(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners gathered in front of Toronto City Hall on September 16, 2018, and took a group photo to send holiday greetings to the founder of the practice, Master Li Hongzhi, for Mid-Autumn Festival.
For the past ten years, Toronto area practitioners have held numerous 9-day Falun Dafa Workshops and maintained practice sites where people have been free to learn the practice. The following are the stories of some of the workshop attendees and other new students of the practice.
Falun Gong practitioners gather in front of Toronto City Hall on September 16, 2018, and wish Master Li Hongzhi a Happy Mid-Autumn Festival.
Software Engineer: Master Li Is Right, I Am Wrong
Mr. Kuang was a software engineer and has lived in Canada for 20 years. He came to the workshop every day on time and was very focused when watching the lecture videos. After nine days he apologized, “I came here with the intention to pick apart your belief. I own a website to promote Buddhism. I used to criticize Catholicism and Christianity. A friend recently suggested that I target Falun Gong. I told him that I couldn’t do so without knowing what it was. The friend gave me a copy of the book Falun Gong.”
“I couldn’t stop reading the book after I went home. I was awakened and said to myself, ‘Master Li, you are right, I am wrong.’ I went to Chinatown and took a flier from a practitioner. I read the information and visited the Minghui website.”
Mr. Kuang was very excited and continued, “Four days into learning it, I was pleasantly surprised. I put three months worth of my work on a flash drive and put it on a computer in a library. I forgot to remove it when I left. I went back to the library a few hours later and the drive was nowhere to be found. I asked a staff person but he was reluctant to help. I looked in all my pockets and turned them inside out and still there was nothing. The drive was fairly large and I couldn’t have missed it. Thinking that I'd lost all my work over the past three months, I was furious. Suddenly it occurred to me that I must improve my character and be tolerant. I didn’t lose my temper and went home. Later on I put my hand in a pocket and my flash drive was there! I knew that Master brought it back to me.”
“My health quickly improved,” Mr. Kuang continued. “I sometimes lectured at night and when I went home that day I would be exhausted. A few days after I learned the exercises, I felt very energetic at the end of the day! Reciting Buddhist scriptures in the past decade didn’t help me at all.” He asked for some Falun Gong literature, wanting to give them to his friend who was deceived by the Chinese regime’s propaganda used to defame Falun Gong in the persecution. “If it wasn’t for him suggesting I try to pick apart this practice, I wouldn’t have been so lucky to have learned Falun Gong. I want to thank him.”
New Immigrant Impressed by Falun Gong Practitioners
Gao, who was a new immigrant when he discovered Falun Gong, said, “The practitioners went out in the bitter cold and snow and gave out Falun Gong literature on the streets every day. Because of their admirable spirit, I became a Falun Gong practitioner.”
Gao’s friend commented, “Gao became a different person. He was as thin as a rail and weak. Now he’s healthy and sincerely practices Falun Gong. He tells everyone he meets how good the practice is.”
Gao said that after he read the main book Zhuan Falun, he knew that he was blessed. He was very eager to learn. “I work in a supermarket from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. every day. It used to be exhausting for me. After I picked up Falun Gong, I grew stronger and gained 20 pounds. On my way to work and back I could study one chapter of Zhuan Falun. I did the exercises every day and it made me feel great. When I meditated, I was able to reach tranquility within ten minutes. My thoughts became pure and my attitude peaceful. I often recalled the teachings and I was not upset by the daily conflicts. Nothing really bothered me and I got along with everyone.”
Gao’s family used to object his decision to practice. “Now they've seen my positive changes and they support Falun Dafa. I helped them quit the Chinese Communist Party and its affiliates, too,” he said.
70-year-old Doctor of Chinese Medicine Becomes a Practitioner
Mr. Zhang is in his 70s and was a doctor of Chinese medicine. He had believed the CCP’s propaganda slandering Falun Gong and that the practitioners had a political agenda. A practitioner patiently explained the real situation to him and told him how she benefitted from the practice. He agreed to give it a try and as soon as he did the sitting meditation, he was able to sit in the double lotus position (both legs crossed). He was amazed, “I have done many kinds of qigong, but was never able to do double lotus. This is interesting.” He borrowed a copy of Zhuan Falun from the practitioner and quit the CCP and its affiliates.
A few days later he told the practitioner that he stayed up till 3 a.m. to watch the video and learn the exercise movements. “When I did the exercises, I felt energy coming out from the top of my head and the soles of my feet. I realized it was time for me to do the exercises in the park with others,” he said.
“I went back to China and my son took me up to a mountain with his scooter. I fell off the scooter three times and wasn’t hurt at all. I knew at the moment that Master protected me. Otherwise, an elderly man like me who fell off a motorbike would have broken a bone or become paralyzed. I went home and told my family about Falun Gong. A fortune teller once told me that my life would end this year. I believe the fall from the scooter was meant to take my life. I probably would be dead if it wasn’t for Master.” He returned the Zhuan Falun he borrowed and bought one for himself.
Tourist from Beijing Discovers True Beauty and Health
Ms. Ma from Beijing came to Toronto with her company’s tour. She was in bad health and looked ill. A practitioner told her about the health benefits of the practice and she decided to give it a try. She borrowed a few books and watched a Shen Yun performance. The next day she called the practitioner and said that she’s been treated to many first-class performances in China and nothing could compare to the beauty of Shen Yun.
Ms. Ma tried out the exercises after she returned from the performance. She told the practitioner, “I saw a dark shadow with a shape of an animal leaving my body when I did the exercises. I knew that it was what was causing my health problems and tormented me over the years.” The next year Ms. Ma came to Toronto again and met with the same practitioner. She had gained weight and looked very healthy.
