(Minghui.org) May 13, 2023, was the 31st anniversary of Falun Dafa’s public introduction and the 24th World Falun Dafa Day. Falun Gong (also known as Falun Dafa) practitioners in Tunja City, Colombia, celebrated the anniversary on May 13. 

Tunja, is a medium-sized city and home to many universities and technical schools. It has a population of approximately 200,000 and is a two-hour drive from the nation’s capital, Bogotá.

To share the benefits of Falun Dafa with residents, practitioners in the area held an event near the Unicentro shopping center in Tunja. They demonstrated the exercises, handed out flyers, and told people about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution in China.

Many people were interested in the practice, saying they did not know about it before, and others expressed a desire to learn more about Falun Dafa.

Practitioners demonstrate the exercises.

Passersby learn about Falun Dafa.

Architect: They (Falun Dafa Practitioners) Are a Little Bubble That Radiates Light

Fernanda Montaña, a young architect who lives in Tunja, said she wished to learn Falun Dafa.

Fernanda Montaña said she felt an immediate connection with the practice. “I like everything that has to do with spirituality, especially in big cities. To see what you as Falun Dafa practitioners do is very inspiring,” she said. 

She continued, “I believe that the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance on which the practice is based can help us to build a world where we do not harm each other and, from tolerance and respect, form a unity. We have to have spiritual support and I see it reflected in these three principles.”

To Montaña, the practitioners were a small spot of calm and positivity in a bustling city—a calm and positivity that she wanted to experience. “Seeing the group here demonstrating the exercises, amidst the noise of cars and people, I feel like they are a little bubble that radiates light, and I feel inspired to learn Falun Dafa,” she said. 

She was interested in going to the practice site to learn the exercises.

Falun Gong Exercises Display Tranquility

José Bustillo said he felt sense of tranquility when he watched practitioners do the exercises.

José Bustillo, who works in a warehouse in Tunja, was impressed by the energy and the atmosphere of tranquility generated by practitioners. 

“I’ve seen them a few times in front of the stadium, and it caught my attention because they are exercises that one really needs because of the daily grind and the body also needs to free itself,” he said. “When I see them doing the exercises, they transmit tranquility, I feel that the stress is gone and that I am in another world.” 

The music that practitioners use when they do the exercises conveyed a special kind of energy to Bustillo, one that can preserve a person’s inner peace. “The music transports you, gives you serenity, tranquility, and frees you from the not very positive energies of your body and even from the environment itself because everything is very calm,” he said. 

Wishes to Learn Falun Dafa

Ms. Consuelo is interested in learning to practice Falun Dafa.

Ms. Consuelo said, “This group inspires me to join them to practice. One feels peace, harmony and serenity. The principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance, on which this practice is based, make me reflect a lot and I think it is very good to practice them in daily life.” “One remains in the midst of stress, in the daily hustle and bustle, so it is very good to have a few minutes of peace, silence, and reflection.” 

She thanked practitioners for telling her what Falun Dafa is about, and said she would go to the practice site to learn more about it.

For many practitioners, May 13 is a day of thanksgiving as well, since it marks the anniversary of when Master Li Hongzhi, the practice’s founder, first shared it with people in 1992. Soon after they began practicing many said they began to experience improved health, elevated moral character, and more harmonious social relationships—and this was a phenomenon that followed Falun Dafa as it spread beyond China’s borders. 

Graphic Designer: I Found the Meaning of Life

Alejandro Sierra, a graphic designer and social communicator, was one of these people who felt these benefits himself 15 years ago. He has been practicing Falun Dafa since. Sierra had a difficult childhood and adolescence due to the separation of his parents, which made it difficult for him to cope with life. In addition, he was afflicted with severe visual problems from an early age.

“I was always a spiritual seeker, but I couldn’t find the answer I needed. One day I went to visit my father, who was just starting to practice Falun Dafa. He gave me the book Zhuan Falun and I began to practice. I immediately connected with the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance,” said Sierra. 

Through Falun Dafa, Sierra said he was able to walk away from his negative emotions and improve his health, both mentally and physically. “Falun Dafa transformed my conduct, my behavior, and through the exercises I became a different person,” he said. “I was able to study, work, I became a professional, and I have not had to go for medical treatment as my eyesight improved.” 

Sierra is married and the father of two daughters. He is actively engaged in promoting the discipline of Falun Dafa through his profession. He says that without Falun Dafa in his life, he would never have received all these benefits. 

“It is a special day of thanksgiving to Master Li. It is also a great opportunity to continue to convey to people all over the world that Falun Dafa is good, and to make it clear that in China today the practice is still banned,” said Sierra. “But despite persecution by the Chinese Communist Party, many practitioners there remain steadfast in their practicing of Falun Dafa.” 

Nurse: Dafa Makes Me a Better Person

Sandra Gamba is a nurse who works in a family medical practice. She heard about Falun Dafa 12 years ago, and said it is a wonderful practice that has taken away many fears and given her health. It also made her a better person and brought her family together, allowing them to find the meaning of a well-constituted family, along with her husband, who also practices Falun Dafa.

Most importantly, however, it has offered her spiritual guidance. Through the cultivation of the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance, she has been able to transform her view of the world and the way she faces difficulties.

She said, “Today is a very important date for Falun Dafa practitioners, as it is our Master’s birthday. We are happy to have the opportunity to share this special day. It is very exciting for me to see that there are many Falun Dafa practitioners around the world who have benefited and transformed their lives.”