(Minghui.org) A cultivation experience sharing conference for Falun Dafa practitioners was held at the Millbrae Performing Arts Center in San Francisco, California on August 12, 2023.
Seventeen practitioners spoke on a range of topics including their extraordinary experiences after they began cultivation, how they stayed diligent in reading the teachings of Falun Dafa (the Fa), and how practicing Dafa gave them wisdom at work and while participating in activities to introduce Falun Dafa and raise awareness of the persecution of Dafa in China.
A cultivation experience sharing conference was held in San Francisco on August 12, 2023.
Practicing Cultivation in Dafa Is a Choice I Made
Han Shuhua is 83 years old this year and has practiced Falun Dafa for nearly three decades. After the persecution began in July 1999, she was detained in brainwashing centers seven times, her house was ransacked five times, and she was imprisoned three times. Her three-year prison sentence was suspended and her son died from the persecution. She moved to San Francisco in September 2015.
This year, the founder of Falun Dafa, Master Li published two articles, “How Humankind Came To Be” and “Why Save Sentient Beings.” Ms. Han believes that this marks the prelude to the Fa rectification in the human world. She feels that the time for practicing cultivation is coming to an end and that time is pressing.
Ms. Han helps clean the office and works in the kitchen in a media project started by practitioners. She said this is a good cultivation environment. Whenever she sees how hard everyone works and their selfless sacrifice, she is motivated to cultivate diligently.
She said that no matter what difficulties she encounters, Falun Dafa is rooted in her heart. Despite the persecution she endured for practicing Dafa, she never thought of giving up her faith. Falun Dafa taught her how to be a better person and it is a choice she made for life, with no regrets.
Dafa Gave Me Wisdom and Increased My Abilities
Huang Shimei is a Chinese-Vietnamese person who immigrated to the U.S. from Vietnam. She is 66 and has practiced Falun Dafa for over three years. She dropped out of school when she was only in the third grade. Ms. Huang said in her sharing, “Dafa improved my mind and body tremendously. I am grateful to Master.”
Ms. Huang went from being so severely ill that she could hardly take care of herself to a person who, as she describes, “always has a smile on my face and laughs often,” within a short period of time. Since Ms. Huang began to practice Dafa, she no longer needs to take medication. Her memory also improved. Although she studies the Fa every night until midnight, she is full of energy and does not need to take a nap during the day.
She said, “Thanks to Dafa, my health is better. Dafa gave me wisdom and increased my capabilities.” Because Ms. Huang could not speak English or Chinese, she could not communicate with other practitioners. Now, she can talk to people in Chinese and even reads text messages in group chats. She is also a translator for new Vietnamese practitioners. Before, she did not even know how to write her name, but she can now read Dafa books with other practitioners.
Seeing the changes in Ms. Huang, her three children, relatives, and neighbors also began to practice Falun Dafa. She said, “I began to practice cultivation in my 60s; I must cherish this opportunity.”
Improving the Quality of Fa Study
Li Xiangyi used to read very quickly when studying the Fa. She often felt she was familiar with the contents of the book she was reading. She even knew what the next sentence was. Although she repeatedly read the Fa, she did not grasp anything or feel that her cultivation was improving.
However, when she read the Fa slowly with her husband, Ms. Li discovered many things she had not seen before. Sometimes, scenes would appear in her mind as she read the teachings. She began to look forward to Fa study and felt as if she was a new practitioner.
Cultivating Oneself Every Minute
Yang Juan realized that the experience, knowledge, and skills gained at work can be used in truth-clarification projects. She also feels that the wisdom one gains through cultivation, the righteous thoughts and confidence developed from participating in Dafa projects, can in turn be used at work as well as in saving predestined people.
Ms. Yang said, “I previously looked at cultivation and daily life as separate things, and I compartmentalized these roles. Now, I practice cultivation every minute, every second in my daily life and these are opportunities for me to improve my character. How fortunate I am!”
Never Forgetting a Practitioner’s Duty
Ms. Zhang Hong realized that practitioners have the mission and responsibility to help save people. She reminds herself of these responsibilities, whether making phone calls to China, talking to people at supermarkets, on the Internet, or at work.
When she heard that some practitioners managed to help many Chinese people quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) by making phone calls to China, she asked a practitioner to help her get started. The first day, she helped more than twelve people quit the CCP. She realized that studying the Fa and cultivation are the foundation for getting people to understand the truth in a short period of time, as it leads to also being able to respond to things quickly, having broad knowledge of things, always being considerate of others, learning from past experiences and asking Master for help. While other practitioners make phone calls, she sends righteous thoughts and encourages them. With the joint efforts of everyone, they manage to get six to eight people to quit the CCP in an hour. Some days, about twelve people quit in an hour.
Remembering Our Responsibilities
Wu Junxiang said that he recently gained many new understandings through studying the Fa. He realized that what Master said in the past and what he has said recently go hand in hand. He said, “I now have a deeper understanding of the three things Master asked us to do to assist him in Fa-rectification. I also realized the importance of clarifying the truth.”
In particular, after reading Master’s two recent articles – “How Humankind Came to Be” and “Why Save Sentient Beings,” he felt it is even more pressing to save people. “I feel the heavy responsibility we shoulder as practitioners. We need to clarify the truth to more people. We have no time to slack off and must be more diligent in cultivation.
“As Dafa disciples in the San Francisco Bay area, we are the hope for the people here. That’s why we need to do more to let people know about the persecution. Only when people realize that Dafa is good, can they be saved.”
Wu Junxiang believes that offering salvation to people is the responsibility of every practitioner during the Fa-rectification period. “It is our honor if we do well; if not, it is our sin. Therefore we cannot be attached to comfort. In fact, we can see how rapidly society is degrading, and it will only get worse. If humanity continues this way, soon, there will be no place where you can be complacent. Let us move forward together and do our best to help save people.”
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