UK: A Sunny Day at the Green Fair

On Sunday 1st September, a few Falun Dafa practitioners in the Midlands region of UK attended Nottingham's Green Fair to demonstrate the exercises of Falun Dafa and distribute leaflets. The theme of the Green Fair was in general terms: conservation of the planet and world peace. There were approximately 80 stalls selling various products or advertising "alternative" lifestyles including different meditation practices. The stall of Falun Dafa was unique in that the soothing strains of the practice music, imbued with the characteristics of Truthfulness - Compassion - Forbearance, filled the park and gave a sense of calm and peacefulness to the Fair and the passers-by.

There was a steady stream of people who strolled through the Fair in the bright sunshine to the Falun Dafa stall, many stopping and watching the serene exercises practised by a mixture of Chinese and Western practitioners. A young practitioner attracted a small crowd of spectators, marvelling at her peaceful demeanour as she practised. There was a great interest in the local exercise class and many were keen to join it. One man was so keen to learn the exercises as soon as possible that a practitioner taught him the exercises on the spot and was joined by another lady who also wanted to learn them. That man then enquired about where he could buy the book Zhuan Falun [the main text of Falun Dafa]. The practitioner, feeling moved upon seeing how this man's heart had opened to the practice of Falun Dafa, gave him his own copy as a gift. The man was touched by this generous gesture. A few minutes later another practitioner went to a food stall to buy that practitioner a cup of tea and as she was handed the tea she gave the man at the stall a Falun Dafa leaflet. The man jokingly said that it was a good swap and that the leaflet would be good for him. She walked away then hurriedly returned remembering that she hadn't paid for the tea, but the man refused payment saying that he had had a good swap. The "swapped" tea was then given to the practitioner who had given away his precious book.

Another practitioner went up to stall advertising meditation. There was an artificial tree with blank pieces of paper or "leaves" attached to it with an invitation to write your vision of a better world. He wrote on a "leaf": “The world needs truth - compassion - forbearance”. The lady sitting at the stall read his contribution and wholeheartedly agreed with him, saying that this was very touching. A lady from a local Buddhist group told a practitioner how she recently went to China and saw how the persecution of Falun Dafa has infiltrated society to a massive degree. She said that she could not think of any reason why Dafa is persecuted, and that the persecution is terrible.

An English man who works for the local council, dealing with the welfare of Chinese people in Nottingham, and is involved in their community groups came to the stall and wanted to know exactly what Falun Gong was as all he had heard was the negative propaganda. He spoke to a practitioner for a long time about the persecution.

This was a lovely, peaceful sunny day by the riverside, a perfect setting to show the majesty and beauty of Falun Dafa.