Federation of World Peace and Love

U.S. Congressman Ed Royce rings the “Bell of World Peace and Love” during 2016 Chinese New Year Gathering

 

Reported by Lily Chen, California, U.S.A.

A good start is essential to success. At the beginning of the Year of the Monkey, U.S. Congressman and Chairman of House Committee on Foreign Affairs Ed Royce, under the witness of over 350 attendees, especially rang the Bell of World Peace and Love to instill powerful energy of love and peace into the world during the “2016 Chinese New Year Gathering and the 50th Anniversary Celebration of Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy,” held in Los Angeles, California by the Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy and Federation of World Peace and Love on Feb. 21.

At the start of the event, Dr. Hong, Tao-Tze, Zhang-men-ren (grandmaster) of Tai Ji Men and president of the FOWPAL, welcomed all attendees and stated, “Culture is the foundation of a nation, while heart is the core of a person. Tai Ji Men has spread its cultural heritage to the world with the objective of nourishing conscience and uniting people with consciences to work for the wellbeing of the world. The beginning of a new year is a time for creating something new and making changes. In the face of upcoming challenges, we all have to adapt to the changing times, to respect nature and fulfill our duties by starting with a change in our hearts.”

As natural and man-made disasters have occurred frequently, a special ceremony of ringing the “Bell of World Peace and Love” was held, and Congressman Royce rang the bell to pray for California, the U.S., and the earth. When asked about the experience of ringing the bell, he said, “It’s a powerful feeling. It's a feeling you really feel in your heart because this bell has been rung many times for peace around the world. It’s traveled all over the planet. The concept here of trying to bridge and throw that lifeline to other cultures and understand other cultures . . . I'm the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. I've been to many countries in the world. I have not been to as many countries as this bell has visited, and so that also is a powerful thought that we are reaching out to every culture, every community around the world and spreading the message. It's a humbling feeling.” He mentioned that Lunar New Year is also “a time to reflect on values, and so this reflection on these values of love and peace and balance and what we can all do to bring about a better world. It's a very important message.”

On the joyous occasion, brilliant achievements of the movement of An Era of Conscience (ANEOC) were shared. The ongoing global movement, co-organized by the Federation of World Peace and Love, Tai Ji Men Qigong Academy, and the Association of World Citizens, aims to awaken the conscience in people’s hearts and inspire them to do what is right. To date, people in 196 nations and over 3000 organizations have participated in the movement, and the ANEOC website has received over 2,770,000 visits. Congressman Royce said, “The belief that we should all follow our conscience, listen to our conscience, listen to our heart, and spread love and peace, this is what the world really needs, so it is a good feeling to be here today.”  “The way conscience guides me is in the early hours of the morning when I wake up, and I worry about the problems in the world, I think: What can I do to help resolve some of those problems? What can I do to help keep those conflicts from getting worse? What can we do to bring people together? That's what conscience does,” added Congressman Royce.

FOWPAL has always believed that culture serves as a bridge to bring global citizens closer together, enhancing friendships that transcend national boundaries. Therefore, the event organizers conveyed their sincerest Lunar New Year wishes to all attendees through a magnificent cultural program; additionally, Grupo Congo Istmeno de Panama, a cultural group of Congolese Panamanians, also delivered colorful music and dance performances. On this occasion of cultural exchange and warm reunion of families and friends, many people brought their children to experience the unique cultural feast.  From the martial arts formation and dances, one can see the beauty of an excellent culture presented in a variety of forms. The choral performance of “Love and Peace Song” expressed the heartwarming energy of love and peace.  A group of young dancers delivered an energetic dance called “Happiness is Everywhere,” galvanizing the whole room. At the end of the program, the performers invited all participants to join the movement of An Era of Conscience to further expand the culture of goodness to all corners of the earth.

Additionally, representatives in various fields jointly pledged to "Activate the Conscience and Joyfully Create a New Era." The event was graced by distinguished guests including U.S. Congressman Ed Royce; Mary Su, mayor pro tem of the City of Walnut; Councilmembers Nancy Tragarz and Eric Ching of the City of Walnut; Helen Hall, president of the Walnut Valley Unified School District Board; Hans Liang, Councilmember of Monterey Park; Dr. Marina Tse, former Chief of the Western United States Office of the U.S. Department of Labor and former Deputy Assistant Secretary of the U.S. Department of Education; Patrick Wang, representative of California State Senator Bob Huff, etc.  Congratulatory notes for the event were also received from Pope Francis; the Queen and Prime Minister of the United Kingdom; Prime Minister of Ireland; King of Thailand; Prince of Monaco; President of Israel; Prime Minister of Denmark; Prime Minister of Spain; Prime Minister of Singapore; Charles, Prince of Wales; Governor-General of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; President of the Philippines; President and Prime Minister of Pakistan; Prime Minister of Sri Lanka; Prime Minister of Madagascar; Governor-General of Jamaica; former President of Croatia; UN ambassadors; government officials and congress members from various nations. 

As the 270th bell ringer, Congressman Royce, along with other 269 visionary leaders from 87 nations including 27 heads of state, 8 Nobel Prize laureates, and UN Ambassadors, made a commitment to upholding peace. At the start of the Lunar New Year, the sound of the bell once again resonated between heaven and earth and in the attendees’ hearts.  The consolidated good intentions from the participants as well as the kind wishes sent through congratulatory notes from all corners of the globe have injected tons of positive peaceful energy into the world, calming and comforting world citizens’ hearts.