(Minghui.org) Practitioners held several events in Medellín on the day before the Sixth Colombia Falun Dafa Experience-Sharing Conference on November 12, 2023. They told people about Falun Dafa and called for an end to the ongoing persecution in China. Medellín is the second-largest city in Colombia. Practitioners from different parts of Colombia and from Spain, the Netherlands, Aruba, Venezuela, and other countries participated in the activities.
Practitioners did the exercises together at the Poblado Metro Station, one of the city’s busiest transportation hubs. They talked about Falun Dafa to passersby and told them how practitioners have been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) since 1999. During a candlelight vigil at the Terminal del Sur Shopping Centre, people learned how practitioners in China are being persecuted, including having their organs removed while they are still alive. Many people said they were shocked.
Freelance Writer: Inner Peace
Luis, a freelance writer, talked with a practitioner about Falun Dafa. He said that by watching them do the exercises, he could tell the practice could bring a person inner peace.
He was impressed with their determination to uphold their faith and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, despite intense pressure. “In our society, many people are sometimes over-worried about how other people look at them, but Falun Dafa practitioners are different,” he said. He said it is important to do the right thing.
He also expressed an interest in trying out Falun Dafa for himself. “I believe that at some other time I might be encouraged to learn this practice in order to seek enlightenment and peace,” he added.
Nurturing the Mind
Uriel Gil, who is retired, said this was the first time he’d heard of Falun Dafa. He said he was attracted to the soothing music and gentle movements as practitioners did the exercises, and that watching them made him feel calm. He thinks the practice can improve a person’s mind and body.
He said Falun Dafa is important because it can make our lives meaningful, and that “It is spiritual nourishment.”
Young People: A Better Society
Three young stockbrokers—Stiven Díaz, 28; Laura Gómez, 26; and Michael Londoño, 20—were happy to learn about Falun Dafa, especially the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. They said society would benefit if more people lived according to these principles.
Díaz said that Falun Dafa could help people calm down. Gómez said the exercises were very peaceful and she was interested in learning them. Londoño said he thought the practice could improve one’s health and calm one’s mind.
Gómez added that people nowadays often lack tolerance, and she felt that practicing Falun Dafa could help people be more calm.
Candlelight Vigil
During the candlelight vigil, passersby admired the melodious music and stopped to ask for more information. Some of them were interested in learning what Falun Dafa is and about the persecution in China.
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 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 organisation 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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