(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners from Germany and the German speaking regions in Switzerland and Austria gathered at Mülheiman der Ruhr in North Rhine-Westphalia on November 19, 2023 for a cultivation experience sharing conference.
The 2023 Germany Falun Dafa cultivation experience sharing conference on November 19
Eighteen Chinese and Western practitioners read their cultivation experience sharing papers. They spoke of their personal journeys in making progress in cultivation through raising awareness about the persecution, examining themselves for shortcomings during conflicts, and eliminating their human thoughts and attachments.
Eighteen practitioners read their cultivation experience papers.
After the conference, several attendees said that the most striking part of this year’s conference was that the sharing did not focus on projects or tasks achieved, but instead practitioners emphasized how they cultivated themselves by following the teachings and improved their moral character.
Eliminating Resentment
Ms. Zheng from Germany is in charge of a media project. She became angry when practitioners wasted resources by forgetting to turn off the lights or the heat. “I know that as a practitioner, I should not be angry or resentful. Especially after Master said in his recent articles ‘Stay Far Away From Peril’ and ‘Cultivation in Dafa Is Serious’ that it is dangerous if we don’t eliminate resentment and hold onto such negative thoughts for a long time. Yet, every time I have these thoughts, all I could think of was how right I am because I thought my criteria for judging others was correct.”
Inspired by an article on Minghui and while looking inward, Ms. Zheng discovered her fundamental attachment was that she felt that the teachings of Dafa aligned with the human values she was taught. “All along, I did not discover this fundamental attachment, so, of course I could not get rid of it.” “When I examined my thoughts, I found that I used the ways of conducting oneself as a standard to judge many people and things. I thought I was right to be angry with employees who did not do things the right way or were not hardworking. That’s because in my mind, I thought my values of conducting myself in human society were correct.”
When she put her mind to eliminating this attachment, she felt Master helped her. “I clearly felt Master remove a huge material substance. The displeasure and resentment I had towards other practitioners became weak as if they were just a tiny black substance on the surface. They no longer control my emotions.”
Walking on the Path Arranged by Master
Lucas from Slovakia used to have a business with a bright future. His career was going well and his life was comfortable. He gave up his business and went to New York to work for the Epoch Times.
Before moving to New York, he did not part ways with his business partner amicably. “I was worried that he would have a bad impression of Dafa. My fear led several people to view Dafa in a strange way.”
When he was in New York, through looking inward, he recognized the impact of his negative thoughts. “I was completely wrong. All these negative things only existed in my mind. It was as if I got up in the morning and went into a cage full of negative thoughts. Then I looked around for help.”
When he understood why it was happening, Lucas contacted his former business partner. “I realized what a terrible influence my decision to come to New York had on him. I reached out to him, and this time, I tried hard to let go of my fear and pursuit of success. I only wanted to tell him the truth and explain the situation with kindness. His attitude changed. He read Zhuan Falun and thought it was great. He even organized a screening for a film that exposed the persecution.”
A few years later, to support a media project in Europe, Lucas decided to work for the Epoch Times in Berlin. He ran into many problems. He could not speak German, his car broke down and he could not find a suitable apartment in Berlin. When his wife went for a pregnancy checkup, the doctor said the baby might have downs syndrome, be still born or develop serious disabilities.
After sharing understandings with his wife, they thought this was the old forces’ arrangement. We decided to have faith in Master and his arrangement.
Lucas said, “It sounds simple but in reality my heart was moved. The situation exposed a lot of my attachments. People think they can control and plan their own destiny. However, if God arranged for them to suffer, there is nothing one can do. The only thing I could do is use this tribulation to improve my cultivation.”
When he believed in Master wholeheartedly and continued to do the three things, everything was miraculously resolved. “The car was fixed three weeks before we left Slovakia and it only took one fifth of the time I was told it would take to have it repaired. Without much effort, we found a nice house in Berlin close to the office. The surroundings were also great for my wife and daughter. I also got a call from the doctor. He said after further examinations, our baby was fine.” This experience strengthened his faith in Master and Dafa.
Overcoming Tribulations at Home
Kalina from Austria spoke of the many problems she encountered at home while working for the Epoch Times in Germany. Her husband stopped practicing Falun Dafa and spent most of his spare time taking drugs and playing computer games. She asked for a divorce.
She later discovered that although her husband left, her life did not become perfect as she’d imagined it would. After extensively looking inward, she realized she wanted her marriage to be happy and for her husband to help and support her in her cultivation. She wanted to entrust her life to someone she could trust.
She apologized to her husband and withdrew the divorce proceedings. Her husband did not forgive her and insisted on a divorce. As she kept looking within, her husband gradually changed and returned home.
They moved to Berlin but her husband was emotionally unstable. He kept complaining that she'd decided to move without discussing things with him and he disliked Berlin. He also objected to her working at the Epoch Times. Through her constant self-reflection, her husband changed, too. Now, their relationship is harmonious and her husband told her he loves Berlin. He stopped opposing her work at the Epoch Times.
Averting Danger Through Righteous Thoughts and Actions
Many practitioners encountered extraordinary things during their cultivation. Theresia from Austria shared an experience she had while preparing food for Shen Yun. When a scalding hot pan fell, “Without thinking, I reached out to catch it and found a safe spot to put the pan. The hot sauce splashed on my hands.
“My mind was blank. I only thought about serving the Shen Yun performers and not letting the food fall on the floor. I was not wearing oven mitts. The thought of being scalded did not even cross my mind. In fact, I was fine. This reminded me of how important our thoughts are.”
Hubert, a practitioner in Germany, and his entire family practice Falun Dafa. In early October this year, his wife Edith suddenly received a call from the doctor informing her that Hubert had had a severe stroke. She was told the right side of his body might be permanently paralyzed. He needed immediate surgery but it was very risky.
She immediately knew she should have righteous thoughts. “I was worried, of course. I also knew the severity of the situation. I knew the old forces wanted to take Hubert’s life. I decided to deny the old forces’ arrangement. In this important stage of Fa-rectification, I cannot let a Dafa disciple leave us.”
When Edith rushed to the hospital, she learned that Hubert had been silently reciting, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,” non-stop. When the doctor used ultrasound to show Edith the spot in Hubert’s head where the problem was, a miracle happened. The doctor suddenly said, “What is this? Where is the blood that is trying to pass through the clogged vein coming from?” He called his colleague to take a look but neither doctor could explain where the blood was coming from. They discovered that the right side of Hubert’s brain was trying to supply new blood to his left brain that was blocked with a clot.
Hubert listened to Master’s taped lectures in the hospital and practitioners sent righteous thoughts to help him. Things took a turn for the better. He did not need surgery and was transferred to the regular ward.
Hubert also looked within and found attachments such as lust and conflicts with family members.
He wrote in his sharing, “When many practitioners sent righteous thoughts to support me, I clearly felt a powerful energy. It strengthened me, particularly in the initial difficult time. It increased my faith in Master and Dafa.”
The conference commenced at 9 a.m and finished at 5:30 that evening.
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