(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners gathered at the Royal Garden in Stockholm on May 8, 2021, to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day and Master Li’s 70th birthday by spreading the wonders and beauty of Falun Dafa. The practitioners also demonstrated the five exercises, displayed truth clarification posters, and shared cultivation experiences with people of all ethnicities.
Falun Dafa practitioners celebrate World Falun Dafa Day by doing the Dafa exercises and sharing cultivation experiences at the Royal Garden in Stockholm.
Falun Dafa in Sweden
The weather was bright and sunny on the day of the activity, with a touch of spring in the air. The Swedish government still limits outdoor gatherings because of the ongoing pandemic. As a result, practitioners alternated in different groups to attend the celebration and express their gratitude and wishes to Master.
Western practitioners used speakers to make people aware of how Falun Dafa has spread to more than 100 countries and regions. They spoke of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) ongoing persecution, especially its crimes of forced organ harvesting from illegally detained Falun Dafa practitioners. They also celebrated the 26th anniversary of Falun Dafa’s spread in Sweden. The peaceful atmosphere of the activity attracted many predestined people who came to learn the Dafa exercises.
Predestined people learning the five sets of exercises.
Mr. Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa, came to Gothenburg in April 1995, when many local residents learned about Falun Dafa for the first time. Twenty-six years have passed and many people are now practicing at different practice sites. More Swedish people are beginning to understand Falun Dafa and are benefiting from following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
Westerners shared their cultivation experiences, and many of them stated, “We have all benefited from Dafa. They said that as practitioners our hearts will not be swayed by the CCP’s lies. We will use all methods possible to spread the truth and be worthy of Master’s compassionate salvation. This is what we hope to accomplish.”
Falun Dafa Is a Miracle
Maria, a western practitioner, demonstrates the fifth meditation exercise.
Maria, who works in a government setting in Örebro, is a bright, successful, and ambitious Swedish woman. She encountered Falun Dafa in 2001, when she was a 22-year-old college student. She is now the mother of two children and is successful at work and has a happy family life.
“Falun Dafa,” she said, “ has brought peace and harmony to my life. I’ve come to realize how precious the main book Zhuan Falun is. Master has taught me how to think of others’ needs, and to handle situations in a calm and peaceful manner. My perspective of the world has changed. I’ve learned to think of others’ needs first, and cultivating Dafa has made life easier and more enjoyable. I am very grateful to Master for protecting me. I feel very safe and steady.”
Maria had problems with her knees when she was in college and was also under a lot of pressure while she was in school. She became very interested in the gentle Dafa exercise movements.
“These gentle and peaceful exercises,” she said, “were a big contrast to my temper, and I really liked to meditate to the beautiful music. Not long after I started cultivating, the pain in my knees disappeared. However, my hands started to develop symptoms of eczema that felt itchy and painful. I started to think that since cultivation is about looking inward, then maybe I should look inward as well. I realized I shouldn’t have vented my anger on my parents, and found other issues I felt I should reflect on. After finding these attachments, the pain from the eczema disappeared. Falun Dafa is truly miraculous, and I’ve personally experienced it.”
Maria said that it is truly sad to think that such a good practice is being persecuted in China. Not only did she attend the local truth clarification activity, she also headed to a police station and applied for a permit to expose the CCP’s persecution. She received the support of local residents as well as from her parents. She stated, “I will spread the wonders of Dafa, and expose the CCP’s lies.”
Dafa Has Given Me Courage and Self-Esteem
Olga demonstrates Falun Dafa’s second standing exercise.
Olga, originally from Poland, has been living in Sweden for 37 years. She read about Falun Dafa in newspapers not long after its Master came to Sweden in 1995 to spread the Fa. She let Dafa slip by because she thought Dafa was too immense for her to understand. Thinking back now, she feels remorseful for letting Dafa slip by. She shared, “I have been looking for something that could uplift my spiritual level. I came across Falun Gong in a library one day in 2014 and was immediately attracted to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. This has taught me how to become a better person, and I am very happy to have finally found this practice. I thought to myself: I have to cherish this opportunity.”
Olga is introverted, timid, and does not like to communicate with people. Nevertheless she is impatient and would accomplish things proactively. She felt awful for some time because of not holding in her emotions. After cultivating, many of her worries disappeared because she followed the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. She has become more courageous, confident, and amicable. Coming from a communist country, Olga is well-aware of the evils of communism. For several years, she has persisted in attending local activities to clarify the truth and expose the CCP’s persecution. She hopes that more people will come to learn Falun Dafa, and not be deceived by the CCP’s lies.
Olga has a glowing, fair, and rosy complexion. It is impossible to tell that she is a retired lady who is 69 years old. She expressed her heartfelt gratitude to Master and Dafa. “It is impossible to describe my gratitude to Master. Dafa has given me a new life and I will never give up.”
Different groups of practitioners take photos under the Royal Garden’s cherry blossoms, and next to Stockholm’s City Hall. They expressed their gratitude to Master.
Swedish Falun Dafa practitioners also gathered and took photos under the Royal Garden’s cherry blossoms and next to Stockholm’s City Hall. They put their palms together (heshi) and expressed their utmost gratitude to the great and compassionate Master by saying, “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion is good! Happy Birthday, Master!”
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