(Clearwisdom.net) Ten years ago, the European Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held in Frankfurt, Germany, on May 30 and 31. Our Great Master came to the conference in person, taught the Fa, and answered questions raised by practitioners during these two consecutive days. This left a profound impression on the practitioners who attended the conference.
In the ten years since the Frankfurt conference, Falun Gong practitioners have experienced ups and downs, stepped out of personal cultivation practice and moved toward a comprehensive Fa-rectification cultivation period. They have been clarifying the facts about Falun Gong and saving sentient beings. Many participants said that the Frankfurt conference had a significant impact on them. Many practitioners came to understand the true meaning of cultivation practice, which laid a solid foundation for their future Fa-rectification cultivation. The following is an interview with some of the practitioners who attended the conference.
Practitioners Have Experienced a lot in the Past Ten Years
Mr. Sun, a veteran practitioner from Shanghai, takes part in almost all Falun Gong large-scale activities in Germany. He shared his recollections of the Frankfurt conference. "I saw Master at the conference. Master stood right in front of me. I had a sacred feeling. Originally I had many questions to ask, but my mind became blank and the questions did not want to come out when I was in Master's presence. The only feeling I had was geniality, and I felt as if my tears would flow spontaneously.
"This year, I had a chance to return to the place where Master had taught the Fa and I remembered a lot. When the Frankfurt conference was held, most practitioners had just started to practice Falun Gong and self-cultivation was our main goal. At the conference, I encountered many practitioners from China. Because I had just started to practice, I benefited a lot from sharing cultivation experiences with them and felt there was a long way to go before I caught up with them.
"Ten years have passed by in an instant. The mentality of the practitioners attending the Fa conference at that time was completely different from practitioner's present mentality. At that time, the only thing I thought about was how to cultivate myself and become a good person, and, as a result, return to my true self. Because the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has been persecuting Falun Gong practitioners brutally since 1999, many practitioners who had attended the conference from China have been illegally imprisoned. Some have not been released to this day. But during these ten years, Falun Dafa has become ever more popular overseas. [Practice in] China and overseas are two completely different worlds."
We Are More Mature
Chen Gang, originally from Beijing, now lives in Munich. He had attended Master's workshop at the auditorium of Beijing Public Security University in 1994. He said, "The proceeds of the workshop were completely donated to the Righteous Behavior Foundation. At that time, I didn't take cultivation seriously. However, I had a strong desire to attend the workshop when I heard of it.
Tickets were no longer available at that time, yet Mr. Chen was very fortunate to get a ticket and see Master. But he was so far away from Master that he didn't see Him clearly. However, at the Frankfurt conference, the situation was different. Mr. Chen said, "Master was tall and well-built. He was so amiable that I thought I had known him for many years. That day I served as conference security. When I was downstairs, someone opened the door and looked inside. It was none other than Master. Master seemed so young when I saw him."
Mr. Chen added, "After ten years' practice, I think I'm more mature. At that time I could have never imagined that the persecution would take place. The only thing I thought about was how to become a good person and how to improve myself. I thought Master was sure to come to Germany again. After the CCP began to persecute Dafa, the situation changed a lot. Practitioners have become more mature after experiencing so many ups and downs "
I Never Expected That Master Would Extend his Hand to Me
German practitioner Ms. Wiedermann worked in an old people's home and was close to retirement. Before she practiced Falun Gong, she had practiced various schools of qigong. Eventually, she was very disappointed, because she found that, in the end, all of the qigongs were focused on making money. She told reporters, "Later I found traditional Chinese medicine. A Chinese person told me about Falun Gong and he said that Falun Gong's Master might come to Germany to attend the experience sharing conference. He asked if I was interested in attending the conference. I discussed it with my husband. I had never intended to go because I was not interested in qigong any more. However, I got along well with that Chinese person. I felt he was very patient, a trait I could not find in Germans. So I decided to leave for Frankfurt. "
Ms. Wiedermann continued, "I saw that practitioners thought about others and helped us solve problems such as dealing with hotels and other issues. At the conference, I did not know [that I was supposed] to listen to other practitioners exchange of experiences. I was very selfish and wondered why they talked endlessly without letting Falun Gong's Master give a speech. Later, Master started to address the practitioners. At that time, I only wanted to listen to Master. I was very selfish - that was my attachment. At the end of the conference, we waited to take pictures with Master. The British practitioners did it; the French practitioners did it too. Finally, we German practitioners could stand beside Master. It was great to stay close to Master! I did not know where I was supposed to stand on the stage. I was hesitant and dared not to reach out to Master because when I read Zhuan Falun, I thought Master was reluctant to shake hands with others. I had never expected that Master would extend his hand to me. I was suddenly moved, and felt that I assimilated in the Fa. I felt the Greatness of the Fa and I wanted to cultivate in it."
She said, "I learned not only the surface of the Fa, I also got the deep connotations. I was even more determined to cultivate in the Fa after the experience sharing conference in Switzerland in September. What gave me the deepest impression was that I suddenly understood what good and compassionate are when I saw Master accept flowers from a small disciple. I did not know that before. Although I tried to be nice to my superiors, it was completely different from what Master demonstrated. Master's compassion comes from within."
I Believed I Had Encountered the True Fa
Mr. Krike, a 60-year-old German businessman who lived in Stuttgart, appreciated the conference at Frankfurt very much, "I began to keep contact with Falun Gong in 1998. But, at that time, I did not know how to practice. On the very first day I went to the practice site, I encountered a miracle. When I drove home, my car ran out of gas. The car was parked on a mountain slope, 200 meters away from the top. If I could get to the top I could then coast home. I began to try to push my car to the top. Although it took me a long time, I finally made it. Under ordinary circumstances, this would have been unimaginable."
Krike continued, "I was particularly peaceful and calm when I saw Master at the Frankfurt conference. We exercised at the noon break, and Master corrected some of the movements for some practitioners. To my great surprise, Master taught the Fa continuously for five hours without drinking any water. It is incredible. I believed that I had encountered a true Master. It laid a solid foundation for my future cultivation. "
Since Then I Have Truly Started Cultivation
Ms. Ruan, A PhD in Biology, said, "I started to practice Falun Gong at the end of 1996. In the beginning, I simply did not know what cultivation practice meant. I returned to China at the end of 1997. I got to know what cultivation practice meant after I shared understandings of the Fa with the practitioners in China."
Ms. Ruan met Master in person at the Frankfurt conference in 1998. She said, "Prior to Frankfurt, I was seriously ill, but I still attended the conference. As soon as I got to the venue, Master arrived. I immediately took my seat. Later, when people were taking pictures on the stage, I was hesitant because I had no idea whether I was supposed to go to the stage to shake hands with Master. When I realized that I would miss my chance if I did not go to the stage quickly, I immediately rushed to shake hands with Master. I said, " I greet you on behalf of my parents. They are Shenzhen Dafa disciples." Master replied, 'I know the Shenzhen Dafa disciples.' I did not know what to say after that."
Ms. Ruan said, "I almost did not eat anything during the two days, but I didn't feel hungry. It was miraculous for me. I was greatly moved by Master's Fa. Since then, I started true cultivation practice."
Finally I Found What I Had Been Looking For in Life
Mr. Wang is an engineer living in the German western region. He recalled, "I read some introductions about Falun Gong on May 12 and 13, 1998. I was very interested and read almost all of the Dafa books on the website. I felt perfect harmony and realized that I had found the truth. I was fortunate enough to meet Master at the Frankfurt conference at the end of May. Listening to Master's lecture, I learned a lot of new Fa, which expounded on the prior Fa. All of the Fa is in perfect harmony. Meeting Master, I felt that Great Master is very kind, with compassionate eyes. When we were having meals, Master came and stood very close to us. Master looked at each one of us. When he looked at me, I felt my entire body shaking. After returning home, the benevolent eyes of Master always reflected in my mind. I cried when I was at home by myself. I was so happy that finally I found what I had been looking for."
