(Minghui.org) Practitioners from the Seattle metro area gathered at the Rainier Community Center on October 21 for the 2017 Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference. Eight practitioners talked how they have strived to align themselves with Dafa's principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
The 2017 Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference in Seattle on October 21, 2017.
A Righteous Path
Ms. Gao began practicing Falun Dafa in China in 1997 when she was 10. “After the persecution started, my mother was sent to a forced labor camp for a term of two years. Although I told many of my friends and classmates about Falun Dafa, I felt lost and did not know what to do,” she recalled. In particular, she remembers clearly how the police threatened her, her mother, and her brother, who was also very young.
As a result of the constant police harassment and the family's day to day difficulties, Ms. Gao became cynical and her mind was filled with hatred. She also slacked off in her cultivation practice. “During those 10-plus years in China, I experienced the joy of practice, the raising of my mind nature, and the struggles of the brutal suppression. I wanted to practice and did not want to stop. But the pressure was huge.” After started working, she stopped talking to people about Falun Dafa unless her mother was around. “Especially during my last year in China, my cultivation was like a tree in a winter—it was still alive, but there were no leaves on it, nothing.”
Ms. Gao and her family came to the United States in 2012. Through experience-sharing conferences and discussion with other practitioners, she opened her mind and change a lot. At the workplace, she saw how normal society operates, which is very different from what she experienced in China. By talking to people about Falun Dafa at touring sites and joining the Shen Yun promotion efforts, Ms. Gao also gained confidence and identified areas where she could improve.
“Now, once again I found my faith in Dafa and I will fulfill my prehistoric vows,” she affirmed.
Blessings from Falun Dafa
Ms. Ouyang began to practice 24 years ago, in 1993. “I still remember the day when I first read Zhuan Falun—I was so happy and learned so much from it,” she shared. After the suppression began in China, to avoid brainwashing and labor camp, she was forced to stay away from home for many years. “During those days, a practitioner told me a story, in which a girl was running after a Falun. In the end, there was a cliff and Falun continued to move forward. Without hesitation, the girl ran forward, following Falun despite the cliff. At that moment, Falun carried her, to help her move forward.”
Ms. Ouyang said she felt the same way as that girl through the years of cultivation practice. “In the face of the massive persecution, I was such a small person. It is Master and Falun Dafa that give me energy, and help me make it though the difficult times,” she said.
Western practitioner Gordon began practicing Falun Dafa in 2004. He has encountered many miracles since then. One day at work, he fell face down onto a concrete floor from a height of about five feet. “My initial thought was: I am fine.” It turned out that he was just fine, without any injury. His coworkers who witnessed his fall were very impressed.
College student Eva said she began memorizing Zhuan Falun when she was in third grade. “Before that, my grades were about average in school. Then, my scores suddenly became the highest in the class.” Her parents no longer needed to worry about her and she could also face various conflicts with a calm mind. Helping on the Shen Yun hotline during the past winter break also gave her lots of opportunities to look within and improve her xinxing. “I noticed that the state of my cultivation practice could affect the phone conversation. When my mind was uneasy, the phone could stop abruptly; but when I did the three things well, everything would go smoothly,” she said.
Several practitioners remarked that they learned a lot from the conference. “I will take this opportunity to improve and walk well the remaining journey of cultivation practice,” said one.
