(Minghui.org) The fourth experience-sharing conference among German-speaking Falun Dafa practitioners in Switzerland was held in Schuepfheim, a small town in the central part of the country on October 23, 2022. Attendees included practitioners from Switzerland, Germany, and Austria. Twenty-two practitioners spoke of their cultivation experiences.

The speakers talked about how they improved their shortcomings in work, study, and everyday life guided by Falun Dafa’s principles – Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. A few also spoke of understandings gained through telling people about the facts of the persecution.

A Falun Dafa experience sharing conference was held in Schuepfheim on October 23.

Practitioners spoke of their cultivation experiences.

The Principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance Helped Me Keep a Kind Heart Under Intense Pressure

Denise is a nurse and works in a hospital. During the pandemic she was sent to the section for COVID patients. She said, “We were separated from all the other rooms and we did not know how long the arrangement was going to last. It was as if we were in an isolated world. Even our rest area was dimly lit. We could not leave the ward during our shifts. We wore plastic protective clothing including protective goggles and two face masks. This made it difficult to breathe. There was a lack of staff as people had to be isolated and were afraid because we cared for people infected with COVID. We often had no time for breaks. Sometimes, we worked nonstop for 7 or 8 hours before we could take a break or even go to the toilet or eat something.”

She also said that during those months, no one could work in their department except for the medical staff. Besides their usual tasks, the nurses had to take on additional responsibilities like ordering supplies and cleaning toilets and the rooms as well as the kitchen. They had to make phone calls and distribute food. To sum it up, it was an extreme challenge—both physically and mentally. Their only contact with the outside world was phone calls. The roster was constantly changing. At times there were changes every hour.

Adding to her burden, a coworker complained that Denise did not work fast enough, she worked too few hours, her work was not up to standard, and so on. Denise was upset and resentful when faced with intense pressure at work and unfair criticism. But she knew she was a practitioner and reminded herself these were all opportunities for her to improve in cultivation. She said, “Master helped me, the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance curbed my emotions. I learned to keep a kind heart in the face of hardship and get rid of my attachments.”

Her attitude and behavior influenced other coworkers. Later on, the coworker who criticized her praised her in front of the supervisor and the other staff trusted her more. Her coworkers asked her to take care of difficult patients and she gladly took on the responsibility. She was patient and considerate towards stubborn and arrogant patients. Her coworkers were surprised by her patience and these difficult patients gladly accepted Denise’s care.

Denise expressed her gratitude to Master: “Master helped me grasp the Fa principles, see my shortcomings, and improve.”

Not Forgetting to Save People Despite Being in an Accident

Ursula and two practitioners were hit by a car while handing out Shen Yun promotional materials. The driver fled the scene. The three of them were not hurt.

Ursula realized the accident happened because they had a karmic debt to repay. She recalled Master’s teachings about Dafa disciples’ mission to save people. Although she did not resent the driver, she wanted to tell him about Falun Dafa. She wrote a letter to tell him they were all right and enclosed information about Falun Dafa. The driver was a 97-year-old man. He soon replied to say he too was not injured and was interested in reading the flier on Falun Dafa. When his daughter helped her father handle the incident, she also read the information.

The Power of Looking Within

Cynthia was particularly worried that her one-year-old son might crawl onto the road and resented the tenant for not installing a fence in the garden. She also warned the neighbors to lock their front door. She was very anxious and checked several times a day to make sure the door was locked. 

She knew her fear had become irrational. When she looked inward she said, “I found my huge fear, I was afraid of losing my son. I tried to let go of this attachment and thought of Master’s teachings on emotions.” When she calmed down, her son stopped going to the door and only played in the garden. He stopped trying to leave, unlike before.

Her relationship with her mother was difficult. Her mother used to practice Falun Dafa but stopped. Not only that, she developed negative thoughts toward Dafa. Cynthia hoped her mother would accept Dafa again but failed to change her mind after Cynthia talked to her several times. However, when she examined herself and identified her attachments, her mother’s attitude changed.

She said, “I discovered I longed to be praised and accepted. I began to see things from my mother’s perspective, how she viewed me after I began practicing. This helped me understand my mother’s standpoint.” A few days later, her mother told her, “I’ve decided to practice Falun Dafa again.”

Realizing the Importance of Studying the Fa and Doing the Exercises

Diep Le had two different experiences. Before she practiced Falun Dafa, she loved to sleep. One night she could not fall asleep which was unusual. She became very anxious when she thought of the heavy workload waiting for her the next day. She decided to get up and do the sitting meditation. Unexpectedly, she was alert the entire day even though she only slept for three hours. She was able to handle challenging tasks with a calm mind.

Another time when she took a nap because she was so tired, she ended up feeling drowsy the whole day and her body hurt. From these different experiences, she enlightened that, “The principles of a cultivator are opposite to that of an ordinary person.”

The intense workload from working full time on a media project made her long to go back to life as an ordinary person. One day while studying the Fa, she suddenly felt the way she used to before she practiced cultivation, “It was as if Master was teaching me the Fa directly. Every sentence touched me. I felt a warm energy flow through my body.”

She suddenly realized how absurd her complaints were. She said, “I understood how important it was to study the Fa and do the exercises.” In fact, when there was a lot of work to do, one should spend more time studying the Fa. “If I shortened the time I spent studying the Fa due to other things, that would mean my priorities were wrong and I did not make good use of my time. All the excuses I used were lame.”

It was nearly 8 p.m. when the conference concluded. Many practitioners were inspired by the sharings and said the conference was very meaningful.

Attendees took a group photo and expressed their gratitude to Master.