Belgium: Falun Dafa Warmly Received by Mayor and Citizens of Roeselare (Photos)

(Clearwisdom.net) Falun Dafa practitioners were invited to introduce the practice of Falun Dafa in the City of Roeselare in the province of West-Flanders in Belgium on April 21, 2011. Roeselare is a city of 58,000 citizens, situated in the western part of Belgium.

About 20 people attended the activity at the Ten Elsberge service center to get to know Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong). Nine practitioners gathered at the center to teach the exercises and explain cultivation in Dafa.

Practicing the first exercise

One practitioner explained what Falun Dafa is, what cultivation practice requires of a person (eg. to improve xinxing), how looking within and letting go of attachments is crucial in cultivation practice, and so on. Those present listened attentively. Then everyone stood in a big circle to start learning the exercises. Some practitioners helped participants with the movements, while another explained briefly the purpose of each exercise. There was an atmosphere of serenity despite the hot weather.

Mayor and parliament member Luc Martens welcomes Falun Gong in Roeselare, a city he represents.

Halfway through the second exercise, Sir Luc Martens, the Mayor of Roeselare since 2005 and Flemish Parliament member since 1999, arrived at Ten Elsberge. Sir Luc Martens was the Flemish Minister of Culture, Family and Welfare from 1995 until 1999. He waited patiently until the second exercise was finished. Then he greeted all who were present and gave a speech. He said that he was very happy that Falun Dafa was being introduced in ‘his’ city, but he admitted to knowing little about it. He had been searching on the Internet to find some information. He expressed his appreciation of the basic principles of Falun Gong, which are Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. He liked especially “the authenticity” of Falun Gong, that “the outer surface of a person resembles his/her inside,” as he explained it. As a teenager he took yoga lessons for many years, because his mother recommended it to him. He claimed that he still applied some elements of yoga in his daily life, especially during stressful moments. He expressed his hope that many people in Roeselare would become practitioners of Falun Dafa, and he even hopes to become a practitioner himself one day. Sir Martens’ comments were warmly applauded, and the third exercise started.

Because it was a very hot day, there was a pause after the third exercise, in which people took the opportunity to ask questions and share their experiences. Some who tried the exercises for the first time said they felt a warm energy current throughout their bodies, and they also felt vibrations/movements in their abdomen. Of the two men who attended, one had practiced Tai Chi, whereas the other man taught yoga lessons at his home. This man asked a practitioner to come to his home to teach his yoga students the Falun Gong exercises. Some people were surprised to learn that Falun Dafa is practiced in a state of wuwei, a state of non intention. Some women had practiced yoga before, and one woman, who is a painter, had painted a lotus flower the day before. Another woman had been hit by a van the day before. Although she was a bit shaken by this experience, it did not interfere with her coming to the Falun Dafa activity that day.

The cultivation of one’s xinxing, one’s moral character, made a great impression on some of the participants. One lady had lived according to good, moral principles her whole life but met with a lot of difficulties. She was moved to tears when she expressed the joy she felt when she heard that Falun Dafa is based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and that these principles serve as the basis to measure everything one encounters in life. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance give her the hope she’d been seeking to move forward in this life.

Mrs. Nelly Perneel also attended. She has been looking for the way (the Fa) for a long time, and had travelled everywhere, from India to Peru. During her spiritual search she has written books and gotten to know Falun Dafa as well. But not until this day did she learn the exercises. She also knew about the brutal persecution of Falun Gong in China by the Communist Party (CCP), but was surprised to hear that the persecution is still continuing in 2011, having begun in 1999.

Mrs. Nelly Perneel (first person on the right) does the movement of ‘Vajra Toppling a Mountain’ in the first exercise

When the exercises were finished, everyone was informed of the new practice site in Kortrijk (about 20 km from Roeselare) and of the practice site in Brugge, so those who want to can continue to do the exercises in a group. A practitioner gave each attendee a handmade paper lotus flower, which was accepted with gratitude. Some people bought the introductory book China Falun Gong. Many took Falun Gong flyers and newspapers. Some left their email addresses in order to receive more information about Falun Gong.

Practitioners as well as non-practitioners took photos during the activity, and the attendees thanked the practitioners wholeheartedly for organizing this precious activity. Some also wished it would continue every week in Roeselare.

Group picture of the attendees and practitioners in the Ten Elsberge center

Learning the fifth exercise