New York: The Art of Zhen-Shan-Ren Exhibition Held in Albany
(Minghui.org) Albany, the capital city of New York State, hosted the Art of Zhen-Shan Ren (Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance) Exhibition once again from March 28 to 31, 2023. This time the exhibition was held in the State Legislative Office Building. The message of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance conveyed by the artworks touched the hearts of those who saw it. State legislators thanked the practitioners for their contribution to the local community.
Eighteen artworks were prominently displayed in the bright, open hall of the office building. Many people saw the paintings and spoke with practitioners, who told them about Falun Dafa. They marveled at the profound meaning and story behind each painting and learned about the human rights calamity happening in China.
Many people saw the Art of Zhen-Shan Ren exhibition held at the Legislative Office Building in Albany March 28 to 31.
Many local residents came to see the exhibition. Through the stories depicted in the paintings and narrated by Falun Dafa practitioners, people were shocked to learn of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) brutal persecution of the spiritual practice. Most said that they could not believe something so horrific was still taking place in the world today. They censured the CCP regime for its heinous crime of organ harvesting and signed the petition to stop it.
The Legislative Office Building in Albany houses over 200 New York State Assembly Members and Senators. The exhibition was held in the hall where the legislators and staff pass through. Several Assembly Members greeted practitioners warmly as they passed through the area and took photos with them.
Appreciating Falun Dafa Practitioners’ Contribution to the Local Community
Middletown, New York, is included in Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther’s constituency. She told practitioners that she had been a long-time supporter of Falun Dafa. In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the number of practitioners who live in Middletown, and she knew several of them by name. She thanked the practitioners for bringing vitality to the local community and making a contribution.
Assemblywoman Aileen Gunter (second right) with practitioners
State Senator Mario Mattera signed his name on the petition to call for an end to the persecution. As he watched the exercise teaching video he said, “I definitely need to meditate and calm down!” When he asked how he could find inner peace, practitioners told him he had to let go of attachments and try not to think of anything while meditating. Senator Mattera said he would like to learn Falun Dafa.
State Senator Mario Mattera pictured with practitioners said he would like to learn Falun Dafa.
Two state police officers passed by the exhibition. A practitioner told them about Falun Dafa and explained how her husband’s health improved after he began practicing eight years ago. They were interested in learning more about the practice and asked where they could learn it. The practitioner helped them find the local practice sites on their mobile phones and they thanked her.
A practitioner talks to two state police officers about Falun Dafa.
People Learn About Falun Dafa and the Persecution
On the fourth day of the exhibition, a woman who works in the building told practitioners she’d learned about Falun Dafa through the artworks. She said that she bought Falun Dafa’s main book, Zhuan Falun, online and learned the exercises at home at night. Her whole body felt wonderful. She wanted to thank them for holding the exhibition. “You changed my life,” she said.
The first two days of the exhibition happened to be “Lobby Days.” Lobby groups from New York, Brooklyn, Rochester, and other cities brought their members to the building in buses. They listened as practitioners told them the stories behind the different artworks and learned about the persecution in China. Many signed the petition to call for an end to the persecution and took home information to read.
Two members of a lobby group stood in front of a painting for a long time. One of them, a French woman who lives in the US, asked practitioners many questions, which they answered. A man signed the petition after listening to the answers to the woman’s questions.
A woman from New York City was moved by the paintings. She told a practitioner, “The exhibition is wonderful” and signed the petition. She also asked for several fliers to give to friends and family. A practitioner gave her a lotus flower and she insisted on paying for it. She was touched when the practitioner told her it was free. Soon after, she returned with another woman who also signed the petition.
A young woman who had just started learning the Falun Dafa exercises came to see the exhibition. She spent over two hours carefully looking at each artwork because she wanted to understand the story behind each one.
Another young woman who also recently started looking into Falun Dafa came from her workplace to see the paintings. She did the exercises along with the video instructions. A practitioner taught her the movements. She said it was a wonderful experience and she was grateful for the opportunity to see the exhibition.
Background: What Is Falun Dafa and Why Is the CCP Persecuting It?
Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to the public by Mr. Li Hongzhi in Changchun, China, in 1992. The spiritual discipline is now practiced in over 100 countries and regions worldwide. Millions of people who have embraced the teachings, which are based on the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, and have learned the five exercises have experienced improved health and well-being.
Jiang Zemin, former head of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), perceived the spiritual discipline’s growing popularity as a threat to the CCP’s atheistic ideology, and on July 20, 1999, he issued an order to eradicate the practice.
Under Jiang’s personal direction, the CCP established the 610 Office, an extralegal security organization with the power to override the police and judicial systems and whose sole function is to carry out the persecution of Falun Dafa.
Minghui.org has confirmed the deaths of thousands of practitioners as a result of the persecution over the past 23 years. The actual number is believed to be much higher. Countless practitioners have been imprisoned and tortured for their faith.
There is concrete evidence that the CCP sanctions the harvesting of organs from detained practitioners, who are murdered to supply China’s organ transplant industry.
READ MORE: https://en.minghui.org/html/articles/2023/4/11/208029.html
