Cultivation Experience of an Undergraduate Student

(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master and fellow practitioners:

I’m a practitioner who resides in Boston. I would like to share some of my Falun Dafa cultivation experiences. 

First Movie Screening

Last semester, I held my first onsite movie screening on campus. Being a first for me, there were lots of processes and incidents that were unforeseen, so the application for the event took longer than expected. Given the large amount of schoolwork and the promotion needed, I was overwhelmed and wanted to give up. I thought it would be better if I postponed the event to next semester, as this would allow me more time for promotion. But, fellow practitioners were very supportive and talked me into continuing with my effort. They said that we should hold it no matter the issues. At least it would be a learning experience. With the encouragement of fellow practitioners, we continued the process and gave out fliers as well as put up the information on the school display board. Even though a lot of things were done in haste and many things weren’t perfect, I learned the lesson that completion is more important than perfection.

I also want to thank the practitioners who were always patient and always reminded me when I got buried in schoolwork and forgot to work out something important. One practitioner always pays close attention to our club page and club email. I’m really grateful to him.

Second Movie Screening

The second movie screening was before the end of the school year. With the previous experience, the event application process went smoother. A local practitioner also helped me with the promotion. We put up posters around the school. There was also another practitioner who helped us come up with a timeline for our promotion schedule and designate duties. Things seemed better, but this time, we had issues with deciding on the guest speaker. 

Each of us had a different opinion on who to invite to the screening. I felt hurt and dejected because my opinion wasn’t accepted. So I left the room not wanting to talk with them. Afterwards, I looked inward. I realized I didn’t stand in other practitioners’ shoes before I talked. If I understood the other practitioners better, I could have done a better job communicating with them. 

Another thing that happened during the event was that because I didn’t double-check the reserved location, all the people went to the wrong location. We only realized the issue when the designated time arrived, and there was another group of people in the same classroom. The attendees had to walk 20 minutes to get to another building to watch the film. This taught me the importance of double-checking and paying attention to details.

Third Movie Screening

To promote the screening, we would need to go to different stores on the street or stand on the street to distribute fliers. I had an inner voice telling me that this is too difficult and too cold – I should give up. But I would tell myself that this is for saving people, and I can do this. Just like what Master taught us: “Nothing is truly unbearable or impossible.” (The Ninth Talk, Zhuan Falun) These words expanded my capacity and willingness. I also became more grateful, humble, and more able to empathize with other people.

Exercising Outdoors

Boston is windy, and practicing outside in the winter was difficult. I remember when I first came to the city, it was too cold for me to walk outside even for a short period of time. The first time I did the exercise outdoors this semester, I didn’t even talk to the practitioner who was also doing the exercise but left without a word because I was so cold. With time, I learned to endure the hardship. Human notions always pop up, and I would want to put on more clothes or drink hot chocolate before I went outside, but I found that even though it appears tough, it’s actually not that tough, and usually, the difficulties can be managed. My fellow practitioners really helped me make it through all this. 

Managing Schoolwork

The workload at the university is heavy for me. Sometimes, it’s very difficult to keep up. I procrastinated on one of my assignments until the very end one time. I didn’t even dare to ask the teaching assistant for an extension as I felt overwhelmed. A practitioner helped me, taught me, and stayed with me to finish the bulk of the project. It was difficult spending long hours reading and writing, and I wanted to give up, but the practitioner was always patient. He didn’t push me. In the end, I decided to let go of my emotions and push once more. 

It was like what the Master said: 

“...when faced with what seems impossible, and even if others say so, try to keep this in mind, and see if it might just be possible. I believe that if you can do that, you will always find that there is light at the end of the tunnel.” (The Ninth Talk, Zhuan Falun) 

Everything became much easier after a while, and I finished the first draft of my assignment. The same thing happened the next day. After I pushed through the difficult period, I found a completely new angle on the research from a new source. The experience taught me the importance of pushing myself and keeping up the hard work and dedication.

Club Events

Our club doesn’t have any money or funding. In order to hold the event, we need to spend money out of our pocket for the various items associated with the event. At first, I felt reluctant, but after doing more and more events, I started to realize it is not easy at all to hold an event. It takes time and effort, and it costs money, but a lot of practitioners spend their own money to support the Dafa events and projects without compensation. How selfish I was, being the one who only takes from others. I’m more willing to contribute now.

Some days, after a day of work, I am tired and don’t want to participate in the online Fa-study with other practitioners. Most of the time, I would still do it, albeit unwillingly. However, there was a time when I changed my way of thinking. I started to think: I’m contributing to the Fa study environment just by showing up. Being able to help maintain an environment that can help other practitioners to study the Fa is really great. After changing my attitude I became more patient and considerate. In the experience sharing later on, one practitioner thanked me for sharing with him. It was a good experience.

Conclusion

I’m really thankful for all the practitioners who participated in the activities in Boston, and I’m also thankful for the time spent here. I’ll keep following Dafa as my guide when facing issues, and I’ll remind myself what Master says：“...nothing is truly unbearable or impossible.” (The Ninth Talk, Zhuan Falun). I’ll do better going forward in my cultivation. 

(Presented at the 2023 New England Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference)