Canada/China: Follow-up to ZZZ34872.E of 17 July 2000 regarding assistance available from local Falun Dafa associations/practitioners in Canada
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 9 August 2000 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | ZZZ35121.E |
| Reference | 2 |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Canada/China: Follow-up to ZZZ34872.E of 17 July 2000 regarding assistance available from local Falun Dafa associations/practitioners in Canada, 9 August 2000, ZZZ35121.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6ad8240.html [accessed 17 September 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
A Toronto-based Falun Dafa practitioner provided the following information regarding assistance available from local Falun Dafa associations/practitioners in Canada after consulting with local practitioners in Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Calgary and Vancouver (2 Aug. 2000). The Toronto-based practitioner stated that local practitioners may be able to provide the following types of information regarding specific persons purporting to be practitioners: (1) whether a specific person practices with local Falun Dafa groups; (2) if so, how long they had been practicing with that group; and (3) what their level of experience with Falun Dafa was at the time that they joined the local group. However, the Toronto-based practitioner offered the following caveat regarding the interpretation of this information:
A person that never shows up in any group practice/activities is not necessarily a not-genuine practitioner, because Falun Dafa is a teaching that emphasizes (internal) personal upgrade and improvement of oneself. Participation in group activities or practice is never a requirement of Falun Dafa, but rather an encouragement solely for the ease of deepening one's understanding of the teaching through experience sharing and inspirations from group discussion.
[Conversely] a person that diligently practices the exercises with our groups is NOT, necessarily a genuine practitioner of Falun Dafa, because practicing the movements alone is not following the teaching. Only by genuinely following the principle of "Truth-Compassion-Tolerance" in conducting one's behaviour and striving to change/improve oneself from inside out, can this person then be called a true practitioner of Falun Dafa.
According to the Toronto-based practitioner, Falun Dafa practitioners are always, in "the spirit of sincere cooperation and our principle of 'Truth-Compassion-Tolerance'" provide information and assistance regarding Falun Dafa, including
offering generic answers to questions related to Falun Dafa's teaching, its practice, and/or how Falun Dafa associations/assistance-centers/practice-sites are operated/coordinated. Providing truth and facts to assist understanding of Falun Dafa, and to clarify any potential misconceptions about it.
Additional information regarding Falun Dafa in Canada is available on their Website, which includes lists of practice sites and links to local practice groups in Canada.
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
Falun Dafa practitioner, Toronto. 2 August 2000. Correspondence.
Falun Dafa Association of Canada. n.d. Website.