Along the scenic coastline of Santa Monica Beach, hundreds of Falun Dafa adherents wearing yellow shirts gathered to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the spiritual practice’s introduction to the public.
World Falun Dafa Day falls annually on May 13, the day the spiritual practice Falun Dafa—also known as Falun Gong—was introduced to the public in China in 1992. This year, it is also the 72nd birthday of the practice’s founder Mr. Li Hongzhi.
At the May 7 celebration, local Falun Gong adherents shared the practice, its core principles of truthfulness, compassion, and forbearance, and the physical and mental benefits they gained.
Hundreds of Falun Dafa adherents wearing yellow shirts celebrate the spiritual practice in Santa Monica, Calif., on May 7, 2023. (Alex Lee/The Epoch Times)
The 21-year-old Fangwei Xu, who started practicing with her mother at the age of three, was one of them.
“[The principles were like] a seed planted in my heart since I was little. Since I started the practice, I always tried to be truthful, compassionate, and tolerant in my words and deeds, and I would not say things that might hurt others,” Xu told The Epoch Times.
However, during her teenage years, Xu stopped practicing because of academic pressure until she saw growing conflicts between her peers in high school. She said she started to question whether human beings are supposed to take advantage of each other to get ahead in life.
Falun Gong practitioner Fangwei Xu joins the Falun Dafa Day celebration in Santa Monica, Calif., on May 7, 2023. (Alex Lee/The Epoch Times)
Her mother told her to find answers in “Zhuan Falun,” the main book of Falun Gong’s teachings.
“I found the answers I had been looking for. [The book] untied the knots in my heart,” she said. “I become more compassionate and considerate toward people. I became content and peaceful. When my peers were confused about their future, I already had a clear goal.”
A scientific programmer at Caltech, Martin Beroiz, also shared how the practice changed his life.
Originally from Argentina, Beroiz received a Falun Gong flyer in 2005 and started to practice. At the time, he said, he was hitting rock bottom mentally due to anxiety and pressure from work.
After a while, he said, he found that his mind became clearer, and he no longer felt depressed or helpless handling intensive work. His family also saw the change in him and started practicing.
“My mother is in her 70s now ... and she had her illnesses cured [after picking up the practice]. She’s very well physically,” he said.
Falun Gong practitioner Martin Beroiz joins the Falun Dafa Day celebration in Santa Monica, Calif., on May 7, 2023. (Alex Lee/The Epoch Times)
Beroiz said his relationship with his family members also improved.
“I used to have a lot of arguments with them, but now the relationship … is so much more peaceful. Even though we may have an argument here and there, all of us know how to stop and not escalate too much,” he said.
Beroiz said he believes that by becoming a better person, everyone can change society and make the world a much better place for the generations to come.
Hundreds of Falun Dafa adherents wearing yellow shirts celebrate the spiritual practice in Santa Monica, Calif., on May 7, 2023. (Alex Lee/The Epoch Times)
Linda Jiang contributed to this report.
