(Minghui.org) The 2018 Washington DC Young Practitioner Cultivation Sharing Conference was held on December 29, in northern Virginia. About 10 young Falun Dafa practitioners talked about their cultivation experiences. An open discussion on cultivation followed, prior to the end of the conference.
Attendees of the 2018 Washington DC Young Practitioner Cultivation Sharing Conference wish Falun Dafa's founder, Master Li Hongzhi, a Happy New Year.
Attachment to Jealousy Exposed
Emily Huang talked about how she experienced jealousy when she applied for a scholarship and how she was able to eliminate it. Emily is currently studying at the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. She started searching for a scholarship during her first year and found one that would cover her tuition and also provide a monthly stipend. The requirement was that she would have to work at a low-income area health center after graduation.
Emily has always been passionate about community service. Therefore, she thought that the scholarship was a perfect match for her. After she applied for it, she couldn't stop thinking about whether she'd be awarded the scholarship. She also read a lot of information on the Internet about how to look into her application status through unofficial channels.
She thought she was unofficially confirmed in July 2017, and that her application had entered the second round. When she learned in August that she hadn't received the scholarship, Emily was devastated.
Worse yet was that shortly afterward, Emily learned that one of her classmates was awarded the scholarship. She felt it was unfair, and her sadness turned to anger and jealousy. The classmate was arrogant and often bragged about his personal accomplishments and money. Emily thought. “How was it fair that he got the community service scholarship, something I'm so passionate about? I would never be that arrogant. How could he possibly do a better job than I?”
For several months, Emily couldn't put down her jealousy until one day she read the following section on “ jealousy” in Lecture Seven of Zhuan Falun,
“Sometimes, you think that something should be yours, and others also tell you that it is yours. Actually, it is not. You may believe that it is yours, but in the end it is not yours. Through this, it can be seen whether you can give it up. If you cannot let it go, it is an attachment. This method must be used to get rid of your attachment to self-interest. This is the issue. Because everyday people are not enlightened to this principle, they will all compete and fight before profits.”
Emily realized that her mindset had drifted away from a what a cultivator's should be. She applied for the same scholarship again this year and maintained a cultivator's state of mind. She even offered to help another classmate who had applied and failed the previous year.
When Emily received the news that she was awarded the scholarship, she remained calm. Even when her parents and friends congratulated her on her achievement, she didn't feel triumphant or victorious.
Establishing a University Falun Dafa Club
Emily also talked about how she overcame fear and was able to clarify the truth. During her undergraduate year at the University of Maryland, she didn't establish a Falun Dafa Club with other practitioners at the school because she was worried that extracurricular activities would affect her academics. She was the only Falun Dafa practitioner in the dental school, but she was determined to start a Falun Dafa Club.
“I believe that Master arranged for me to choose a dental school away from home to test my belief and dedication to Dafa,” Emily said. “Many of my childhood friends, once they were outside the direct influence of their parents, no longer continued practicing. When I left home, I knew that the decision to remain a Dafa disciple was purely my own and that anything I chose to do from that point on would be my own, independent cultivation path.”
In the process of her inviting non-practitioner classmates to become founding members of the Falun Dafa Club, Master arranged for her friends to learn about Dafa. She also became an officer of the Chinese Dental Association. During school activities, she was able to take care of both booths by placing the Falun Dafa Club booth and the Chinese Dental Association booth next to each other. This has also created many opportunities for her classmates to learn about Falun Dafa. Some of Emily's classmates are from China and their only source of information about Dafa was Communist Party propaganda. They now had the opportunity to hear the truth.
Abandoning Internet Addiction
Chen An'ran talked about how she eliminated her addiction to the Internet. “I stopped browsing any online pages or videos except for the emails I must check and the pages I need to visit for my work. Now, I suddenly seem to have enough time. I feel lighter. My mind is clearer and more peaceful.”
Chen said that it's important to remember that time is pressing. Every practitioner is seizing the time to save sentient beings, so she shouldn't waste time on her mobile phone and on the Internet. She plans to balance her time between cultivation and work. With good planning, her addiction had no loopholes to be taken advantage of. She also mentioned that it was important to attend the group Fa studies. The pure group cultivation environment is a driving force and helps everyone to be more diligent.
Chen has volunteered at the Sound of Hope radio for about eighteen months. Her first reaction when she noticed other practitioners' mistakes, was to complain. She also felt very disappointed. She immediately saw that her negative thoughts didn't help others but instead lowered the quality of her own work. When certain issues surfaced again, she tried to maintain a calm mind.
Thankful for Falun Dafa's Guiding Principles
Wang Xi, another young practitioner, said, “I think society is filled with temptations. It's quite easy for us young people to be lost in them. However with Dafa, I've found my direction, and I know the meaning of life. Practicing Falun Dafa has also helped me become healthy and happy. Thank you, Master, for imparting the Fa to us. I would like to wish Master a happy New Year.”
Emily summed up her experiences with, “I believe in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance more. I understand that while grades are important, and our job is important, ultimately, what's most important in life is to be a practitioner, to be a good person, to live my life based on Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.”
She added, “I feel I'm different from a lot of people my age. I know a lot of people are just so stressed out at this age, such a very young age. Because all they care about is money and their future position in life. But I feel that through cultivation I realize that while it might seem important, it isn't necessarily the most important thing in life.”
Emily wished to convey her thanks to Master: “Thank you, Master, for giving me such a wonderful gift: Dafa. I will cherish it for sure. I'm very grateful to be a Dafa practitioner.”
During the open discussion after the conference, the young practitioners talked how they persevered in Fa study and doing the exercises. One young man said that after he noticed he had trouble sticking to his daily Fa study schedule, he invited another practitioner to study the Fa online with him. Another practitioner said that setting goals and forming good habits were very important. One practitioner told how she overcame the hurdle of not being able to meditate beyond 45 minutes. After she began sitting in the full-lotus position during Fa study, she was able to increase her endurance when she did the fifth exercise, the meditation.
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