(Clearwisdom.net) In a park in a little city in northern China, a dozen elderly people (mostly retired government officials) gathered every day. They talked about everything, but always ended up discussing one particular topic, which was their dissatisfaction with the corruption and brutality of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). I occasionally joined their gatherings.

One day, we went over the corruption and atrocities of the CCP, ranging from 'anti-rightists', 'eradicating the four', 'the Cultural Revolution', and 'June 4', to suppression of Falun Gong. One retired official said: "People used to say: 'If you kill every other person, you may miss someone who deserves to die. If you kill everyone, you may kill someone who should not die.' But nowadays, I find that you may not kill a single innocent person even if you kill everyone." Another said: "Now society is rotten to the core. No one can change it any more." A third person said emotionally: "Only Falun Dafa can help this society."

It has been eighteen years since May 13, 1992, when Falun Dafa was first introduced to the world. It generated a great shock wave. Between May 1992 and July 1999, about 100 million people in China studied it. Banners with Dafa symbols were seen everywhere. People wore Dafa buttons. Group exercises with thousands of people were held all over the place. Practitioners included people from all walks of life. Indeed, it was like what was described in a Tang Dynasty poem: "Like the spring wind that arrived overnight, the plum blossoms over thousands of trees." Were it not for the persecution by the CCP and its head Jiang Zemin, many more people would have joined Dafa.

The first thing that Falun Dafa brings to people is its miraculous healing power. As long as one practices Falun Gong diligently, one is almost guaranteed to benefit. The National Physical Education Committee conducted a survey of tens of thousands of Falun Gong practitioners in Beijing, Wuhan and Guangdong and found that the overall effectiveness of Falun Gong in improving health is 97.9%. On average each person saved 1,700 yuan in medical expenses each year.

Terminally ill people getting healed after practicing Falun Gong was no longer big news. Everyone knew the miraculous healing power of Dafa. Even the CCP Prime Minister at the time, Ju Rongji, commented: "Why not let them continue to practice it? At least it will save the nation's medical expenditures."

Another thing that Falun Dafa brings to the world is the wish to purify the human heart and improve people's moral character. The 5,000 years of Chinese culture that is based on the teachings of the divine, as well as the behavior and moral standards laid down by Confucius and Mengzi, were on the brink of collapse in the face of people's greed and insatiable desire for material gain and lust. The introduction of Falun Dafa to the world changed this.

According to the Minghui article, "The Division in CCP Leaders on the Falun Gong Issue", "In 1998, the former leader of the national congress representatives led a group of retired representatives to conduct a careful investigation and study of Falun Gong and concluded that 'Falun Gong is 1000eneficial to the nation and its citizens.' The report was submitted to the political bureau of the CCP."

At the Eastern Health World Expo held in China in 1993, the hosting committee granted the highest prizes, "Pioneering Science," "Special Golden Award," and "Most Popular Qigong Master" to Mr. Li Hongzhi. On August 3, 1994, the city of Houston granted "Honorary Citizen" and "Friendship Ambassador" awards to Mr. Li. Mr. Li has also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize. Last September, the Asian Human Rights Foundation awarded the prize of "Moral Leader" to Mr. Li. The committee member said when giving the award: "The principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance that Mr. Li puts forth are most effective in purifying human minds. Under his leadership, Falun Gong practitioners have achieved remarkable accomplishments in fighting the persecution."

Falun Dafa has spread to over 100 countries around the world. In India, students at over 80 schools, ranging from elementary school and middle school to college, practice Falun Gong. There have been 3,000 awards and proclamations given by governments of different levels throughout the world.

Although the purpose of teaching Falun Dafa is not to alter human society, to pursue fame and profit, or to gain political power, the spread of Dafa will cause society to change for the better. The practitioners' behavior can also influence other people and elevate moral character. It is no wonder that I kept hearing, "Only Falun Dafa can help this society."