(Minghui.org) Over the course of a 70-day trip in 2024, Christiane held over 27 Falun Dafa classes in remote rural villages in the regions of Kalimpong, Sikkim, Takdah, Lamahatta, and Darjeeling in northeast India.

India boasts a population of over 1.4 billion, of which nearly two-thirds live in villages dotted throughout the mountains, valleys, plateaus, deserts, and coasts across the subcontinent.

Despite the harsh weather and pouring rain, all the Falun Dafa sessions were successful, and nearly every organizer expressed their gratitude and support by issuing appreciation letters to honor Falun Dafa and its core values of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.

Christiane (middle) holds an appreciation letter from a school.

Kalimpong: Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance Left an Indelible Impression

Kalimpong is an east Indian hill town in the Himalayan foothills of West Bengal, perched on the ridge above the Teesta River. Located 4,101 feet above sea level, it was part of the famous Silk Road, which connected India with Tibet and China.   

In Kalimpong, four schools and one fitness club held Falun Dafa classes, where students learned the exercises, the tenets of its moral teachings, and about the persecution it currently suffers in China.

Students in the four schools in Kalimpong learn the Falun Dafa exercises.

Three sessions were held at the first school, a Tibetan school, and most of the students and staff attended even though it was exam time. The students learned about Falun Dafa’s three universal principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance and the exercises. Falun Dafa books, magazines, and other informational materials were gifted to the school library.

In a letter of appreciation letter from the school, it said that the sessions raised “awareness of the brutal human rights violations and inhumane suppression and persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners in China. Moreover, [Falun Dafa] bookmarks, fliers, pamphlets, and magazines were freely distributed among the students. We are truly thankful for the selfless services and generosity.”

Another school’s appreciation letter said that the session taught the students moral values and was conducted “with so much grace and dignity. The three magic words viz. ‘Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance’ [that were] inculcated through gentle exercises and meditation [have] left an indelible impression on all who attended.”

Christiane also visited the sub-divisional library to leave informational materials for their readers. The woman in charge of the library told her that the following day, representatives from over 20 libraries in the Kalimpong District were to meet there, and she said she would distribute the Falun Dafa materials to all of them.

News of Falun Dafa also spread by word-of-mouth among the residents. “One day, when I was out,” Christiane said. “A boy came over and told me that he’d told his mother about the Falun Dafa session that was held in his school. His mother then went online and had started to do the Falun Dafa exercises every morning.”

Visiting the Remote Regions of South Sikkim

After two weeks of sessions in Kalimpong, classes continued in Sikkim—the multi-ethnic Indian state that borders Tibet in the north, Bhutan in the east, Nepal in the west, and India’s West Bengal in the south.

Based on suggestions from several people, Christiane arrived at the Tibetan school in Sikkim’s town of Ravangla. They had told her that it would be wonderful if she could host her session at this school, and it seemed to her that the time to do this finally had arrived.

After hosting two sessions at the Tibetan school on the last day before summer vacation, she received a letter from the principal expressing heartfelt gratitude for her efforts to share Falun Dafa.

Students at the Tibetan school in Ravangla, Sikkim, learn the Falun Dafa exercises.

“All our staff and students were very happy to learn about Falun Dafa and its exercises. They really enjoyed it. The main aim of Falun Dafa [i.e.] to spread Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance were appreciated by my students and teachers,” the letter reads.

During her 15-day stay in Sikkim, Christiane also held a Falun Dafa session in a children’s home for girls and visited Sikkim’s Central Library of the National Institute of Technology (NIT) to donate Falun Dafa books and informational materials. Many people said they felt happy and refreshed after doing the Falun Dafa exercises. After one such session in a school, a teacher who assisted Christiane told her that his, “severe headache totally disappeared during the exercises.”

After Ravangla, Christiane visited a small village called Selep and stayed in a homestay. “Even here, in the ‘middle of nowhere,’ sessions in two schools were held, encouraged by the locals,” she said.

One of the principals expressed his appreciation for the “wonderful introduction” of Falun Dafa to the students, saying that the session had a, “significant impact on their well-being.” He also said that the instruction session, “provided [students] with valuable tools to navigate both their academic and personal lives.”

Another school principal wrote: “It was a pleasure to witness the enthusiasm and excitement that [the Falun Dafa] sessions brought to our students. […] The students were able to not only understand the importance of these values but also learn how to apply them in their daily lives.”

Takdah and Lamahatta: “A Deep Sense of Gratitude”

Christiane next visited Takdah Village. Takdah is a Lepcha term meaning “mist” or “fog,” and anyone who visits Takdah realizes how apt the name is. This village is spread out and surrounded by beautiful tea gardens.

Students at Takdah Village learn the Falun Dafa exercises.

Christiane recounted an “incredible” experience while she waited for a teacher but met a young woman who was a former student of another school. The woman insisted that she go and meet the principal to conduct a session. “Although a bit out of the way from Takdah to my next nearby destination of Lamahatta, I did meet this principal who then arranged two Falun Dafa sessions in his school.”

Letters of appreciation also came from schools at Takdah and Lamahatta, thanking Christiane for impressing upon their students to the importance of moral values and “the reality of life.”

A “deep sense of gratitude” was expressed in a thank-you letter from school in Takdah, adding that they were “very fortunate” to have a Falun Dafa session, which was attended by more than 150 students and five teachers.

The letter also said: “Falun Dafa is a lofty technique to heal the wounded mind through a series of gentle exercises and meditation. It also [aspires] to propagate … Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. A broken mind in today’s era of competence is like a wounded horse forced to race with others.  Hence, Falun Dafa is a good technique to mend the broken mind, [especially of] the students.”

A school in Lamahatta said the Falun Dafa sessions had a profound impact and significantly enhanced the students’ mental and emotional well-being, and that the session, “inspired many of us to embrace meditation as a meaningful part of our daily lives.”

Darjeeling and Kurseong

The scenic hill town of Darjeeling also hosted several Falun Dafa sessions.

The principal of a girls’ school where sessions were held in 2022 and 2023 again agreed to have another Falun Dafa session in 2024.

Students in Darjeeling learn the Falun Dafa exercises.

This school also issued an appreciation letter: “It gives us great pleasure to be connected to ‘Falun Dafa,’ which has given us all an opportunity to reach a peaceful state of mind. The sessions fostering Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance were highly instrumental in helping us attain a fresh mind-and-body connection, as well as encouraging us to be better human beings not only in word but also in deed. We thank [you] for providing us with beautiful sessions for the past three years  and anticipate more sessions in the future.”

In another girls’ primary school, a session was held in 2022, but the principal couldn’t attend due to other commitments. This time, she attended the first session, and when all the children and teachers had left after it concluded, the principal was reluctant to leave. Seeing this, Christiane asked her to watch a short video “Why did they kill my daddy?” about a Falun Dafa practitioner named Fadu whose father was killed in the ongoing persecution in China.

Alone in the huge hall, the principal watched the video. She later wrote a very moving letter that reads, in part: “We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude for your insightful presentation on Falun Dafa. … Thank you for helping us understand the principles and benefits of Falun Dafa. … We are grateful for the opportunity.”

Sonada and Kurseong

After Darjeeling, Christiane stayed two days in Sonada on the way to Kurseong and visited two schools and one college to arrange for future Falun Dafa programs.

Christiane’s last stop in this area was Kurseong, which was her first visit there. The footpath from the road up to the homestay was the most challenging ever, she said, because it was very slippery. She planned to only make contacts for future visits and to get acquainted with the area, but once again, destiny had other ideas.

“The mother of the homestay owner is a retired teacher, and she enthusiastically contacted several schools. We held Falun Dafa sessions in two of them. Unfortunately, the third school was in a low-lying area and had to close for a few days due to heavy rains,” she recalled.

Values That Cross Traditions

Christiane, 73, is originally from Germany. She said that, seeing Indians in villages respond to Falun Dafa and its universal principles really inspires her and is the reason she continues to go to remote villages year after year.

Summing up her nine-week trip, she said, “It was a truly inspiring experience how people of such diverse cultural and religious makeup can live peacefully and harmoniously together. People of all these backgrounds offered their selfless help to me in their own ways, making it possible to hold all these Falun Dafa sessions successfully,” she said.

Throughout the trip, there were many obstacles she had to overcome, and getting to each remote location was often very difficult. Yet, the villagers’ and students’ appreciation for Falun Dafa, and their faith that Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance can lead them in a positive direction brings her hope.

“The school principals had a natural affinity for the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. They were very sure these values would benefit their children,” said Christiane.