On September 29, 2000, from 1 p.m. to 9 p.m., over 70 Falun Gong practitioners took part in activities to promote and safeguard Dafa at the Chinese Embassy and several other places.
One of the obvious differences of this event from the previous ones is that most practitioners were shocked by the recent articles on Minghui and especially Master Li's article, "Serious Teaching," wherein he expressed great compassion and discussed the requirements of Dafa during the course of Fa rectification.
Montreal practitioners worked day and night to prepare 15 large boards with statements like "Stop Persecuting Falun Gong" and "Falun Dafa Zhen-Shan-Ren (Truth-Compassion-Forbearance)" for car tours and the pictures and brief introductions of 55 Falun Gong practitioners who devoted their lives to safeguarding the truth of Falun Dafa. Ottawa practitioners worked overnight to make all kinds of large picture boards and bulletin boards.
Unfortunately, the Chinese Embassy once again rejected a letter that practitioners wrote with pure compassion to request Jiang Zeming to stop persecuting Falun Gong.
What was different from the usual was that after the news conference, practitioners no longer stayed in front of the Chinese Embassy. Most practitioners left the Embassy and went to different busy areas to distribute Chinese and English materials and even organized a car tour with signs that read "Stop Persecuting Falun Gong."
The main topics that practitioners talked about focused on how to conform to current cosmic changes during this period of Fa rectification and strive forward together towards consummation. Many practitioners are no longer satisfied with joining activities, but begin to consider what more they can do and how to organize the activities better and on a larger scale. Practitioners do not merely step forward in form. Even new practitioners also say they want to learn from veteran practitioners, become a particle of Dafa and voluntarily and consciously step forward to safeguard Dafa with wisdom and assist Master Li in Fa rectification.
Coincidently when the candle night vigil was about to start, it was known that the Chinese Embassy was holding a large dinner party to celebrate National Day. Several hundred delegates from the Chinese community, many officials from the Canadian government and the embassies of different countries in Canada attended the party. In a short while, some practitioners distributed all kinds of materials introducing the true facts about Falun Gong at several main entrances.
The candle night vigil proceeded in a solemn atmosphere. Several practitioners read aloud in Chinese and English some moving stories about those practitioners who have lost their lives for Dafa. The article, "Present My Solemn Greetings of Heshi to Sister Jian," moved people to tears and everyone was deeply touched.
The breeze started and it turned cold, but practitioners did not want to leave. Even iron-hearted and relentless people would have been melted by the great benevolence and forbearance of the Falun Gong practitioners.
At 9 p.m., all visitors of the Chinese Embassy left. The activities successfully ended.
Some highlights of the event:
- "Actually more and more people realize that it is wrong to crack down on Falun Gong, while only the highest authorities are still confused."
- Canadian policemen refused to require Falun Gong practitioners to change location.
- "It's getting cold. Please take care of yourself. Good luck to you!"
One businessman who just came back from a business trip to China talked with practitioners for a long time after attending the Chinese Embassy's dinner party. He raised his thumb and said, "I really admire you, Falun Gong. You are great!" Then he told us how he felt after he came back to China, "I find still a large number of people are practicing Falun Gong. Actually more and more people realize that it is wrong to crackdown on Falun Gong, while only the highest authorities are still confused."
When we asked him when he would come to learn Falun Gong, he cracked a joke, "I am still not qualified."
After seeing that Falun Gong practitioners stayed, many officials from the Chinese Embassy came out and talked to the Canadian police. They asked the policemen to require Falun Gong practitioners to change location. Since Canadian police had met Falun Gong practitioners several times and knew that practitioners are very peaceful, and that practitioners had applied for and obtained a permit, the Canadian police didn't change their original plan.
One official who paid close attention to Falun Gong and showed his support to practitioners also came to attend the dinner party. He held a practitioner's hand and was deeply concerned, "It's getting cold. Please take care of yourself. Good luck to you!"
(October 2, 2000)
