(Minghui.org) Practitioners held a Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in South Stockholm’s Civic Conference Center on October 8, 2023. Attendees included practitioners from various cities in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Norway.
Twelve Western and Asian, new and veteran practitioners spoke about how they focused on reading the teachings (Fa), improved their characters, and worked together to promote Shen Yun and other truth clarification projects. They overcame difficulties by firmly upholding their faith in Master and the Fa. They expressed their heartfelt gratitude to Falun Dafa’s founder, Master Li Hongzhi, and thanked him for his compassionate guidance and protection on their cultivation paths.
Falun Dafa practitioners from Scandinavian countries held an experience sharing conference in Stockholm on October 8, 2023.
Practitioners talked about their cultivation experiences during the conference.
Cultivating While Promoting Shen Yun
Christina, 77, from Gothenburg, has practiced Falun Dafa for 28 years. Six months before Shen Yun shows were held in Sweden, she helped with the hotline number, answered phone calls, and helped people buy tickets to the show.
She patiently answered all kinds of questions about Shen Yun and the shows in Sweden. She said, “I hope I can make everyone happy.” She took her job seriously and tirelessly resolved customers’ problems.
However, in March this year during a critical time for ticket sales, her husband suddenly had a stroke and was taken to the hospital in an ambulance. When the coordinator asked if she wanted to stop answering ticket hotline phone calls, she said, “I didn’t even think about it. It’s such an honor to help sell tickets, I must continue. I promised to fulfill the historic mission of a Falun Dafa practitioner with my life. My faith in Master and Dafa is so powerful. I don’t want to go against my vow, it is very sacred.”
She had a firm thought throughout the tribulation, “I knew he would recover. In the end, my husband was not afraid because we know Master already removed the root cause of his sickness—his stroke was just a process of his repaying karmic debts, it’s a good thing. The day after his surgery, I went to see him. There was a glow on his face as if he was reborn.”
Christina’s husband has completely recovered. The couple reads the Fa every day and is full of gratitude for Master Li.
Cultivating While Participating in Truth Clarification Projects
Blanca, a young practitioner in Stockholm, said she is the most fortunate person on earth to be able to work on Dafa projects. She said, “Through working in the media, I can cultivate in a group environment and put my IT skills to use. At the same time, it’s good for my career. I think this is the best arrangement by Master.”
She also spoke of how writing about her cultivation experiences for the conference was a great help, “It was a process of looking within and making progress in cultivation. I realized the importance of humility and found many attachments.” She also said, “My challenge is to cherish what I have and not be complacent.” She hopes to put all her time and energy into truth clarification projects to fulfill her vow of assisting Master in saving sentient beings.
Hellen is a young practitioner from Vietnam who recently began practicing Falun Dafa. She overcame sickness karma through joining group Fa study and exercises as well as sharing with practitioners. She said, “Master was purifying my body.” She began to pay attention to sending righteous thoughts and looked for her shortcomings. “I felt better after doing the exercises and soon I was back to normal.” Her cultivation state also became stable. Her daughter and mother began to practice Falun Dafa.
Hellen said, “Master arranged for me to practice cultivation in this group environment. I was helped and supported by other practitioners, and it was a boost to my cultivation. I feel that Master loves everyone and protects us in the best possible way.” She also shared the progress she made in cultivation through participating in truth clarification activities.
Dafa Gave Me Courage and Confidence
Olga from Stockholm has been practicing Falun Dafa for a decade. Before she began practicing, she was an introvert and did not like talking to people. She said that being able to practice Falun Dafa is the greatest honor in her life and it made her more courageous and confident. She is now able to easily communicate with others.
“In the past, I was envious of those who could express their thoughts easily and naturally, just like breathing. I didn’t even dare to dream of this. It was as if opening my mouth to speak confidently was not my nature at all.
“My wish is to follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance constantly, strengthen my main consciousness, and keep reflecting on my faults. When I tell people what Falun Dafa is or I introduce Shen Yun, I remind myself to be considerate of others, and speak and act for their benefit. Thus I will not be lost on my cultivation path.
“Falun Dafa not only helped me ascend gradually in cultivation, it helped me improve in my ability to communicate with others. I can never repay Master for his grace except to practice cultivation diligently and save more people.”
Cultivating Well In Order to Save People
Thomas from Gothenburg began to practice Falun Dafa in 1998 when he was 15 years old. Through 25 years of practicing cultivation, he learned that it is necessary to think about how one should walk well on the path of cultivation in daily life.
“Sometimes it’s easy for me to fall into the routine of doing things and regard saving sentient beings as a task to complete. I recognized that doing so will lead one to go wrong in cultivation. It will not achieve the purpose of saving lives at all and can be dangerous.” He also said, “When I place Fa study and doing the exercises as my top priority, everything becomes so much easier. It means I have to cultivate myself well, get rid of indolence, my human way of thinking, and wrong notions.”
He spoke of some understandings he had while promoting Shen Yun, “It’s important to constantly pay attention to improving my moral character and maintaining righteous thoughts. You also need to have righteous actions.” He spent many hours working in front of the computer, doing a lot of marketing tasks online and on social media platforms, yet he never felt tired. He said he often felt joyful as if he gained tremendous energy from Shen Yun.
Overcoming Tribulations at Work
Ms. Zhang from Stockholm has practiced Falun Dafa for 26 years. She used her accumulated work leave to participate in Shen Yun promotional activities. Unexpectedly, when she returned to work, many unhappy events took place in her usually calm work environment. She thought of quitting but reminded herself that she was a practitioner and these difficulties were helping her improve her character. She felt she must learn to forbear. However the next test came even before she passed the first test.
She said, “One afternoon, I stumbled over my employer’s electric bike. The tire struck my left chest and the pain was unbearable. I could not turn my body when I slept at night. I was afraid to cough and it was even difficult to breathe. Looking inward, I found resentment. I looked down on others. I only wanted to hear pleasant words, and I did not like being criticized. I reminded myself to cultivate my character and be more tolerant.”
She spent more time on Fa study and doing the exercises. In her spare time, she joined other practitioners in dropping off fliers at letterboxes. Every time she carried a bag of fliers and set out to drop them off, she felt heavy, but when she finished giving them out, she miraculously felt lighter and joyful. The pain in her chest gradually reduced. “In a short time, my work environment went back to what it was before and the pain went away. Once again, my experience was a testimony to how great and extraordinary Dafa is. I also felt that Master was beside me and always watching over me so that I can move forward.”
The conference concluded at 4 p.m. Practitioners encouraged one another and said they hoped to be more diligent in cultivation and work hard in saving more people, and not to let Master down.
Copyright © 2023 Minghui.org. All rights reserved.
