(Minghui.org) The Mind Body Spirit Festival was held at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Center from November 15 to 17, 2024, and the Falun Dafa booth drew many visitors.

The Mind Body Spirit Festival is Australia’s largest and oldest health expo, and is held twice a year in Melbourne. There were nearly 200 booths this year. An endless stream of people visited the Falun Dafa booth during the three-day exhibition, and talked with practitioners.

Practitioners participated in the Mind Body Spirit Festival in Melbourne, held November 15 to 17, 2024.

Irene and Agapitos heard about Falun Dafa during the COVID pandemic lockdown, attended an online class, and bought Zhuan Falun. After seeing practitioners at the exhibition, they decided to join the group practice.

Irene said, “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are really wonderful principles to live by and the world could do with more [of them].”

Agapitos, who understands the nature of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), explained why he was interested in Falun Dafa. He said, “If the CCP hates Falun Dafa so much, then it must be a really good practice.”

The couple lives in a Chinese community in Melbourne and they both expressed an interest in going to the local practice site to do the exercises. Irene said, “I started to practice online when the COVID-19 lockdown was in place and we couldn’t go out. Now that I can go to the practice site, I’m really looking forward to it; we live in Box Hill so the practice site is really close to us.”

Visitors Like Falun Dafa

Maraki likes Falun Dafa.

Maraki said she was drawn to the Falun Dafa booth and the bright yellow T-shirts worn by practitioners. “I love the yellow, I was so attracted to it and the energy.”

She also participated in the online Falun Dafa exercise classes during the pandemic, and said the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance resonated with her.

She said that during the pandemic lockdown she learned to practice Falun Dafa online, and the experience changed her life. “I’m looking forward to actually reading the book Zhuan Falun again. It’s been a couple of years since I watched the Falun Dafa lectures online but if I [had the book] I could read on the train.

“I need a daily practice, so this is a morning practice that I can do every day. It’s also a beautiful way to settle myself down and go a little slower,” said Maraki.

Keren said Falun Dafa suits her.

Keren first heard about Falun Dafa at the exhibition, and was impressed to learn about the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. She said, “These principles are good and they align with what I believe in, and what I’m looking for.”

After talking with practitioners, she learned about the CCP’s brutal persecution and how Falun Dafa has spread around the world in the past 25 years. Keren was happy to learn that there’s a Falun Dafa practice site in a park in the center of Melbourne, not far from her home. “I’m going to have a look at it. I need a way to start meditating, but I haven’t found the proper way. I’ve been looking at YouTube so I’m very pleased with this practice.”

Milla (first on left) and Hannah (first on right) take a group photo with two practitioners.

Sisters Milla and Hannah were happy to meet and talk with practitioners. Milla said, “Falun Dafa is amazing, and I’d like to try. I was looking to do something different and this looks wonderful.”

She went on to say that it was amazing that people of all races and backgrounds can practice. “For us, people in the world are essentially the same human beings, and we all need to think about the meaning of being human.”

They admired the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Milla said the world needs to return to tradition, and that, “People need more love and more respect. Families should come together and emphasize the preciousness of the family. It’s most important for all of us to be better people. But at the moment we are separated. Families are separating and not coming together. They are looking for more money and just pursuing money. Humanity has become so selfish and inconsiderate of each other. We need to change that. I think the principles of Falun Dafa can change that.”

They said they would go to the practice site near their home and learn the Falun Dafa exercises.