Throughout the activities over the four days at the Washington, DC Conference (Fahui), there were many interesting little stories among practitioners, who attended from all over the world. We have selected a few of them to share with all of you.
1. American policemen wanted to read "Zhuan Falun"
This conference was organized to remember the anniversary of "July 20, 1999." For this reason, many practitioners from all over the world gathered on the front lawn and open space in front of the Chinese Embassy. Due to the number of people, three to four police cars parked along the curb in order to provide for public safety and maintaining social order. Approximately eight police officers could be seen patrolling the perimeter. Some of them chatted with practitioners while observing their activities.
During the next two days from July 20-21, there were numerous activities which kept things busy, yet orderly. Of the several hundred people there, some quietly read books and studied the Fa, while others peacefully practiced the meditation exercises. Several dozen bulletin boards were set up neatly along the curbside to introduce Falun Gong and report the facts about Falun Gong activities. Some practitioners took the responsibility to hold up the large banners. They stood for several hours under the hot sun. Afterwards, others would come to relieve them; all of this was done very cooperatively and thoughtfully. Towards the end of each day's activities, there were practitioners cleaning up and sweeping the premises. Everything was cleaned up completely. All these subtleties were observed by the police officers. On the evening of July 21, the daily activities wound down and practitioners were leaving one by one. While several practitioners were collecting flyers and banners, two police officers came up to some practitioners. The practitioners thought perhaps something was not done properly and the officers were checking up on them. Unexpectedly, these officers politely asked: "Do you still have the books and videotapes? Could you loan them to us so we can read and watch them?" Practitioners immediately gave them some, as well as contact numbers in case they had further questions or needed assistance. They chatted with the practitioners for awhile. The two of them touchingly said that they had been patrolling that area for quite some time, but it was the first time they encountered "protesters" who were so peaceful, quiet, and did not make any public disturbance or use violence. They wanted to know what were the great powers within the book "Zhuan Falun" that offered self- discipline to so many people.
Due to the Anniversary Memorial activities, which lasted from 8am until about 10pm , lunch and dinner were provided on the lawn and open space in front of the Chinese Embassy. Some DC practitioners took the responsibility of getting the box meals and fast food. Everyone stood in a line to buy the meal. They exchanged their cultivation experiences while eating. Some practitioners prepared large plastic garbage bags for the disposable items. There was one young man, a very tall Western practitioner, who was well-mannered and wearing glasses. He held a plastic garbage bag, and silently walked around picking up rubbish and used napkins from the ground. Under the hot, midday sun, he was really perspiring.
This story was relayed to me by some other practitioners. As Russia was undergoing a very harsh economic hardship, their political clout on the international scene no longer compared to the old Soviet Union days. Many Russians seemed to be searching for something better than a life spent facing the harsh reality in their country. One veteran practitioner found out that many Russians had learned and adopted Falun Dafa without any hesitation or difficulty. Quite a few of Master Li's books had already been translated into Russian. Especially the Russian translation of "Lunyu" (statement of comments) at the beginning of the book "Zhuan Falun." Apparently it was translated very well and had a powerful effect. Many Russian practitioners cried while reading "Lunyu".
On the evening of July 21, some practitioners from Taiwan organized a banquet to introduce and present Dafa. They invited many people from different communities. Surprisingly, the number of people who came to the banquet exceeded the organizer's original expectations. Originally they reserved 33 tables, with each table set up to accommodate ten people. Quickly they discovered that the reservations were not enough. Responsible practitioners started making extra arrangements with the restaurant owner right away. On the other hand, many practitioners who arrived early, were already seated and ready for the meal, gave up their seats. They made their seats available to arriving, non-practitioners. Some DC practitioners also gave up their seats to practitioners coming from overseas or out-of-state. Others simply left quietly, went somewhere else and grabbed a bite. At the official conference on July 22, a similar occurrence took place. Earlier organizers expected only a few hundred people to attend, but over one thousand people came instead. So, conference areas were quickly expanded and additional chairs were added. Some practitioners quietly found some corner, sat on the floor, and listened during the entire conference.
On July 22, after the official closing of the Conference, from 7pm to 11pm was the time set aside for free exchange among practitioners. There was one Western Practitioner, who spoke good Mandarin, who received a lot of attention. He was from Austria and had practiced Falun Dafa for five years. He currently works in Beijing. He had made a special trip to DC to attend the Conference. He said many people in China were well informed, with a clear understanding, about Falun Gong. People there were really fed up with the endless propaganda by the Chinese government. This Western practitioner also believed that the Chinese government was most afraid that Falun Gong practitioners could give up their lives for their belief. When someone asked him whether he believed the Chinese government persecution will fail, he calmly replied: "They already failed."
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