(Minghui.org) Over 1,000 practitioners attended the 2022 Australian Falun Dafa Experience-Sharing Conference in Sydney on October 9. Participants traveled from Australia, New Zealand, and Vietnam, to attend the first face-to-face Australian Falun Dafa conference held since the pandemic started three years ago.
Many attendees said they were thankful for the opportunity to exchange ideas. In addition to identifying gaps and discussing how they progressed in their cultivation practice, they said they were inspired to increase their efforts to tell people about Falun Dafa and the persecution happening in China.
The 2022 Australian Falun Dafa Experience-Sharing Conference was held in Sydney on October 9.
During the lunch break and after the conference ended, practitioners purchased Dafa books and souvenirs from the Tianti Bookstore. One representative from Tianti said the most popular books were Zhuan Falun and Falun Gong in various languages.
Practitioners bought books from the Tianti Bookstore during the lunch break and after the conference.
Letting Go of Attachments
Louis, a new practitioner from Brisbane
Louis is a new practitioner from Brisbane and bought a copy of Hong Yin. He said the conference helped him recognize the importance of studying the Fa. Since several practitioners talked about memorizing Falun Dafa’s teachings, he planned to start by memorizing Hong Yin. “When reading Hong Yin in the past, I could feel strong energy and my righteous thoughts were strengthened,” he explained. “I think a print copy will help me with Fa study.”
Impressed by stories of other practitioners, Louis said he also identified his own loopholes. “In the past, I did not pay much attention to my attachments or getting rid of them,” he continued. “Today I understood the urgency and I will be more diligent from now on.”
Several practitioners talked about the importance of having righteous thoughts when overcoming challenges. Louis said in the past he felt it was difficult to talk to Chinese and debunk defamatory propaganda from the Chinese Community Party (CCP). “Now I realized that we should not have bias, since we need to help save everyone regardless of their race or ethnicity.”
Speaking of how he started to practice Dafa, Louis said he read from an online forum in July 2020 where someone was talking about Falun Dafa and sharing about its remarkable benefits. “So I began to read Zhuan Falun. Both my body and mind were cleansed, and I knew this is what I needed,” he added.
Guidance
Optometrist Sonya
Sonya, an optometrist in Sydney, said the conference had a strong energy field and she learned a lot. One Western practitioner talked about how careful he was about spending money and managing his finances. “I also have a business and I think I can do better in this area,” she said.
She has practiced Falun Dafa since 2000 and said the practice has guided her along the way. “As a practitioner, the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance help us to make the right decisions in our lives,” she explained. “This includes how to handle personal relations at work, in the family, and society.”
Sonya also bought the latest version of Zhuan Falun and Falun Gong in English. “I have an early version of Falun Gong and I plan to give it to someone who is interested in practicing,” she said.
Good Cooperation
David from Cairns, Queensland
David traveled from Cairns in far North Queensland and was glad to meet so many practitioners and talk about cultivation practice. Through listening to others’ sharing, he found a few areas that he needed to improve in. “For example, I have to be more patient instead of rushing through things,” he said. “When working with others, I also need to be more cooperative and in sync.”
David said that after he began to practice Falun Dafa he became calmer. Noticing his positive changes, his family became very supportive. “My children have been doing the exercises since childhood,” he explained. “Later on, my daughter also began to study the Fa and began practicing.”
Respectful of Dafa
Benjamin from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland
Benjamin is from Sunshine Coast, Queensland, and he said he learned a lot from the practitioners’ talks during the conference. “One practitioner mentioned she sits up straight while reading the Fa. She said if one respects the Fa, the body will be straight. One’s Fa study will be more effective and we can understand the Fa principles,” he said. “This is a reminder that one should not relax when studying the Fa.”
His wife is also a Falun Dafa practitioner and she had to stay home and take care of their two young children. Benjamin was thankful for her support. “Next time I will stay home with the children so that she can attend the conference,” he said.
Gratitude to Master
Julia is a middle school student.
Julia, now a middle school student, has been practicing Dafa since childhood following her parents. She was touched by stories shared by practitioners of different ages. “They have cultivated solidly both at work and in their projects,” she said. “As a young practitioner, I need to learn from them and follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in my daily life.”
Perseverance is also very important. That means not giving up when encountering difficulty and maintaining a positive attitude. “Cultivation practice means constantly improving myself according to the Fa principles. Only then can I truly improve,” she said. The other practitioners’ experiences taught her a lot and motivated her to do better.
Julia is very thankful to Master for introducing Dafa to the world. “Master is truly leading us to higher levels. Time is precious and I have to cultivate well and remain diligent in the Fa,” she explained. “Master has given us so much.”
Mai and Hong own a physical therapy clinic.
Hong and Mai, husband and wife, own a physical therapy clinic. They said the conference was very inspiring, especially in looking inward to constantly improve oneself.
As a new practitioner, Hong was moved by the sharing from practitioners responsible for sales in the news media. In addition, some practitioners talked about letting go of negative thoughts toward other practitioners. “When looking within, I found I also had this problem – I often think I’m better than others,” he said. “Now I have learned that is wrong and I should always remain humble.”
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