Senate Resolution No. 4488

BY: Senator BONACIC

COMMEMORATING the 19th Annual World Falun Dafa Day
celebration, to be observed May 13, 2018

WHEREAS, This Legislative Body is justly proud to commemorate the
19th Annual World Falun Dafa Day Celebration, to be observed May 13,
2018; and

WHEREAS, Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, is a self-improvement
practice rooted in ancient Chinese culture based on refining the body
and mind through meditation and four gentle exercises; and

WHEREAS, Practitioners of Falun Dafa strive to live by the
principles of Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance to improve their
moral nature, and in turn, to experience remarkable health benefits; and

WHEREAS, The practice of Falun Dafa goes beyond the pursuit of
health and fitness to the goal of greater wisdom and enlightenment; and

WHEREAS, The Falun Dafa philosophy espouses the idea that when the
heart is pure, the mind balanced, and the body energized, health and
happiness are a natural outcome; individuals have been empowered to
leave behind addictions and bad habits; families, to live in peace
together; and communities, to embrace what is virtuous and
life-affirming; and

WHEREAS, The effectiveness of Falun Dafa in improving health, as
well as the principles upon which it is founded, have proven to be
immensely popular throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, Falun Dafa is a practice which has brought better health
and inner peace to millions around the world; and

WHEREAS, Today, Falun Dafa is practiced and cherished by millions of
people in more than 70 countries with 41 languages and has received over
3,000 awards; and

WHEREAS, May 13th observes the day Falun Dafa was first introduced
to the general public in 1992, in Changchun, China, by Mr. Li Hongzhi,
who then traveled around China lecturing to the public; and

WHEREAS, The impact Mr. Li's lectures had on the society was so
profound, that the practice spread very rapidly by word of mouth alone;
by 1999, it was estimated that 100 million people were practicing Falun
Dafa; and

WHEREAS, To the people of China, Falun Dafa provides a source of
strength in the face of oppression; although the practice is banned in
the land of its origin, practitioners persevere in the pursuit of their
spiritual beliefs, risking imprisonment or worse; and

WHEREAS, In 1996, Falun Dafa was introduced to New York, and has
since grown to include hundreds of practitioners who can be found
throughout the tri-state area offering workshops in senior centers,

corporate offices, health clubs, private residences and police stations
at no cost to the participants; and

WHEREAS, World Falun Dafa Day Celebrations of all types have been
held in the State of New York and around the world each year to honor
the occasion, to celebrate the benefits of Falun Dafa in the lives of
practitioners, to introduce Falun Dafa to more people and to raise
awareness about persecution faced by practitioners in China; now,
therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 19th Annual World Falun Dafa Day Celebration, to be
observed May 13, 2018; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to the Falun Dafa practitioners of New York State.