(Part 1)
(Minghui.org) To celebrate the 32nd anniversary of Falun Dafa’s public introduction, practitioners held a day-long celebration on Nathan Phillips Square in Toronto on May 11, 2024.
Practitioners started the day’s celebration by doing the Falun Dafa exercises.
Practitioners gave dance and music performances to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day.
Falun Gong Makes Me Feel Calm
PJ and Mona watch the exercise demonstration for quite a while.
PJ and Mona watched as practitioners did the exercises on Nathan Phillips Square. They said the scene made them feel peaceful, so they were interested in learning the exercises. It was the first time that PJ had heard of Falun Dafa (Falun Gong), but Mona said she had seen practitioners do the exercises at the Toronto Music Garden.
PJ asked many questions about Falun Gong, including why practitioners wore yellow and blue? Where did Falun Dafa come from? How long do the exercises take? The practitioner answered each question, and said yellow and blue represented hope and peace, that Dafa was first introduced in China, and that there were five sets of exercises, which last two hours, etc.
“I thought it was Tai Chi,” PJ said. “But I just found out from another practitioner that Falun Dafa is actually completely different. It’s more like a mental meditation to release all the evil and bad things, and clear your mind. When you do this, you try to zone everything out, and you’re in your own world.
“Everything is positive about it. Even though I’m not even doing these exercises I kind of feel like I’m meditating just watching them. I feel like it’s just nice to watch. It’s very relaxing. It’s peaceful.”
Seeing the practitioners doing the second exercise set, Mona asked if their arms got tired. PJ said, “A lot of older people are doing this. So if they can keep their arms up, I’m pretty sure we can too.”
“It’s very interesting,” Mona said. “I like anything that has to do with movement and meditation, and your mind. Because you should be looking within and getting answers from yourself. Not from outside political forces or something. That’s why I like this. I like the principles, Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.”
Mona was indignant when she heard about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution, “It’s crazy. You go to jail if you practice this in China.” PJ said it was inconceivable.
The Practice Helps One Regain Kindness
Elsa felt peaceful as she watched the exercise demonstration.
Elsa, who works in real estate, said that the practitioners’ group exercise caught her attention. “I can see all the members and even the way they dress, their color yellow, that resembles the sun, the light,” Elsa said. “It resembles the light, the harmony with the universe, with earth. The music just brings peace. Even just standing here watching them, it brings me peace.
“It caught my attention because today in society we lack these values, truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance. Now especially in the Western culture we just go and we don’t take time to heal our bodies and our minds. I believe if we meditate or we do Falun Gong, we really come to our center and we value even earth, everything, all the elements, people, and we become more compassionate to ourselves and to the whole society.”
Hearing about the CCP’s persecution, Elsa pointed out, “I believe people should have the freedom to practice what they believe, especially if it makes them feel the benefits of health, mental health, and physical health in their lives. There shouldn’t be any opposition to this. They should be encouraged.”
Group Practice is Nice
Colt and Betsy were impressed by the exercise demonstration.
Colt and Betsy were traveling from Nevada to Toronto. Through the hotel window, they saw a group exercise being held on the square. They were curious and came to watch.
“It’s very impressive to see this number of people out in the morning,” Betsy said. “They’re quiet. The world is pretty noisy right now. So it’s nice to see them so quiet.
“Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance are three noble purposes. These things are included in love.”
“We saw Shen Yun before,” Betsy said. “It was beautiful. It’s real traditional Chinese culture. It was very beautiful.”
The Celebration Performances are Meaningful
Medhi (left) and Erfan (right) watched the practitioners’ performances in the celebration.
Erfan lives in Toronto, while Medhi is from Germany. They watched the practitioners’ performances. Medhi liked the Mongolian dance performance the most, while Erfan liked the Pipa music.
A practitioner described the programs. Erfan said, “Most festivals are about happiness, but you have thoughtfulness in this festival, that’s all the difference. I’m curious, Why is Falun Dafa banned in China? I don’t understand. But it’s good that practitioners keep it up even though there’s pressure from the government, and you can’t practice in China. But it’s good that you’re helping people know about it.”
Erfan said that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) would collapse sooner or later, “I think it’s just a matter of time. Because when they’re controlling, it’s not going to last. It’s not the first time that some people think they can control everything. They can micromanage everything, like people’s happiness. This is something that should happen by nature. So if someone wants to control it, it’s just a matter of time for it to go down.”
“The government steals a person, takes their organs and then sells them? That’s crazy,” said Medhi.
Erfan said, “Practitioners are good people. I don’t understand the CCP. So sad. I just hope it changes soon. I wish you success.”
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