(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners from Austria, Germany, and Switzerland participated in the Family Sports Day organized by the Austrian Vorarlberg State Sports Association (ASVÖ Vorarlberg) in Bregenz on September 10, 2023. Practitioners demonstrated the exercises, told people about Falun Dafa, and showed them how to fold origami lotus flowers. Many children and their parents stopped by their booth.
Practitioners demonstrated the Falun Dafa exercises during the Family Sports Day in Bregenz on September 10, 2023.
Stefan the host of the event said that the Vorarlberg State Sports Federation holds family sports day activities in various places every year. The purpose is, “To allow children to try various sports so they will be interested in them.”
This is not the first time that Falun Dafa practitioners participated in such an event. The last time was in Feldkirch. Like last time, practitioners introduced Falun Dafa and demonstrated the exercises. After the demonstration, Stephen said, “The calmness and peace that Falun Dafa practitioners brought is amazing and leaves a deep impression on people.”
He also said, “The Falun Dafa booth makes people feel very relaxed. This certainly enriches our activities. We are very happy to have a Falun Dafa booth here. Practitioners are always welcome to participate.”
Beatrice is the event’s organizer. She and the other coordinators learned the fifth Falun Dafa exercise, the meditation. She said, “It feels very good. I have a positive impression of Falun Dafa. Although the activities today are very noisy, there is peace and tranquility here, which is attractive to me.”
Falun Dafa booth with a large banner.
Children and parents learn the fifth exercise, the meditation.
Children learn the Falun Dafa exercises.
Practitioners showed children and their parents how to make origami lotus flowers.
Parents Realize that Falun Dafa Makes People Relax and Feel More at Peace
After six-year-old Marie watched practitioners demonstrate the exercises she decided to learn them. Her father, photographer Christian Schramm, said that after they learned to fold lotus flowers they planned to go to the next booth. They noticed a practitioner demonstrating the exercises, and his daughter wished to learn them.
Schramm looked at his daughter and said with a smile, “She is not a quiet child. She likes to run around.”
Marie sat in the lotus position and carefully imitated the movements demonstrated by the practitioner. Her father looked at his daughter in surprise and said, “I can feel her calmness. I feel she is peaceful and focused. This is a new experience for me and it’s wonderful.”
About Falun Dafa, he said, “It makes people feel calm, the atmosphere is very good, very calming and relaxing.”
Annette Konztatzky, who works as a secretary in the logistics industry, was also happy that her daughter learned the exercises. She said that her daughter is currently in a transitional period in her studies and is experiencing great emotional fluctuations. She also needs to prepare to go to a new school. Learning to practice Falun Dafa, “is very good for her. It allows her to relax and find herself.” Ms. Konztarsky said she was also interested in learning the exercises and took the information about Dafa and the online classes.
“I saw someone doing the exercises before and thought it was great. It looked so peaceful and relaxing.” After she did the exercises, Konztarsky’s nine-year-old daughter said, “I feel very relaxed. I feel a little tired, but I feel so awake.”
Kinga Erber, an early childhood educator, had the same feeling, “The gentle exercises can help people settle down and find their inner peace, keep calm, and stay away from stress.” She also felt that the Falun Dafa practitioners’ booth “has a very good atmosphere. Everyone is very calm and focused.”
People Should Follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance
During the activities, people learned that Falun Dafa teaches people to be good and live in accordance with Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Many people said these principles are particularly good.
Referring to the principles, event host Stephen said, “These are values that people should pursue and are goals in life. Everyone who wants to live according to these principles should practice them.”
Beatrice said, “These are super good values and people should live according to them.” Schramm said that after hearing about the principles he understood, “Why the atmosphere here is so reassuring.” He said that there was no need to explain more, everything was understandable.
Daniela, who is an early childhood educator, said that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, “are very good values and should be followed by people in all parts of the world.”
She watched as practitioners demonstrated the exercises and listened as they introduced Falun Dafa. She also learned about the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) brutal persecution and the crime of harvesting organs from practitioners while they were alive.
She talked about the CCP’s 24-year persecution: "The persecution is shocking and inhumane. I can’t understand why the CCP persecutes such a practice. It’s unreasonable.”
Her husband, Alfred, is a landscape designer. He also said that the CCP’s persecution and live organ harvesting were terrible, and such behavior shows people how harmful the regime is. He said, “Falun Dafa can benefit people and is very interesting.” He planned to go online to learn more about Falun Dafa.
Many people lingered in front of the practitioners’ booth even though the event concluded, and they asked for more information.
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