Today, Saturday 14 July, whilst wandering about in Melbourne City, we stumbled across a peaceful protest on Swanston St. I can only assume a number (over a thousand, perhaps) of Chinese folk protesting the treatment of those that practice Falun Gong.
You can read more about what Falun Gong is, here on the Australian Falun Dafa information page.
Falun Gong or Falun Dafa (literally means "Dharma Wheel Practice") is a spiritual discipline first introduced in China in 1992 through public lectures by its founder, Li Hongzhi. It combines the practice of meditation and slow-moving qigong exercises with a moral philosophy.
Falun Gong emphasises morality and the cultivation of virtue in its central tenets of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance (Chinese: 真、善、忍), and identifies as a qigong practice of the Buddhist school, though its teachings also incorporate elements drawn from Taoist traditions.
Through moral rectitude and the practice of meditation, practitioners of Falun Gong aspire to better health and, ultimately, spiritual enlightenment.
It made me think about how comparatively free we are living in Australia, and made me a little bit thankful.
