California: Practitioners in San Diego Hold Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference

(Minghui.org) On the occasion of Master’s birthday and World Falun Dafa Day, practitioners in San Diego held a Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference on May 4, 2024. Twenty practitioners shared their cultivation experiences. Among them were new practitioners who recently began practicing and veteran practitioners who have practiced Falun Dafa for 30 years. They talked about their experiences and stories of letting go of attachments, assisting Master in rectifying the Fa, and saving sentient beings.

To honor Master’s birthday and World Falun Dafa Day, practitioners in San Diego, California held a Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference on May 4, 2024.

Practitioners presented speeches at the conference.

A group photo was taken after the conference

Maturing While Working in the Media

Ms. Wang started to do sales for the Chinese language Epoch Times in 2010. She didn’t have any experience in sales. She learned how the industry operated, advertising procedures and what the clients wanted. Her practitioner mother was detained in China for one year and was not allowed to leave China after she was released. She said, “Although it was a difficult time for me, I never thought of giving up. Recalling this experience, I realized that it was the Fa that supported me the whole time.”

She encountered conflicts and difficulties while working in the media. She shared her experiences of how she started by enduring these issues and then eventually letting go of her attachments.

She said, “My cultivation reached to a turning point when the COVID pandemic started. I completely let go of complaints towards other practitioners. I saw the seriousness of cultivation and how dangerous it is if we don’t cultivate ourselves well. After I let go of my attachment to complaining, I understood why I had hardships and conflicts, and what my problems were. When I read what Master said in Zhuan Falun about the conflicts, I understood that they were actually opportunities for me to improve. I gradually understood that in order to let me improve and get rid of attachments, the tests could come from people around me; or from seemingly ordinary problems like a leaking roof; or from the elements that were hidden within my body and my dimensional fields such as my notions, preferences, assistant spirits, and external factors.

“So I shouldn’t look at problems superficially. If I just saw things from human being’s perspective, I’ll be blinded by what I see. If I cannot view things from the Fa’s perspective, I won’t be able to break through the old forces’ arrangements. If I don’t change myself, I won’t elevate.”

Letting Go of Attachments While Promoting Shen Yun

Ms. Zhang had xinxing tests while she promoted Shen Yun in a high end shopping mall. The Shen Yun stall was exposed to direct sunlight around noon. It was so hot that the TV became black and didn’t work sometimes. Her face became hot and uncomfortable. But it became cold and windy in the afternoon when the sun disappeared. She felt time passed very slowly during the several hours in the afternoon. She realized that if she didn’t come to man the stall, people would miss the opportunity to see Shen Yun and they might miss the chance of being saved.

This was not a small matter. Wasn’t it a chance to test whether her cultivation was solid? She should let go of the attachment of fearing difficulties and fearing being alone. It was also a test to see if her righteous thoughts were strong enough to overcome her fear of being refused by people when she told them about Shen Yun. She changed her mentality, sent more righteous thoughts and proactively approached people. She told herself that she must persevere.

Approaching Everyone with Compassion

Vietnamese practitioner Ha Pham shared his experience of how he was able to keep a pleasant manner all the time while he promoted Shen Yun in a shopping mall. At the beginning, people thought Shen Yun came from China and refused to listen. Some people looked at him in hostility. But he always smiled at them. He said, “I reinforced my righteous thoughts by studying the Fa intensively. I send righteous thoughts before I go to the shopping mall or participate in Dafa activities. When my mind isn’t clear, I send righteous thoughts. When my heart is peaceful and happy, my facial expression is naturally pleasant.”

The other shop attendants asked him who gave him the training and how much he earned while he was in the shopping mall. He said sincerely, “I am a volunteer and I’m not paid to be here. Shen Yun is wonderful. I want to let people know. People need food to nourish their bodies, but they forget that their souls need to be nourished as well. Shen Yun will nourish their souls and bring them happiness.”

Some people asked him why he could keep smiling even when people swore at him. He said, “Because I practice Falun Dafa. After I practiced Falun Dafa for three years, I felt peaceful. I felt inner joy after I practiced Falun Dafa for ten years. My heart is full of compassion after I practiced Falun Dafa for fifteen years. I don’t have anger, complaint or resentment. People shout at me because they don’t know the facts. I come here to give, not to take. If they accept the Shen Yun flyer, I feel happy for them. If they don’t accept it, I don’t have any opinion against them.”

Clarifying the Truth at Scenic Spots

Ms. Su realized the importance of clarifying the truth to tourists from China at the scenic spots in San Diego after she moved to the U.S.

She overcame her fear of driving. In the beginning, she asked her daughter to drive her. Then, she drove there herself. She later picked up other practitioners. “I drive a full load of practitioners in my car when I go to the scenic spot,” she said. “I also bring them home after we finish. It takes me over two hours each time.”

Clarifying the Truth at a University

Ms. Yang shared her experiences of clarifying the truth at a university campus. She said that university students were curious and accepted new things. They liked to do research and seek knowledge. She’s distributed thousands of pamphlets about the Falun Dafa and the CCP’s organ harvesting from living practitioners. She said, “I always send righteous thoughts first. Every flyer should complete its mission to awaken people’s memories.”

She received much positive feedback. One English professor told her that he received a student essay about the CCP’s organ harvesting. He realized that the student got the information from her. He asked many questions and was interested in learning Falun Dafa. He said he would go online to have a look.

Another student told her that he wrote an essay about Falun Gong and the organ harvesting and presented it as his personal statement for applying for the University of California, Berkeley. One young man told her that he started to research on Falun Gong after he got a flyer from her, and that he wrote his graduate essay on Falun Gong practitioners and the CCP’s organ harvesting from living practitioners.

New Practitioner: Benefiting from Falun Gong and Clarifying the Truth to Friends and Family Members

Thao Ho has practiced Falun Dafa for two years. She experienced amazing benefits both physically and mentally soon after she started practicing Falun Dafa. Many of her illnesses disappeared. She became calm. Her husband started to practice Falun Dafa with her. She said, “We benefit from practicing Falun Dafa, and all our illnesses disappeared. We follow Falun Dafa’s principles at work and in our daily life and live happily.

“In the first year, I just practiced the exercises and occasionally listened to the Fa, but didn’t really understand Falun Dafa. The second year, I felt I couldn’t do without Dafa. The third year, I felt very sad if I didn’t listen to the Fa or do the exercises.

“I started introducing Falun Dafa to my friends and relatives. We tell people the wonderfulness of Falun Dafa and clarify the truth to them. I promised myself that I will live according to the principles of Falun Dafa, try my best to do the three things well, pass my cultivation tests and try to repay Master for everything he has done for me.”

New Practitioner: Studying the Fa and Changing Behaviors

Gary Lynn is a new practitioner. He started practicing Falun Dafa because his wife practices. At first he didn’t genuinely cultivate himself. By repeatedly reading Zhuan Falun and Master’s other lectures, he changed his behavior. He controlled his desire of lust and became more peaceful and gentle. It no longer bothered him when he was underestimated by others. He let go of the habit of buying lottery tickets.

When he started to learn Falun Dafa, he still thought that the everyday people’s life was quite good and he liked to be an everyday person. He didn’t understand Dafa and didn’t want to change his lifestyle. He felt that his biggest problem was letting go of everyday people’s notions and embracing the wish of returning to his true self.