(Minghui.org) With the New Year just around the corner, Falun Dafa practitioners in Toronto gathered on Mel Lastman Square on December 17, 2023 to thank their founder, Master Li Hongzhi, for their many blessings and to wish him a happy New Year.

Practitioners in Toronto wish Master a happy New Year!

Video: Practitioners in Toronto wish Master a happy New Year!

“I Appreciate Master for Having My Son Return to Me”

Cristina appreciates Master.

Cristina is a translator and librarian, and has been immersed in Chinese culture since she was a child. Her family had a series of books about life in China. Christina read them and always felt a longing for the East

One day in 2003, Christina received a flyer and learned that a Falun Dafa seminar would be held at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education at the University of Toronto. She had previously read various religious books, including ones about Buddhism, but was never able to get a satisfactory answer to her questions about life, so she attended the seminar.

A documentary exposing the persecution of Falun Dafa by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) was shown during the seminar. She said, “In my parents’ time, Lithuania was a communist country. My father resented the government’s persecution and suppression of the people. In order to escape, my parents took a boat to Brazil, so I was born in Brazil. Before I watched the documentary, I knew the communist party was harmful to mankind.

“At that time, I had not read Dafa books or learned the exercises. I just listened to the introduction of Falun Dafa and felt the rotation of Falun in my body. Because I experienced it myself, for me, starting to practice was a natural process.” After the seminar Christina began practicing Falun Dafa.

Her life changed. Before she practiced, Christina was disappointed with her son because of his alcoholism. She was always angry and yelled at him. Her son resented her. The chasm between them grew deeper and deeper. Her son even avoided her at Christmas and refused to accept her gifts. She missed him and was worried about him. Christina felt miserable and frequently wept.

After reading Zhuan Falun, Christina realized that the suffering in people’s lives comes from their karma. No one can influence or change the fate of relatives and friends. By reading Zhuan Falun she understood she should be calm while educating her child. Whenever she felt like she was being swallowed up by pain, she repeatedly reminded herself that as a practitioner, she should look within and change herself according to the standards of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance instead of trying to change others. She gradually learned not to resent him or feel sad about her son’s indifference and neglect. Instead she should let go of her obsession with him and forgive him.

When she learned her son was homeless, she helped him find a place to live and changed her attitude towards him. In accordance with the teachings of Zhuan Falun, she calmly advised him, communicated with him with sympathy and understanding, and no longer forced her opinions on him or criticized him.

“Cultivation changed everything for me. Without Dafa, my strong attitude would have kept my son away from me. He may have died on the street because he was homeless, and I would have fallen into despair and depression that I couldn’t extricate myself from. Now, my son has recovered. I have a gentle attitude towards him, and he has begun to care about me and love me. He also published a book and he wrote in the book: ‘I dedicate this book to my mother.’”

Christina wished Master a happy New Year and said, “In the vast universe, my existence is like an insignificant little particle. But Master cherishes and protects each of us little particles. Thank you Master for bringing me ashore from the sea of suffering.”

Master Taught Me to Resolve Hatred with Forgiveness

Elaine appreciates Master.

Elaine suffered psychological trauma from a sexual assault when she was five years old. She blamed this experience on her parents. She resented them for always being gone and neglecting her, which led to her being harmed. By the time she was in high school, Elaine’s relationship with her parents had broken down to the point where she no longer spoke to them. She began taking drugs with her friends to escape and forget the pain of family conflicts.

In 2007, when Elaine first entered college, a friend took her to the library and recommended that she read Zhuan Falun. Elaine brought the book home. She thought that everything in the book was correct and made sense, so she started practicing Falun Dafa.

Elaine gave up drugs. She started taking piano lessons when she was four but stopped when she was in high school. As she read Zhuan Falun and practiced the exercises, her thinking became focused and clear, so she picked up music again and became a piano teacher.

She said she felt confused initially and did not know which direction to go in life. Cultivation brought her back to the right track. For her, playing music and spiritual practice are similar. She said she looks for her shortcomings, improves her cultivation and mindset, and then passes tests one after another. It is a process of long-term persistence and dedication.

Elaine also gradually got over her childhood trauma. After the ice in her heart melted, she reconciled with her parents. She referred to Zhuan Falun, and said that Master told a story about a woman that was hit by a car. The onlookers thought she should extort some money from the driver, but she just brushed the dirt off her clothes and left. Elaine said from the perspective of ordinary people, it’s easy to see oneself as a victim and develop obsessions and resentments.

“But as a practitioner, you should take lightly the harm caused by others and move on. In the past, I was obsessed with my parents not meeting my expectations. I wanted them to love me, but I forgot my parents also needed to face and resolve their own pain and trauma. Now, I finally have a calm mind to face the shadows of my childhood.

“In life, I have experienced many difficulties and tests. When I’m going through something, I ask for Master’s help, and I am very grateful to Master for his help.”

Gratitude to Master

Anna

Anna is the owner of a coaching company. When she was a child, she lived in Ukraine and witnessed the collapse of the Soviet Union. In that turbulent era, Anna experienced severe poverty and hunger, which left a deep mark in her mind.

Anna moved to Canada with her parents when she was a teenager. The new environment and unfamiliar culture was difficult for her to adapt to. She missed her hometown and became depressed and irritable. Anna was angry and resentful towards her mother. “I thought my mother only cared about me having a good job and future. We were so poor when I was a child, and my mother only took care of my physical needs, but she didn’t have the ability to care about my inner world or express her love for me.”

Anna was in her early 20's in 2010. A Chinese colleague saw a Buddha statue on Anna’s desk and learned that she was interested in Buddhism, so he gave her a copy of Zhuan Falun. “I previously tried different things, but nothing worked for me. When I read Zhuan Falun, I understood some things that had puzzled me before—so many questions were answered. In my heart, I longed to be a sincere and kind person. I decided that I wanted to practice Falun Dafa,” she said.

After she began practicing, Anna was no longer depressed, she became calm and stable. She slowly fixed her relationship with her mother. “When I learned to appreciate her kindness and feel grateful, I realized that she always loved me in her own way. In the past, I was cold towards her. Now, I treat her kindly and we became close.”

When COVID-19 was raging around the world, Anna felt the poverty and hunger she experienced as a child were returning. She felt worried, scared and desperate. However, Anna knew that as a practitioner, one should not get stuck in negative emotions and should be full of hope. So, she sat on sofa, closed her eyes, and silently asked Master to help her overcome the difficulties.

Suddenly, Anna saw something amazing: An angel with huge wings, standing above the clouds. “I realized that I am not alone, and divine beings have always been blessing me. As I studied the Fa, I slowly got rid of my fear. I felt that even if I fell into hunger and poverty again, divine beings would take care of me and protect me. I learned to survive in difficult situations and keep an optimistic attitude.”

On the occasion of the New Year, Anna wants to thank Master for showing her how to be a grateful person. She no longer complains or feels anxious. Instead she thinks about problems with a positive attitude. She said, “I learned to be grateful. Thank you Master!”