(Minghui.org) Greetings Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I am a Vietnamese practitioner and I moved to Australia when I was 11 years old. I would like to share with you my journey of cultivation while helping to form one body among young practitioners in Sydney. The goal of this project is to support young practitioners in terms of personal cultivation and saving people, as well as to create an environment for them to connect, share and learn from each other.
When I was in my early twenties, I liked backpacking to different countries, exploring cultures and getting to know people. I lived in a van for two years. Through these experiences, I formed an independent and confident personality. I also learned to communicate with others and understood more about myself and the world.
In 2017, while I was traveling through central Australia, I got into a serious car accident and had a near-death experience, and recalled every good memory I had since I was born. I remembered a friend from primary school who told me about Falun Dafa. I contacted her and she suggested that I read the Fa with her and go to see Shen Yun in Taiwan.
When I read the Fa, I was touched by the core values of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance and the principle of “going back to one’s true self” because it gives me the moral compass on how to become a better person.
Looking back, I gained a new perspective on that near-death experience. When the car was spinning in the air, I felt a force pushing the car down and it landed on its wheels instead of upside down, which would have been fatal. I realized that Master has always been looking after me.
I also understood that Master arranged everything for me to do what I’m supposed to do now, especially when I worked on Dafa projects to save people. For example, due to my childhood experience of living independently and being ill-treated by my father’s side of the family, I can sympathize with other people’s hardships, pain, and loneliness.
I understand that all human beings in this world are Master’s family members. So, when doing projects and helping people, I feel like I’m finding my family members, and finding a missing piece of the puzzle that I’d been looking for.
After I began practicing Falun Dafa in late 2018, I struggled to find a good environment to improve myself. It seemed that there were two main issues.
The first issue I noticed was a lack of deep connection among practitioners. After group Fa study and group exercises, most practitioners went home or made announcements about projects without talking about how they improved their xinxing or interacted with one another. I felt disappointed and frustrated because I felt like no one could inspire or help me in terms of cultivation, except one Vietnamese practitioner who later became my wife. The group environment for non-Chinese and young practitioners was almost non-existent.
For a new practitioner, this creates an additional layer of difficulty in committing to cultivation. For Dafa projects, this is a key reason behind the lack of human resources. It wasn’t because we didn’t clarify the truth and attract new people, but because there was nothing in the environment to make them stay.
I was also aware of several young practitioners who came, but because they lacked a good environment and didn’t have enough mental and social support, they became less diligent and then left Dafa. Western practitioners encountered the same issue. I thought that if this problem continues, it would hinder our process of saving people in Australia. This is similar to the situation among Japanese practitioners.
Master said,
“In Japan, Chinese Dafa disciples are the driving force. There are a lot of people in Japan who are supposed to obtain the Fa, so make sure you don’t do things that deter them. I have noticed this situation, but each region has its own challenges. So, when a problem arises, you should as Dafa disciples work together to figure out how to resolve it.
“It’s a real problem if Japanese Dafa disciples feel that it’s hard for them to integrate into the group because of these things. You who are Dafa disciples in Japan are supposed to save Japanese people. Of course, practitioners will all speak out against the wicked CCP’s persecution as they work against it and try to put a stop to it and expose it. That is our responsibility. But your main objective is to save people, isn’t it? You are to save the people local to your area.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2015 New York Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XIII)
However, when I raised my concerns with the other practitioners, they didn’t acknowledge this as an issue to be fixed, but instead accepted the situation. One common reason that was often brought up is that if a person couldn’t pass this test or continue cultivation despite hardships, it meant they were not good enough or didn’t have enough of a predestined relationship.
However, my understanding is that the environment plays an important role in influencing people, and we won’t be able to improve it until we acknowledge the existing issues.
The second issue I noticed is the image that practitioners present to ordinary society. At first, my impression of some practitioners was that they often keep to themselves, have a somewhat negative attitude and don’t pay enough attention to their appearance. Other practitioners don’t have good relationships with their families or don’t behave in a way that conforms with Australian society. This can affect our efforts to validate the Fa to ordinary people.
Moreover, some practitioners spend most of their time working on projects, which is great. However, they lack the social skills required to interact with people in mainstream Western society. They don’t have a lot of common topics to talk about and think being part of everyday society is a waste of time. This causes other people to form an impression that Dafa practitioners only care about human rights issues and their own practice, instead of being open and connected to the broader community. I think this is one reason why we are unable to make breakthroughs in mainstream society because people see us as outsiders and don’t feel our compassion towards them.
In my understanding, in the past, the purpose of cultivation was self-liberation and cultivators stayed in isolated places. On the other hand, Dafa cultivation takes place amidst ordinary society and Dafa disciples’ mission is to save people. Therefore, I believe that practitioners should form a positive relationship with people in society. We need to be understood and accepted by others before we can clarify the truth or spread the Fa to them.
Young practitioners can play an important role in this process in changing how society views Falun Dafa practitioners. It’s similar to how Shen Yun dancers mainly consist of young people with the aim of clarifying the truth to mainstream people. They are educated, well-mannered and well-presented. It’s notable that Fei Tian Academy trains young people and educates them about traditional culture and etiquette.
In my understanding, to bring the positive image of Dafa to mainstream Australian society and solve the issue of human resources for projects, young practitioners should have an environment to help each other in cultivation and daily life, as well as discussing topics that help them develop as a person.
I also realized that the approach of forcing them to study the Fa and asking them to join projects when they’re not ready or not in a good cultivation state is not effective.
This understanding has motivated me to help people and take action, which I would like to share about.
From the Fa, I understood that changes need to come from the microcosmic level to the macrocosmic level, all the way to the surface. In my understanding, this can also apply in the practitioner environment. I enlightened that to form one body, things need to move from the inside to the outside through three layers: The first layer is diligent practitioners. The second layer is new and not-so-diligent practitioners, children of practitioners, and people who have left cultivation. The third layer is everyday people.
It’s a systematic approach in which once the inner layer becomes solid, it will have a positive impact on the outer layers. For example, once the diligent practitioners form a positive environment, it can encourage new practitioners to stay and become more diligent. With this new understanding, I set out to help improve the first layer. I tried to find out what young practitioners wanted and needed. I spent time talking with them, understanding their experiences and points of view. Then I shared my thoughts with them and sought feedback on these ideas.
Throughout this process, I realized one main reason that prevents us from forming a strong one body is a lack of trust among practitioners. Because we are afraid of being judged by others, we refrain from sharing about our attachments and choose to keep things to ourselves. Over time, this can lead to disconnection and conflicts.
So, my first goal was to help build trust among the young practitioners.
We did bonding activities, such as camping, dinners and kayaking, as well as events to learn about traditional culture. More importantly, we had weekly group Fa study in English.
In terms of bonding activities, these are important because they allow young practitioners to develop deeper connections among themselves in an environment that is welcoming, relaxing, engaging and doesn’t require commitment.
These bonding activities are also great chances for young practitioners to learn how to cooperate and communicate, develop skills that are important for doing projects, and support each other in daily life and cultivation.
For example, during a kayaking activity, I noticed one young Chinese practitioner seemed to be separated from others. He didn’t join group activities or talk to people, but instead was focused on his phone. I introduced him to the others.
More than a year later, he told me that he really appreciated the way I helped him that day. To my surprise, he said when he was young, in China, other children didn’t want to play with him because his dad was a Dafa practitioner and was persecuted. Ever since then, he thought it was normal not to have friends and be alone. I had tears in my eyes listening to his story. I didn’t realize such a small act could mean so much to him. Later on, through more interactions with other young practitioners, this Chinese practitioner has become more confident, has more friends and became more comfortable opening up to others.
In terms of our group Fa study, the goal is to deepen the discussion, encourage a habit of looking within and go beyond just talking about projects. To make it happen, I needed to start with myself. So my wife and I shared about our own shortcomings, such as attachments to fear and to judging others. Some practitioners began to follow suit, sharing more openly and honestly about their tribulations and cultivation.
Then, in each discussion, we have two main themes: what we learned about the Fa study that day, and topics related to personal improvement, which change every week. Examples of personal improvement topics include how to do better as a cultivator at work, time management, communication skills, financial management, and handling relationships with family members.
Each of these topics brings us to a different aspect of becoming a good person. Through everyone’s input, we can expand our horizons, learn from each other’s experience and find where we fall short. From then on, we learned to validate the Fa in different ways, know how to better conform to mainstream society and clarify the truth to people more naturally.
By taking small steps and being consistent, our Fa study group gradually became a place where people can share more openly among each other. Some of the sharing was so touching that people were moved to tears and stayed until 11 p.m., not wanting to leave. Several practitioners said they appreciated this Fa study group a lot because it helped them elevate their understanding of the Fa and strengthen their righteous thoughts.
While working on this project, I encountered many tribulations, which helped me gradually improve my xinxing.
I faced a lot of resistance and criticism from other practitioners, who didn’t see the importance of what I did. I kept questioning myself about whether what I was doing was right. I felt confused about what to do. I felt resentful, thinking why hadn’t this environment been created before, why didn’t other practitioners appreciate that I’m trying to help them, and why did I have to be the person doing the hard work.
I also had a judgmental attitude towards some young practitioners who I thought weren’t up to standard and I looked down on them. I was even afraid that I would become negative and depressed like some of them if I cultivated for a long time.
Although my starting point was to help others, I had dwelt on negativity, resentment and complaints. As a result, not only did my faith in Dafa waver, but I also lost sight of the actual work that needed to be done.
Fortunately, thanks to the guidance of the Fa and the constant support of my wife, I learned to expand my compassion, which helped me overcome negativity and focus on the solution.
I looked inward to see why the situation became like this and I started to put myself in other people’s shoes. I could see how the persecution impacted veteran Chinese practitioners in terms of their physical state, financial situation and reputations. When they moved to a new country, they had to start from scratch, struggling to make ends meet and adapting to a new culture. At the same time, they made every effort to raise awareness about the persecution. I admire the heart of those veteran practitioners. To them, the first priority is restoring the reputation of Dafa by bringing the truth to more people. This unconditional sacrifice can be hard for young practitioners, and me, to understand and have the same focus.
On the other hand, I found that during these difficult situations, some veteran practitioners struggled to validate the Fa in their family environment. Some of them didn’t have enough time to connect with their children, and instead expected them to read the Fa and enlighten themselves.
As a result, some children couldn’t see the beauty of Dafa in their parents’ behaviors and actions. When they got older, they weren’t inspired to continue cultivation and got dragged down by the temptations in society.
As for the young practitioners coming out from China, I realized they grew up in a complicated environment and had to bear the mental pressure from the persecution. This affects how they behave and act. Their thinking was imposed on them by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) culture.
After learning to think of others first, I changed my approach. Instead of being judgmental, I cultivated empathy and compassion and got to know people and their stories. I realized the way to help these young practitioners is not by forcing them to do something, but by inspiring, guiding and supporting them. Then, during the process of doing things themselves, they will gain new values and improve. The real change doesn’t come from external pressure, but from inside one’s heart. Meaningful connection and trust don’t come from opening a course and telling people what to do, but from everyday interactions.
I also enlightened that when I became too negative and went to extremes, I wasn’t aligned with the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, so my wisdom wouldn’t come forth. But once I overcame the tribulation and elevated my xinxing, Master would grant me the wisdom and I would be able to drive the project forward.
Master’s Fa also helped me enlighten on this issue and helped dissolve my resentment towards veteran practitioners.
One time, after I complained about the cultivation environment, a practitioner shared with me a paragraph from Zhuan Falun,
“Our ordinary human society progresses according to the law of history’s development. You may wish it to develop in a certain way and to achieve a certain goal, but those higher lives do not consider it this way. Did people in ancient times not think of today’s aircraft, trains, and bikes? I would say that it is unlikely that they did not. Because history had not developed to that stage, they could not invent them.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
I suddenly understood that what I wanted to happen hadn’t happened before because the timing wasn’t right. The earlier period was for clarifying the truth and letting the public know about Dafa. The veteran practitioners did their best in that historic period. Now is the time we must do our best in this historic period, building on the foundation set by the previous generation and continuing the path of Fa-rectification in the human world. Empowering the young practitioners is one way of doing this and is the path that I’m taking.
Thanks to Master’s hint, I was able to change my mindset from seeing the project as a burden to embracing it positively. A few years ago, I had a dream about Master teaching the Fa in Sydney. After teaching the Fa, Master said, “Now it’s time for the groups to do project meetings.” I saw myself sitting down in a circle with many people whom I didn’t know yet, except for my wife. But I knew I wasn’t sitting in the older practitioner group. It made me realize that helping the youth is my mission, this is my responsibility, this is the truth that I need to accept and work hard to improve on.
I started this young practitioners project with a simple wish of helping others, but what I received was much more than what I gave. I became more clear-headed about what I needed to do, expanded my tolerance and compassion, and learned to respect that people have different timings to improve. The people who I helped were actually helping me become a better cultivator. I learned how to take criticism, to lead, to develop a vision and to strategize. When encountering conflicts, I needed to consistently improve myself so the project would improve.
Our effort in forming the one body not only had an impact on young practitioners, but also served to validate the Fa to our co-workers and family members. The changing attitude of my father-in-law, a successful businessman, is one example. He told me that my wife and I are ahead of this young generation because most people our age only focus on making money and gaining more self-interest, and that it’s not until they get old that they think about helping other people. My father-in-law used to be against my wife cultivating, but he is now supportive of Dafa and said he felt inspired by the young practitioner project.
Meanwhile, my co-workers often wish us good health to continue working in the community and bring more benefits to young practitioners. They said the world needs more selfless and morally oriented young people for a better future.
When seeing the improvements in the environment, such as stronger bonds among practitioners, I took it as encouragement from Master that I was on the right path. It strengthened my righteous thoughts and my confidence. Working on this project gave me endless energy and a sense of fulfillment, because I know I’m carrying out my mission.
I frequently discuss ideas and think about how to make things better. I wouldn’t have been able to persist through this without the support of my wife and other young practitioners, whose good hearts and hard work moved me greatly and motivated me to take action.
Most of all, I’m really grateful for Master. I believe that whatever Master arranged is for me to complete the mission that I came here for, and to cultivate myself during the process.
Above is my sharing article. Please kindly point out anything that is not in line with the Fa.
Thank you, Master. Thank you, fellow practitioners.
(Presented at the 2024 Australia Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference)