(Minghui.org) Falun Gong practitioners from across Australia gathered in Sydney on Saturday, October 26, 2024, prior to their annual cultivation experience sharing conference. They set up information booths in the city center, demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises, introduced the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and raised awareness about the ongoing persecution in China.

Many visitors and tourists stopped to watch practitioners demonstrating the peaceful Falun Gong exercises, and many accepted informational materials and signed a petition calling for an end to the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution. People praised the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. People also condemned the CCP’s persecution of innocent people.

Practitioners demonstrate the exercises in front of Customs House in Sydney.

People learn about Falun Gong and sign the petition to support the practitioners’ effort to call for an end to the persecution.

Practitioners do the exercises in front of the Sydney Town Hall.

People learn about Falun Gong and sign the petition to show their support in front of the Sydney Town Hall.

Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Guides People to Move in the Right Direction

Jack signs a petition to support Falun Gong practitioners’ efforts to end the persecution in China.

A young tourist named Jack from Northern Australia said that it was the first time he had heard of Falun Gong. “I think it is pretty cool to see people practicing the exercises in the park. It’s something different, especially in this area; it’s a good spot to show it. You can see a lot of people taking a look and wanting to know what it’s about, so I think it's a pretty good thing.”

After learning about the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong, Jack said, “I think it is very wrong and it’s important for people to know about it [the CCP’s state-sanctioned forced organ harvesting], and it’s definitely something that needs to be changed.”

Jack was impressed by Falun Gong’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance and said these principles can guide people in the right direction. “I think especially these days they’ve probably been forgotten a lot between people. It’s definitely something that should be brought forward more,” he said.

He continued sharing his understanding, “Why? We need the truth. I think we just need the Truth. I think these days there are too many cover-ups and it’s time for the truth to just get out and people can feel safer about what they want to do, and I think we need to move into that direction in the future.”

“Personally, I am a big on compassion and it needs to be for everyone, and it needs to be around the world more, especially with the times that are happening now. I really think that compassion is something that we need to live by a lot more in our lives. Tolerance for differences, we need to be more inclusive of people around,” he said.

“Truthfulness, Compassion, and Tolerance are very important and good standards and it’s important for every person,” Jack said. “I like meditating and I will have a look at the exercises later.”

“We must stop the persecution”

Ahmed Raiyan

Ahmed Raiyan from Bangladesh is a student at Melbourne RMIT, who had traveled to Sydney. He chatted with a practitioner about the CCP’s persecution of Falun Gong. “It is a really bad thing and I think it should stop. That’s why I signed the petition. Good luck to you guys for taking these steps. Good on you, and I hope it succeeds,” Ahmed said.

Ahmed thought highly of Falun Gong’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. “They are good principles and all three things are important. I think it makes you a better person at the end of the day. I think everyone should try to practice and follow them,” he said.

Edward (first on the left)

Edward, an engineer from Melbourne, said the persecution makes him angry. “I don’t understand why people should be persecuted in the first place. It’s crazy to think that [forced organ harvesting] is happening over there. It’s oppression. Stop doing it, China.”

Samson Espinoza from the Philippines

Samson Espinoza from the Philippines had not heard about Falun Gong before. He signed the petition after he learned about the CCP’s 25-year persecution of the practice. “I can see Falun Gong is peaceful, and I need to share this with my colleagues and my friends,” he said.

He also said, “Of course we have the right to follow our beliefs because we are human beings. We need to tell the world that the persecution is not the right thing. We need to stop it.”