumes struck their waist-drums to the rhythm.

Chinese and Western Falun Gong practitioners demonstrate the five Falun Gong exercises

Following that, Chinese and Western Falun Gong practitioners demonstrated Falun Gong's five exercises. Behind the practitioners, on a banner, was written, “Celebrating16 years of the spread of Falun Dafa”. The stream of people on the weekend in Trafalgar square were restless, but people were drawn by the benign Falun Gong exercises, and reading over the Falun Dafa flyers that practitioners had given them and a paper which explained the origin of Falun Dafa day. Also, many people took out their cameras to take a picture of this precious scene.

Looking at the photos of the journey of Falun Dafa

At the same time, practitioners set up a small photo exhibition, of several precious historical photos. These photos commemorated how Falun Dafa spread to the public in 1992, because of people having benefited deeply, and spreading to person from person, heart to heart, and people coming to practice coming one after the other and practising cultivation. In a brief seven years time practitioners had already amounted to over seventy million and Falun Dafa’s Fa principles of “Truth, Compassion, Tolerance” like a marvellous blossoming flower placed in the divine land (the land of China). The photos recorded this history, and recorded the spectacular scene of the time when Master passed on the principles at different places, the big scene of large group practice of Falun Dafa practitioners/cultivators in different places in China, and the various awards that the Chinese government gave to Falun Gong before the CCP started the persecution. Amongst the photos shown in the exhibition were also those depicting the situation of Falun Dafa being spread overseas, and how to this day the number of people practicing cultivation in Falun Dafa exceeds one hundred million people, found everywhere in over eighty countries and areas, the awards received in every country around the world exceeding one thousand.

People sign their names showing their support for Falun Gong practitioners

Practitioners teach newcomers the exercises

On the other side of the Square, practitioners set up a table where people could take and read leaflets about Falun Dafa and a piece of paper introducing World Falun Dafa day, and information VCDs in Chinese and English and other such materials. On the table was placed a petition calling on the people to help stop the persecution of kind Falun Gong practitioners in China by the CCP. Those who came to understand the reality of the persecution came to sign their names in support of justice one after another. Eight boards with petitions on them were filled with signatures page after page. Also there were people who expressed a wish to study Falun Gong, even some who learned from Falun Gong practitioners on the scene.

At one end of the table, those practitioners who excelled at calligraphy wrote down with a brush the Chinese names of those people who were interested. Many people came to ask the Practitioners to write with a brush for them, and they happily brought home exquisite pieces of paper with “Falun Dafa Hao (Falun Dafa is good).

The waist drum group did not only have Chinese practitioners, it also had Western students in it. Amongst them was a dignified and graceful Western practitioner, after inquiry the reporter came to know that she had practiced for over two and a half years. Her name is Vicky, and she lives not very far from London in Surrey, and is the area manager for a retail company. The reason Vicky got to know about Falun Gong is because a friend of hers she used to work with and a friend of her brothers both practice Falun Gong. She said that after she finished reading “Zhuan Falun”, she knew that she wanted to walk that path from then on. Vicky said: “Falun Dafa is such an authentic, peaceful, wonderful and amazing practice. After practicing Falun Dafa, I became much happier, and became much happier from within, lived with more rationality, and my health became much better. I truly cannot understand why the CCP so brutally persecutes the innocent Falun Gong practitioners, and moreover completely lacks in proper reason in doing so. What the CCP is doing is very wrong, Goodness will be rewarded whilst evil will meet with retribution, the CCP’s action and behaviour most certainly will meet with retribution.”

Amongst the practitioners attending the celebration, some were those who attained the Fa not long ago. A Western young man called Rob had studied the Fa and practiced the exercises for about three months. Rob expressed, he goes to the group practice site to practice the exercises every weekend, and normally tries to practice everyday. He said that after practicing, the changes in him have been great, his state of mind has become much more peaceful than before, and has given up cigarettes and alcohol and his family has also said that he has changed into a very happy person. After seeing his changes, two weeks ago, his Mother also began to practice the exercises.

Another of the new practitioners is a Mr. Li who is studying for a doctorate at Birmingham University. Mr. Li came to know about Falun Gong because of the peaceful appeal by Falun Gong students on “April 25th” in Zhong Nan Hai. At that time the CCP media inside China put on a big show, and the rumour spreading and propaganda that they covered the earth with disgusted him, and on the contrary made him want to come to understand the truth of Falun Gong. When he heard “The sound of free Asia” programme and after hearing the interview with a Falun Gong practitioner, he felt that the Falun Gong practitioner was very kind when speaking, not at all how the CCP media had said and he started to develop a favourable opinion of Falun Gong. Later, Mr. Li went abroad to study in Malaysia, and in the streets of Malaysia he came across Falun Gong practitioners holding a truth clarification event. He was very curious about why so many people practice Falun Gong and thereupon searching on the internet; he found the Falun Gong website and downloaded Zhuan Falun. After reading it, he felt that Falun Gong was very good and all the doubts he had about Falun Gong were also resolved. Later, Mr. Li came to England to study, because he studies Biology, but he believes that Genes are not the most microscopic things that control a person’s life and that people are not so simple. To enquire about the truth about life, he read many front line science treatises; he discovered that many Scientists had already probed many areas surpassing everyday people’s things. He started to read Falun Gong books from the Falun Gong website, and also started to practice the five exercises of Falun Gong. About a year after that, he found the Birmingham practice site, and attended the group practice. Mr. Li said “in these two years of practicing Falun Gong I haven’t become ill. My health also very easily recovers from fatigue and the quality of my sleep is also very good. Before practicing cultivation he also saw some pornographic things, but after practicing cultivation he absolutely doesn’t look at them. Before he felt that living was very long, and now he feels as if he is living very well, and that every day is very precious, and hopes that time can slow down a little, so that he can do more things.”

Mr. Li hopes to advise fellow Chinese people, and said: “The Chinese people have been cheated by the CCP too many times. I hope that all Chinese people can maintain a clear head and not to believe the framing and lies about Falun Gong by the CCP. Only when people have their own true thoughts and reflection, can they find true hope.

Looking far and wide at history in fact when things return to their original condition, in the end the truth will brighten the world.