(Clearwisdom.net) It was a bright spring morning. I was having breakfast with my family when we heard some wonderful and relaxing music coming from outside. I recognized it as the Falun Gong exercise music. I hastily put down my chopsticks and hurried to Yanjiang Park, which was close to my apartment. Not surprisingly, the one-kilometer-long park was filled with Falun Gong practitioners, probably around a thousand people. They were doing the exercises to the beautiful music that had deeply attracted me as well as many other people. An assistant came up to me and began teaching me the exercises. After sunrise, I learned the standing exercises.
That day, was May 13, 1999, my "May 13th."
Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Gong, at the Lantau Island in Hong Kong, May 1995
There were practitioners everywhere. They had very impressive display boards with photos to introduce the practice. No matter whether it was spring, summer, fall or winter, in those days you could always see them at Yanjiang Park and Jiexin Park. Often when I passed by, I looked at their introductory board, and read the information very carefully. What impressed me the most was the picture of the founder of Falun Gong, Master Li Hongzhi, taken when he went to Lantau Island in Hong Kong. He was wearing a white shirt, and had a kind and warm smile.
By the following May 13, in the year 2000, the Chinese Communist regime had already begun the persecution, but this didn't stop the spread of Dafa. Practitioners around me didn't give up their belief in Dafa, even though some had obtained the Fa just a short time before and there was intense pressure. Some went to Beijing to appeal for Dafa, some took on the work of coordinator between practitioners, and some worked at the truth-clarification materials production sites. Everyone was clarifying the truth and saving people as required by Master.
For me and other practitioners, May 13th is very sacred and great. This is the day Master began introducing Dafa to the public, World Falun Dafa Day, and it is also a day when we should express our appreciation for Master. Thanks to Master Li, who taught us to be people with high moral standards and planted Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in our hearts where it develops and grows. Thanks to Master's teaching, we can look at conflicts and loss with peaceful hearts, and return to Master with healthy bodies.
Every year around May13, we distribute more fliers, post more banners, and clarify the truth more to people to demonstrate to them the peace and compassion which is the result of cultivating Dafa.
We wish, from the bottom of our hearts, that more and more people will learn the truth about Falun Gong.
We welcome everyone to join us to celebrate May 13 together.
