(Minghui.org) Practitioners held the Ninth Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference in Bulgaria on October 8, 2023.

The conference was held in downtown Sofia at the luxurious Hemus Hotel. Starting at 9:00 a.m., 24 practitioners read their articles. The topics included how they worked together to introduce Falun Dafa to Bulgarian people, how they improved their character by looking inward, and the benefits they received from their practice of Falun Dafa. The practitioners expressed their gratitude to Master Li Hongzhi (Falun Dafa’s founder) for his compassion and guidance, and for helping them through challenging times.

The Ninth Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference in Bulgaria was held in the capital, Sofia, on October 8.

Practitioners spoke of how they improved in their cultivation.

Improving in Cultivation While Shouldering Responsibilities

In the summer of 2023, Peyo became the president of the Bulgarian Falun Dafa Association. He was very excited at first and reminded himself to calm down. He also knew that he had to be careful and not leave any room for human attachments to interfere with his responsibilities.

He ran into challenges soon after taking on the role. The workload was very heavy with many different problems to address, as well as many team members that needed to cooperate. “Although it was difficult, we learned to work as a team. The results when we worked together were instant; we understood that this was the only way we could achieve what we wanted. Problems that seemed insurmountable were quickly solved.”

Peyo also realized that he needed to improve his cultivation state even further in order to do the work required for his new position. He began to increase the amount of time he read the Fa and did the exercises, and soon found that he remembered passages of the teachings that guided him when he went about his tasks. Over time, he understood that only when a practitioner is humble and has a deep understanding of the Fa can he do the right thing.

“I knew that I should not give in to any bad thoughts. I looked at things from my heart and monitored my every thought. Repeatedly reading Essentials for Diligent Progress helped me,” said Peyo. “I began to think more of others.”

Helping with Shen Yun Shows in Poland

Sylvia began practicing Falun Dafa 10 years ago and talked about her experiences while working at the theater during the Shen Yun performances in Lublin, Poland.

Although she just recovered from a physical tribulation, Sylvia decided that she should go. She read Zhuan Falun during breaks while she helped as a security guard and she felt this strengthened her.

She observed that many dancers and musicians found time to study the Fa throughout the theater during the breaks between their busy rehearsal schedules. The energy around them and the team they traveled with was very strong and energizing. Sylvia said, “I was very happy to be a part of that.”

Looking back, Sylvia discovered many shortcomings. “I see how much further I have to go and I need to remove my remaining attachments. I often imagine my path as a mountain I’m climbing, and wonder if I’ve made it okay this far, how much further to the top, and if I’ll make it,” she said.

She knew she should keep working hard, no matter how big the challenge.

Learning to Work as One Body

Since 2020, Kalina has been the editor-in-chief of the Bulgarian edition of the Epoch Times. When she decided she wanted to participate in Gan Jing World as well, she discovered a new state of how practitioners could work together seamlessly.

When working on marketing for a product affiliated with Gan Jing World, Kalina was assigned to a team with a regional coordinator. She realized that the team did not communicate with each other excessively or in non-work contexts. Everyone was very self-sufficient and took responsibility for their own tasks.

“I was very impressed by the level and diligence of these practitioners, who neither complained nor resented anything they didn’t like or understand,” said Kalina. She was greatly inspired by how these practitioners selflessly worked on their tasks while maintaining a good relationship with the team. She hopes she can bring this spirit to Bulgaria as well.

Staying Diligent in Cultivation

Radoslav is one of the first Falun Dafa practitioners in Bulgaria. He spoke of how he stayed diligent in practicing cultivation.

About two years ago, in the midst of COVID security measures, he was told that practitioners in Western Europe needed people who could be security at the theaters during Shen Yun performances. At that time, Radoslav felt his cultivation state was stagnating. The theater was located in a country with stringent COVID-19 measures, and he didn’t know if he could participate.

While he was hesitating and deciding whether he should help out, Master published the article, “Wake Up”. The article re-energized him and brought him back to the fundamentals of his own cultivation—it helped him realize that he should prioritize saving sentient beings above all other things. He shared his new understanding with local practitioners, and three other Bulgarian practitioners volunteered to help during the performances. The team lead there was pleasantly surprised that four practitioners traveled so far when the COVID situation was so severe.

Radoslav told his family about helping out with Shen Yun. This past spring, his stories inspired two of his family members to see the show in Paris. When they returned to Bulgaria, they enthusiastically told the other relatives how amazing the performances were.

A New Practitioner’s Cultivation Experience

Elen began practicing Falun Dafa last year. She said it felt like many things were happening simultaneously. She quickly had new understandings about herself and the world around her, and she also encountered many tribulations which she realized were arranged to help improve her character.

The most difficult situations were her relationships with family and friends. She sometimes lost her temper. As she continued reading the teachings, she realized that her reaction was due to her attachment of sentimentality to her friends and family—she often did things because she wanted her friends and family to like her.

“I try to understand why something irritates me or I don’t agree with the way others think in different situations,” she said. She now looks inward first whenever a negative emotion comes up.

“I soon realized how much I changed when I communicated with others. I was patient and compassionate,” said Elen. “I discovered another side of compassion that brought me peace and satisfaction—at least I did not hurt the person who had issues with me, instead I helped them.”

Family Relationships Healed

Ganka started practicing Falun Dafa in February 2015. She recently lost her son and her husband was very sick. He had many misunderstandings about Falun Dafa and even stopped her when she read Zhuan Falun.

But as her practice progressed and she became kinder, her relationship with her husband improved. He gradually came to understand her practice, and even said that Falun Dafa was vast and good. Now, he even reminds her to go to group Fa study every morning at 8 a.m. and evening at 7:15 p.m.

Ganka is very grateful to Master for his guidance and all of the positive changes that have come about in her life after she began to live according to Falun Dafa’s principles. “Many times, I experienced how merciful Master had removed so much karma from my body as well as many wicked, bad factors from my mind that resulted in incredible manifestations and changes in me,” she said.

Attendees Gain New Insights

Desislava lives and works in Italy, but traveled to the conference in Bulgaria to listen to other practitioners’ experiences. She said the other practitioners gave her a lot of inspiration for her own cultivation and showed her how to elevate her character.

“I realized that truth spoken without kindness is cruel, that righteousness consists of, and is contained in your willingness to give and give and give, no matter what the circumstances,” she said.

She was also moved by practitioners’ compassion, which made her realize the incredible power of being kind. “Even if the most cruel and heartless person stands before you, you can overcome the negative elements within him if your heart is selfless, pure, and compassionate and your thoughts are righteous,” she said.