(Minghui.org) The 2017 Washington D.C. Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference took place on September 16 in Rockville, Maryland.
In “To the Fa Conference in France,” Master wrote:
“In this final hour of the Fa rectification, cultivate yourselves solidly every step of the way and accomplish your mission of saving people. May your Fa conference be a success.”
The 2017 Washington D.C. Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference, September 16, 2017
Thirteen practitioners shared their understandings and experiences on how to solidly improve their xinxing and save people.
Remaining Diligent
Ms. Yan, 68, is a retired middle school teacher. She said that, as Dafa disciples, we should always make certain we do the three things well: that we put our hearts into Fa study, focus our attention when sending righteous thoughts, and make the best use of our time to save people.
After activities to promote Shen Yun concluded in May, Ms. Yan thought about taking a short break: “I’ve helped to promote Shen Yun for almost 10 months. Now it is time for me to take care of my own life, work, and family.” With that thought, things dramatically changed for her: Occasionally she could not finish reading one lecture of Zhuan Falun in three days and would doze off after reading just 10 pages. Plus, she had the symptom of a toothache.
This alarmed her. So, since August, every day she has done the exercises in a park with a group during the day and studied the Fa in the evening, in addition to sending forth righteous thoughts four times a day. Whenever she encounters a conflict, she looks within to see if she has done things according to the Falun Dafa principles.
This has made a great difference in her cultivation. By adjusting her work hours, she was able to spend three or four hours a day introducing the Shen Yun Symphony Orchestra to mainstream society. She went with other practitioners to office buildings, law firms, and clinics and distributed over 2,000 pamphlets. Along the way, her toothache disappeared completely.
Those positive changes also influenced her family. “My husband does not practice Falun Dafa. In the past, he did not like it when other practitioners visited me, let alone when I helped them,” she said. Now her family asks Ms. Yan to share vegetables from their own garden with other practitioners. They’ve also offered temporary accommodations in their rental apartments.
Thirteen practitioners shared their experiences at the conference.
Chinese Tourists
Several practitioners talked about how they’ve helped Chinese tourists understand the facts about Falun Dafa. Among them was Ms. Wang, who is almost 70. Arriving in Washington, D.C., five years ago, she did not speak English and could not drive. But these challenges didn’t inhibit her. She worked at fitting in in the US and went to tourist sites on a regular basis to speak with Chinese tourists.
“One day, I came across a group of about 20 tourists. I greeted them and welcomed them to Washington. Then I recommended that they read a brochure I had about Falun Dafa that covered the ongoing, 18-year-long persecution in China,” she said. As she was telling them how she was mistreated in a prison in Northeast China for her belief, one tourist interrupted her to ask the number of the prison, the warden's name, and the name of the leader in her section of the prison. Ms. Wang replied honestly.
The man then turned to rest of the group and said, “Everything she has told us is true.” When Ms. Wang later asked them to quit the communist party organizations, all of them agreed. It turned out the man was a representative of a company that did business with the prison and that everyone else in the group was employed by that company.
Another day, Ms. Wang was chatting with Chinese tourists eating in a fast food restaurant near a famous landmark. “They sat around three tables. When I explained to one table why they should renounce their memberships in the communist party organizations, everyone agreed. Then someone from another table called out to me, 'Could you come talk to us, too?' As I was speaking with this table, I could tell those at the third table expected me to talk to them, too.” In the end, all 18 tourists agreed to quit the communist party organizations, except for two who had already done so in China.
Not Going to Extremes
One practitioner used to practice Falun Dafa with her mother when she was a child but slacked off after the persecution began in China in 1999. She started to practice again this May but was nervous about the limited time and the many things to do. “As a result, I set a high standard for myself. For example, I spent all my spare time on Dafa projects. I often had to work extra hours at my job, but because I considered myself a diligent practitioner, I paid little attention to eating or my personal life.” Because of her busy schedule, she did not get in touch with her family for a long time.
After a while, she experienced fatigue and was not able to be as diligent. When she saw other practitioners happy and relaxed, she realized she might have loopholes. “Gradually I realized that my motivation was based on selfishness—trying to find a shortcut to prove myself and show I was better than others. In other words, I did not focus on improving my xinxing and changing my mind nature; rather, I focused on actions on the surface, that is, to behave like a diligent practitioner. Because of that, I was tired and miserable,” she explained.
Through further Fa study and discussion with other practitioners, she gained a better understanding of cultivation and its seriousness. “I start from small things and try to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance no matter what I do,” she said. Once again, she could sense the sacredness and joy of cultivating. Her relationships with others at work also fundamentally improved.
A Test of Life and Death
A Western practitioner of many years had severe heart pain for almost a year. Thinking his life might be coming to an end, he wondered if he was very diligent, could his life be extended?
But he was not sure about it, so he asked a few practitioners. One told him that most of the time practitioners who experienced such illness karma had not taken cultivation seriously. “Am I in this situation?” he wondered. Once again, nobody was able to provide a clear answer, so he decided to read Zhuan Falun more.
As he studied, he noticed he had not fully understood how profound and unique Falun Dafa is. In the past, he had considered it just another cultivation way. But as he now read again in Zhuan Falun, “We cultivate something so enormous that it equates to cultivating the universe.” With that understanding, his questions were answered and he knew what to do. His heart problem also disappeared.
Many practitioners said they learned a lot from the conference. One said he better understood the importance of righteous belief, what great things practitioners have done, and just how precious the group environment is.
