(Minghui.org) TD Bank held the 21st Festival for South Asia at the Gerrard India Bazaar on July 29-30, 2023. It is the biggest south Asian street festival in North America. This year the festival attracted around 250,000 visitors, who watched folk art performances, shopped for handicrafts and clothes, and experienced Asian food and culture.
Falun Dafa practitioners set up a booth at the bazaar. Many visitors showed great interest in the practice, and the two tents at the booth were frequently filled with people. The continuous flow of people who wished to learn the exercises kept practitioners busy teaching them as they arrived. People from different community groups and organizations at the festival saw the Falun Dafa practitioners’ booth and invited practitioners to join their events as well. Some Chinese also came to the booth and quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its youth organizations on the spot.
New Democratic Party Leader and Member of Congress, Mr. Jagmeet Singh has watched Shen Yun before and has also presented Falun Dafa with awards many times. He specifically said to the practitioners at the booth, “I know about the situation, Falun Dafa is very good.”
New Democratic Party Leader and Member of Congress Mr. Jagmeet Singh (middle) thinks that Falun Dafa is very good.
People come to the Falun Dafa booth to learn about the practice.
People come to the Falun Dafa booth to learn the exercises.
Chinese People Distinguish Right from Wrong and Quit the CCP and Its Youth Organizations
Ms. He, 52, is an intellectual whose parents were university professors. When she passed by the booth, a practitioner clarified the truth about Falun Dafa to her and she immediately declared she would quit the CCP and its youth organizations that she had joined. Rain drops suddenly started to fall and the practitioner invited her into the tent to take shelter from the rain and learn the exercises at the same time. Ms. He agreed gladly.
After learning the exercises, Ms. He said, “Feels very good, my body is very comfortable. Thank you, all of you!”
She recalled, “When I was in China, many people practiced Falun Dafa. My classmate’s father is a Falun Dafa practitioner. He asked if I wanted to give it a try. I knew that Falun Dafa was very good and is helpful in improving one’s mental and physical health. However, I never had time to learn more about it. When I was studying, I also had to look after the old folks. I was too busy.”
She said, “It has been three years since my husband passed away. Sometimes I feel very sad in my heart. I think that after I go and read the Falun Dafa book, my mood will become brighter.”
Ms. Cao is from Guangdong. She came to Canada when she was 18 years old and has been settled for many years, and she has seen programs introducing Falun Dafa on television. After speaking to Falun Dafa practitioners, Ms. Cao quit the CCP and its youth organizations on the spot, and took Falun Dafa fliers and a small truth-clarification booklet.
She said, “I feel that the three words, Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance, sound very nice. Hearing them makes me feel very comfortable. The practitioner gave me the Falun Dafa website and I will go online to find the Chinese book to read. I will even tell my daughter to come and learn with me since it can strengthen one’s body. To humans, the most important thing is a healthy body.”
When Ms. Cao heard that the CCP was still persecuting Falun Dafa, she was surprised, “I heard about the bad things that the CCP did when I was young. A very long time ago, I saw reports about the suppression of Falun Dafa on the news. I did not expect that it had yet to end after so many years.”
Hearing that practitioners were still being sentenced to jail because of their practice, she said, “Why is it happening like that? This is not fair. The Falun Dafa practitioners are being good people. The Heavens are watching what people are doing!”
Ms. Wang is around 40 years old and came from Dalian, Liaoning Province, China. She had a fried chicken shop near the booth. When a practitioner at the booth told her the facts about Falun Dafa, she kept smiling, and nodded in agreement. She said, “I know about this persecution. I also know the murderous history of the CCP, including the June 4th event, the Cultural Revolution, and Falun Dafa. This information cannot be seen in China but people outside of China know about all of them.” After that, she agreed to let the Falun Dafa practitioner help her quit the CCP and its youth organizations.
Exhibitors from Different Ethnic Groups Come to the Booth to Learn the Exercises
Sophia said that Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance is a path that she wants to take.
Sophia is a mother of three children. She had seen the practitioners practicing Falun Dafa in a park before and had wanted to learn it at that time. Today was her chance to do so when she saw the Falun Dafa booth.
After learning the first set of exercises, Sophia said, “I felt very strong energy. Although the wind is very strong today and the weather is cool, I felt so warm when learning the exercises. The first set of exercises repeats the same movements for three rounds. I felt the strong effects of practicing it three times continuously.”
Sophia asked, “Who is Falun Dafa’s Master?” A practitioner showed her Master Li Hongzhi’s photo. After seeing the photo, she said, “A few days ago, I dreamed of a Buddha. This kind of feeling is like déjà vu.”
Lastly, she said, “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance is the path that I want to take. I will go online to register for the learning class and teach my children too.”
Mirti came from Colombia. She lives in a small district nearby and passed by the Falun Dafa booth as she came to join the event.
Mirti learned the five sets of exercises. She had just gotten off from work. As her work is very hectic, her body felt very tired. “However, after practicing the exercises, I feel that I am full of energy. My heart is also enriched and has calmed down. To me, this is an all new experience,” she said.
She said, “The world needs people to have more compassion. Everyone’s heart should contain Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Only then can we return to our true selves. I will go and read the book, and learn about the deeper meaning behind these three words.”
When Mirti heard about the CCP’s persecution of Falun Dafa, her eyes became wide, and she said, “My goodness, no way! This is too sad. The practitioners have gone through difficulties and hardship. Although we come from different races, our human values and feelings are connected. I feel the same as you all. However, I believe that everything will change for the better.”
Felix felt that Falun Dafa impacted his soul.
Felix is from Panama and his native language is Spanish. He works in renovations. He said, “The reason I came to the booth was because I like to meditate. This is the first time that I am trying a practice like Falun Dafa, but I really like it very much. It makes me feel clear-headed. I also do not know why, but I just feel that it has impacted my soul.”
This was also the first time that Felix had heard about the guiding ideologies of Falun Dafa, which are Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. He said, “I will definitely go online to read the book. I think that tempering one’s brain and thinking is a difficult process but it is very important.”
Krathikeyan is planning to join the online learning class.
When Krathikeyan, who is a software engineer, saw practitioners meditating at the booth, he wanted to learn.
After learning the practice, he said, “Meditation is very popular in India now. The practitioner told me that free teaching classes are available online. I want to register for it to experience the feelings and changes that the exercises bring to my body at a more detailed and deeper level.”
With regards to the persecution, Krathikeyan said, “The CCP’s behavior is too extreme. It should not suppress practitioners. Practicing exercises and doing meditation is legal everywhere.”
Mark said that his body felt light after practicing the exercises.
Mark came to the booth and told a practitioner that he wanted to learn the exercises.
He said, “I heave heard of Falun Dafa many times in the past and I even met practitioners practicing the exercises outdoors a few times. I am very interested in this practice, especially the meditation, so I wanted to come and learn the moment I saw the booth.”
After learning the exercises, Mark felt very relaxed. “Now, my body feels very light. I will continue to practice the exercises.”
Doli believes that learning the practice more deeply will benefit her entire life.
Doli came to the Falun Dafa booth to learn the practice. She said, “Learning the exercises made me feel very good. The Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance principles of the practice are also very good. I believe that when I learn the practice more deeply, I will benefit from it for my entire life.”
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