(Minghui.org) Dozens of Falun Gong practitioners from Georgia and neighboring states gathered on the afternoon of May 12, 2024, at Shorty Howell Park in Duluth, a northern suburb of Atlanta, to celebrate the 32nd anniversary of Falun Dafa’s introduction to the public. Shorty Howell Park is one of the regular weekly practice sites hosted by Falun Gong practitioners in Atlanta.
After some of the practitioners had demonstrated the five exercises on the lawn in the park, everyone gathered in a large pavilion. Three practitioners repeated the opening remarks in Chinese, English, and Vietnamese and then everyone sang “Falun Dafa is Good,” “Coming for You,” “Ode to the Master,” and other songs in Chinese and Vietnamese.
Doing the Falun Gong exercises together.
Several young Dafa practitioners then repeated from memory several poems from Hong Yin in Chinese and English and demonstrated the exercises.
An ensemble of 10 Chinese and Vietnamese practitioners played “Coming for You” and “Please Sit with Me.” There was a piano solo (“Cannon in D Major”), a quartet played “Cloud, Water, and Heart in Zen,” and a band ensemble played “The Fa Rectifies the Universe” and other pieces.
Ending the day’s performance, dozens of Falun Dafa practitioners sang “Falun Dafa Is Good” accompanied by the band ensemble.
Choir
Band ensemble
Piano solo
Exercise demonstration by young practitioners
Vietnamese practitioners’ choir
Reciting poems
Acupuncturist Christine Connor, a visiting Falun Dafa practitioner from California
Several Eastern and Western students shared their cultivation experiences. Christine Connor, a practitioner and acupuncturist from California, was visiting Georgia at the time and participated in the celebration.
Christine said she first heard of Falun Gong when a practitioner from China spoke about the persecution she’d endured. While learning the second exercise, she had a strong feeling that this was the spiritually enhancing exercise she had been searching for for a long time. The profound principles of Falun Gong (also called Falun Dafa) gave her a clear understanding of everything in the world and a clear understanding of how to behave.
Chinese practitioner Li who has practiced Falun Dafa for 25 years.
Practitioner Li started cultivating in Falun Gong at the end of 1998. She was forced to quit graduate school because of her belief in Falun Gong and was jailed for four years for working as a reporter for the Chinese Epoch Times. She came to the United States after she was released. Li said that adhering to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance in dealing with others put her at ease, and she no longer felt the pressure of having to compete like she did under a communist regime.
Quy Le, a Vietnamese Falun Gong practitioner
Quy Le, who is new to Falun Gong, is a manicurist and has been in the United States for more than 30 years. A coworker told her to sincerely recite “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” when she was ill. After trying it herself and experiencing the effects, she also started practicing.
Vietnamese practitioner Ly Nha My just moved here from Vietnam
Ly Nha My, a Vietnamese practitioner, moved to the United States just two months ago. She started practicing Falun Dafa in 2019. She said that she used to be short tempered, but she felt that her character had greatly improved since practicing Falun Gong.
A poem presented in the opening remarks in English:
Ode to Master’s GraceTraversing the four seas revered Master saves the massesFrom dreary winters to sultry summers he crossesHis magnificent grace is beyond wordsHis blessings benefit all in Heaven and EarthThe easterly sun rises with radiant mightThe world basks in comforting Buddha lightShaking the nine planes of Heaven when creating all beingsPiercing through the clouds the truth is revealingMaster’s hair turns gray as he spins the Law WheelWaiting for the lotuses to blossom he endures ordealsThe boundless Buddha Fa pervades the firmamentAll sentient beings receive salvation and enlightenmentThe Nine True Words bring deliverance to allFrom tiny to great the cosmos goes through renewalSevering all attachments the disciples diligently soarUpon obtaining the Fa, the Fa Ship one shall boardVerdant in May the Udumbara flowers appearPraising Master’s grace the world rejoices all overWith grand birthday wishes we bow to our TeacherFulfilling our vows we shall return home with Master
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