My Awakening at the First Falun Dafa Conference in Israel

My name is Vasiljka. I live in Karmiel, Israel and I am a Falun Dafa practitioner. I've been cultivating Falun Dafa for less than half a year, even though I feel like I started practicing a week ago. I'd like to share my experiences during the First Falun Dafa Conference in Israel.

I.

In the beginning I didn't want to go to the Conference in Tel-Aviv, and I was very determined about my decision not to go. I also was thinking about stopping practicing Falun Dafa and just continuing to be a "good" person. But somehow I felt I couldn't just stop practicing like that. Anyway, I let things go and stopped thinking about it, because I was very confused then and couldn't understand many things. What's more, at the time, I didn't even know why I was confused in the first place.

Then another female cultivator asked me to translate a certain "appeal letter" into Hebrew. After I read this letter for a few times, corrected some English grammar mistakes and translated it, I understood that I simply had to go to this Fa Conference no matter what the circumstances were. Also, two other Dafa practitioners wrote emails suggesting that I come to this Fa Conference and drop the idea of giving up my practice. Out of their great compassion, they didn't let me fall away, nor did our venerable, benevolent Master let me fall.

I went to this Falun Dafa Conference thinking to myself that I would be back home the same day, so I took with me some money for a trip there and back, a sandwich and the book Zhuan Falun. It was my first time being at a Falun Dafa Conference, so when I went I just did what everyone else was doing and helped out wherever I could. When the parade began all of the Dafa practitioners distributed many flyers to the people. Previously, it had been very hard for me to hand flyers to people (not to mention clarify the truth) and this was true at the beginning of this parade as well. I watched for a few minutes how other cultivators passed out the flyers, and I did the same. At some point I simply stopped thinking about my fear and myself, and handed out the flyers like all the other practitioners. The more I did it the more I believed in Falun Dafa, and my confidence in what I was doing grew.

The sun was searing and it was a very hot day. I was tired, but I wasn't even thinking about being tired; I was determined to do what I knew I should do. Later on, we started the sit-in in front of the Chinese Embassy, sent righteous thoughts, demonstrated the Dafa exercises to the passers-by, and read the book. One Taiwanese cultivator said, "This place is now our home." Some time later, the police arrived and we immediately started sending forth righteous thoughts, while a few practitioners tried to clarify the truth to them. The police concluded after a while that we were very quiet and peaceful. They left just one policeman there to keep an eye on things.

When it was time for me to catch the bus in order to go home as I previously planned, I felt that I just couldn't go. The place had become like a magnet for me, like a home. I looked at my fellow cultivators, looked at the Chinese Embassy building, and I had a thought that, on the contrary, I needed to stay there until everyone left, under whatever circumstances. Afterwards, I just did the exercises calmly and sent forth righteous thoughts with the other Dafa practioners. When it was almost time to go, I received a Falun Dafa T-shirt and asked another practitioner if there was a place to stay overnight. She said there was a hostel nearby and that we were going to stay there.

II.

When Ms. Zhizhen Dai told her story about the death of her husband, who was killed just because he practiced Falun Dafa, the tears started running down my cheeks, but I just continued listening intently to what she was saying even though it was in Chinese. At that moment I knew that what I was missing was the true faith in Falun Dafa. Just like one "Appeal Letter" said: "We feel it in our minds and in our bodies."

While listening to my fellow practitioners experiences, I received all my answers on the surface. And I had so many questions.

That day as well was the first day I removed many strong attachments.

"You will give up those bad things that you are attached to. For example, if a bottle filled with a dirty things is sealed tightly and thrown into water, it will sink all the way to the bottom. You pour out some of its dirty contents. The more you empty the bottle, the higher it will float in the water." (Zhuan Falun)

I am truly happy I found out about Falun Dafa. I also thank all those who didn't let me sink. But in reality it is much more than just a simple thanks. Falun Dafa and its cultivators are truly magnificent. Our Master and Falun Dafa shine through the cosmos, reaching the hearts of the kind-hearted people.