Georgia, U.S.: Practitioners Reflect on Their Cultivation Experiences at 2023 Southeast U.S. Falun Dafa Conference

(Minghui.org) The 2023 Southeast U.S. Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held at the Hamilton City Library in Georgia on July 8, 2023. Practitioners from Georgia, South Carolina, Mississippi and Alabama attended the event. The conference was held in three languages, Chinese, English. and Vietnamese.

Sixteen new and veteran practitioners presented their cultivation experience papers on how they studied the teachings, looked inward to improve their hearts and minds, and participated in various projects.

The 2023 Southeast US Fa Conference was held at the Hamilton City Library on July 8, 2023.

Attendees took a group photo after the conference.

Cultivating While Promoting Shen Yun

Mr. Lei reflected on his cultivation experiences while promoting Shen Yun since 2007 when the city he lived in hosted the show for the first time.

Mr. Lei from Georgia spoke of his cultivation experience at the conference.

He said, “While I was driving one day, a question came to mind: ‘What is the right thing to do?’ Just then, the lights turned red in front of me and I stopped my car. However, an ambulance flashing its red light sped past me in the left lane next to my car without stopping at the red light.

“I immediately understood, in all dimensions in the universe, there are no ‘red lights’ when it comes to saving people. This is the most sacred thing and everything should give way to save people. Yet, if the ambulance drove past the red light without turning on its siren, then the driver flouted the traffic rules and the police might arrest him.

“There are so many practitioners, our cultivation states are not on the same level. It is impossible for everyone to have strong righteous thoughts 100 percent of the time. For some, the red light for saving people might be shining very brightly, for others, it may not be that bright, for some it may not even be flashing at all. Therefore, there will be problems when we promote Shen Yun on a large scale and it will not work. Things can be done this way on a small scale and when individual practitioners have powerful righteous thoughts as well as experience in this area. I was overjoyed to understand this principle after Master gave me hints.”

Learning from Others and Constantly Looking Inward

Ms. Yang who from Georgia talked about her experience coordinating practitioners in promoting Shen Yun in her area as well as surrounding cities this year. She said she sought advice from practitioners who had many years of experience promoting Shen Yun. She kept looking at her shortcomings when she ran into difficulties and discovered she should not fret over who is right or wrong.

She recalled that in the beginning, she had different ideas on how to promote Shen Yun and got caught up in trying to figure out who was right and who was wrong. This caused tension among practitioners and she even complained. There were times when human thoughts bothered her and her ego became inflated.

One time, while studying the Fa, she suddenly realized that she should change her mindset and learn to harmonize things. She should let go of the attachment to who is right and wrong and instead focus on promoting Shen Yun well.

Everything Is For Our Cultivation

Several practitioners spoke about how they balance family, work, and helping out during Shen Yun performances. They reflected on their faults when there were problems, how they rectified themselves and resolved obstacles.

Mr. Courter from Alabama said he had a problem with his car while he was rushing to the theater where Shen Yun was performing. He looked inside and realized that he recently spent a lot of time checking out his social media accounts on his mobile phone. He deleted the app and his car stopped having problems.

Mr. Courter from Alabama spoke of his cultivation experiences.

He said, “When the book The Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World was published, it completely changed my view of many things in society.” He was drawn to certain topics on social media platforms. “I defended myself, I thought my attachment could help me clarify the truth to people. However, I discovered that I spent too much time on it and I was attached to certain results. When I meditated or sent righteous thoughts, my mind would think of the topics discussed on social media.”

Through reading the Fa, Courter said he, “Suddenly understood. I promised myself and Master that I would delete my account. I got rid of the app on my phone and my car stopping having problems. Since then, my car has been fine.”

Mr. Mai from Georgia said he began to practice cultivation after he saw a 73-year-old Vietnamese practitioner introduce Dafa to people three days in a row without appearing tired.

Mr. Mai spoke at the conference.

Mr. Mai said, “I attended an Autumn Festival organized by a Vietnamese church in 2019. A woman dressed in traditional Vietnamese clothing stood next to my stall and handed out information on Dafa for three days in a row. When I learned that she was already 73, I could not help but ask how she could be so elegant and full of energy at such an age. Her answer was simple and left a deep impression on me. She explained she practices Falun Dafa.” With this practitioner’s help Mr. Mai began to practice Falun Dafa.

After the conference, practitioners took a group photo in front of Master’s portrait.