(Clearwisdom.net) "After hearing the speeches by fellow practitioners from the U.S. and other countries, I feel that the cultivation environment in Europe, especially in Ireland, is too comfortable." This is the reflection of a Falun Gong practitioner from Ireland after attending an experience sharing conference in the United States for the first time. I think her view is shared by a large proportion of European practitioners.
After attending the 2007 Washington Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference, the European Falun Gong practitioners I interviewed all mentioned the gap between practitioners in Europe and other countries. While practitioners were greatly encouraged and inspired after listening to the lecture by our respected Master, they felt that the Fa-rectification's requirement on practitioners has been raised again. The most urgent task now is saving people. However, there remains a large gap between what practitioners have actually done and what is required by our respected Master.
Ms. Lin from Germany said, "The speeches by fellow practitioners in this experience sharing conference were very honest and to the point. They were very much based on "actual cultivation measured against the Fa." Their cultivation status was also reflected in the projects they took on. They are able to truly look inwards and confront their attachments after falling down."
Practitioners from Belgium and Spain all said that through this experience sharing conference they saw their own shortcomings and expressed their desire to quickly catch up with the progress of the Fa-rectification. Some practitioners also mentioned that their minds have been poisoned from childhood by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), having been submerged in the party culture. Although they have been outside of China for over twenty years, they still carry many marks of the CCP culture. After listening to the speeches by fellow practitioners and Master's lecture, they gained realizations about this.
Mr. Fu, from Germany, has come to the U.S. many times in recent years, participating in many large-scale activities held in the U.S. to promote Falun Gong. He felt that the emphasis of many speeches in this conference was focused on how to clarify the truth of Falun Gong to Chinese people and persuade them to quit the CCP organizations. During this conference, Master also emphasized our mission of saving people. Mr. Fu said, "The time is now very limited. We have no time to have attachments to our personal lives. We have to take urgent action to save sentient beings. I have arranged my own life very tightly. Aside from work, I use all my spare time to clarify the truth. I thought I did quite well in this aspect. However, other practitioners have done much better. This is truly an excellent opportunity to compare how one has studied and cultivated. We can learn from the good experiences of fellow practitioners and quickly raise our efficiency in saving sentient beings."
The Fa conference is a cultivation experience sharing conference for Falun Gong practitioners. It is an activity that helps us to identify our gaps and problems in cultivation and to improve together. It plays a very important role in helping Falun Gong practitioners compare how they have studied and cultivated, and mutually encourage one another.