(Minghui.org) The 18th Falun Dafa Seminar in Manhattan was held at Tianti Books on November 12-20, 2016. Nine participants held a discussion at the end of the workshop to share what they had learned.
Ruby had learned the Falun Dafa exercises a year ago. When she first heard about the nine-day seminar, she was worried that her busy schedule wouldn't allow her to attend all nine sessions.
A Tianti bookstore employee told Ruby about another new practitioner last year who faced the dilemma of attending the Falun Dafa seminar or a long-awaited professional training seminar. The training school had insisted that missing one of their sessions would disqualify her. However, she knew Falun Dafa was the spiritual path she had long been searching for. She even cried over what to do. Realizing that learning Falun Dafa was most important to her, she decided to finish the Falun Dafa seminar. She eventually reached an understanding with the professional training instructor and was able to complete the training program as well.
Ruby was encouraged by the story and managed to attend the nine-day seminar despite her busy schedule. At the end of the seminar, she shared a story with the group. One day during the session, she was riding her bike on the street, when a pedestrian suddenly appeared in her path. She braked so suddenly that she took a hard fall. The pedestrian asked if she was injured. Recalling the story about a bicyclist in one of the lectures, Ruby's first thought was, “I'm fine.” She assured the pedestrian that she was alright. After she got back home, she looked more carefully and found only a minor scratch on her arm. She was certain the outcome could have been much worse if she had held negative thoughts in that moment.
Ka-seem is a quiet man with a serious pursuit of spiritual enlightenment. He believes this possible if one finds the right way. One day, he couldn't find what he wanted for lunch from the two restaurants close to Tianti Books. He then entered the Tianti Books, and not only found the pizza he wanted, but he also learned about the upcoming nine-day Falun Dafa Seminar. Believing that everything happens for a reason, he decided to attend the seminar. He said he gained a lot from the lectures.
The employees of the bookstore said customers were often thankful to Tianti for providing such a quiet and elegant retreat from the bustling streets of Manhattan.
