(Minghui.org)
Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I am a Falun Dafa practitioner of Asian descent currently living in Austria. I started practicing Falun Dafa in 2018. Here I’d like to share some of my cultivation experiences, including how I’ve overcome tribulations and let go of attachments. In the past, I had many chronic diseases, such as myocardial ischemia, a knee ligament rupture, and, worst of all, infertility.
The beginning of my cultivation was a special time for me. My husband is a native Austrian, and he was initially strongly against me practicing Dafa. He threatened to burn the book Zhuan Falun and to divorce me. I knew it was a test that I must pass, and that I needed to maintain firm, righteous thoughts and not be moved. Because I had only practiced for two months, I did not know how to clarify the truth to my husband, so I chose to be silent, until he brought up burning the book and made me choose between continuing to practice or stopping to maintain family happiness. I said to him calmly and seriously, “Don’t force me to choose. This school of practice cultivates among ordinary people and is not a religion. Master Li only teaches us to be good people; to be responsible to society, ourselves, and our family; and to follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. This is not wrong. If you have any misunderstandings, that’s because I have not completely conducted myself according to the principles of the Fa.” After that, I returned to my room and reflected on what I hadn’t done according to the requirements of the Fa that had resulted in this interference. I realized that I went to extremes regarding our spousal relationship and always felt distant from my husband, so I had developed fear. I had confused cultivation with religion.
Master taught us:
“In the course of practice, we require the following of everyone: Even though you practice and your spouse might not, it is not permitted for you to get a divorce because of the practice. In other words, we should take this matter lightly, and you should not attach as much importance to it as do everyday people.” (Lecture Six, Zhuan Falun)
The next morning, my husband apologized for what he had said the night before. He said that after I went back to my room, he had looked up Falun Gong on the Internet. Luckily, he had learned the truth from the Austria and Germany Falun Dafa websites. To this day, he gives me time to study the Fa, do the exercises, and has been supportive of me working on Dafa projects.
After obtaining the Fa for seven months, I became pregnant unexpectedly. Before then, I had been infertile. After I started practicing, I did not think about my illnesses and only held onto one thought, “cultivation.” The illnesses disappeared without me noticing. After I gave birth to my first daughter, due to differences in culture and customs, no one helped me with meals and housework in my early postpartum period. After I gave birth to our second child, my resentment and the conflicts accumulated even more. Every time my husband blamed me, I would feel wronged.
At that time, I did not look inward and instead complained to Master (I feel ashamed thinking back to that time). My mother-in-law is a very good person who is always helping people in need. But because I could not get used to the modern European way of living and habits, although I sincerely loved her like my own mother, I felt uncomfortable seeing her. I felt especially uncomfortable when I saw her paintings and when she taught my two daughters to paint in a modern style.
I did not take into consideration ordinary people’s principles and ideas, and always imposed my standards as a cultivator on my family. I knew that I must look inward. Due to my resentment, I did not look for my mistakes. One day, Master’s words awakened me:
“With Buddhism in particular, if you search for external help, you are said to have taken a demonic way. In genuine cultivation one must cultivate the heart: Only when you improve your xinxing can you attain a clear and clean mind, and a state free of intention (wuwei).” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun).
These words made me understand my issue. But I had not truly let go of my fundamental attachments. When I was talking to friends about my life after giving birth to our children, I would sometimes still feel resentful.
I would always carry the book Zhuan Falun when I traveled. On a rainy day in Ubud, Bali, while the two kids were taking their noon nap, I used the time to study the Fa. I was astonished by the Fa below and cried for a long time:
“In our school of cultivation, it is the Main Consciousness that obtains gong. Then, will the Main Consciousness obtain gong if you say so? Who gives permission? It is not like that, for there must be a prerequisite. Everyone knows that our school of cultivation does not shun ordinary human society in cultivation, and neither does it avoid or run away from conflicts. In this complicated environment of everyday people, you should be clear-minded and knowingly lose in terms of interests. When your vested interest is snatched away by others, you will not go to compete and fight for it like others. With different xinxing interference, you will suffer losses. In this difficult environment, you will temper your will and improve your xinxing. Under the influence of different ill thoughts from everyday people, you will be able to reach above and beyond.” (Lecture Eight, Zhuan Falun)
“It is good because you will obtain gong yourself, but it is also very difficult. Amidst the complicated environment of everyday people and its interpersonal xinxing frictions, you are able to rise above and beyond—this is the most difficult thing. It is hard in that you knowingly lose your vested interests among everyday people. Amidst your critical self-interests, are you moved? Amidst interpersonal mind games, are you moved? When your friends or family suffer, are you moved? How do you weigh these things? Being a practitioner is just so difficult!” (Lecture Eight, Zhuan Falun)
I was finally enlightened to the fact that I had been requiring too much of my family members. They are ordinary people, and I am a cultivator. I need to elevate my cultivation level and let go of various attachments. Why do I resent them and pursue ordinary people’s complacency and comfort? I should thank them and tolerate their shortcomings. Master gave me such a great cultivation environment, but I could not calmly accept the opportunities to improve my xinxing.
I was also enlightened to the fact that I was affected by sentimentality. Because I cared so much about sentimentality, I had been bogged down in attachments for a long time. It was difficult to put the sentimentality toward family down. I tried hard to tolerate and understand my family members and to not impose requirements or expectations on them. It was easy for me to tolerate non-family members because there was no bond of affection. I treated everyone with a tolerant mindset and would not be upset by their conduct. However, when it came to family members, due to the familial bond, I needed to put in a lot of effort.
I practice alone because I am the only practitioner in this area. Clarifying the truth poses a lot of challenges for me because I moved here recently and the German language is still foreign to me, so communicating is very difficult. I chose to distribute materials to the village residents’ mailboxes.
My entire family travels to Asia every winter. My family once went on a vacation in Thailand. I met a French lady who was staying in the same hotel as us. She would look and smile at me after I finished the exercises. One morning, after I finished the exercises, I saw her sitting there smiling at me. Because it was still early, I wanted to catch the opportunity to chat with her and clarify the truth. I walked up to her, and she looked like she had not slept well and was not in good health. I asked her, “Are you doing okay? You look very tired.” She was moved to tears and said, “I’m in a lot of pain. I broke my wrist and I did not sleep all night. I went to the best hospital for bone repositioning treatment, but the bones still do not seem to be lined up. I was in so much pain that I could not sleep for a few nights in a row. I took painkillers, but the pain was still there.”
I felt sorry for her and wanted to build a benevolent connection with her to clarify the truth, but I didn’t know how to help her. Treating illnesses is not allowed in our cultivation. I felt that this was urgent, so I quietly asked Master how to guide her to recite the two phrases “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”
I said to her, “Don’t worry, I want to help you get better. Please recite the phrases ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good’ with me.” I recited with her for a few minutes until my husband came looking for me, saying that our baby had woken up crying, looking for mom. I stopped talking and said goodbye to the lady.
I ran into her again the next afternoon. She looked happier and more energetic. I asked her how her wrist was doing. She said happily, “Thank you for your help yesterday. I was still hurting a little during the day, but it was not as agonizing as a few days ago. I slept very well last night, and my wrist did not hurt as much as before.” I was very happy for her and thanked Master in my heart for helping her. I said to her, “I didn’t do anything. You should really thank Master Li. He imparted the practice of Falun Gong. If I did not practice Falun Gong, I would not have been able to tell you the auspicious phrases ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’”
She looked at me with surprise and curiosity and said she had never heard of this school of practice. I told her about the persecution that Dafa practitioners are suffering in China. After hearing the truth, she said, “How come I’ve never heard about such cruel things in the media. I’ve heard about the Uyghurs being persecuted, but how come no one is standing up to condemn the persecution and protect kind practitioners? I will learn more about this practice after I get back to France.”
I had a dream that I was spitting out a bunch of black blood. I felt very tired after I woke up. I thought, “Master cleansed my body today, and I must pass this test well.” After I got up, I asked my husband to ask my mother-in-law to come over and help take care of the two kids. I had a high fever that day. My whole body was trembling, and my head hurt as if it had been hit by something.
My mother-in-law and husband were very worried. My mother-in-law advised me to take medicine. I said, “Don’t worry. I will be fine tomorrow. My body is being cleansed today.” My mother-in-law’s maternal instincts still made her worry. She said to her son, “Have your wife take medicine. It’s dangerous to have a fever like this.” My husband had witnessed many things that I had experienced and had some understanding of my cultivation practice, so he said to his mother, “My wife will get well soon. She knows what her body needs. Please don’t worry, Mom.”
I really returned to normal that night and did not have a fever anymore. In my heart, I thanked Master for helping cleanse my body. My mother-in-law was relieved. I said, “If I had taken medicine today, maybe I’d have been hospitalized for a month.” She asked why. I said, “Because I’m a cultivator and my body is different from that of ordinary people.” I later gave her an example, “Like when mom is sweeping, there must be dust flying. Right? My body is basically like that.” She seemed to understand and said, “You’re right. Great.”
My family members have witnessed many amazing things that happened to me, so they believe that Dafa is good. But maybe because it’s not time for their predestined relationship yet, they have not started practicing Dafa. It could also be that I’m not cultivating well enough, so my family members have not started cultivation.
Thank you, fellow practitioners, for listening to my sharing. My level is limited, so if there is anything improper, please kindly point it out.
(Presented at the 2025 Austrian Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference)