(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners participated in the 8th annual Moon Festival celebration in Port Jervis, New York, held on September 16-17, 2023. The Orange County festival is one of the largest multi-cultural events in the Hudson Valley tri-state area. Many people visited the practitioners’ booth and learned about Falun Dafa. Over 100 copies of Falun Dafa books were sold during the two-day event.
Practitioners introduced Falun Dafa during the 8th annual Moon Festival event in Port Jervis.
Locals learn about Falun Dafa.
The exercise demonstration attracted many festival attendees to stop to learn more. Practitioners told them about Falun Dafa, how it is practiced around the world and how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has persecuted the peaceful group for decades.
Many asked, “Why is the CCP persecuting Falun Dafa?” “Where can I learn to practice Falun Dafa?” They took informational materials and asked about local practice sites. Over 100 copies of Falun Dafa books were purchased within two days.
Many festival attendees were interested in Falun Dafa and learned the exercises.
Two young people from Pennsylvania talked with practitioners. Eddie said he’s struggled with alcohol addiction for ten years and has felt that his life has no purpose. He also had some health issues. Eddie said he wanted to do better and find a way to improve himself. He was very happy to hear about Falun Dafa and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. He said, “This is what I want. I want to learn this practice.” He purchased a copy of Falun Gong.
Arleen and her daughter watched as Falun Dafa practitioners demonstrated the exercises on stage. They said that the movements were beautiful and the music was soothing. They started to follow along with the movements. They went to the practitioners’ booth and asked them to teach them the movements. After Arleen learned how to do the exercises she purchased a copy of Falun Gong. She said she would look for a practice site in her area.
Nathan, a military physician, said he previously heard about the CCP’s persecution of Falun Dafa. He brought his two sons to learn about Falun Dafa.
A couple came to the Falun Dafa booth and the wife was interested in learning the practice. She followed along as practitioners did the exercises and she explained that she saw practitioners demonstrate the exercises in the past. She liked the slow and gentle movements and melodious exercise music. She said, “This practice is very good. I need this now.” She wanted to donate some money, but practitioners politely declined, explaining that the practice is always volunteer-taught free of charge or donations.
Background: What Is Falun Dafa and Why Is the CCP Persecuting It?
Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings, which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and have learned the five exercises have experienced improved health and well-being.
Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology, and on July 20, 1999, he issued an order to eradicate the practice.
Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.
Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 24 years. The actual number is believed to be much higher. Countless practitioners have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.
There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply China’s organ transplant industry.
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