by An Australian Falun Dafa practitioner
Upon missing out on the chance of participating in our local Ingleburn Festival, we were determined to make up for it by having a stall at the Campbelltown City Festival just a month later, to show the beauty of the practice to the local community.
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When I rung the organiser of the event I was fortunate to find out that there was one last site available for booking by a community group. From what the organiser said, I could see that I needed to help improve his understanding of the practice.
So a site was granted to the local Falun Dafa practitioners, but with a few conditions; that we would promote only the practice, we don’t hand out flyers, we were there for three days from 9am to 8pm at night and the site had to be well decorated. This was a big task for a couple of people with only a few days to go.
We shared about the event with a few practitioners and soon all the help we needed just materialised. Using all at our disposal and borrowing a few pictures we decorated the site beautifully, and after a few re-arrangements the table cloth became a high flying banner and the banner became the table cloth! With some friendly help from our neighbours on the site next to us the banner with “Truth, Compassion and Forbearance” was flying high for all to see. Scattered with paper lotus flowers the site was pleasing to the eye of passers-by, much to the satisfaction of the organiser. The people were captivated by the beauty of the paper lotus flowers, as the practitioner’s energy covered the site while they practiced their meditative exercises. Some just stood and looked on with their hearts touched, a part of their nature stirred by the elegance and mystical nature abound.
People asked for the paper lotus flowers, that had truth, compassion and forbearance inscribed on them. Soon we could not keep up with making new flowers as the demand was too great. A few of these flowers found their way into the Art Exhibit Room!
A couple of children came to learn the exercises, a husband and wife demanded to sign the petition condemning the persecution and a stranger organised for a flood light to be installed above our site, illuminating it with a bright glow.
The attendants of the origami stall wanted to learn how to make our flowers, we donated them some of our golden coloured paper, in return they taught us how to make bunny rabbits out of paper, and proceeded to tell how the park we practice our weekly exercises in was donated by a city in Japan.
People came to share their experiences and understandings well into the evening.
Dawn broke and Day Two began. Soon the crowds built up for the main day of the three day festival.
The site was re-arranged a little to make it easier for people to see our extensive photo display. The photos were moved right up to the front and while trying to pin up a big banner on the back wall a neighbouring stall holder ran out for assistance with a new pack of thumb tacks. I thanked her sincerely for her timely generosity. After seeing the entertainment organiser it was clear that we should be in the parade. Although we were only few, we had two big banners. This made it easy for the MC to spot us and announce to everyone our practice and the principles of Truth, Compassion and Forbearance. Luckily the rain held out and only after the parade finished did it shower down.
One of the practitioner’s young sons was keen to hand out leaflets to people and did it really well, everyone looked down at the child with surprise and no one refused a pamphlet from him.
The flowers and exercises continued to dazzle onlookers for the remainder of the event, the few days being a success due to the participation and best conduct of the local and regional Falun Dafa practitioners.
Posting date: 28/Apr/2003
Original article date: 27/Apr/2003
Category: Events
