As part of a week of World Falun Dafa Day celebrations in New York City, hundreds of people gathered in Central Park on May 10 to do the exercises together. Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) is mind-body practice—in addition to practicing 5 gentle exercises, practitioners attempt to live their lives according to 3 core principles: Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance. Some people at Central Park on Saturday morning were asked: “Why do you practice Falun Gong?”
Tom McGrath, 61, IT Senior Manager, New Jersey
“Because I feel it provides me answers for things I’ve always been looking for. I started understanding things that I never understood before. I really felt like Falun Dafa really brings me to what I want and what I need as far as spiritual enlightenment and growth goes. I used to have a bed temper, but since practicing, that is gone. I take things much easier now. I really try to develop a more compassionate view towards people, towards everyone. As I develop more compassion, other things just melt away and I just don’t have that anger anymore.”
Chidra Devnani, 55, Housemaker, India
“I looked for various things in my life and meanwhile I started suffering also, with arthritis and back pain. [When] I came upon Falun Dafa, I just thought that my back ache would get cured. But when I started reading Zhuan Falun [main book of Falun Dafa], all my questions were answered and I felt that this was the right path. When I was suffering from back ache, the doctors told me it is not curable, ‘You won’t get back again your health.’ But [after] practicing Falun Dafa, it was just one week and I was fine—I didn’t get back pain again. I was a person who would get irritated a lot. I was pretty angry person. Because of my pain, my mind was always disturbed. When I started practicing Falun Dafa I noticed the change that I wasn’t getting angry.”
Derong Zhang (L), 50, Flower Arrangement Teacher, Flushing, Queens
(translated by her son) “Before I practiced Falun Gong my body was unhealthy. Eighty percent of my body was burned in a gas explosion. My sister introduced Falun Gong to me and told me that practicing Falun Gong makes you healthy. A doctor said I needed plastic surgery, but after I practiced Falun Gong my skin healed in a few days. Before I practiced Falun Gong I was very selfish. Now I’m more sympathetic to other people. Everything I do is for other people, rather than for myself.”
Anne Sun, 38, Software Developer, New Jersey
“At first I didn’t know what Falun Gong was, but when I did the exercises following the pictures in the book, I felt very strong energy. I felt it was amazing. And very quickly my chronic illnesses were healed by practicing Falun Gong. That’s how I started. I followed the Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance and then I became brighter and followed the way to become happy and relaxed.”
Scott Li, 31, Finance Analyst, Elmhurst, Queens
“I practice because I was interested in spiritual truth and qigong and I continue to practice because I find the principles good. I feel more clear-minded and see life in a different view. More energy, less stress. [My family and friends] noticed I’m more laid back, I guess.”