“Falun Dafa Is Good” Echoes in the Himalayan Foothills

(Minghui.org) As a Falun Dafa practitioner in India walked down a road in Darjeeling one day in 2022, someone inside a car driving on the other side called out, “Falun Dafa Hao” This sent her down memory lane, where she heard “Falun Dafa is good!” said by students in over a dozen schools for two months.

People in Darjeeling Hear About Falun Dafa for the First Time

Between June and August 2022, the practitioner introduced Falun Dafa to 11 schools and an NGO in Darjeeling in the Himalayan foothills. The locals learned about the health benefits of the practice and the brutal persecution that currently takes place in China.

Darjeeling is a town in India’s West Bengal state, and the language is Nepali. The culture is highly cosmopolitan, a result of diverse ethnic groups intermixing. Throughout her two months in this area, the weather was usually cloudy and extremely humid, and it constantly rained. Her laundry would not dry.

Every school she went to sent her a letter of appreciation. The students and residents often went to the local library, as there were copies of Falun Gong and Zhuan Falun books in Hindi, English, and Bengali. One could see Falun Dafa fliers in district court, municipality, police station, hotels, and shops. Some locals asked her for more fliers and posters to share with their families and friends.

The day she left Darjeeling on August 17, 2022, Himalayan Darpan, the most widely read local Nepali newspaper, published an article about her promoting Falun Dafa on the front page.

Falun Dafa Helps People Feel Calm and Positive

The practitioner held three Falun Dafa teaching sessions on June 29, 2022, at Sai Sundaram Higher Secondary School in Dilaram. In all three the children actively interacted and expressed their thoughts and feelings freely, and this was rather special and unique for her.

Young children learn the first Falun Dafa exercise at Sai Sundaram Higher Secondary School.

In the letter of appreciation the school issued her, it said, “It was a wonderful experience for our students and teachers to learn the Falun Dafa Exercises. It was also wonderful to see (the practitioner) emphasize the universal principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance in all three sessions and talk about love and kindness and how one can become a better human being. I took part in one of the sessions and realized that Falun Dafa exercises have a lot of potential in calming the mind. I felt peaceful while doing the exercises and meditation and was a good experience for me on a personal level as well. We are very much thankful and grateful to her for introducing Falun Dafa through her sessions in our school.”

Often after a session, the students and teachers would tell the practitioner that they felt wonderful and very calm and relaxed. They said they were filled with energy and all their worries and pressure disappeared.

A school principal attended a session looking worried. As soon as she started doing the exercises, a big smile appeared on her face. A librarian began to read Falun Dafa books and said that the teachings made her feel calm and positive.

Universal Principles Touch School Principal

Students at Sonada Holy Cross Girls Higher Secondary School learn the fifth Falun Dafa exercise, the meditation.

The practitioner went to Sonada Holy Cross Girls’ Higher Secondary School on July 7, 2022, and introduced the practice to the principal. She hoped for permission to hold a future session in this school. The principal told the practitioner with a big smile and said that since a teacher was absent that day, the practitioner can have this time to teach the 11^th and 12^th graders.

The principal said in her letter of appreciation, “Her instructions based on the values of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance are very much apt in the present world. The five gentle and effective exercises that she taught are going to be very fruitful for the students and will help them to form a positive attitude about life.

“The session emphasized morality and cultivation of virtue and the practice of meditation. It will definitely help the students to inculcate these values into their lives and become better human beings. We would like to convey our heartfelt gratitude to (the practitioner) for spending some of her precious time with our students. Her patience and dedication is greatly appreciated. We wish her every success in her future and endeavors.”

The principal told the practitioner that the universal principles touched her and that she’d tell others about them. She admired the practitioner’s dedication to tell people about Falun Dafa.

The practitioner went on to Sardeswari Girls’ High School and St. Theresa Girls’ Higher Secondary School.

Students at Sardeswari Girls’ High School do the Falun Dafa exercises.

The teachers and students at Sardeswari Girls High School thanked the practitioner for helping them become better people. They said in their letter, “It gives us great pleasure to be connected with 'Falun Dafa,' which has given us all an opportunity to achieve a peaceful state of mind. The sessions fostering Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance were highly instrumental in helping us attain a mind and body connection as well as encouraging us to be a better human being not only in word but also in deed. We thank you for the beautiful session and anticipate some more sessions in the future.”

Students at St. Theresa Girls’ Higher Secondary School learn the second exercise.

Students at St. Theresa Girls’ Higher Secondary School learn the fifth exercise.

The practitioner taught the students and staff at St. Theresa Girls’ Higher Secondary School the exercises on July 19, 2022. The letter read, “Her session on the ‘Cultivation of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance” was very fruitful and beneficial for both staff and students. I wish her the best in her endeavors.”

Tibetan Schools Embrace Falun Dafa

The practitioner brought Falun Dafa to the students and teachers in two Tibetan Schools.

The practitioner conducted a session in a Tibetan school in Darjeeling on August 5, 2022, for staff members and students. They said in their letter, “The teachers and young minds learned a lot, to create a peaceful, prosperous, compassionate, and truthful environment. The training session was fruitful and successful and it inculcated the values among all. We thank you for this helpful and meaningful experience.”

The practitioner contacted the person in charge of another Tibetan school in Sonada on August 6. The person was very curious about the practice and invited her to hold a session on August 11. Every student attended the session, and they asked many questions, such as why the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecuted practitioners and why the Party considered the practitioners a threat.

The person in charge wrote her a letter and said, “Even today, Falun Dafa is still oppressed by Chinese communist rule. It is important for our children to learn that it is not just Tibetans who are oppressed by Chinese communism, but other ethnic Chinese groups as well. Certainly, it opened up a new world for our kids and definitely expanded their understanding of the (CCP) systems. (The practitioner) has been working hard to create awareness about Falun Dafa and human rights. Wishing her all the best in her mission to raise awareness about China’s oppressive government. Her tenacity in taking a stance on her mission is commendable.”

Students at RKSP Boys’ Primary School meditate.

The students and staff at Tibetan RKSP Boys’ Primary School said they enjoyed the Falun Dafa session. The person in charge wrote in an appreciation letter to the practitioner, “We feel so blessed to have you with us today. On behalf of all students and teachers, I would like to thank you so much for giving us such an opportunity to learn something new. I hope to see you again soon.”

The 11^th and 12^th grade students at RKSP Boys Higher Secondary School learned the Falun Dafa exercises on August 2. It says in the letter, “Her session based on the values of Truthfulness, Compassion & Tolerance was thoroughly enjoyed by our staff and students. The five effective steps she taught are going to be beneficial for the students and help them to acquire more positive attitudes towards life.”

Young Lamas in OKC Tibetan Monastery School do the fifth Falun Dafa exercise, the meditation.

A session was conducted for all the students of OKC Tibetan Monastery school, among whom many were Nepalis. They said they appreciated the practitioner’s time and efforts, “The way she taught has surely inspired many to take up this practice of self -cultivation which is highly effective in improving health and energy. The values which she emphasized on, has left an impact on everyone who attended this session.”

Inspires Everyone to Learn Falun Dafa

Students at Edith Wilkins For Street Children do the second Falun Dafa exercise

Students at Edith Wilkins For Street Children doing the Falun Dafa meditation exercise

The practitioner taught the exercises at Edith Wilkins Street Children Trust Fund on August 8. The organization works with children who are victims of neglect, and physical, sexual, or emotional abuse.

This was the first time the children heard about Falun Dafa, and they said the experience was “very beneficial.” “The exercise of truthfulness, love, and compassion was taught to our children and the experience created a positive vibe among our kids and staff. This was our first experience with Falun Dafa and it was a very positive experience. Our children and staff wish (the practitioner) the best for the future endeavors and encourage the practice of Falun Dafa to all.”

Godwin Modern School in Kurseong organized a session on the very last day before the summer holidays. The school authorities wrote in the appreciation letter, “The session proved to have a lot of potential for our mind and body. It is found that it is based on the philosophy of the Universal Truth, compassion, and tolerance which is very useful for us in day-to-day life. We are very much thankful to (the practitioner) for conducting the session and introducing Falun Dafa in our institution. We wish her all success in her mission.”

The Students at Godwin Modern School learn the meditation exercise.

The practitioner left Darjeeling on August 18 and held two last teaching sessions at Blue Diamond English Boarding School in Ghayabari, both of which were attended by the principal. The school told the practitioner in its letter, “The teachers and young minds learned a lot to create a peaceful, prosperous, compassionate, and truthful environment. The training session was fruitful and successful and it included the values among all.”

The voice from the car calling out, “Falun Dafa Hao!” continues to ring in the practitioner’s ears. She did not meet a single person during her two months in the area who spoke a word of Chinese, yet in all her sessions and conversations with others, “Falun Dafa is good!” kept being repeated. Like the Falun Dafa practitioners in over 100 countries and areas, “Falun Dafa is good” now echoes in the hearts of the people in the Himalayan foothills.

Background: What Is Falun Dafa?

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.