(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners in South Australia held a series of events on May 8 and 13, 2021 to celebrate Master Li Hongzhi’s (the founder) 70th birthday and the 22nd World Falun Dafa Day. They demonstrated the exercises and promoted Falun Dafa in the city center, and held a cultivation experience-sharing conference at the community center.
Practitioners in South Australia took a group photo as part of the Falun Dafa Day celebrations and wished our great and benevolent Master a happy 70th birthday.
Practitioners demonstrated the exercises and clarified the truth on May 8, 2021, at the Adelaide city center.
On May 13, at the Adelaide Thebarton community center’s meeting room, the practitioners decorated the stage with exquisite flower baskets and brought cakes, baked by them, to wish Master a happy birthday.
During the cultivation experience sharing conference, the practitioners played a video to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day. With their hearts filled with gratitude, the practitioners reported to Master, and also shared their experiences about their cultivation in terms of learning the Fa, and cultivating and assisting Master to awaken the conscience of people. Lastly, a video collage of the local truth-clarifying and Fa-rectification events for the past two years by the South Australian practitioners was also being played. The practitioners exclaimed that the room was filled with a peaceful energy field.
At the experience sharing conference, the congratulatory letters that were sent by some of the dignitaries were presented. These dignitaries sent their congratulations to the Australia Falun Dafa Association, thanking Mr. Li Hongzhi and Falun Dafa for bringing welfare and a healthy mind and body to society and its people.
At the experience sharing session, the congratulatory letters from some of the dignitaries were presented.
Spreading the Truth to Save People Is an Urgent Matter
Practitioner Steven shared his experience of starting a special movement with practitioner Sean. They wanted to help more people hear about Falun Dafa during this pandemic period. The movement is to drive to the outlying towns in South Australia to drop a copy of the English special edition of Falun Dafa truth-clarifying materials in the mailbox of every household. Many practitioners also volunteered in support of the project. The furthest town is Port Lincoln, which is a 650 km one-way drive. Delivering to the mailboxes is a very tough job as the temperature is about 34 to 35 degrees Celsius in the summer, sometimes even going up to 40 degrees Celsius and they need to walk for about 6 to 7 hours in a day to drop off the Dafa materials.
Steven said that the process of cooperating to do things is also a process of cultivation and improvement. The practitioners form one body, often exchange their cultivation thoughts based on the Fa, and cooperate with one another. When he read through the content of the truth-clarifying materials he said, “If everyone can spend about 10 minutes to read it and truly think about it, his life may have been saved. I firmed up my confidence: I must deliver this precious truth to every mailbox in South Australia with the help of other practitioners so that all people get to hear about Falun Dafa.”
Steven also spoke of a small touching story: The residents who are staying at Renmark, a small town, which is more than 200 km from Adelaide City, have no mailboxes. When he passed by a house, he saw a middle-aged couple sitting in the living room. Steven stood outside the door, and said loudly that he wished to deliver good news to them. Surprisingly, they came, and the man was holding onto a copy of the special edition. They asked if he dropped off this special edition?” She said that their friend, who is staying in Berri, had driven for 20 minutes to share with them this special edition. A few days ago, the practitioners had just delivered the special editions to Berri town. The truth is currently spreading through word of mouth.
This couple asked Steven many questions such as “Is there really organ harvesting from people who are still alive?” “Are you cultivators really being persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)?” After understanding the truth, the lady was concerned and asked Steven, “Can you live in Australia? Do you still have relatives in China? Let them all come over, Australia is a safe country.” She also asked, “What can I do for Falun Dafa? How can I help all of you to make your voices heard?” Steven told her that there is a petition to disintegrate the CCP, and they can go online to fill out the petition. Steven also told her that her words are the greatest encouragement to us. Before they left, the lady shook hands with Steven and said, “Do your best! I support Falun Dafa!”
“In my heart, I know that this is our great Master giving us encouragement,” Steven said.
Change the Perspective and Save More People
Anna Bai thanks Master for using Dafa’s Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance to give her a second life.
Anna Bai thanks Master for using Dafa’s Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance to give her a second life, so that she not only understands the true purpose of life, she can also make sacrifices, try her best for the future of the sentient beings, and also let her life have important meaning. Anna made exquisite flower baskets, and even more with other practitioners to decorate the venue and wish Master a happy birthday.
Anna also shared her experience in clarifying the truth in a way that suits the western people. Anna’s husband is an Australian. Due to the differences in the Chinese and Western culture, the lifestyles in terms of diet, entertainment, etc are different too. Anna made use of the time when she joins her husband in social activities such as soccer club gatherings, birthday gatherings, etc. to clarify the truth and seek signatures for the petition. “Initially, I did not want to go as I feel that with people drinking and smoking, the environment there is not good. Later, I understood that I should not emphasize so much on our Chinese habits and perspectives. Instead, I should become a member of Western society so that I can save people.” Anna said.
When she is participating in Western people’s gatherings, Anna always waits for the time when people have finished their meals, and was making small talk with their drinks in hand. She first asked her husband if she could go to every table to seek signatures for the petition calling for an end to the persecution. Her husband always reminded her to be courteous. He also told her that he supported her with righteous thoughts. Anna then started to clarify the truth and sought signatures for the petition at the table where she was sitting; When they were attending the birthday celebrations of Western friends, Anna would wait until the end of the celebration to seek signatures for the petition, and let them understand the truth. Thus, the celebration would not be affected.
Looking Within
Studying the Fa and practicing the exercises is the homework that Dafa practitioners should be doing every day. Practitioner Jenny shared that previously, she tried to finish doing the exercises and studying the Fa in the morning, and after that she would be able to maintain a good state throughout the day as she did things to clarify the truth. However, she was worried that she may not have enough sleep such that she would become sleepy when she studied the Fa. With just this thought, when the time for Fa-study came, sometimes, she would really feel sleepy. Through studying the Fa, Jenny understood that the first thing to do is to get rid of her attachments of wanting to seek comfort, afraid of taking hardships, etc. Only by changing all these human thoughts will one be voluntary in practicing the exercises and doing them well. After getting rid of all sorts of human thoughts, Jenny finds that her mind is clearer after practicing the exercises and studying the Fa. Thus, she is able to persist.
During this process, some of Jenny’s hidden selfish attachments are also being exposed: After practicing the exercises, her body is more comfortable, thus bringing more convenience to her life. Later, Jenny understood that the reason why Master cleansed our body and developed our Gong is for us to be better in saving people. After rectifying my fundamental point of cultivation, my sense of responsibility increased.
Recently, Jenny realized that she would feel tired after making phone calls on the RTC platform (a platform used to clarify the truth to people in China). Once again, she tried to practice the second set of exercises, prolonging it to two hours. Jenny said, “Initially when I first practiced the exercise, I thought to myself that I will practice for one-and-a half hours, but after doing the first and second stances, my body felt relaxed and very comfortable. Therefore, I completed the whole set of exercises. I felt Master’s empowerment and encouragement. Once, when I was doing the two hours of exercise and had just reached the last stance of the second set of exercises, while I was in sort of a fixed state, I heard Master’s voice asking me whether this is hard. I quickly shook my head and said: not hard, not hard, instead, Master is enduring all the hardship. Tears of gratitude kept flowing.
The breakthrough in her cultivation helped Jenny find her initial state of cultivation. She has new understandings when she studies the Fa and her body has become lighter and stronger. Jenny thus had a new understanding of what Master said in the formula for the second exercise: “Shenghui Zengli, Rongxin Qingti,” which means literally to increase one’s wisdom and strength, make one tolerant, and have a light body. Jenny is grateful to Master for his protection. She said that only by cultivating diligently and saving more people will she be able to repay Master for his kindness!
Ms. Wang talked about studying the Fa during the experience sharing session.
Ms. Wang shared her understanding about studying the Fa with other practitioners during the Experience Sharing Conference. She recalled that many years ago, she participated in the group Fa-study that was held by local practitioners in Hong Kong on a public holiday. Everybody read the Fa in unison, and the energy field was very strong. She felt as though her entire body was being assimilated by Dafa. This is something that she would not be able to experience if she studied the Fa alone. Ms. Wang cherished and emphasized the importance of group Fa-study, just what Master wants his practitioners to do.
New Practitioner’s Feelings and Understandings
New younger practitioner, Xiaoma, came from China to study for his Master’s Degree. He is currently working in Australia. When Xiaoma was young, he practiced Falun Dafa with his parents who were cultivating in Dafa, but he had never gone into cultivation. He said, “I am a new practitioner who knew long ago that Dafa is good, but did not have the affinity to cultivate in Dafa until last year. This is the first time that I joined such a cultivation experience sharing event, and the event left me with deep feelings.”
“I felt of having returned home, which I had never felt before. Although I do not know most of the practitioners here, I felt that they were all very close to me. When the practitioners were sharing their cultivation experiences, I realized that cultivation is a tough but happy thing. Cultivation is a difficult but also a very firm matter that is the most mighty and greatest in this world. When the practitioners mention some of their problems, such as having the attachment to seeking comfort, I was reflecting on myself and discovered that I also have a lot of these attachments. At the same time, the practitioners also compassionately pointed out some of my attachments and corrected me.”
Xiaoma continued, “This experience sharing conference made me all the more firm in the path that I want to take in the future, and do well in what I should do. Taking this opportunity, I would like to wish Master a happy 70th birthday. Thank you Master.”
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