(Minghui.org) The 16th Online China Experience Sharing Conference held via the Minghui website published 39 articles between November 4 and 11 this year. Many articles were translated into other languages, including English, German, French, Italian, Spanish, Slovenian, Salvadorian, Croatian, and Bosnian. Many practitioners in Europe were deeply moved and inspired by these experiences to become more steadfast in their own cultivation.
Some comments from readers were, “I've been expecting the articles for weeks and finally they are published.” Another reader said, “I appreciate the practitioners in China very much. Through their sharing, I was greatly inspired in cultivation practice,” and “I'm very touched by the steadfastness of practitioners who are experiencing such a harsh and wicked persecution. I saw my own gaps in believing in Master and the Fa.”
Society is Our Cultivation Environment
Roswitha, an Austrian practitioner working in public relations, said the article “Behaving as Dafa Disciples Wherever We Are” resonated in her heart and inspired her to change her behavior.
In the article, a new Falun Dafa practitioner complained to the writer, “A practitioner was on my team for many years, but she never mentioned Dafa to me. How I wish she had. Then again, I probably would not have accepted it at first. But she could have always talked with me about it again and again, right?”
Roswitha said the comments resonated for a long time and reminded her that people are waiting to be saved. She thought about her relatives whom she had not clarified the truth to and the many people she encountered.
Roswitha said, “After I did the exercises in the park today, a woman came and we talked about qigong practices. I wanted to give her a flier, but she declined saying all practices are basically the same. Then I told her that Falun Gong is still being persecuted in China and she should take a flier to learn more about it. Her eyes widened when I said that. Had I not read the article, I wouldn't have encouraged her to learn about Falun Gong.”
Roswitha said she always felt that the requirements for practitioners in China are different from those for practitioners outside of China. But when she looked inward, she realized that the requirements are the same for every practitioner. The free environment and attachment to a comfortable life often tempt practitioners outside China to relax, and many slack off in cultivation as a result.
Milena, a German practitioner and a store owner, also said the article profoundly touched her. The article’s author wrote, “I was kept in a detention center because of my belief. The conditions were terrible, and we slept packed in like sardines with our heads touching other people’s feet. The woman next to me was obese, and she often crushed me when she was asleep. To avoid disturbing her sleep, I chose to remain still.”
Milena was touched by the compassion displayed by the Chinese practitioner's behavior. In contrast, life in Germany is better, and Milena said she really had nothing to complain about. One day after reading the article, she was distributing fliers to promote Shen Yun when it started to rain heavily. Remembering the article and how the practitioner in China behaved, she thought the rain was a small obstacle and continued her task.
Another paragraph in the article mentioned cleaning the toilet: “When the toilet was blocked, I would quietly dig out the filthy stuff so that it would run well again. The compassion, which is a natural manifestation of a practitioner, was very obvious in that complicated situation.”
Milena recalled that after she separated from her husband and moved out, her husband was very sick and became incontinent. She moved back in to take care of him. “The decision was the same as the Chinese practitioner's. I knew it was filthy and disgusting. The compassion I developed after practicing Falun Dafa enabled me to bear it,” she said.
“A practitioner displays the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. People can easily see the difference between a practitioner and an everyday person,” she explained.
Many people thought she would ask for a large alimony from her wealthy husband, but she didn't. She worked hard to support herself. Years later, when she moved back to take care of him, her friends and relatives said she was ridiculous. “I did it because I practiced Falun Dafa. A practitioner behaves like a practitioner in all circumstances,” Milena said.
Eliminating Fear and Remaining Positive
Mariken, who manages strategic partner relationships for a large software company and a mother of two, spoke of her experience of reading the article “Cherishing My Opportunity to Cultivate after My Wake Up Call”
Her 4-year-old son had a deep cut on his knee about two weeks ago. She cleaned the cut and put a band-aid on it. When the wound pulled apart, she began to doubt herself and thought maybe the little boy shouldn't be treated like a practitioner. She took him to the hospital and waited for more than an hour to be seen by a doctor.
The doctor examined the wound and told her everything was fine. “I realized that my heart was completely occupied by fear!” she recalled.
In the article, the practitioner fully trusted Master after a near-fatal accident. The experience reminded Mariken to eliminate fear. She also learned how to better handle her relationship with her husband.
“That practitioner talked about being humiliated by her husband. I understood the principles of Dafa, but it's difficult to do in real life, especially while dealing with your spouse. It's more difficult than that of a stranger or someone not as close,” Mariken said.
“What causes us to become upset are our own human notions,” she added.
Anna manages a tourist information center in southern Germany. She remembered a lot of details in the article “Successful When Cooperating Well to Rescue Fellow Practitioners.”
“The article talked about a group of practitioners who drove to remote villages to clarify the truth. I could imagine the fear of dogs, bumpy roads, and patrolling police. But they didn't give up. It's like the practitioner said in the article, 'We realized that, as long as we step forward to do what we are supposed to do, the attachment of fear would be reduced, and our righteous thoughts would be strengthened.'”
Other stories in the article also inspired her. “A practitioner was arrested while clarifying the truth to strangers face to face. The other practitioners looked inward. They did not examine the detained practitioner's shortcomings. Instead, they examined their own cultivation and immediately coordinated with one another to rescue that practitioner.
“They always saw the positive aspects even in the worst situations. For example, a non-practitioner husband changed from being passive to actively rescuing his detained wife.
“The author saw the other practitioners giving up attachments during the process. This reminded me that the cultivation practice is a process to let go of human desires, notions, fear and wants.”
Inspired by Practitioners in China
A retired teacher from northern Germany is very concerned about practitioners in China. The article “Improving Mind Nature and Telling People about Falun Gong as a Businessman” truly touched her heart.
“Everything the author did to validate the Fa moved me. I used to believe all merchants were deceptive. The author wrote, 'I also realized that being a practitioner while running my business is the cultivation path that Master has arranged for me, and it could serve as a reference for the future.'
“He reminded me that we practitioners play a major role in society and our behavior should be that of role models. This is a big encouragement to me, and I recognized my responsibilities,” she said.
“These articles close the distance between practitioners in China and those overseas. The detailed descriptions of their day-to-day lives give us an idea of what their lives are like. They have the same cultivation process as we have, but they are more steadfast and more righteous.
“I am very thankful to read so many good sharing articles. I read all of the published articles.”
Identifying Our Cultivation Gaps
Manu, a Swiss practitioner, said that after reading “Three Magical Experiences,” he realized that miracles happen when practitioners have a firm and unwavering trust in Master and Dafa. “The practitioner overcame many obstacles, and his experiences encouraged new practitioners to be righteous and persistent.”
He added that he often felt fear when a sudden or new situation arose, and he noticed that it was because his belief in Dafa was not firm enough. “I plan to start reciting the Fa so every sentence can enter my heart,” Manu said.
When Simone, another Swiss practitioner, read the article, the screen became brighter when she read the sentence, “That is when I became a Falun Dafa practitioner.”
“I felt like I was there and experienced the moment when a person's divine nature emerged, when a human being starts cultivating toward divinity. It was so beautiful, pure, and unspeakably holy,” Simone said.
Ina, an architectural designer from Germany, drew inspiration from an article where a practitioner realized the importance of listening while clarifying the truth. She noticed that she was usually eager to speak but disregarded what the other party said. She feels that she can improve the effectiveness of her truth-clarification by listening more and letting the other person talk and ask questions.
She said it was a small detail in the article but inspired practitioners around the world. Her understanding is that a practitioner doesn't have to write something grand; understandings from small things can also help other practitioners.
Sadrina is a saleswoman. The article “Clarifying the Truth in Our Family Businesses” moved her to tears. The author's mother gave her ten copies of truth-clarification brochures every week and they left their family-owned Chinese herbal medicine clinic to strangers. The mother was cautious and feared that clarifying the truth to patients would lead to her arrest.
Sadrina said she could understand the pain in the author's heart and the difficulties that prevent practitioners from clarifying the truth in China. On one hand, they know everyone they meet is predestined, but on the other hand, the persecution is still ongoing. In contrast, she realized that clarifying the truth in Germany is so much easier and that she really has no reason to complain.
Sadrina was also encouraged by the story when the author successfully clarified the truth to and persuaded a deputy attorney general and his wife to quit the Chinese Communist Party. She could tell that the environment in China had greatly changed and that Fa-rectification is progressing very quickly.
