(Minghui.org) The 2022 Falun Dafa Experience-Sharing Conference took place in Warsaw, Poland, on September 11, 2022 and over 1,300 practitioners from 35 countries attended the event. They were from Europe, the United States, Vietnam, Israel, and other countries. Mr. Li Hongzhi, founder of Falun Dafa, sent greetings to the conference.

Eighteen practitioners talked about their experience in the conference. They were from Poland, Germany, the United Kingdom, Czechia, France, Switzerland, Serbia, Italy, Sweden, Latvia, and Austria. They spoke of how they aligned with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance when promoting Shen Yun, doing media work, and introducing Falun Dafa to the public while refuting the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) slander against Dafa.

A practitioner talks about her cultivation experiences during the 2022 European Falun Dafa Experience-Sharing Conference in Warsaw, Poland, on September 11.

Simultaneous translation in 12 different languages were provided. Some attendees have practiced Falun Dafa for over 20 years and some practiced for only five months.

Practitioners talked about their experiences.

Faith in Master and Dafa

Mr. Kowalski helps coordinate the Shen Yun tours in Poland. When he heard Shen Yun Performing Arts planned to come to Europe, he considered it a great opportunity and invited the group to Poland. But none of the theaters suitable for the performance could accommodate the dates. Despite the challenges, Mr. Kowalski and his team did not give up, and they continued looking. But the theaters either did not have open time slots or did not meet the requirements for Shen Yun performances.

The situation seemed hopeless but Mr. Kowalski persisted. “As a main contact person, I knew this was a test checking how strong my wish to bring Shen Yun to Poland was. It was also a test to see how I could move things forward and overcome difficulties to make it happen,” he recalled. With firm belief in Master and Dafa, the situation changed and the team was able to sign a contract with a theater. All the shows in Poland were sold out.

Ms. Zhou, who helps coordinate the Shen Yun tours in Germany, had similar experiences. From the early planning stages to the last show, there were all kinds of issues and problems. “It was like opening a blind box every day. There were usually surprises and things did not go as planned,” she said, “As long as we kept trying, there would be a path. Our team members encouraged each other and solved problems one after another.”

Solid cultivation is the foundation. “When we’re unable to meet the xinxing standard, we have no wisdom when we encounter difficulties, nor would there be any solutions,” she added, “Nonetheless, we have to stay calm since many of them are superficial illusions. We just need to move forward in the direction Master showed us.”

Art Exhibition

Ms. Nguyen lives in Paris and began to practice Falun Dafa three years ago. Like other practitioners, she pays attention to reading the teachings, doing the exercises, and improving herself. In the conference, she talked about her experiences while organizing the Art of Zhen, Shan, Ren (Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance) International Exhibition.

Other practitioners told Ms. Nguyen that the exhibition had been held in France many times and they were very successful. But the project stopped five years ago. Ms. Nguyen wanted to restart it. After several attempts, she found a venue near Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris at a reasonable price. When everything was ready and a contract was about to be signed, however, the vendor told her that she had to reapply using a new procedure. This meant that all her previous work was wasted and she needed to go through a new administrative procedure all over again. The cost would be three times higher and it would also take longer.

But Ms. Nguyen did not complain. “I reviewed the entire process, checking which attachment of mine could have caused this,” she said, “Since the vendor asked me to start all over again, at least it was an opportunity to improve my xinxing.” Reminding herself that she was a Falun Dafa practitioner, she was also able to let go of her attachment to money and material interests.

In the end, the art exhibition successfully took place in late February 2022, allowing tourists and local residents to learn about the beauty of Falun Dafa and the viciousness of the persecution by the CCP in mainland China.

Persevering for 20 Years

Ms. Gao from the United Kingdom said that she and other practitioners have been peacefully protesting in front of the Chinese Embassy in London for 20 years. Their protest began in May 2002, when former CCP leader Jiang Zemin visited Europe. Practitioners held a peaceful protest for three consecutive days in front of the Chinese Embassy in London. Upon recommendation by some practitioners, they decided to continue and a truth-clarification site was established on June 5, 2002. “Our plan was that as long as the CCP continued to suppress Falun Gong, our peaceful protest would not stop,” she explained.

There have been many challenges over the years. Sometimes other projects also need practitioners and time, making it difficult to coordinate this project. When that happens, Ms. Gao asks herself, “What would Master want to see?” With that in mind, she knows Master wants us to continue this, as well as support other activities such as helping to promote Shen Yun. “If we are not intimidated by the superficial situation, we would be able to see clearly Master’s arrangements,” she added.

Because of this consistent effort, many people learned the facts of Falun Dafa and the CCP’s brutality. One day when she was talking with someone behind a poster board, a young man passing by on a bike stopped. He asked why no one was sitting there and peacefully protesting that day. He asked, “Has the suppression stopped? If so, I will be happy to share this good news with my friends. If not, I can stay here for a while until a Falun Dafa practitioner comes.”

Ms. Gao said that from this incident, she learned how important it was to maintain this spot regardless of the situation.

Learning from Each Other

When the conference ended at 5 p.m., practitioners saw two giant rainbows above the conference venue. They considered it encouragement from Master Li for them to do better.

Ms. Cao is a lawyer and she traveled from Vietnam to attend the conference. She was especially touched by the practitioners’ determination to continue the peaceful protest in front of the Chinese Embassy in London 24 hours a day. “From this I saw my attachment to comfort and I know that I need to get rid of it,” she said.

Real estate agent Mr. Schmit said that he noticed it was laziness that had blocked him from being diligent in cultivation practice. Regarding participating in the group exercise and group study, he decided to do better in the future.

Mr. Žatkulák, an interior designer from Czechia, said he was moved by Master Li’s greetings. He also saw the gap between him and other practitioners. “I believe this conference will be a new starting point for me,” he said.