(Minghui.org) The 2024 Southern U.S. Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference was held at the Hilton Garden Inn Dallas/Allen, Texas, on September 1, 2024. Practitioners from Arkansas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, and Texas attended the event. Fifteen practitioners described how they applied the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in their daily lives and constantly looked within to improve themselves.
The atmosphere during the conference was harmonious and solemn and offered simultaneous translations in Chinese, English, and Vietnamese. Attendees listened attentively and said they were grateful to Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa, for this opportunity.
The 2024 Southern U.S. Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference was held in Dallas on September 1.
Practitioners talked about their stories during the conference.
Young Practitioner: Truly Improving When Guided by Dafa’s Principles
Cooper from Dallas said he heard about Falun Dafa in high school. When he learned about Taoism and the theory of yin and yang in the ninth grade, he felt a deep connection and thought that these were very profound ideas. That was in 2017, soon after he saw Falun Dafa practitioners doing the exercises in a local park.
The first time Cooper did the exercises, he felt a strong and pleasant energy circulating in his body, and he realized this was not an ordinary fitness exercise. The first few months were joyful and he improved quickly. After that, he experienced many difficulties and tests in which human attachments as well as karma prevented him from being diligent. Unfortunately, he did not look inward according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Looking back, Cooper said he should have considered the adversities as opportunities to expose his attachments so that he could rectify himself by eliminating negative thoughts and letting go of attachments.
By continuing to study Falun Dafa’s teachings, however, Cooper was able to gradually escape the trap of human notions. As his understanding of Dafa’s principles deepened, he was able to handle tests lightly. After seeing the Shen Yun performance in 2023, he understood that Master’s arrangements are the best. He decided to learn from those lessons because one can only truly improve and find happiness when guided by Falun Dafa’s principles.
Story of a Restaurant
Tran from Houston was a troubled youth. After his parents divorced and his father remarried, his father sent him to live with his grandparents. Because there was nobody to look after him, he picked up all kinds of bad habits. Later, he and his mother moved to the U.S. He had many questions about life. He found Zhuan Falun on the Internet and, after he read it, he realized all his questions were answered. He and his wife began to practice Falun Dafa.
While working as an assistant chef at a restaurant, Tran went to a Shen Yun performance and saw a dance about a restaurant. He had a wish: “Master, I want to open a restaurant so that practitioners won’t have so many difficulties preparing food for the Shen Yun artists.” The couple found a restaurant in an ideal location at an affordable price. Many miracles happened during those days. When he needed funding, Master arranged for him to meet an investor. When they wanted to sell the first location, it went well. When he had difficulty finalizing the menu, Master arranged for the couple to see a cooking website run by a practitioner. Not only that, the landlord waived two months’ rent for renovations and their license application.
Tran often tells his employees and customers about Falun Dafa. There have been many touching stories as well as xinxing conflicts. Looking back on these experiences and lessons Tran said, “I realized running a restaurant is not about making money; rather, it provides a place for me to tell people about Dafa so that they can benefit from the practice. Master brings people to us, and we need to do things sincerely and well. After all, this is a responsibility and honor Master has given us.”
Letting Go of Jealousy and Arrogance
Zhang from Dallas talked about what happened in her family. After being laid off 15 years ago, her husband did not have a steady job, and her salary was the main income for the family. Her older daughter’s college tuition and living expenses really added up, and her younger daughter was admitted to an expensive private school. Although Zhang did not say anything, she felt unbalanced. When friends praised her and said she was capable, she also developed the attachment of zealotry.
“I didn’t realize that, although I was busy doing things I cultivated poorly. I ignored many attachments, including jealousy and resentment,” she said. “Every morning, my husband slept as late as he wanted. I was jealous because he had an easy life.”
A major illness tribulation several years ago hit her hard, making her truly understand the seriousness of cultivation practice. “I will stop looking outward from now on,” she told Master in her mind. On her computer screen, she put a reminder in a large font, “Be humble and look inward.”
After a period of solid cultivation, Zhang let go of her arrogance and stopped complaining about her husband. Instead, she felt happy that he could enjoy life. Upon encountering xinxing conflicts, she was able to look inward and improve herself while being thankful to the other person for giving her this opportunity.
Interacting with VIPs
Peng from Houston has worked with government officials for over 20 years. Every elected official represents his or her constituents and has influence. To tell them about Dafa, one has to overcome both external and internal challenges. “As immigrants, we have language and cultural barriers. I felt discouraged and repeatedly thought about giving up. But I reminded myself that I am a Dafa disciple with a mission to tell them about Dafa and help save them, I kept righteous thoughts and continued,” she said.
Peng gave an example to show how important it is for practitioners to work together. NTD television once made a video of practitioners doing the exercises together and other Falun Dafa activities in the local area. One congressman’s assistant was initially indifferent. But after practitioners told him about Dafa and the brutal persecution in China, he was touched. By watching the video he learned that practitioners are all good people. Peng later had a chance to meet the congressman in person and went with a practitioner from Germany who had been persecuted in China who happened to be in Houston at the time. Six practitioners in all met the congressman and explained in detail how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) persecutes practitioners in China. In July the following year, this congressman made a very good speech at practitioners’ rally in Washington, D.C. He also spoke on many other occasions in support of Falun Dafa and cosigned H.Res.343.
“When we tell VIPs about Dafa and the persecution, we do not pay attention to which political party they belong to. They need to be saved and we should treat each one of them with compassion,” Peng continued. “We know from Dafa’s teachings that, on the surface, we are seeking support from these officials; in reality they need to know the facts about Falun Dafa and position themselves well so they can be saved.”
Healthy Practitioner in Her 90s
Huang from Dallas is 96. She started practicing Falun Dafa 10 years ago. She was a Christian and healed people using qigong when she was in China. She saw a pamphlet about Dafa and was interested. The first time she opened Zhuan Falun, the characters appeared dazzling red, so she rubbed her eyes and the characters were golden! She then attended a nine-day Falun Dafa workshop and saw Master Li’s video lectures.
One of her first cultivation tests was “Practicing only one cultivation way.” Other practitioners studied Dafa’s teachings with her and shared their understandings. After three months, she was able to break through the interference and calm down while studying the teachings.
Despite her age, Huang does the exercises and attends group study every day. She also looks inward when she encounters conflicts. Although she’s unable to drive and speaks little English, she tries her best to tell everyone she meets about Dafa. She joined other practitioners to introduce Dafa to people in a gym on Sundays and helps distribute flyers. She is very healthy and doesn’t need to wear glasses when she sews. And her gray hair turned black.
Huang is very thankful for Falun Dafa and said she would cultivate diligently.
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