Practitioners in Germany Share the Joy of Cultivation on World Falun Dafa Day

(Minghui.org) On the 31st anniversary of Falun Dafa’s public introduction and World Falun Dafa Day, Dafa practitioners in Germany reflect on their cultivation experiences. They are grateful to Falun Dafa’s founder, Mr. Li Hongzhi, for his compassion and for leading them to reshape their lives. 

Thirty-one years ago, Mr. Li Hongzhi began to teach Falun Dafa in China. It is now practiced in more than 100 countries around the world, and the practice has benefited millions of people. Mr. Li Hongzhi asks practitioners to take Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance as the fundamental guide in their daily lives, cultivate their mind towards goodness, and improve their thoughts.

Engineer Finds the Meaning of Life

Ms. Berrin thanks Master Li Hongzhi for introducing Falun Dafa. She said the teachings showed her the true meaning of life.

“On November 16, 2021, I read Zhuan Falun for the first time. I will never forget that day,” Ms. Berrin said excitedly. Born in Turkey, she grew up in Germany and works as an engineer for the city of Mannheim. She’s also an actor in the Mannheim City Ensemble.

Ms. Berrin recalled, “A friend opened a hair salon. She told me about a couple of regular customers who practiced Falun Dafa, and often talked about it. When they invited my friend to their home, she asked me if I wanted to go with her. Out of curiosity, I agreed.

“The couple lives near Heidelberg, and other Dafa practitioners routinely meet in their home. As soon as I entered the door I felt a powerful energy. In the following months, I often attended the weekly meetings at the couple’s. I gradually realized that many of my notions about people and things were wrong. Practitioners patiently answered many questions that I had been puzzled about. They were so helpful and the atmosphere was kind. I became more and more fond of reading the Fa. Without their support, I probably wouldn’t have stuck with it. Thank you!”

In just over a year, Berrin underwent tremendous changes physically and mentally.

“I used to fight when I felt things were unfair. When I saw something unpleasant, I had to say something. Now I know that many things are not so simple and happen for a reason. I need to pay attention to my speech. Before cultivation, I easily became excited or angry, and that was definitely not good for my health. Now I’m quiet.”

She said happily, “Since I began practicing Falun Dafa, my friends and family say that I have changed and I’m happy. My sister also began to read Zhuan Falun.

“The biggest gain from reading Zhuan Falun is that Master helped me understand that people live in the world to practice Dafa, return to their origins, and return to their true home, which is very important to me. Unfortunately, many people are still not aware of this and are still fighting.”

She said with emotion, “Falun Dafa is so beautiful. Being able to attain the Fa is my greatest honor. Thank you, Master for your constant care and protection. I feel your omnipresent compassion. Thank you, Master for not giving up on us and for passing on the Dafa (great Fa) to the world.”

“Cultivation Renewed My life”

Ricci is grateful to Master Li and Dafa for guiding him to find direction in life.

When Ricci was fourteen years old, he moved from Turkey to Germany with his parents. He is now the Head of Operations at Deutsche Post Group at the Frankfurt Airport.

“My first contact with Dafa was at the end of 2009. One of my colleagues practices Falun Dafa. Through him, I learned what Falun Dafa is, and after a year, I began to practice.

“Before cultivation, I often felt confused; it was like I was disoriented. I also had many questions that could not be answered. Many things made me feel disappointed and frustrated, and many values in society ran counter to my attitude towards life.

“When I finished reading Zhuan Falun and understood the jurisprudence of Dafa, my body shook like an earthquake. I burst into tears and clearly realized that what I had been looking for all my life was Dafa, and I had finally found it. I felt like I was back home and no longer had to search.”

Ricci smiled and said, “Dafa solved the mystery in my heart and helped me know why people came to the world. As I continued to study the Fa and cultivate my mind, my speech, behavior, and thinking, and my outlook became increasingly positive. I became a completely different person.

“I used to work in an office where there was a clear division of labor. Everyone did their own thing, and they did not interact with each other. After I began practicing Falun Dafa, when I finish the task at hand, I ask other colleagues if they need help. I became more and more considerate of others and less selfish. When my colleagues saw me doing this, they also started helping each other and now we work as a team. Everyone feels the joy of work, and the atmosphere in the office is now harmonious.

“I used to have a short temper and often argued with others. It was Dafa that changed me and taught me how to endure. Once, when I was working on a Dafa project, I encountered some problems and decided to ask a practitioner to help. I called her to explain the situation. Unexpectedly, her attitude was very cold and she refused to help me. I tried very hard to restrain the dissatisfaction in my heart, telling myself that I must not be angry. I knew I must endure it. I gradually calmed down. In a friendly tone, I told her, “Although you failed to help me, I still thank you.

“Unexpectedly, this practitioner called me to apologize. This time, I was able to control my emotions. As cultivators, we encounter many tests every day. In the past, I would immediately question loudly, and argue with the other person.”

Ricci’s wife also practices Falun Dafa. He said, “Dafa can really change people’s hearts. I know this from my wife. Now she understands the karmic reincarnation of the world, can handle her relationships with family and friends peacefully, and no longer lies. Everything is so harmonious.

“A lot of people say I look a lot younger than my peers,” Ricci said. “This is the magic of Falun Dafa.”

On World Falun Dafa Day, Ricci expressed his gratitude to Mr. Li Hongzhi: “Respected Master, thank you for allowing me to find Falun Dafa, for undertaking so much and doing so much for me. I know the preciousness of Zhuan Falun, and I firmly believe in you and Dafa.”

Learning to Look Inward

Le My Ngoc thanks Master for saving her. After reading Zhuan Falun, she decided not to divorce her husband.

Le My Ngoc, who owns a nail salon, started practicing Dafa four years ago. She is a mother of two young children. “Twelve years ago, I read on the Internet how Falun Dafa practitioners are persecuted in China. I also saw a photo about the organ harvesting. I was very disturbed, and I didn’t sleep well for weeks,” Ngoc recalled.

“Four years ago I was twenty-eight, but I felt like I was eighty-two.” 

Ngoc’s gynecologist told her that her fallopian tubes were blocked and she needed surgery every three years. Without surgery, she was likely to develop cancer. Also, she was told that she might not live long, and would never get pregnant.

In Asia, where Ngoc is from, there are many healing methods such as natural remedies in addition to surgery. So she searched everywhere and tried practicing yoga and other methods, but they were ineffective.

After her mother-in-law practiced Falun Dafa for a year and her illnesses disappeared, she suggested that Ngoc try Falun Dafa. “I completely misunderstood what Falun Dafa was, and what it means to cultivate. I thought that Falun Dafa was about exercising the body, and that only old people practiced it.” 

Her mother-in-law told her that Falun Dafa can be practiced by anyone, regardless of gender or age. So, with her mother-in-law’s help, Ngoc followed the online teaching video, and did the exercises for an hour. She practiced one to five sets of exercises each day. “If you don’t practice for a day, you will miss the music and movements,” she said.

“One day a month later, I went to the Immigration Bureau for Foreigners to file for a divorce. My husband always argued with me, so I wanted to divorce him.”

Waiting for two hours at the immigration bureau with nothing to do, Meiyu pondered in her heart that Falun Dafa must have something else besides the five sets of exercises. So she searched on the Internet and saw Zhuan Falun. 

“That’s when I learned that there was such a book,” Ngoc said, and she started reading it online. After reading for about an hour, she decided to go home. She no longer thought about the conflicts with her husband, and decided to continue living with him.

Ngoc said excitedly, “I think what Master says is so good. When I fought with my husband, I always thought it was all his fault, that he was not good to me.” 

After she began reading the teachings, Ngoc gradually learned to look inward. When she and her husband quarreled again, Ngoc reminded herself to look within for her own faults. She realized that he was angry because of her bad words. Her husband wanted to continue arguing with Ngoc. She stopped arguing with him and asked him calmly what he wanted to eat. He stopped arguing and told her what he wanted. Ngoc shared, “Had this happened before, I would have ignored him for two weeks.”

Under the influence of Ngoc, her husband also started practicing Falun Dafa, and he quit drinking.

Ngoc said, “In the nail salon, you sometimes encounter difficult customers. I tell my employees to give me the task if they don’t want to do it.

“If the costumer is not satisfied, I redo their nails. This is also a test of my kindness and patience. I think that as a Falun Dafa practitioner, I must always be truthful, compassionate, and have forbearance.”

When her customers ask her why she is so patient, Ngoc explains that she practices Falun Dafa and she tells them about Dafa and the persecution in China. The nail salon has a lot of Falun Dafa truth-clarification materials, and she also bought thirty copies of Zhuan Falun at her own expense and put them in the store for those who are interested in Dafa to borrow.

Ngoc said that Master’s new article “How Humankind Came To Be” has helped her understand the importance of saving all people. On Falun Dafa Day she wants to tell Master, “Thank you for your saving grace, and happy birthday! I will cultivate diligently in the future.”

Pain Disappears

Ludmila thanks Master and wishes him a happy birthday.

Ludmila began practicing Falun Dafa 22 years ago. She came to Germany last year due to the Russian-Ukrainian war. In Ukraine, she was a speech therapist working in education and children’s language development.

Ludmila recalled, “Before cultivation, I had serious problems with my spine. The doctor recommended I try qigong. At that time, the salary of Ukrainian teachers was very low, and the cost of qigong courses was too high for me. However, the constant pain tormented me, forcing me to try to find a way to deal with it.”

Ludmila saw an advertisement for a free Falun Dafa class and began to read Dafa books.

“The first time I read Zhuan Falun, I recalled my past vividly, like a movie. Master showed me the people I hurt and how I covered my mistakes. The situations with some relatives I barely remembered also surfaced. Seeing all this, I couldn’t help but cry. As I read the book, I thought: How much pain I caused others! No wonder I was so miserable.”

Ludmila’s health improved faster than she could ever imagine. The next morning, the back pain that had tormented her for six months miraculously disappeared. Her body felt light. This incredible lightness lasted for several days, in stark contrast to the prior torment. 

Ludmila was eager to tell others about her amazing experience. “I asked myself, can I say that I became healthy after reading this book? I don’t think they would believe it. At the time, I didn’t even understand what was going on.

“I repeatedly read Zhuan Falun, and gradually understood that there are reasons for karma in the world, as well as what happened to me.”

Ludmila said happily, “Twenty-two years have passed, and many of my friends now practice Falun Dafa. Many thanks to Master Li Hongzhi for allowing me and my life to change. I now live a meaningful and happy life. Happy birthday, Master!”