(Clearwisdom.net) On June 12, the 2004 Taipei Seniors Sports and Health Conference was held in the municipal stadium. Invited by event sponsor Taipei Seniors Foundation, about 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners attended to actively support the city government of Taipei in encouraging seniors to participate in outdoor activities. Practitioners politely refused the 100-Taiwan New Dollars (Taiwan's currency) coupon that sponsors provided to every practitioner, which made a strong impression on the sponsors.
When the sponsors contacted the practitioners, they mentioned that over the past few years, they have seen more and more people practicing Falun Gong. At each Falun Gong group practice held in front of the Chiang Kai-Shek Memorial Hall, there were more than 1,000 practitioners participating. They believed that Falun Gong practitioners must have benefited a great deal from the practice and hoped that the practitioners would participate in this conference, so that more people would get the chance to learn about Dafa.
Mr. Hong represents Taiwan Falun Dafa practitioners to accept an award issued by
the Mayor of Taipei, Mr. Ma Ying-cheo
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When the conference began, the Mayor of Taipei Mr. Ma Ying-cheo presented awards to the groups in attendance. Eight groups were invited to give performances. The exercise demonstration by the 1,000 Falun Gong practitioners, who dressed in yellow T-shirts, was especially impressive. The host said enthusiastically, "People of all ages can practice Falun Gong!" She noticed that the first row was composed of children and the youngest one was only 2 years old. Their movements were just as precise as the adult practitioners. She asked one of the practitioners to tell the audience about Falun Dafa, so that more people would have a further understanding of it. Mr. Hong said that Falun Dafa is a mind and body cultivation practice. It emphasizes improving one's moral standard, and the exercise instruction is free of charge. He welcomed more people to learn the exercises.
Many practitioners came with their entire families to attend this activity, with the eldest more than 80 years old and the youngest only 7 months. One mother said that because both she and her husband practice Falun Gong, her baby seldom cries loudly. During the activity, her baby was content and seemed very interested in everything going on around him.
Many seniors became healthy after practicing Falun Gong. Below are the experiences from those who participated in this activity:
Mrs. Wu, a 74-year-old practitioner from Taipei's Da-an Forest Park practice site, suffered from more than 10 kinds of illnesses including skin problems, constipation, cataracts, trachea expansion and others four years ago. After she started to practice Falun Gong, her illnesses disappeared. Her two daughters also practice Falun Gong. Their health insurance cards are not needed anymore. Previously, Mrs. Wu often complained that her children did not visit her enough. She said that after she started practicing Falun Gong, she was able to think about things from others' perspectives more. She understands that her children are busy with their jobs and families, and it is not that they are not filial towards her. She felt that this period of time is the happiest time in her life.
Mrs. Chen is 60 years old, but she looks as if she were only in her 40s. Her face glows with health and her skin is white and delicate. She said that she loved sports when she was young. Before she began to practice Falun Gong in 1999, she had been a Taichi coach for 10 years, but that did not help eliminate her illnesses. She suffered from an unusual disease that the skin on her hand would shed after contact with water. Doctors were unable to cure her and she had suffered from it for 33 years. This brought lots of trouble for her. For example, when she cooked, the hot steam made her hands ache, and she had to wear gloves to do certain housework. It was shocking that her hands recovered after only 6 months of practicing Falun Gong. She does not need to wear gloves to do housework anymore. Because she benefited from the practice a lot, she set up a practice site at a university near her house. She also showed videos of Teacher's 9-day Falun Gong seminar and taught the exercises, which allowed many university students to begin practicing Falun Gong. Students become more energetic after they practiced Falun Gong. They are able to concentrate on their studies better and do better in their studies. Mrs. Chen said that Falun Dafa is so great and that she hoped more people would come to learn the practice.
The 76-year-old Mr. Li has practiced Falun Gong for 8 years. He persisted in doing 2 hours of exercises every morning in the park. Previously, he suffered from different kinds of illnesses and even found it hard to get onto the bus. He was hunchbacked and suffered bleeding in his stomach five times. He had to stay in the hospital for treatment many times. After he started practicing Falun Gong, he only went to see a dentist. His other illnesses were completely cured. Now he felt very relaxed when walking up the stairs. Mr. Li said that besides practicing the exercises, he reads Zhuan Falun (the main book of Falun Gong) everyday. The book teaches the principle of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance," which guides people on how to cultivate themselves and live by these principles. He said that he felt more comfortable and happier through improving his character and removing his bad habits.
Mr. Chen, who has practiced Falun Gong for only 8 months, said, "A few years ago, I saw many people practicing Falun Gong in parks, but I did not want to find out more about the practice. I thought it was only an ordinary Qigong. When I saw my daughter's changes after a few months of practice, I also read the book Zhuan Falun. Only then did I understand that this was such an extraordinary practice! People did not know about such a mind and body practice before. Fame and wealth cannot be carried on when one dies. I have lived for 75 years, and the principles taught in the book directly pointed to my heart. I understand that I don't have much time left in my life, and I have to give up many bad habits and mentalities. I decided to practice cultivation. Because of my old age, I have gone through many hardships during the process of cultivation. I overcame those difficulties and persistently attended the morning exercises no matter what. Previously, I had to go to the hospital once a month, and now I don't have any illnesses anymore."
