(Minghui.org) New Zealand is located in the Southern Hemisphere where it is now spring. Falun Dafa practitioners held their annual spring celebration at the Auckland Botanic Gardens on October 8-9, 2022. 

They demonstrated the five exercises and hosted the Art of Zhen Shan Zhen (Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance) International Exhibition. The spectators enjoyed their dragon dance and waist drum performances. Many people asked to learn the exercises and have their photos taken with practitioners.

The dragon dance performance was enjoyed by spectators.

Waist drum performance

Practitioners demonstrate the exercises. 

People learn about Falun Dafa while attending the Art of Zhen Shan Ren (Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance) International Exhibition. 

“I hope my children can look up to Falun Dafa practitioners as their role models”

Andun Grimston and his family happily took a picture with the dragon dance team.

Andun Grimston is a doctor of traditional Chinese medicine. He is half Maori, (the indigenous Polynesian people of mainland New Zealand) and his wife Winnie is Chinese-Malaysian. Andun and his wife meditate every day and believe that they were Chinese in a past lifetime. 

Andun said, “Chinese traditional values are based on Buddhism, Daoism, and Confucianism. Falun Dafa is an extension of those values. People nowadays in China are affected by the trend of modern thinking and are steering away from the traditional. They are very lost. Falun Dafa is very good. It allows Chinese people to return and carry on traditional values. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance should be widely spread so these principles can call on Chinese peoples’ consciousness and help them find their true roots.

“The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecutes practitioners because it wants to be in control and is afraid of losing political power. However, the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance spread very fast and the truth can never be hidden. The CCP can never suppress those principles because they are the universe’s principles. The CCP will disintegrate the day Chinese people return to tradition.”

Winnie added, “Children are now addicted to electronics. I hope my child is able to learn different traditions. Meditation is very important to children as it can calm them down. Falun Dafa can solve all problems. The principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are great because they help one to return to true values, treat each other compassionately, and have righteous thoughts and tolerance. I hope my children can look up to Falun Dafa practitioners as their role models.”

“This is what I have been looking for”

Emanuele Colognato and Carmen Abis learned the Falun Dafa exercises. 

Emanuele Colognato and Carmen Abis are from Italy. Emanuele is in charge of a research team and Carmen is an accountant. They said that when they learned the second exercise, they felt a great energy field.

Emanuele said, “I felt calm when I did the exercises. This is what I have been looking for. I am grateful to practitioners for sharing such a great practice.”

Carmen added, “I felt a connection with my body and soul. My heart is filled with happiness. I agree with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It is very important to have a heart of compassion. It is not easy to be compassionate, as one needs to truly accept and be tolerant of others.”

“The Principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are important”

Miller Matangi wishes to learn and practice Falun Dafa.

Miller Matangi, a caregiver, said he saw information about Falun Dafa in the past. After seeing practitioners demonstrating the exercises during the event, he said, “I would like to learn and practice Falun Dafa. I long for inner peace.

“The principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are important to children, adults, and society. If everyone practiced Falun Dafa, the world would be a better place.”

Teacher Supports Practitioners in Ending the Persecution

Moniqua Tobin and her two sons enjoyed the waist drum and dragon dance performances. 

Moniqua Tobin and her two sons, Mason and Austin, enjoyed the waist drum and dragon dance performances. Moniqua, a preschool teacher, said, “We enjoy the performances. The children enjoyed it as well. We were able to learn traditional Chinese culture from the performances.”

She was moved after seeing the artworks in the exhibition and learning about the ongoing persecution in China. “I am upset to learn that the CCP is persecuting Falun Dafa practitioners. More countries should be aware of how evil the CCP is. I hope they can pressure the CCP [into ending the persecution]. Please tell practitioners to persist and let more people know how wonderful Falun Dafa is.”

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, though due to the difficulty in getting information out of China, 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.