(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners in Sweden gathered in Stockholm on July 22, 2018 for an annual Falun Dafa Experience-Sharing Conference. Thirteen practitioners presented articles they had written about their cultivation journeys, sharing how they let go of various human notions, looked within, and validated Dafa.
Venue of Fa Conference in Sweden
Practitioners speak and share cultivation experiences at the 2018 Sweden Fa Conference
Steadfastly Believing in Master and Dafa
Viveka from Gothenburg has practiced Falun Dafa for 20 years. She said,“Once I began practicing Falun Dafa, I never considered giving up this wonderful cultivation practice.”
She talked about several seemingly serious sickness karma tests she had gone through over the past 20 years. She believed that these were tests because she learned to not be intimidated by the sickness karma. Her determination and conviction helped her remove her fear. Thus, the sickness symptoms disappeared.
She shared that we should believe all that Master has taught us, that it is crucial not to waver in our faith, and not to leave any room for fear. If one has any fear or disturbing thoughts, one must immediately eliminate them, she said.
Letting Go of Self and Attachment to Complaint
Johan is a local coordinator. He understood that as a coordinator, one should not only think of how he wanted things done, and the importance of how he felt. Instead he should assume more responsibility. “I must let go of myself as a coordinator, and try to understand what Master wants and what the Fa teaches us. I should not avoid it when facing difficulties or challenges. Coordinators should help and encourage more practitioners to participate in different kinds of tasks, because everyone has a different personality and character. We also need different kinds of encouragement and support,” he said.
He delivers informational materials to areas where practitioners clarify the facts about Falun Dafa. He has to go to a warehouse, get the materials, display boards, and other types of exhibition materials and take them to the event. After the event, he has to return all materials to the warehouse.
He is the first practitioner at any given event and the last one to return home. Other practitioners have family and other responsibilities, making it difficult to get help.
He used to complain and felt jealous in his mind, and thought that it was unfair. Gradually he came to understand that it is a good way to cultivate oneself and improve xinxing. Getting rid of the attachment to complaint and jealousy is a process of cultivation, he said. He was able to let go of the heart of complaint and jealousy when seeing others who seemed to have less to bear.
Johan said that he should cherish each cultivation opportunity, otherwise he would regret his omission in the future. Fa-rectification is moving forward so fast, demanding that we cultivators catch up, he said.
Young Practitioner Seizes Opportunity to Raise Awareness
Sixteen-year-old Zhong Min began practicing Falun Dafa with his parents from a young age. He shared how he clarified the facts about Falun Dafa to his school teachers and students prior to his junior middle school graduation.
Zhong Min did not realize the urgency of saving people when he was in elementary school, neither did he know how to reach out to people to talk about Falun Dafa. But, he decided to tell his teachers and students about Falun Dafa and the persecution in junior middle school. After the junior middle school graduation examination, his Swedish teacher gave a final writing assignment – writing a paper on any topic. He saw this as a good opportunity to clarify the facts. With the help of his teacher and parents he wrote a speech, which he presented before more than 100 teachers and students.
He said, “The moment I stood on the podium, my heartbeat increased. But, thinking that Master and the gods were watching, I took a deep breath and started the speech. At the end of my speech the audience applauded warmly. Many people stopped at the petition book to sign it, and so showed their support for Falun Dafa. People were excited and thanked me for daring to stand up and expose the facts.”
Zhong Min said he really felt Master's strengthening while giving his speech. Due to his outstanding performance, at the junior middle school graduation ceremony this year, he won the school's “Social Science Award,” encouraging him to make more effort regarding human rights.
Cultivating and Rectifying Oneself
Ms. Lai shared her cultivation experience when participating in Sweden's Almedalen Week, a week when political parties, businesses, and the media hold meetings. She raised awareness about Falun Dafa and the persecution.
Prior to the political week in 2017, Ms. Lai slacked off in her cultivation. She used to be able to meditate in full lotus position for more than an hour, but all of a sudden she could not sit in the full lotus position for even 15 minutes of sending righteous thoughts. When demonstrating the sitting exercise her calf cramped, and she was in great pain. But close to the end of the meditation, she felt that the time passed quickly, her body was filled with energy, and she felt very comfortable.
When looking within, she found attachments to being afraid of suffering, and relying on fellow practitioners. She was able to let go of the attachments with Master's help.
For the 2018 political week, the coordinator assigned her to act as a doctor in a forced organ harvesting re-enactment. When she held the scalpel and thought about the innocent practitioners facing such a horrible death, she burst into tears.
“Dafa practitioners in China,” she said, “despite being persecuted, arrested, beaten, illegally sentenced, or having their organs removed, still dare to step out to clarify the facts and save sentient beings. How great and remarkable is this? In contrast, in such a relaxed environment, I'm often driven by my attachment to comfort and slack off in my cultivation. Sometimes I forgot that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner who should tell people about Dafa. Master saw that that I had gradually become numb. Thus, He arranged this experience to stimulate and rekindle my righteous thoughts.”
Practitioners attending the Fa conference said they gained new insight and encouragement from their fellow practitioners. Many said they were determined to pay more attention to studying the Fa well and looking within when encountering difficulties.
