(Minghui.org) As Falun Dafa practitioners around the world celebrate May 13, World Falun Dafa Day, practitioners from Houston and Austin held activities in Herman Park, Houston, on May 8, 2021. They demonstrated the exercises and collected signatures to condemn the CCP’s (Chinese Communist Party) persecution of the spiritual practice. This year, World Falun Dafa Day marks the 29^th anniversary of its public introduction and the 70^th birthday of the founder, Master Li Hongzhi.

It was a beautiful spring day and many people were in Herman Park enjoying the weather. Several people were attracted by the soothing music and stopped to watch practitioners do the exercises on the shore of the lake. Practitioners explained the benefits of Falun Dafa to them, told them how the CCP persecutes it, and handed out paper lotus flowers with bookmarks that said, “Falun Dafa Is Great, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Is Great.”

Practitioners from Houston and Austin held activities to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day.

Doing the exercises together in Herman Park

Collecting signatures

Positive Changes after Practicing Falun Dafa

Mr. Yang said he heard about Falun Dafa on the news when he visited Taiwan in December 2000. Being Chinese, he knew that whatever the CCP suppresses is usually good. He decided to learn the exercises. After returning to the U.S., he read the book Zhuan Falun and watched Master’s exercise-teaching videos.

Mr. Yang (front) does the Falun Dafa meditation.

Mr. Yang said, “I used to be very stubborn and often argued with my family members. After I began to practice, I put the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance into practice in my family life and at work. I learned to consider things from other peoples’ perspectives. My supervisor trusts me and praises my work. I shared my experience with my wife, Lisa, after cultivating myself for a few months. After she started practicing, her Hepatitis B was gone.”

Mr. Vinh, who began practicing just six months ago, was excited to participate in the celebration. He said, “Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance have taught me how to judge right and wrong. I now feel clear-headed and calm and look within for my own faults whenever there are conflicts.” He would like to advance diligently by participating in a Fa study group, group exercises, and activities promoting Falun Dafa.

Background

Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was introduced to the public in 1992. Nearly 100 million people all over China were soon practicing it after experiencing improvements in their health and character. Jiang Zemin, the former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline's growing popularity as a threat to the CCP's atheistic ideology and on July 20, 1999, issued an order to ban the practice.

Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 22 years. The actual number is believed to be much higher. More have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.

There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply the organ transplant industry.

Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.