Practitioners Inspired by International Online Conference

(Minghui.org) Large-scale in-person international experience sharing conferences were held annually before the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) virus pandemic. Thousands of Falun Dafa practitioners gathered from around the world to share about their cultivation experiences, including how they improved based on the Fa and how they carried out the three things. They encouraged each other and also held outdoor activities to show the public the beauty of Falun Dafa and how it is practiced around the world. 

Due to the pandemic, no international Fa conferences were held in 2020. Because of the current restrictions on international travel and assembly, this year an international online Fahui (Fa conference) was held by the Falun Dafa Association. The articles, which began being published on Minghui on June 15, were read by many practitioners around the world. Several practitioners shared how the articles impacted them and talked about insights gained from the Fahui.

Cultivating Solidly and Letting Go of Attachments

Ms. Lin is a Falun Dafa practitioner in Taiwan. She was particularly impressed with several of the articles. She said, “Those practitioners meticulously examine themselves for their attachments. They dug deep down to find the root of their attachments—this can’t be achieved without solid cultivation. I often looked within and let go of my attachments, but I didn’t dig deeper to find what motivated them. I should learn from these practitioners.”

Ms. Lin started practicing Falun Dafa in August 1998. Because she has been working in a Dafa practitioner-run media for over 20 years, she paid special attention to the articles written by the practitioners who also work in the media. 

Selfless Thought Helps Him Pass Test of Life and Death

The author of the article “Honoring My Vow As I Cultivate and Elevate in the Printing Project” shared his experiences of working in the printing facility and the process of going through the test of life and death. 

He wrote, “I don’t know how long I slept before a cough woke me up again. This cough did not give me any time to catch my breath. Unable to catch my breath, I ran to the toilet, thinking to splash water on my face while in my heart, I shouted, “Master, save me!” [Ed. Note: referring to Master Li Hongzhi, the founder of Falun Dafa.] I did not feel anything, and scenes of past happenings flashed through my mind. I wondered if this was a reaction just before one dies? I was unable to think of sending righteous thoughts, and my only thought was that if I died, who would print tonight’s newspaper? After having this thought, I was able to catch my breath. Master had saved me. I no longer coughed. Tears covered my face as I thought about the hardship Master had to bear for me.”

Ms. Lin was very touched when she read the words, “if I died, who would print tonight’s newspaper?” She said, “Instead of being concerned about himself, his only thought was to save people. This selfless thought helped him pass a life and death test. It is so touching!”

She was also moved by how his family members treated his illness tribulation. She said, “His family members encouraged him to practice the second exercise for two hours when he was going through serious sickness karma cleansing. They helped him improve from the Fa, not from everyday people’s sentimentality. I feel this is what those practitioners experiencing sickness karma really need.” 

Eliminating Jealousy and Show-off Mentality Layer by Layer

After reading the article, “Staying the Course and Trusting Master’s Arrangements: My 16-year Journey with The Epoch Times,” Ms. Lin was impressed by how this practitioner worked to eliminate jealousy and her show-off mentality.

The author wrote, “One attachment I struggle with a lot is jealousy. Another is showing off. I’ve recently understood that these two are very close friends.” 

“One thing that helps is remembering that jealousy is like wishing I had someone else’s arrangement, which is basically not trusting what Master arranged for me. I also find it helpful to remember that when it comes to fellow cultivators, it’s silly to be jealous since we’re all one body.” 

Ms. Lin said, “This article touched on several attachments I also have. For example, ‘wishing I had someone else’s arrangement.’ ‘My greatest attachment—the one that lies under all others—is fear. Jealousy and showing off are really the fear of not being good enough or being seen as good enough.’ I haven’t squarely faced those negative mentalities and even covered them up deceivingly. They came up again and again. I tried to push them down with great difficulty. I haven’t really removed their roots.”

Ms. Lin said, “I strongly agree with her realization of the close relationship between jealousy and a show-off mentality. My jealousy and show-off mentality pop up frequently. When I let go of my jealousy of one person, my jealousy towards another person surfaces. I haven’t yet removed the root of jealousy.” Ms. Lin added that this practitioner felt that there were many layers to this “stinky onion” and was reminded to get rid of the attachment layer by layer, like peeling an onion layer by layer. This was also a process of cultivation. 

In the article “When We Truly Believe in Master and the Fa, Our Fundamental Notions Change: My Cultivation Experiences Working in The Media,” the author wrote, “I followed this jealousy to dig deep into the notions behind it. I realized that this jealousy stemmed from not wanting to see that others were better than me. In other words, I had to be better than others.” 

“When I was able to put assimilating to Dafa and others above myself, I no longer wasted time wondering why this happened to me or why others treated me like this. Instead, I try my best to unconditionally look inward for my own mistakes and shortcomings. I try to be considerate of others.” 

Ms. Lin said, “I was impressed with this sentence ‘When I was able to put others above myself,’ I tell myself that I must follow this approach, and this way it will not easy for me to develop jealousy.”

Treasure Cultivation Environment and Break Through Notions

Canadian practitioner Daniel Sky works in the media. He said he benefited a lot from reading the international online Fa conference articles and that they helped him break through some of his notions. 

Regarding the article, “With Faith in Master and Dafa, I Persevere in My Efforts to Tell People About Falun Dafa,” Daniel said, “By firmly believing in Master and the Fa, the practitioner is able to continue telling people about Falun Dafa despite the interference. He had insights during his early stage of cultivation that when bad thoughts appeared in his mind or interference occurred, he sent forth righteous thoughts immediately. It took me a long time to realize this point.”

Daniel mentioned that the practitioner distributed 16,000 fliers when he went back to Turkey to spread the Fa. He saw his devotion during the process of truth clarification. He said, “Although we are in different projects, our heart and devotion should be the same. When we really put our heart into doing something, we can complete a lot of amazing tasks.”

Daniel emphasized that a good cultivation environment is very important and in that environment practitioners can encourage each other and cultivate diligently together. He said he has a good cultivation environment in the media he works in. Practitioners continue doing the exercises and reading the Fa together even during the pandemic. 

The author shared his experience of undergoing the test of life and death and being on the verge of death during tribulations. He didn’t give up, and realized that he must save people and complete his mission. Daniel experienced a tribulation in which he was not able to sleep for an entire week. He felt great pressure and felt he was at the end of his forbearance. But he managed to overcome it by sending forth righteous thoughts and firmly believing in Master and the Fa.