(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners in Sri Lanka participated in the annual Kandy Book Festival from June 26 to July 2, 2023. For seven days, practitioners introduced the main books of Falun Dafa to festival attendees, and many Sri Lankans showed great interest in learning about the practice and its meditative exercises.
Kandy is the second largest city in Sri Lanka. The Kandy Book Festival, which is Sri Lanka’s second largest book fair, brought in nearly 75,000 attendees this year. It was held in the Kandy City Centre, a large, modern shopping mall in Kandy.
Falun Dafa practitioners participated in the annual Kandy Book Festival from June 26 to July 2, 2023, where many attendees learned about Falun Dafa.
At the Falun Dafa booth, practitioners introduced the practice, which is based on the universal principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance, and provided information about the persecution of the practice in China—a persecution that has been going on for 24 years. Many Sri Lankans visited the booth to inquire about Falun Dafa books.
The practitioners’ booth at the festival was covered with colorful display boards that introduced the practice. A large television played a video of Master Li Hongzhi teaching the practice’s five sets of exercises, while Zhuan Falun, the practice’s main book of teachings, was displayed in Sinhala, Tamil and English.
Many people bought Falun Dafa books and left the practitioners’ booth with informational flyers and small origami lotus flowers to remind them of the practice’s values. Attendees also inquired into learning the five sets of exercises, with many stating that they would join practitioners at their local exercise site.
Book Fair Attendees Express Interest in Falun Dafa
Nawaneliye Wijethunga is a famous writer, book publisher, and senior lecturer at the Open University of Sri Lanka. He is the most-published author in Sri Lanka, with 310 books to his name.
Nawaneliye Wijethunga appreciates Falun Dafa for the health benefits and moral teachings.
Mr. Wijethunga first learned about Falun Dafa at the previous book fair in March of 2023. He learned the first three sets of exercises with his wife. He was happy to see the Falun Dafa practitioners again and came to the booth to express his gratitude. He also asked them to teach him the remaining two exercises.
After learning all the exercises, he expressed his approval of the practice’s three principles and of how the exercises can be done by “people from any race, caste, or religion, and by children or by the elderly.”
“If anyone joins this practice and does the Falun Dafa exercises,” Mr. Wijethunga said, “they can increase their health, improve their mental status and receive great benefits. My wife and myself joined this practice, obtained great benefits, and maintain healthy lives. I am 69 and this practice enables me to stay healthy.”
Damayanthi Darmarathna said that Falun Dafa can help relieve her stress.
Damayanthi Darmarathna, a school teacher, was also drawn to the practitioners’ booth at the book fair. After learning about the practice’s three principles and calming qualities, she said she believes that Falun Dafa could help her find balance in life. “Actually, when I saw this booth, the display arrangements, and when reading the detail boards, I [felt] that this was very valuable for me,” she said.
Being a teacher, Ms. Darmarathna said she felt very stressed after the COVID-19 pandemic. Curricula had to be covered in a shortened amount of time so that students could catch up, which was a challenge for both teachers and students. Due to the pressure, students would often act up in class, making things difficult for teachers. “I can find the solution for that [stress] in this practice and I hope to join the practice site,” she said.
She then invited practitioners to meet the principal at her school and introduce Falun Dafa at the school.
Chaminda Karunathilaka says that he will read Zhuan Falun after he gets home.
Chaminda Karunathilaka is a photographer who happened upon the Falun Dafa stand at the fair by accident. He was intrigued by Falun Dafa’s emphasis on the improvement of moral character in order to achieve physical health, and ultimately purchased a copy of Zhuan Falun so that he could read more about it.
“I feel like this practice is a really good practice for people who need to correct their lives, who have some sorrows in life, and [also] for the young generation,” said Mr. Karunathilaka. “This practice is suitable for any type of person in society. After I study Zhuan Falun, I hope to join the [practitioners in] future events.”
Chamila Weerasingha expresses gratitude for the practitioners.
Chamila Weerasingha is an Ayurvedic doctor. When he came to the booth and listened to practitioners explain the practice, he was surprised to find that practitioners teach the exercises as volunteers, free of charge.
He said that the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and five exercises of Falun Dafa are “good for all the people with busy lives in the current society,” because they can help people calm down and treat each other with kindness.
“I appreciate the practitioners who work voluntarily to spread the practice in the current society,” Weerasingha said.
Indira Sanjeewani thanks Falun Dafa practitioners.
Indira Sanjeewani, a university lecturer and counselor on psychological treatments, stopped by the booth to learn about Falun Dafa. She resonated with the practice’s values and described her time at the booth as a “wonderful life experience.”
“Today’s people [have] lost Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance and we need to assimilate to those universal principles [once again,]” she said. “We can develop those universal principles through this practice.”
Ms. Sanjeewani also hopes to join practitioners in their outdoor exercise sessions.
A New Practice Site Due to Increased Demand
New learners do the Falun Dafa exercises.
After all the requests they received at the Kandy Book Fair, local practitioners organized a new evening practice site starting from July 8 at Sahas Uyana Premises in Kandy. The site is in the middle of the city so learners can access it easily.
Six people joined the new practice site on July 8 and several others expressed their wish to come to the site the following week. Most of the learners had purchased Zhuan Falun at the book fair and had begun reading the book before coming to the practice site.
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