Residents of the island of Bali had been largely unfamiliar with Falun Gong. They have had only access to the little information in newspapers, bookstores, or the Internet.
On April 13, 2001, seven Falun Gong practitioners from Jakarta and Surabaya went to Denpasar, Bali Island, to join a local practitioner. Together they held a Dafa introduction session from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. The local newspaper, Balipos, published articles on Falun Gong that talked about improving Xinxing (mind and nature,) keeping fit, and curing illnesses. The news release drew much attention, and people signed up for the session. Most of the attendees were local residents who currently follow Hinduism and Islam, and some had done other Qigong practices. The attendance reached 350 - 400 people. Since there was a limited amount of space, many who were interested could not be served.
During the introduction, the practitioners first played the VCD of "Falun Gong - The Real Story," and then a practitioner gave an introduction to Falun Dafa. Next, they played the exercise video showing Master Li teaching the exercises. Later on, two practitioners (one was 60 years-old and the other 84 years-old) went up to the podium and told their personal experiences of practicing Falun Gong. The two of them said that by following Master Li's guidance, constantly reading Zhuan Falun, and doing the five sets of exercises, they've solidly improved themselves both spiritually and physically. The audience gave them a huge round of applause, and felt the greatness of Falun Gong in their hearts.
During the question-and-answer section, the main issues discussed included: Why is Falun Gong banned in China? What is Falun Gong? How does Falun Gong cure diseases and help with fitness? All questions were answered thoroughly by the practitioners, and people in attendance were fully satisfied.
Finally in this session, practitioners taught the five sets of exercises. All those in attendance stayed to learn, and the scene was grand and touching. The pure and mild nature of Bali residents was complemented by the melodic and peaceful Dafa music.
As a result of this successful event, the first Dafa practice site was established on Bali Island.
The spreading of the Dafa in Denpasar, Bali was not a coincidence; it's a revelation of the power of Dafa. During the two days of the session, more than 300 people came to become acquainted with the Fa. This is the largest number of people to attend a Dafa session since Dafa has been introduced to Indonesia.