(Minghui.org) The 17th Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference in Russia was held in Moscow on September 24 and 25. Eighteen practitioners, ranging in age from eight to eighty, gave speeches sharing their experiences of cultivating in Falun Dafa. In a series of events before the conference, practitioners introduced Falun Dafa to the public and raised awareness of the brutal persecution of the practice in China.
The conference hall. This year's conference was the largest ever held in Russia.
Eighty-two-year-old Mr. Sun was among the first who started practicing Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) in Russia. Mr. Sun recalled that the first Falun Gong exercise site in Russia was started at the Chinese Embassy in Moscow in 1998, and many Chinese diplomats were practicing.
However, the persecution that started in China in 1999 was extended overseas, and the site was closed. Many people asked Mr. Sun to quit practicing Dafa, and some Chinese officials even threatened him, spied on him, and harassed him. Mr. Sun often told those people that Falun Gong improved his health and renewed his life, and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance were deeply rooted in his heart and he would cherish them forever.
Svetlana, an employee at a hospital in Moscow, shared a miraculous story. One night at work, she suddenly had severe pain in her stomach. She soon developed a high fever, vomited, and she continued to feel nauseous afterwards. A blood test showed very negative numbers.
She stayed home and did the Falun Gong exercises every day for four days. On the fifth day, she saw through her celestial eye a cluster of black material in her stomach. She maintained righteous thoughts and did the exercises to eliminate that. One day later, she saw that the black cluster was gone.
Svetlana also saw that Master Li Hongzhi (the founder of Falun Dafa) scattered something like green diamonds on her, and numerous Falun (law wheels) rotated quickly all over her body.
Svetlana said, “No language can describe that feeling. Every single cell in my body felt happy. I went back to work, and had another blood test. Everything was normal. My coworkers were amazed by the healing power of Falun Gong—they all saw the blood test before and after.”
Alexander from Rostov-na-Donu, 39, started practicing Falun Gong nine years ago. He was an alcoholic, but practicing Falun Gong helped him quit drinking very fast. His family life became more harmonious, and he was promoted to manager in his company due to his hard work.
One time, Alexander represented his company in a business meeting with partners from China. After the meeting, a Chinese person said to him, “Don't wear this jacket anymore. Do you know what the words on it say? It is forbidden in China.”
Alexander said, “Yes, I know. It reads 'Falun Dafa.' My whole family practices Falun Gong.” He then told his Chinese business partner how his family has benefited from this ancient Chinese cultivation practice, and what Falun Gong really is.
His Chinese counterpart listened carefully, and was happy to have had this conversation.
Eight-year-old Grisha has been practicing Dafa with his mother for four years. He sometimes can see the giant Falun rotating above his mother's head. In his speech, Grisha said, “I always try to be a good practitioner. I try to forgive others when I am bullied, and I try to be nice to other kids. I always share candy and other favorite things with other kids.”
Practitioners also shared their experiences of talking to Chinese tourists about Falun Gong. Some of them said that they have noticed a great change in Chinese peoples' attitude toward Falun Gong.
One practitioner said, “Many Chinese people don't believe in the Chinese government's propaganda that slanders Falun Gong. Some tourists have shouted 'Falun Dafa is good' in front of everybody, and some kindly offered to buy me lunch or a drink. I am glad that they truly know what Falun Gong is.”
Before the conference, on September 23, practitioners held a series of activities to introduce Falun Gong and to expose the brutal persecution in China. They demonstrated the exercises, passed out fliers, and collected signatures on a petition calling for an end to the persecution. Practitioners held activities at multiple locations in Moscow, including the Chinese embassy, Arbat Street, Gorky Park, the All-Russia Exhibition Centre, and Tretyakov Gallery.
Demonstrating the exercises.
This was the largest Falun Dafa conference ever held in Russia. Attendees came from St. Petersburg, Pyatigorsk, Krasnodar, Irkutsk, Tomsk, Nizhnij Novgorod, Ukraine, Belarus, Lithuania, Latvia, Israel, and the U.S.A.
