(Minghui.org) Around 5,200 Falun Dafa practitioners from different parts of Taiwan as well as the U.S., Korea, Malaysia and other countries gathered at Liberty Square in Taipei for a character formation activity on December 9, 2023. They formed an image of the Falun symbol and the Chinese characters for, “The Revolving Fa Reaches the Void, The Falun Is Constantly Rotating, The Buddha Fa Is Boundless.”

The skies were clear and bright as practitioners went to their designated spots in an orderly manner. The peaceful and grand scene drew the attention of many passersby including locals and tourists who stopped to watch the activity. Practitioners did the exercises after the character formation. They also wished Master Li Hongzhi a Happy New Year and expressed their gratitude.

Around 5,200 practitioners participated in a character formation at Liberty Square, Taipei on December 9, 2023. 

Practitioners did the Falun Dafa exercises after the character formation.

Practitioners sent greetings to Master and wished him a Happy New Year.

Passersby read the information about Falun Dafa.

Falun Dafa Is the Most Suitable Form of Cultivation Practice for Modern Day People

According to Professor Hsiao Songshan, chairman of the Falun Dafa Association in Taiwan, the decision to form the Chinese characters for “The Falun Wheel Is Constantly Rotating” was based on the founder Mr. Li Hongzhi’s words that one of the unique characteristics of the practice was the Falun is always rotating, thereby assisting in transforming cultivators 24/7. Mr. Hsiao said, “For modern day people working in different occupations, it is the best and most convenient spiritual practice.” He hopes that people will not miss this rare opportunity to practice Falun Dafa.

Falun Dafa has been publicly taught for 31 years to date and hundreds of millions of people practice it in over 100 countries. Taiwan has the greatest number of Chinese Falun Dafa practitioners outside China, therefore it is especially meaningful to hold this annual grand character formation. People in Taiwan enjoy freedom of belief and speech and many residents have benefited from practicing Falun Dafa. Yet, such a wonderful practice which is welcomed all over the world is the target of a brutal persecution campaign by the Chinese Communist Party in China, across the straits. The brutal acts include organ harvesting and the suppression has been going on for 24 years and continues to date. This is in strong contrast to Taiwan. The information displayed near the character formation helps people understand the situation in China and raise awareness about the persecution.

Showcasing the Greatness of Falun Dafa 

According to Wu Qingxiang, a practitioner who was responsible for designing the character formation, this year’s image in addition to the 12 Chinese characters were a challenge compared to other years due to the increase in the number of characters. To ensure that the characters could be clearly seen, the scope of the activity was larger compared to previous years. On the first day of the rehearsal, due to heavy rains, a vehicle pumped out water three times before the ground was dry. Fortunately, the weather was fine on the second and third attempts—nearly 200 practitioners worked together and successfully completed the rehearsal. In the process, many tourists got to learn about Falun Dafa. Wu Qingxiang said, “Dafa is precious, I hope to let people know how popular Falun Dafa is worldwide through this character formation activity and seize the opportunity to practice cultivation.”

Tourists from Singapore Impressed by the Scale of the Character Formation

Mr Yang and his family from Singapore were impressed by the scale of the character formation.

Mrs. Yang said there is no freedom of speech in Communist countries. Today, she witnessed Falun Dafa practitioners braving the hot sun, and she saw the highly disciplined, orderly and serene character formation. She also learned that one does not need to do a ritual to become a Falun Dafa practitioner nor are there any requirements like donating money to the founder. There are no fees required to learn Falun Dafa and it is not a religion. Falun Dafa is a form of cultivation practice and her impression of the practice was significantly changed.

Xue Meiyu from Malaysia said she was proud of Falun Dafa practitioners.

Xue Meiyu from Malaysia said she learned about Falun Dafa through a friend, and recently began practicing the exercises and reading Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Dafa. She feels Falun Dafa is very good and practitioners are friendly and kind. After she started practicing she felt relaxed and comfortable and said practicing Falun Dafa can improve one’s character. She thinks the CCP’s persecution is unreasonable. Seeing the grand scene of the large-scale Chinese character formation for the first time, she was amazed and said, “Practitioners are doing a great job, and I'm proud of them!”

Chinese from South Africa: I Cannot Wait to Practice Falun Dafa

Mr. Huang and his mother said they felt the goodness of Falun Dafa.

Mr. Huang said, “I heard about Falun Dafa in 1998 before the CCP started to persecute the practice. At that time, the regime was not against Falun Dafa. Their narrative later changed. I was puzzled but as I was busy with work, I did not find out more about it until 3, 4 years ago during the pandemic, I had the chance to go online and learn about the practice. It was then that I discovered how great Falun Dafa is.”

Mr. Huang said he had been searching for a spiritual practice and tried many religions but none of them answered his questions about life and the universe until he looked into Falun Dafa. He read the main book, Zhuan Falun. The book essentially answered his questions. He also taught himself the exercises from the website and told practitioners he has done them every day, for 420 days. He planned to take his 75-year-old mother to a local practice site now that he is back in Taiwan but unexpectedly ran into practitioners’ annual character formation activity. He asked where he could find a practice site and was happy that he and his mother witnessed how great Falun Dafa is.

Inspired to Resume Practicing 

Wu Yuqing said the grand scene of the character formation inspired him to resume practicing.

Wu Yuqing said his wife not only became healthy after practicing Dafa, she also became peaceful and patient. He saw the benefits Falun Dafa brought to his wife and family and took up cultivation as well. However, he gave up due to lack of persistence. He was moved by how grand the character formation was and remembered the enthusiasm he had when he first began practicing. He decided to resume practicing Falun Dafa.

Entire Family Participates in Character Formation

Yi Yuan, Yun Ru, and their two children practice Falun Dafa. They attended the character formation and said they are grateful to Master for introducing Falun Dafa.

Yi Yuan has always been influenced by his family’s traditional beliefs and wished to practice cultivation. He even thought of becoming a monk. However he had doubts because of the superficial formalities of religions. In 2004, while on summer break from school, he stayed with his aunt and observed her positive changes after she began practicing Falun Dafa. She became generous and considerate and her complexion was radiant. He attended a Nine-Day Falun Dafa introductory class and said, “This is what I want.” He began practicing.

Yi Yuan was nearly expelled from school due to poor grades. However, after he started practicing Dafa, his wisdom was unlocked and his grades improved a lot. His teachers were amazed, and one teacher said, “I didn’t think you would be accepted into Masters National Taiwan Normal University!”

Even though his wife Yun Ru was a top student, she was unhappy. She observed that her mother changed a lot after taking up Falun Dafa and her temper also improved. She told her mother, “Let’s read Zhuan Falun together.” She followed her mother and began practicing Falun Dafa.

Yi Yuan said, “Our family is grateful for the opportunity to attend such an uplifting activity. It is truly touching. To be Dafa disciples in this lifetime, we have not lived in vain nor wasted tens of thousands of years waiting for this!”