Finnish Newspaper Reports on Falun Dafa Exercise Demonstration (picture)

On April 7 2003, Finnish newspaper Pohjolan Sanomat published an article, entitled “Cultivation of Mind and Body”, that was about a Falun Dafa exercise demonstration. The article revealed how people learn to practise the Falun Dafa exercises in the town of Kemi's Cultural Centre on a Saturday afternoon. One lady praised Falun Dafa and told the reporter how learning the exercises made her feel good. A practitioner talked to the newspaper about the brutal persecution of Falun Dafa in China.

The article went on to reveal how Falun Dafa was introduced to China by Master Li Hongzhi in 1992 and soon had millions of practitioners. It also said that Falun Dafa is different from other Qigong practices because it emphasises the improvement of one’s moral standard, as well as one’s physical health. One practitioner told the newspaper “We strive to live according to the principles of ‘Truth, Compassion, Tolerance’,” and the article revealed that this improvement comes about through reading the principles of Falun Dafa in Master Li’s book Zhuan Falun, available for free download on the Internet.

The article finished by stating that everyone is free to learn the five sets of Falun Dafa exercises that purify and relax the body and include slow stretching exercises, as well as a sitting meditation. The article said that there are no mind techniques or breathing methods involved in Falun Dafa, and one lady told the reporter how she felt energy whilst learning the exercises. The newspaper finished its article by stating “practitioners of Falun Dafa want to emphasise that cultivation practice is not a religion or a sect. Practitioners don’t need to give up their personal lives and all the activities are free. Practitioners of Falun Dafa also don’t worship the founder of the practice, Li Hongzhi, although he is very well respected. One practitioner said, ‘We just live a normal life...the most significant change is how we act towards other people. We are more considerate of other people.’”