NEW YORK, May 16th 2002 (Falun Dafa Information Center) - What do the Pope, the New York City Council, Canadian Members of Parliament and an Australian Senator all have in common? This past Monday, each offered their blessings and support to Falun Dafa ten years after Mr. Li Hongzhi first introduced the ancient spiritual practice to the public on May 13th, 1992.

Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a system of meditation and exercise that espouses the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. Falun Dafa had been taught privately for thousands of years before its introduction in 1992.

Mr. Li taught in China for only two-and-a-half years from 1992 - 1994 with an estimated 20,000 people attending his lectures. The practice, however, quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China to over 100 million people by late 1998, according to a Chinese government survey. That is, a staggering 1 out of every 12 people in the most populous nation of the world had taken up the practice.

The Worldwide Celebrations

Falun Dafa is now practiced in over 50 countries around the world according to a recent count of volunteer practice sites posted on the Falun Dafa website (www.falundafa.org). On May 13th people in many of these countries marked the tenth anniversary with celebrations and media events.

In Hong Kong practitioners and supporters gathered at Seashore Park to sing festive songs to tourists and other passers-by, and then paraded through downtown. An outdoor concert was held in the afternoon at Chater Gardens consisting of traditional Chinese musical performances, dance and singing.

Taiwan, Japan, Indonesia, and other Asian countries held similar festivities.

Australian Senator Andrew Bartlett kicked off the celebrations down under, welcoming the festivities and offering congratulations on the 10th Anniversary.

In New York City, over 200 people began the day's celebrations with a press conference on the steps of Brooklyn's City Hall before parading across the Brooklyn Bridge. Another press conference was held on the steps of Manhattan's City Hall in the afternoon, where New York City Councilman Allan Jennings presented a proclamation to Falun Dafa, and then cut the first slice of a 6-layer celebratory cake.

"We hold these festivities to celebrate the teachings of Falun Gong, and the joy they have brought to people throughout the world," said Virginia Blanco, a resident of Queens, New York who has been practicing Falun Dafa for two years. "At the same time, we seek to honor the courage, compassion and strength that people who practice Falun Dafa in China have displayed over the past nearly three years in the face of Jiang Zemin's vicious persecution."

San Francisco, Houston, Atlanta, Chicago, Boston and many other cities celebrated in a similar manner.

In Toronto, Canadians held a festival in front of City Hall, consisting of performances by many community groups. Vancouver celebrated the anniversary with a conference and reception. Speakers at the conference included representatives from the Mayor's office of nearby Matsqui City, Amnesty International and the former Director of Human Rights Committee of British Columbia.

Outside the Tate Gallery of Modern Art in London, celebrations including dance and musical performances as well as free Chinese calligraphy were followed by a reception in Central London.

Similar celebrations were held in Dublin, Helsinki, Paris, Berlin, Moscow and other cities throughout Europe.

The Pope Offers Blessings

After flying to Rome this past week, Boston resident and practitioner of Falun Dafa, Maria Salzman, was invited to a semi-private mass of about 30 people after which she was granted a private audience with Pope John Paul II. During the meeting, the Pope offered a blessing for Falun Dafa around the world.

Mrs. Salzman is a native of Poland and currently lives with her husband in Massachusetts. Mrs. Salzman was among 60 Western Falun Dafa practitioners who were detained in Beijing in February of this year for appealing to the Chinese government to end the persecution of Falun Dafa.

Grassroots Celebrations in China, Despite Persecution

Despite Jiang Zemin's persecution campaign against the practice, celebrations of the historic day were even visible throughout Northern China. Banners, signs and writings of "Restore the name of Falun Dafa" and "Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance" appeared in trees, on the walls of public walkways and next to city roads. Such grassroots methods have become widespread throughout China, as Chinese people continue their appeal to restore the name of Falun Dafa and bring an end to the misguided ban on the spiritual practice.

The persecution in China, however, remains severe and continues to claim lives every day. Seven more deaths were reported in the week leading up to May 13th.

Background

Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa, is a practice of meditation and exercises with teachings based on the universal principle of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance." It is a practice that was taught in private for thousands of years before being made public in 1992 by Mr. Li Hongzhi. Falun Gong has roots in traditional Chinese culture, but it is distinct and separate from other practices such as the religions of Buddhism and Taoism. Since its introduction in 1992, it quickly spread by word of mouth throughout China, and is now practiced in over 50 countries.

With government estimates of as many as 100 million practicing Falun Gong, China's President Jiang Zemin outlawed the peaceful practice in July 1999, fearful of anything touching the hearts and minds of more citizens than the Communist Party. Unable to crush the spirit of millions who had experienced improved health and positive life changes from Falun Gong, Jiang's regime has intensified its propaganda campaign to turn public opinion against the practice while quietly imprisoning, torturing and even murdering those who practice it.

The Falun Dafa Information Center has verified details of over 410 deaths since the persecution of Falun Gong in China began in 1999. Government officials inside China, however, report that the actual death toll is well over 1,600. Over 100,000 have been detained, with more than 20,000 being sentenced to forced labor camps without trial.