(Minghui.org) Early in the morning of October 15, 2014, Kwesi Ames, Director of Global Site Reliability Engineering at SalesForce, looked out his office window from a tall building in San Francisco. He was greeted by a refreshing scene in the beautiful bay city – a fascinating large-scale group exercise in Sue Bierman Park. Attracted to the peaceful but powerful energy field generated by the activity, Mr. Ames left his office to find out what was going on.
One thousand five hundred Falun Gong practitioners of different ages and backgrounds were doing the Falun Gong exercises in a group. The exercise music was soothing and the energy was powerful, solemn and awe inspiring.
Kwesi Ames, Director of Global Site Reliability Engineering at SalesForce
After reading the introductory materials offered to him, Mr. Ames said, “I don't know how to cultivate myself, but I would like to learn Falun Gong and be one of them, because Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance are values that people rely on, and [they are] mechanisms that bring peace, love and happiness to the world.”
Falun Gong practitioners from around the world doing the exercises together on a beautiful morning in San Francisco
The group exercise practice preceded a Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference in San Francisco, attended by 4,000 practitioners from all over the world. The practitioners held a series of activities including group exercises, parades, and a rally in local parks, at City Hall and in Chinatown.
Despite the brutal persecution of Falun Gong launched in 1999 by former head of the Chinese Communist Party, Jiang Zemin, hundreds of millions of Falun Gong practitioners have continued to validate Falun Dafa's principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance through peaceful and rational resistance to the persecution. People of all walks of life in more than 100 countries enjoy the benefits of practicing Falun Dafa.
Several practitioners at the group exercise gathering shared their experiences and the reason that they practice Dafa.
Swedish “Pioneer of the Year” Winner
Swedish “Pioneer of the Year” winner Vasilios Zoupounidis and his wife
Telecom entrepreneur Vasilios Zouponidis was awarded the Business Pioneer of the Year by Swedish King Carl XVI Gustaf in 2011. Vasilios, his wife and his children traveled to the 2014 Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference in San Francisco and participated in the group exercises in the park.
Vasilios gives Falun Dafa the credit for his successful business. He told the reporter, “The Swedish King knew that I'm a Falun Gong practitioner. The whole award committee knew as well. The award recipient was selected from thousands of entrepreneurs. The reason I got the award was because I not only did what an entrepreneur does, but also helped people know about the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist regime.”
He shared how Falun Dafa has enriched his life. “Cultivation practice has improved my health and uplifted my spirit. I think more of others and have less stress. My family life is happier. My back pain, leg pain and stomach problem are gone. Even though I'm busy all day long, I feel at ease, happy and relaxed by practicing Dafa. As a businessman, I follow the principles of Dafa and treat my customers, employees, and business partners with a calm mind, sincerity, compassion and tolerance. I certainly hope that Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance become my business culture.”
A Successful Entrepreneur
Mr. Li Jianhui and his wife participate in a Falun Dafa parade in San Francisco.
Mr. Li Jianghui used to be a successful entrepreneur in Guangdong Province, China. Though his business brought him wealth, it didn't bring him happiness or help him understand the meaning of life. Mr. Li said, “After I started my cultivation in Falun Dafa, I gained a completely new understanding of life. I started following Falun Dafa's principles. My quality of life kept improving. I benefited so much from Dafa. No words can describe it. I'm very grateful to Master Li [the founder of Falun Dafa]!”
When the persecution of Falun Gong was launched, Mr. Li chose to step forward to clarify the facts of Falun Gong and help stop the persecution. After enduring four years of hardship due to persecution, he finally left China. Mr. Li doesn't regret his choice one bit, despite his financial loss, because he has gained the most valuable things in life: Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance.
The Backbone of His Company
Paul Grea doing the Falun Gong meditation
Twenty-four-year-old Paul Grea is the backbone of the financial department at his company. Both of the two owners of his company ask for Paul's opinion when facing difficult issues, because they know that Paul can tell what is best, according to the standards of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. The company owners are supportive of Paul's cultivation practice and give him time off to participate in Dafa activities.
Because of his deep interest in Chinese culture, Paul had been to Shanghai to study Chinese for a year. When he obtained information about Falun Dafa in San Francisco's Chinatown in February this year, he searched for related information online and started cultivation practice immediately.
Paul said, “I have read books by Lao Zi and Confucius, as well as Buddhist scriptures. I had been looking for something but I didn't know what. I read Zhuan Falun in one go at the computer, printed it out right away, and read it every day. I learned the exercises from the online teaching video. It was a beautiful experience. Practicing Falun Gong gives me enthusiasm about life. Falun Gong is my life.”
After practicing cultivation, Paul treats conflicts with a positive attitude. “I stopped pursuing this and that. I won't cover up my mistakes. They are opportunities for me to make improvements. People say that I'm easy to get along with. I no longer force my own opinion on others.”
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