[Minghui 02/11/2001]

"Validate the Fa with reason, clarify the truth with wisdom, spread the Fa and offer people salvation with benevolence" (Rationality)

New York Practitioners Organize a Spring Festival dinner Party With Local Officials in Attendance

Guests introduce themselves	Falun Gong Exercise Demonstration
Practitioners perform "Pu Du"	Guests laughing while watching the video news clip on the Chinese government's unreasonable request to the city of Santee, California (bottom right)

At the recent "Western US Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference", Master Li said,

"I'd also like to take this opportunity to really thank the various levels of government in the United States and Canada for the honors they've bestowed upon us and upon me. (Applause) Under this special circumstance, I can't thank them individually, but I will bring them a wonderful future. (Applause) On the surface, we're seeking public support for Dafa. This is the thinking of the worldly human side, manifest in this human place. Yet it's reversed on the other side. Whoever supports Dafa or advocates for Dafa is establishing for himself his being's existence in the future and is laying a foundation for obtaining the Fa in the future."

New York practitioners invited local government officials at all levels to a dinner party to celebrate the Chinese New Year and to thank them for supporting Falun Dafa practitioners with their proclamations This served as an excellent opportunity to enable these officials to better understand Falun Dafa and Falun Dafa practitioners.

For New York practitioners, this was a new experience. On this most auspicious occasion, a red window curtain was hung, stretching to the floor while the nearby golden Chinese character-painting for "Spring" looked extra sharp. The style for the dinner party was to be celebratory and elegant; the atmosphere was peaceful and pleasant. Many female practitioners wore beautiful, traditional long dresses, while a male western practitioner wore a Chinese-style winter jacket- black with Dragons.

The hosts began the event by briefly explaining the traditional "Spring Festival". They then mentioned that Jiang Zemin (the President of China who is leading the suppression of Falun Dafa) ordered the arrest of Falun Dafa practitioners throughout China during the "Spring Festival", causing the break-up of tens of thousands of families. The recent release of Canadian professor Zhang was cited as the best example of the international community's efforts against this evil persecution. The New York practitioners were very encouraged by the support of local officials but reminded the officials that they might be harassed or even threatened by the Chinese embassy for issuing proclamations for Falun Dafa. Practitioners then showed a news video of the Santee (a city in California) mayor rejecting the harassment of the Chinese embassy and issued a proclamation to the local practitioners. The 2-minute news report was humorous and well received. Guests and practitioners laughed throughout the showing.

New York city councilman Sheldon Leffler gave a 5-minute speech:

"My wife and I and our colleagues are very happy to be at tonight's party, and wish everyone health and happiness! During last Saturday's Chinese Spring Festival parade, I was at the stage saluting the Falun Dafa parade team. I issued a proclamation for Falun Dafa on November 30, last year. I am very happy that I could support Falun Dafa. I would like to share something with everyone. Two days after the proclamation, I received a letter, books, and disks from the Chinese government that said negative things about Falun Gong. In the letter, they told me I should have consulted them first before issuing the proclamation. (Everyone in the audience laughed.) In China, Falun Gong practitioners are suppressed because they insist on their beliefs and practice their exercises, however, in the U.S. you are respected and protected. This country believes in freedom; speaking the truth is your right. Queens is a multi-cultural neighborhood. Practicing Falun Gong is a basic human right. I hope more people grow to understand Falun Gong as I do! (applause) I wish everyone 'Gong Xi Fa Cai' [Note: Traditional Happy New Year greeting in Chinese]

Three time Emmy Award winner Danny Schechter said, "People's voices should be heard. Ignorance, intolerance, and indifference [is] not acceptable. One cannot correctly judge Falun Gong without listening to Falun Gong practitioners." He said that he would be more involved with Falun Gong practitioners to gain a first-hand understanding.

A newly wedded American practitioner couple said that what they most wanted as a wedding gift was for people to support Falun Gong practitioners in China. They were touched by the many stories of Chinese practitioners' selflessness, courage in facing evil, and their firm belief in the Truth. They said, "We are always together with the Chinese practitioners."

One American practitioner said, "Even though the practitioners in China don't know who we are, we are all working hard to improve their situation until the day they are free and our Master's name is cleared."

Next, the practitioners put on a wonderful show. A famous Yue operatic actor (and Falun Gong practitioner) performed a section of a Yue opera (a traditional Chinese opera sung in Shanghai dialect/by translator) . Two original members of the Chinese Symphony Orchestra and their daughter, also gave a wonderful performance. The daughter said, "My parents visited the [Chinese] government [to clear the reputation of Falun Gong] and were put in detention for 30 days. My younger brother practices Falun Gong and was put into Beijing's Tuanhe labor camp, he was forced to sign a document renouncing Falun Gong, saying he was wrong to practice, and that he would no longer practice in the future. His current situation is unclear. The Falun gong practitioners in China are not doing this merely for themselves, but for the rights of everyone. Hopefully the truth will come out soon."

Guests and practitioners had pleasant conversations as they ate dinner. In the nearly 3-hour dinner party, almost every guest was very interested in Falun Gong and immediately wanted to learn more after talking to practitioners. Practitioners gave each guest a gift a Falun Gong book, an exercise videotape, and a yellow Falun Dafa t-shirt. Looking at their gifts, many guests kept saying, "This is too precious!" Someone said, " Falun Gong is so kind and friendly!" Some guests were government representatives and said, "I will report on tonight's special event to my boss, and I will definitely think about what I can do to help." Before leaving, Congressman Gary Ackerman said, "Looks like we should find a time to talk more in detail, could you please call my office and make an appointment?"

One western practitioner said after the dinner: "this is a new experiment in further promoting the Fa and explaining the truth. This kind of success was unexpected but it was also expected; unexpected because we did not think so many guests would show up on such a short notice, almost 30 of them were government officials and the result was very good. What was expected was people seeing our true sincerity. They saw that we have no personal goals, that we only want to provide an opportunity to let them understand Falun Dafa and Dafa practitioners. We used our own behavior to express "Truthfulness, Compassion, Tolerance" to people.

Each of the practitioners realized deeply that in this special historic time of Fa-rectification, we should break through the layers of myths and misconceptions, use different methods to tell the truth to the world, promote the Fa to save the people of the world. In another words, we should exert all our efforts as Fa particles during master's Fa-rectification process.