(Clearwisdom.net) On September 3 and 4, 2011, anyone who went through the weekend market in Ritterhude would find a bustling scene. They would also have passed by a peaceful pure land, where Falun Gong practitioners introduced more than a thousand visitors to Falun Gong and told them about the persecution in China.

Visitors reading a panel exposing the persecution

A visitor signs a petition against the persecution

"Are you sure you really do not accept donations?" A young mother from Kosovo asked in surprise. Then she carefully listened to a female practitioner introducing the Falun Dafa exercises. The practitioner said that Falun Gong is free to learn, and all the audio-visual materials and Dafa books are available for free download from the Internet. To the mother's question, she replied: "Yes, we do not accept donations and we do not collect money or goods. If you are interested, though, you can come and learn the exercises. We do not have a membership, do not charge class fees, and there is no any restriction if you ever change your mind."

The young mother wanted to register for the class and hoped to see her daughter doing the Falun Dafa exercises. There were already two boys by the stand who were learning the exercises.

Two boys learning the fifth exercise of Falun Gong

The ten-year-old boy wanted to read the book Zhuan Falun written by the Falun Gong founder Mr. Li Hongzhi. He opened to the first page and began reading "Lunyu.” In a conversation with another female practitioner, he learned that the basic principles of Falun Gong are Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. He listened seriously and nodded with comprehension. "If everyone can be like this, world peace would be here," the boy blurted out. He said that Falun Gong's Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is very good.

The owner of the next stall was very interested in the information about Falun Gong. He took some and said that he would study it at home carefully. Then he asked a practitioner why she practices Falun Dafa. The practitioner replied: "I suffered from migraine headaches since childhood and later practiced other qigong for two decades. Although my body was relaxed, the headaches didn't get better at all. Then I tried Western medicine, traditional Chinese medicine and natural therapies, as well as other methods, but none of them worked. The only benefit I got was that I quit alcohol, but I still smoked. After I started practicing Falun Dafa, my migraine headaches were gone in just a few weeks. Though later it resurfaced several times, it was getting lighter, so that I did not need to rely on painkillers any longer. The second major change was that I actually quit smoking. Before, even during my pregnancy, I did not do it.” The boy asked, “What was the secret?” The practitioner replied, "Falun Gong has tremendous power, a special energy. It can turn the impossible into the possible. It's difficult to explain–it's something that you need to experience yourself. "

Background

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a traditional Chinese spiritual discipline for mind and body. The practice involves slow, gentle movements and meditation. It is easy to learn, enjoyable to practice, and free of charge. Its principles are based on Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The practice was first introduced by Master Li Hongzhi in China in 1992 and quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China and then beyond. Its beneficial effects in uplifting an individual's physical health, spiritual well-being, and moral character, not to mention its positive influence in the community and society as a whole, have been undeniable. In fact, Falun Gong is practiced by over 100 million people in 110 countries. The main works of Falun Gong are available in over 30 languages.

On July 20, 1999, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) launched a brutal persecution of Falun Gong. Since the start of the persecution, practitioners throughout the world have been speaking out about the truth of Falun Gong and exposing the CCP's crimes in a tireless effort to end the persecution.