Albany, New York: Introducing Falun Dafa at Art On Lark Festival

(Minghui.org) The Art On Lark annual street festival that celebrates local art was held in Albany, the capital of New York State. Falun Dafa practitioners participated in this event. They introduced Falun Dafa to the visitors and told people about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution that had gone on for the past 23 years. They also collected signatures calling for an end to the persecution.

Albany is located beside the Hudson River and is known for its 400 years of rich history and culture. The practitioners demonstrated the five sets of exercises, which drew the attention of many visitors.

Demonstrating the Falun Dafa exercises at Art On Lark.

Raising awareness of the CCP’s persecution and collecting signatures on a petition calling for an end to the brutality.

A middle-aged woman approached the booth and asked the practitioner what the little paper lotus flower was, and that it was so beautiful. The practitioner told her about Falun Dafa, and that it is beneficial when it comes to healing and fitness. The woman said that she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer not long ago, and her heart was always heavy, but after listening to the practitioner she became energetic. She said that she must go online to learn more about Falun Dafa after she gets home. Before leaving, she gave the practitioner a big hug and shared that she felt hope of being saved.

A middle-aged man stopped when he saw the practitioners demonstrating the exercises. He said that he had been looking for a meditation method to uplift him spiritually. He said that today’s society was depressing, but from the peaceful demeanor of the practitioners he saw hope, and that he is certain he has found the meditation practice he was looking for.

A woman stopped and took a flier. She said that it must be a good practice for the practitioners as they are able to meditate in such a noisy place. A practitioner clarified the truth to her, and she was indignant at the CCP's organ harvesting from practitioners. She was given more information and expressed that she wanted to learn more.

Background: What Is Falun Dafa and Why is the CCP persecuting it?

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings, which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and have learned the five exercises, have experienced improved health and well-being.

Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology, and on July 20, 1999, he issued an order to eradicate the practice.

Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems, and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 23 years. The actual number is believed to be much higher. Countless practitioners have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply China’s organ transplant industry.