(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners gathered at the Acropolis of Athens to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day and the 70th birthday of Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa, on May 15, 2021.
Practitioners celebrate World Falun Dafa Day by demonstrating the five sets of Falun Dafa exercises at the Acropolis in Athens.
The Acropolis is a situated in Athen's city center and is considered the birthplace of Western civilization. Endless streams of onlookers and tourists who were passing by were attracted by the practitioners’ serene and peaceful exercises. Many people stopped to read the poster boards or chat with practitioners, and some people took pictures.
Greece was placed under one lockdown after another for almost a year due to the coronavirus pandemic. The lockdowns have finally been lifted, and tourists are now able to enter the country.
Locals observe Falun Dafa practitioners' awareness activities.
Falun Dafa practitioners talk with local residents.
Dimitris, 24, passed by with several of his friends from college. After receiving a flier, he and his friends asked practitioners for more information. They were shocked to learn about the Chinese Communist Party’s brutal persecution of Falun Dafa. The young men all study economics and know about the CCP’s infiltration through investments all over the world. They were grateful to practitioners for informing them about the persecution, especially since major media outlets have not reported on the issue.
Dimitris (right) and his classmates hold paper lotus bookmarks with the words “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” written on them.
Constantinos, Dimitris’ classmate, said that he was very interested in Chinese culture and had been learning the Chinese language for about three years. He recognized many of the Chinese characters written on a banner that read “Falun Dafa is good” but was unable to comprehend the meaning of it. He asked, “What is Dafa? Isn't it cultivation of yin and yang?” The practitioner explained the srivatsa symbol and then showed him the Falun emblem. Constantinos recognized the srivatsa 卍 sign.
The practitioner explained that yin and yang belong to the Tao School and that the srivatsa sign belongs to the Buddha School. The Falun emblem is a miniature of the universe and it is constantly rotating. The Falun embodies both the Buddha School and the Tao School, so the practice is called Falun Dafa, the practitioner explained.
Constantino asked, “Dafa is very good and Falun Dafa practitioners all look very peaceful. Why is the CCP persecuting Falun Dafa?” The practitioner explained, "The CCP is atheist and Falun Dafa is a spiritual practice that asks people to live by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. These ideals are the complete opposite of the CCP’s ideology, so the regime tries to destroy Falun Dafa by spreading propaganda and deceiving the Chinese people."
Constantino said in Chinese, “I don’t know how to express myself, but the CCP is too evil.” He wished practitioners all the best.
After learning about the CCP’s brutal persecution of Falun Dafa practitioners, a Greek woman became very upset. She expressed interest in learning Falun Dafa and inquired about local group exercise sites. She took a paper lotus flower bookmark with the words “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.”
A Greek woman holds up a paper lotus flower bookmark with the words “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.”
Falun Dafa practitioners and the exercise music gave people a feeling of calmness and peacefulness at the busy tourist site. A man stood in front of the practitioners for a while and said, “They look so peaceful!” He said the scene left a deep impression on him.
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