By a Minghui website correspondent
(Clearwisdom.net) Another warm spring has arrived. As everything on the earth starts reviving, here comes "World Falun Dafa Day," the most sacred holiday in millions of Falun Gong practitioners' hearts. On May 13, 2005, the sixth World Falun Dafa Day, practitioners from the Greater New York area gathered together once again to sincerely wish their benevolent great Master a Happy Birthday!
  Representative of Eastern U.S. Falun Dafa Association delivers a speech |   Practitioners from different nationalities congratulate the World Falun Dafa Day in their native languages |
The sky was clear and blue with light white clouds. There was a gentle breeze and the sunshine was bright. A constant stream of people came and went.
Falun Gong practitioners gathered at City Hall Park in downtown New York. They decorated an area with fresh flowers, balloons and banners. A big pink banner with blue words reading "May 13, World Falun Dafa Day" told people what day it was. Colorful balloons bounced in the wind and created a festive atmosphere.
Falun Dafa Practitioners Respectfully Wish Master a Happy Birthday and Celebrate World Falun Dafa Day
First, a Chinese and a western practitioner representing the Eastern Falun Dafa Association delivered speeches to respectfully wish benevolent great Master a Happy Birthday. One speaker stated, "On each May 13, no matter how busy we are, we remember to get together to celebrate with our hearts this most splendid and most sacred day in the entire universe to express our gratitude to Master and to spread the beauty of Dafa. On this day, we use our songs, dances, bright colors and fluent words to express our feelings that can't be expressed with any language."
"Six years ago, the 17 Falun Dafa Association across the world represented all Falun Dafa practitioners to jointly proclaim May 13, 2000 as the first 'World Falun Dafa Day'. In the difficult months that followed, we have used our actions to prove our choice: Our determination will never change, no matter what hardships we encounter. Having been through all these hardships, we deeply understand that although it has been hard for us to walk on this path, we have no regrets; although we have encountered all kinds of difficulties, we will always follow Master until the end."
  People passing by stop to share the joy with practitioners |   Proclamation issued by New York State officials |
Then five practitioners from different nationalities used their native languages including Japanese, Korean, Spanish, Russian and Hebrew to congratulate World Falun Dafa Day and extol the beauty of Falun Dafa.
New York State officials issue proclamations to praise Falun Dafa
Through practitioners' persistent truth-clarification efforts over the past six years, especially the nearly one year of anti-torture exhibits held in Manhattan, people from all circles in New York have some understandings about Falun Gong. Although the evil still manages to maintain its feeble existence, the world's people have become more and more clearheaded. Government officials from different levels in New York issued a proclamation to congratulate "World Falun Dafa Day".
Congressman Edolphus Towns from the 10th district of New York State issued a proclamation to honor the World Falun Dafa Day. The proclamation stated that Falun Dafa, which is based on the principles, "Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance, has helped thousands of New Yorkers to improve their lives. Mr. Towns also congratulated the 13th anniversary of the worldwide spread of Falun Dafa and the 6th World Falun Dafa Day. He supported practitioners in calling on all people to help stop the persecution of Falun Gong in China.
New York State Senator Carl Andrew from the 20th district sent a congratulatory letter stating that the spread of Falun Dafa inside and outside China has proved its profound spiritual value.
N. Nick Perry, New York State Assemblyman from the 58th district issued a proclamation praising Falun Dafa.
City council member Allan W. Jennings, Jr. from the 28th district in New York City sent a congratulatory letter and expressed his sincere best wishes to the celebration.
Practitioners demonstrate the Falun Gong exercises
Nearly 10 Chinese and western practitioners demonstrated the Falun Gong exercises. The practitioners' demeanor was peaceful and solemn, their movements were orderly and elegant. The energy field was pure and wonderful. Quite a few people stopped to watch their performance.
  Exercise demonstration |   Dance performance |
Extolling Master's grace with songs and dances
There are many practitioners with abilities and talents. Well-known vocalist Ms. Jiang Min sang two songs, "Celebration" and "Vows" to express practitioners' gratitude toward Master for his benevolent and painstaking salvation, as well as practitioners' determined will. Soprano Julie sang two English songs, "Compassionate Calling" and "Coming for You" to tell people to cherish this rare opportunity of millions of years.
A professional dancer, Tysan, presented a dance solo "Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva" which expressed the Bodhisattva's boundless compassion and painstaking efforts to save sentient beings.
People passing by stopped from time to time to share the joyful festivities with practitioners.
  Exercise Instruction |   Exercise Instruction |
City Hall Park is close to Chinatown. Chinese people who passed by also stopped to find out what was going on. A group young boys and girls kept taking pictures and copied practitioners' movements during the exercise demonstration. Therefore, practitioners gave exercise instructions right on the spot and told people to keep it in their hearts that "Falun Dafa is good."
Statement on World Falun Dafa Day by New York Falun Dafa Practitioners
On this day, thirteen years ago, in a humble school house in a corner of northeast China, a teaching was first introduced to the public that has since transformed the lives of tens of millions of people the world over.
That teaching was Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong. It is an exercise and meditation discipline with roots in ancient Chinese culture. The practice takes the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance to be the fundamental nature of our universe and human life. Students of the practice aim to embody these principles in their daily lives.
Since its humble beginnings in China thirteen years ago, Falun Dafa has transcended cultural and national boundaries, enabling people around the world to eliminate negative tendencies, allowing that which is virtuous and noble in the human spirit to manifest.
From South Africa to New York City; Indonesia to Brazil; Tokyo to Berlin, Falun Dafa is now practiced and taught for free in over 70 countries around the world. The books of Falun Dafa have been translated into more than 30 languages.
Tragically, beginning almost six years ago, a few Chinese Communist Party leaders saw Falun Gong's emphasis on high morals and clean living as a threat to their political power, which thrived on corruption, suppression and killing. Falun Gong was, therefore, targeted with a suppression campaign that is unprecedented in scope and horrifying in its execution.
To date, over 42,000 cases of severe abuse or torture of Falun Gong practitioners in Chinese prison camps and detention centers have been documented. Thousands are dead. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, languish in labor camps and detention centers throughout China. Brainwashing centers have been established all across the country to use psychological and physical torture to destroy people's beliefs and implant the CCP doctrine into their hearts and minds... a process often leaving people psychologically devastated and many dead.
Yet, out of the dark shadow of this persecution, another, less reported story has emerged: One of broad compassion and unheard of resilience. The 100 million people who practice Falun Gong in China have maintained a peaceful, grass roots movement to end the suppression, and done so under the constant threat of extreme violence, loss of livelihood or death.
Ironically, the story of these courageous individuals perhaps best exemplifies the strength, dignity and compassion forged in the human heart of those who cultivate in themselves Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance.
Thus, on this day - the Sixth Annual World Falun Dafa Day - we wish to recognize and celebrate the tremendous physical health and spiritual well-being given to millions by the practice of Falun Dafa. We wish to offer our heart-felt gratitude to the founder of Falun Dafa, Mr. Li Hongzhi, for making this practice public and freely available to all. And we wish to offer solemn praise and our solidarity to the millions in China who, in the face of on-going horrors, continue to adhere to the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance against all odds and adversity.
