(Minghui.org) More than 5,000 practitioners from Taiwan, Malaysia, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Hong Kong, Macau and Mongolia performed a character formation on Liberty Square in Taipei on November 17, 2024. They formed a Falun emblem and the Chinese characters for Falun Dafa’s core principles—Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. This year’s grand display was the largest to date and caught the attention of tourists from all over the world.
Practitioners did the exercises after the character formation. They also displayed a banner with the message: “Master’s Infinite Grace” in a show of respect to the founder of the practice Master Li.
An estimated 5,300 practitioners gathered at Liberty Square on November 17 to form a large Falun emblem and the words "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance."
Aerial view of the Falun emblem and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance
Participants did the exercises after the character formation.
Practitioners showed their respect to Master Li through a banner with the message: “Master’s Infinite Grace.”
People stopped to read the information displayed.
Chairman of the Taiwan Falun Dafa Association: The World Needs Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance
Professor Hsiao Sung-shan, chairman of the Taiwan Falun Dafa Association, said that Falun Dafa is based on the highest characteristic of the universe – Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Therefore through this activity, practitioners not only show their strong conviction, but also demonstrate the freedom and forbearance they enjoy in Taiwan. Especially in the context of the CCP’s more than two decade long persecution of Falun Dafa, practitioners in Taiwan are expressing the freedom to practice their belief, emphasize how precious universal human rights are and remind people to pay attention to the CCP’s human rights issues through the core values of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance.
Hsiao said, “The three characters – Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance – originate from moral concepts rooted in traditional Chinese culture, yet these values are being destroyed under the CCP’s rule.” He added, “In today’s world where morals have declined, humanity is losing hope. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance serve as a beacon of light, pointing the way for people to return to the origin. The world needs Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, so I hope more people get to know about Falun Dafa and its benefits through this grand display.”
Hopes More People Will See the Popularity of Falun Dafa
Wu Qingxiang, the practitioner who designed the images, said, “The Falun emblem formed this year is larger than prior years. The diameter of the wheel is 66 meters. Many main roads in Taipei are not as wide. Taiwan is a free, democratic society. We enjoy freedom of religious belief. Through the Internet, we can show more people how grand the display is and the popularity of Falun Dafa throughout the world.”
Wu Qingxiang, who began to practice Falun Dafa in 1995, added that the three characters Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance “surpass the binding force of laws in its requirements on people’s moral character because people will exploit legal loopholes for personal gain, no matter how many laws or police officers there are.
"Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are moral tenets inspiring one to be a more noble person. When people are virtuous, their health will improve tremendously. That’s why more and more people are practicing Falun Dafa all over the world.”
I Feel the Power of Faith
James Bao, an education expert from New York who came to Taiwan for the publication of his new book, saw the character formation for the first time. He said, “This is voluntary, a display of conviction.” He also said that it showed hm “the power of faith.”
James Bao was moved by the character formation.
James Bao, who was born in Shanghai, witnessed his father being arrested during one of the CCP’s political campaigns when he was three. His father was unjustly sentenced to life imprisonment when he was five. He witnessed the Cultural Revolution when he was in secondary school and saw the Red Guards robbing people. He knew how evil the CCP was and said people cannot imagine how brutal the regime can be.
He recalled returning to China in 2000 and seeing how a friend who practiced Falun Dafa and was a university lecturer became mentally unstable as a result of the persecution. He was greatly saddened. He thought that the character formation showed how wonderful Falun Dafa is, in stark contrast to the brutality of the persecution in China. He admires the power of faith and hopes this display will remind people not to have any illusions about the CCP.
Falun Dafa Can Bring World Peace
Cui Zhanggen, a writer from Korea, is a Catholic who previously studied in Taiwan for three years. He considers Taiwan his second home and received a Master’s degree from a university in Taiwan. He thought the character formation was “spectacular” and he posted photos of it online.
More than two decades ago, someone gave him a copy of the Nine Commentaries on the Chinese Communist Party. He said, “People should have freedom of belief, there is freedom of belief in Korea and Taiwan but not in China.” He also said because Falun Dafa teaches Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, it can bring world peace.
Cui Zhanggen from Korea feels Falun Dafa can bring peace to the world.
Tourists Introduced to Falun Dafa Through Character Formation
Matevs and Denis from Poland were vacationing in Taiwan. Denis said after seeing the display, “It’s interesting and colorful. It’s great to see so many people coming together to accomplish a goal. These people gathered for a common principle: Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.” Denis also said that he had heard of Falun Dafa in Prague and he knows about the persecution. When he learned that the practice is based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, he said, “These are core moral principles that are crucial to human lives.”
Matevs (left) and Denis learned about the persecution of Falun Dafa in China through the character formation.
Mark is an American who currently lives in Cambodia. He was holidaying in Taiwan with friends and family. He was surprised to learn that more than 5,000 people participated in the character formation. He said, “This feels calm, the colors are vibrant, it’s a majestic scene. It’s spectacular.” Mark also said because he often saw practitioners holding activities in Washington D.C., he knew about the persecution, “I know the importance of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.”
Mark (second from left), a tourist from America, was impressed by the character formation.
Lydia lives in Paris and was vacationing in Taiwan for 10 days. She described the display as “great feeling, magnificent.” This was the first time that she had heard of Falun Dafa, and she was surprised to learn there are practitioners in over 100 countries and regions. She was delighted to encounter the character formation and thought it was an excellent way to tell people about the persecution in China through the activity.
Lydia was delighted to see the display.
Relationship With Children Improved After Practicing Dafa
“It was raining intermittently as we formed the characters. It cleared up when we did the exercises, and the atmosphere was sacred and pure,” said Huang Shengjie, a former senior executive with a top insurance company from Hsinchu. He participated in the event with his parents and younger sister.
Huang Shengjie (left), his parents (middle) and younger sister (right) took part in the character formation.
Huang and his parents work in the insurance sector. Huang began practicing Falun Dafa in October 2021. He said that he used to work hard every day, hoping to earn a lot of money and quickly move up the ladder to a managerial role. After practicing Falun Dafa, his family members improved their character. Now, ten people and three generations of his family practice Falun Dafa, and they get along well with one another.
Huang said that in the past, he would become upset when he ran into problems and he handled things emotionally. There were also conflicts among family members. “The greatest change is that I learned to communicate with my children with kindness and to respect their wishes. Consequently, my relationship with them has improved.” Furthermore, his father quit his decades-long addiction to alcohol after he began practicing Falun Dafa. Previously he could not get rid of his addiction even though he followed other religions. Huang said, “The power of Dafa is remarkable!” after witnessing the change in his father.
He also said, “Living by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance helped me control my bad temper. I know I should do things slowly, and be calm and considerate when I encounter problems.”
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