(Minghui.org) To celebrate May 13, World Falun Dafa Day, and the 31st anniversary of Falun Dafa’s public introduction, Falun Dafa practitioners in Greater Los Angeles held a celebration at Santa Monica Beach on May 7, 2023.

Practitioners’ peaceful exercises to soothing music on a gorgeous sunny beach drew the attention of many tourists. Some took pictures and videos of the celebration. Some wanted to learn Falun Dafa.

Falun Dafa practitioners in Greater Los Angeles hold celebrations on Santa Monica Beach.

Falun Dafa group exercise

Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day.

Falun Dafa practitioner Ms. Xu Fangwei

Twenty-one-year-old Xu Fangwei, who grew up in China, learned Falun Dafa at the age of three. “We listened to Master Li’s (Dafa’s founder) lecture recordings before bedtime every day. The principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance were rooted in my heart,” Fangwei said. “I learned to follow these principles and never hurt anyone.”

As she grew older, she got buried by the heavy school workload and stopped cultivating. She felt lost, “My classmates in high school tricked each other and retaliated against each other. I didn’t feel it was right. Mom told me to study the Fa, which would be able to answer all my questions.”

After she came to the U.S., Fangwei started reading Zhuan Falun again after serious consideration. “I found the answers I had been looking for. They are the keys to unlocking my heart. I become calm, more tolerant, and thoughtful of others. Though my friends are more and more confused about their future, I feel that my goal has never been so clear. I’m grateful for Master’s compassion!”

Falun Dafa practitioner Dr. Martin Beroiz

Dr. Martin Beroiz, a scientific programmer, has been practicing Falun Dafa since 2005 when he was filled with anxiety and stress. After he started practicing Falun Dafa, he found his mind become clear, and he no longer felt anxious or nervous. It also changed his way of dealing with people. “Instead of arguing, I would stop and start looking within for any problem I had.”

After witnessing Martin’s changes, his 70-year-old mother started practicing Falun Dafa too. She has been healthy given her self-cultivation.

Mr. Xu Mingdao feels he started a new life once he began to cultivate in Dafa.

Mr. Xu Mingdao told the reporter that he had grown up chasing fame and fortune. As a teenager, he only wanted to make a big fortune. To do that, he was willing to give up everything, including morality. He felt more lost after he came to the U.S. and struggled to find his true self. “I realized that I had become a person that I hated.”

Mingdao started reading many books about energy exercises and accidentally found Falun Dafa. He started cultivating himself according to Dafa and felt as if he'd been pulled out of a swamp. “I have let go of my attachment to personal interests and feel that I have been reborn. I won’t give up my life principles for fame and fortune,” he said. “I thank Master for his guidance!”