Photo:Tai Ji Men members promoted International Day of Conscience through martial arts and culture at three universities in Australia, and their excellent performances received enthusiastic responses.

 

April 19, 2023 21:19News Center/Taipei

The visiting group composed of Tai Ji Men and Federation of World Peace and Love (FOWPAL) was invited to visit the Australian National University, the University of Sydney, and the University of Notre Dame Australia from April 12th to 18th. The 12 representatives of the visiting group promoted the "International Day of Conscience" through cultural exchanges and received a warm welcome. At Conscience Education, Spirituality, and Tai Ji Men forum, the Tai Ji Men human rights persecution case, which occurred during Taiwan's authoritarian era and has remained unresolved for 27 years, also drew attention. Tai Ji Men members presented a wonderful cultural performance that was deeply rooted in the ancient Taoist wisdom and fused with modern martial arts, which was impressive. The Australian National University presented a certificate of appreciation to Tai Ji Men for its outstanding performance in visual arts. The visiting delegation returned home with honors on the 19th.

Photo:Tai Ji Men performed the Peacock Dance, at the University of Sydney, the oldest university in Australia, and it left a deep imprints on the teachers and students.

 

Tai Ji Men presented stunning cultural performances at three universities, including the “Tai Ji Men Sword Dance” that combines softness and strength, as well as the nearly-lost martial arts formation of "Combination of pen and sword" that spreads the positive energy of stopping fighting and promoting virtue. Tai Ji Men's female dizi (disciples) performed the legendary "Peacock Dance," which is said to "transform poisons to fragrant flowers," hoping to bring beauty to the world. They also sang "A Prayer for Peace" and invited teachers and students to pray for the world together. The sincere performances were full of encouragement, and many scholars gave speeches.

Photo:Tai Ji Men members presented a wonderful cultural performance that was deeply rooted in the ancient Taoist wisdom and fused with modern martial arts, which was impressive.

 

Through singing, Tai Ji Men members sang "We can change the world" to gather more cross-cultural and cross-generational understanding and collaborative visions, encouraging everyone to spread love and make the world a better place. Attendees were invited to participate in an online endorsement campaign for declarations such as "Declaration of International Day of Conscience," "Declaration of World Prayer Day," and "The Declaration of World Day of the Power of Hope," and everyone took a moment of silence for 60 seconds to pray for the world.

Photo :Professor Garry Trompf, a world-renowned authority on religion (third from the left), believes that “peace with justice”, “love is unconquerable goodwill” and “the unquenchable search for truth” are the three supreme values.

 

Dr. David Kim, chair of the ANU Religion Committee, stated, “Prayer for conscience and world peace, that’s an important part of personality.” “So world peace should be the most important thing people have to search, and then get together, and tie together, and then work together,” he added.

Photo:The Tai Ji Men delegation visited the iconic Sydney Opera House in Australia to promote International Day of Conscience.

 

Renowned Asian religion expert Dr. Christopher Humphrey Hartney specially presented a certificate of appreciation, expressing his gratitude for the dance and religious ideals brought by Tai Ji Men. The inter-cultural exchanges done with this care and dedication are truly at the heart of a universal education experience.

Photo:The Tai Ji Men members brought singing with the conscience gesture to the Eminent Speakers Series event at the University of Notre Dame Australia, encouraging everyone to change the world together.

 

Prof. Arshad Munir from Ghazi University, Pakistan, stated that Tai Ji Men’s performance was wonderful. “The message very very impressive, and it's the need of the time, peace and love for you and for me, for all the humans. ” Tita Tabjje, an ANU PhD student, believes that Tai Ji Men's cultural performances make people feel love and peace. “You have this one-minute prayer, which is very strong. It touches me so much, like I can feel it’s very spiritual for me. ”

 

Rosita Šorytė, a member of the Scientific Committee of the European Federation for Freedom of Belief (FOB), spoke about the history of Tai Ji Men's work supporting peace education, conscience education, the International Day of Conscience, and the ideals of the UN. She noted that Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze founded the Federation of World Peace and Love and initiated the movement of An Era of Conscience. She also mentioned how Dr. Hong had worked with the Permanent Missions of Bahrain and other nations to make the UN’s adoption of the International Day of Conscience possible.

 

For members of the visiting group, Tiffany Shao expressed that through cultural exchange, the most sincere goodwill in human hearts can be ignited. With the performance's songs, hearts gradually merge, and the seeds of love and peace have sprouted in everyone's hearts. Sabrina Chen mentioned that when spreading love and peace, people are filled with emotion and smiles. In fact, everyone has love in their hearts and hopes for a better world. As long as we awaken our conscience, we can all become angels of love who can change the world! Tony Tung hopes that everyone can work together to pass on the message of love and peace forever.

 

Over 70 religious and social scholars as well as members of civil society from more than ten nations, including Australia, the United States, Italy, Indonesia, Korea, the Philippines, Pakistan, and Taiwan, attended the ANU Religion Conference to discuss the relationship between religion and education. A session of the conference focused on conscience education, spiritual movements, and conflict in Taiwan, with an emphasis on the Tai Ji Men case. Prof. Massimo Introvigne, founder and managing director of the Center for Studies on New Religions (CESNUR) explored the many obstacles encountered by Tai Ji Men’s leader and members in promoting a culture of conscience, love, and peace, but more and more like-minded people in the world have shown their support for such a culture.

 

Prof. Massimo Introvigne mentioned that including four presidents and six vice presidents in Taiwan have praised and admired the influence and achievements of Tai Ji Men in promoting love and peace and a culture of conscience worldwide. However, on the other hand, Tai Ji Men has been suppressed and unjustly treated by some Taiwan administrative agency. He concluded the meeting by saying, “So we hope it should be solved within the context of Taiwan 2023, which is surely a democratic country, where religious liberty is guaranteed, and this relic of the past should be solved.”