(Minghui.org) The 2023 European Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held at the Versailles Palais des Congrès in Paris on August 27, 2023. The founder, Mr. Li Hongzhi, sent a congratulatory message. An estimated 1,600 practitioners from over 30 countries including Europe, the U.S., and Israel attended the conference.
The 2023 European Falun Dafa Experience Sharing Conference was held at the Versailles Palais des Congrès in Paris on August 27, 2023.
The conference was held in four halls. Twenty four practitioners from Germany, Italy, Spain, France, Israel, Sweden, Austria, Russia, the UK, and Latvia spoke about their cultivation experiences in the process of promoting Shen Yun, working in the media, and other various truth clarification projects. The speakers shared how they overcame difficulties and conflicts, got rid of human attachments and notions and did better in truth clarification projects.
The conference offered translation in eight languages. Attendees said the atmosphere was serene and noble.
Practitioners read their papers at the conference.
Going All Out to Promote Shen Yun
Ms. Angelakopoulou from Greece heard about Falun Dafa in 2007 while studying at a medical university in Rome. She said, “I began to practice cultivation on my birthday. I thank Master for giving me a new life, a cultivator’s life.”
She took on the task of finding a venue for Shen Yun performances in Italy in 2017. In 2018, Italy was given an opportunity to host Shen Yun shows in Rome. It took a long time, however, for the theater contract to be signed, and tickets could not be sold through the theater’s ticketing system. Practitioners decided to sell tickets themselves. She said in the beginning, “As there were no fliers, nor was the venue contract signed, we could only show people the trailer of the shows on our iPads. Within a short period of time, the shows became a talking point on the streets in Rome.”
Tickets were sold out approximately three months before the performances. The theater employees asked practitioners how they achieved such a feat. In the end, the contract with the theater was signed two weeks before the shows and more performances were added. Theater staff and the director congratulated practitioners on the success of the shows. From this experience Ms. Angelakopoulou realized that, “Only when we progress in cultivation can we move people’s hearts.”
She then moved on to promoting Shen Yun shows at Cagliari, Sardinia. At one point, she hurt her leg and could not walk while handing out fliers. She looked within and discovered she had many shortcomings. She thought she should try her very best to sell every ticket to the shows and not let the old forces stop her. She overcame her laziness, her heart felt lighter, and she was able to move both legs. In the end, she was able to give out fliers as usual.
She said, “I felt as if every letter box, every house, every brick was greeting me, everything was full of vitality.”
That year, the airport became her second home as she frequently traveled between Rome and Sardinia. In the end, all the tickets were sold and the shows were a success. Ms. Angelakopoulou said she was grateful to Master for the opportunity to save people.
Cultivating Faith in Master and Compassion Towards Life
Ms. Wang-Moritz from Austria began to practice cultivation in 2002. An elderly pair of sisters in Austria bought tickets to Shen Yun in 2020. The show was canceled as a result of the pandemic and they were given vouchers. They chose to exchange the vouchers for tickets to the 2023 show in Salzburg. By accident, their family exchanged one voucher and asked for a refund for the other voucher. When they wanted to buy another ticket later on, all tickets to the shows in Salzburg had been sold out three weeks before the performances. The older sister decided to travel a long way to Salzburg even though she did not have a ticket. She hoped for an empty spot at the theater. Ms. Wang-Moritz felt how much the elderly women wanted to watch Shen Yun, and their predestined relationship with Dafa. She believed Master arranged things for every being, “I supported the woman with righteous thoughts and encouraged her.” On the day of the performance, right up to when the bell rang, there were no empty seats. Just after the bell rang a few times, something unexpected happened. An empty seat appeared and the two women fulfilled their wish to watch Shen Yun.
This incident strengthened Ms. Wang-Moritz’s faith in Master and Dafa. It also made her cherish life even more. She said, “Nothing ever happens by chance. The main thing is I must believe in what Master has arranged. I realized that faith is also a manifestation of tolerance. On the surface, I must persevere and have tolerance. I continued to hold on until the change came to the surface.” She shared that Master helped her see what was the most important thing through such moments.
Decided to Practice Cultivation After Understanding the Fa Principles
Ms. Shi, who lives in France and was formerly a baptized Christian, began to practice Falun Dafa two years ago. Her husband was diagnosed with a terminal illness in 2019. A coworker who is a practitioner suggested that he try Falun Dafa, and that Ms. Shi join him. She began to do the exercises to save her husband’s life, and read the teachings to him. In the beginning of 2021, she spent three months reading all the books written by the founder, Master Li. She understood that Master is the only hope for saving humanity in the Dharma ending period. She said, “Everything Master said is not the knowledge or wisdom from human beings, but heavenly secrets and the ultimate truth.” She read the books again and again and was astounded by the principles taught in the books.
She very quickly eliminated the habits of smoking, drinking alcohol, and other vices formed over a lifetime. She also learned to reflect on her shortcomings. As a result of her changes, the relationship with her son improved, and her mother knew that Falun Dafa was good.
A year after she began to practice cultivation, Ms. Shi overcame her fear and indolence and started a practice site with practitioners in her city. Many people were introduced to Dafa as a result.
Eliminating Resentment
Mr. Nöll was introduced to Falun Dafa 26 years ago, and decided to practice cultivation after attending Master’s lecture in Frankfurt, Germany in 1998. As a police officer, when Shen Yun came to Germany for the first time in 2007, the task of coordinating security for the group naturally fell on him. He has been doing this for 16 years. In the beginning, he reluctantly accepted the responsibility and would complain when problems came up. He was eventually able to put the shows as first priority and quickly resolve all kinds of difficult situations while meeting the requirements of various parties. He summarized his experience by saying, “Most of the time, the problems I encounter are closely related to my cultivation state.”
He shared an incident that helped him get rid of a lot of resentment while coordinating the security team in 2022. Due to COVID restrictions, the theater required that Shen Yun organizers carry out antigen tests and check vaccination certificates. This sudden, additional task required a lot of manpower. He felt some resentment.
Mr. Nöll realized he should improve his character, and said, “At that moment, I knew I had to change my mindset.” He quickly set up a team of practitioners who spoke different languages, and set up testing spots outside the theater. The service team helped audience members in various languages including English, Chinese, Vietnamese, Russian, Italian, and Turkish, so that they could quickly go through tests and enter the theater to watch the shows. He said, “I recognized how precious the knowledge and sacrifices made by practitioners are and I stopped feeling resentment. I felt something positive in my heart—that is to cherish every practitioner.”
Cultivating in the Process of Working at the Tianti Bookstore
Ms. Sun from France spoke of two incidents she ran into while preparing to open the Tianti bookstore in 2021. The experience made her see her competitive mentality and attachment to gain.
She needed to open a bank account while setting up the physical store. The bank manager canceled appointments at the last minute twice. She told him she planned to open an account with another bank. Subsequently, three banks she approached turned down her application, saying they did not have any knowledge of her credit history, as she did not have a personal bank account with them.
Ms. Sun realized she was wrong after being rejected three times. Her competitive mentality made her look for other banks to do business with, and her behavior was contrary to the teachings of Dafa. She went back to the bank where she had a personal account and after much effort, she finally got the lowest bank account fees for the bookstore. She experienced the wonder of practicing cultivation solidly.
She also talked about another incident that moved her heart. She felt some discomfort when the accountant told her that by law she was a volunteer and could not be paid as president of the Falun Dafa association.
She said, “I did not plan to be paid a salary, yet when the accountant said this, I felt a little uncomfortable. After I got home, I was dismayed by my reaction. It seemed like my cultivation regressed.” She discovered that her discomfort was in fact jealousy and a feeling that she was treated unfairly. These attachments were exposed when she learned that some practitioners were paid when they worked on certain projects.
Ms. Sun felt Master’s care, making sure she was constantly eliminating areas that don’t align with Dafa. She is extremely grateful to Master.
Practitioners who attended the conference said that by listening to the sharings, they saw where they could do better. In his congratulatory message Master urged practitioners to study the Fa well and do what they are supposed to do.
The conference concluded around 6:30 that evening.
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