(Minghui.org) German graphics designer Szilvia, who hails from Hungary, started practicing Falun Gong in March 2001.
“My family in Hungary began noticing that I had stopped swearing. They told me, ‘With you around, we dare not swear anymore,’” Szilvia replied with a smile, as she recounted the positive changes in her life after practicing Falun Gong, also known as Falun Dafa.
Lifelong Questions Answered by Zhuan Falun
Szilvia came to Germany from Hungary in 2000 to work at an institution for severely disabled people. A few weeks later, she met a former employee at a meeting and learned that they practiced Falun Gong. Her interest was piqued, so she visited a local practice site and attended a nine-day Falun Gong lecture class. “I decided to give it a try, at least until I fully understood the principles,” she recalled.
She began reading Zhuan Falun, covering one lecture each day. Szilvia found herself deeply impressed after finishing the book. “I had finally found the answers to everything,” she said.
Szilvia reading Zhuan Falun
Szilvia had been pondering many things about life and the universe since she was in her teens. She wondered, why must we suffer from illnesses? Why is there karmic retribution? Why do civilizations rise and fall? She felt there had to be a higher law governing this world.
Despite pursuing knowledge of ancient civilizations, history, and different cultures, she found herself unable to connect these scattered pieces of knowledge to find answers.
“Zhuan Falun explains everything clearly. Many seemingly unrelated things were logically connected by the book. I was truly awestruck,” she said. That realization triggered Szilvia’s desire to cultivate.
She said that though she had the desire to cultivate, she lacked the ability to realize what cultivation truly meant and deeper knowledge of the principles. An unexpected opportunity soon allowed her to gain a deeper understanding of Falun Dafa’s teachings.
Translating Zhuan Falun
Shortly after she started practicing, Szilvia started to pursue the idea of translating the German language Zhuan Falun into Hungarian.
Although she quickly obtained permission to proceed, she didn’t own a computer. Szilvia resorted to flipping through pages of dictionaries, writing her translations out by hand, before borrowing a fellow practitioner’s computer to input the text. She successfully completed this seemingly impossible task in 10 months.
Throughout the process, she had to review a large quantity of text, and ran into difficulties understanding and expressing the meaning behind many words. But she determinedly strove onward, knowing that her work would enable more Hungarians to read Zhuan Falun and learn about Falun Gong. “If this book isn’t published, how will they begin to learn?” she thought.
Whenever she encountered bottlenecks or felt anxious, Szilvia would feel the power of Dafa calming her mind and showing her the way forward. “Sometimes, it really felt like I was writing non-stop. Without Master Li’s help, none of this would have been possible.”
This experience helped her to realize that aside from the end result, for a cultivator of Dafa, the improvement and growth experienced during the process of doing something also matters.
Encouragement From Master Li
Szilvia met Master Li Hongzhi in 2003 or 2004 at a media seminar organized by Falun Dafa practitioners. “Master walked down the aisle, nodding to practitioners. He nodded to me as well. At that moment, I felt his encouragement to continue in my efforts.”
At the time, Szilvia was participating in many truth-clarification projects in Hungary, including attempts to contact various political figures. She recalled, “That period was really tough.” Besides the inherent difficulties, she also endured considerable pressure and criticism.
However, Master Li’s encouragement strengthened her faith. “It felt like Master was telling me I was on the right path, and to persevere,” she said.
From then on, no matter what difficulties or trials she faced, Szilvia strove to improve herself according to the standards of a cultivator.
Using Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to Overcome Difficulties
Falun Gong is based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Adhering to these three principles in her daily life has been both challenging and rewarding for Szilvia.
Before cultivating Dafa, Szilvia was a pessimistic person who viewed people and things with a critical eye. Despite appearing relaxed and cheerful on the surface, her heart was constantly filled with negative thoughts. After practicing Falun Gong, Szilvia had to remind herself to adhere to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, with particular emphasis on the aspect of compassion.
“Compassion is very important, and I still have room for improvement,” she said. As she continued to study Dafa’s teachings and doing the exercises, many of her previously deep-rooted human beliefs began to change, and she became more peaceful and tolerant.
However, the trigger that helped Szilvia truly appreciate the impact of Dafa on her life was a series of misfortunes that befell her family.
Szilvia lost several close relatives over the last 20 years, including her mother and grandmother. “They were the ones who raised me,” she said. She was by their sides when they passed away. Having returned to Hungary to care for them, Szilvia endured immense grief. During that period, a somber atmosphere enveloped her family.
“Without Falun Dafa, I simply wouldn’t have made it through,” she said. During that period, she studied Falun Dafa’s teachings almost every day. Her family worried over her mental state, but something beyond their expectations happened, “I ended up supporting them, not the other way around.”
After drawing strength from Dafa to help her family through the devastating loss of their loved ones, she said, “I realized the benefits of having a strong spiritual pillar.”
Szilvia doing the exercises
Before practicing Falun Gong, her unstable mind was easily influenced by external factors. After practicing, she came to realize the meaning of life. “Master gave me the answer to the most important question. From that moment on, I knew with absolute clarity the meaning behind my existence in this world.”
Witness to Transformation
After she started cultivating Falun Dafa, Szilvia’s family noticed the changes in her. They remarked, “Your aura is different. It doesn’t even feel right to swear in front of you.”
Her brother experienced a low point in his life during the COVID-19 pandemic, and started calling her frequently. He later explained to her that just hearing her voice gave him strength and hope.
Szilvia attributes the positive aura her family sensed to her Falun Dafa cultivation.
This positive energy was similarly felt by her relatives and friends in Germany. Every Christmas, or during family gatherings, relatives willingly open up to her and her family. “No matter what is shared, they know we won’t judge them with prejudice.”
These interpersonal interactions have allowed her relatives and friends to feel the sincerity, kindness, and tolerance of a cultivator. “To date, everyone in my family has read Zhuan Falun.”
Hoping More People Will Learn About Falun Gong
Szilvia participated in an activity to raise awareness of the Chinese Communist Party’s persecution of Falun Gong.
Practicing Falun Gong greatly benefited Szilvia, and it is her hope that more people will learn how good Falun Dafa is and reject the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Gong in China.
In particular, she hopes more Chinese will break free of the CCP’s negative propaganda and learn the truth about Falun Gong with open minds. “Don’t believe the media reports blindly. Go through the information in detail before forming your own judgment,” she says.
According to Szilvia, it is important for everyone to understand the truth, and make informed choices that will shape their future.
Gratitude to Master and Dafa for Everything in Life
For many Western practitioners, the Master-disciple relationship is a foreign concept, and is hard to grasp. According to Szilvia, “When I first started practicing, I didn’t quite understand it either.”
As she continued to study the Dafa teachings, Szilvia began to realize the extent of Master Li’s compassion and sacrifice. She also realized that everything she had experienced in life was no accident. “The sense of distance between me and Master Li completely disappeared,” she said.
A few months after she first started cultivating, Szilvia was finally able to acknowledge Master Li. This was an extremely important turning point in her life.
“I came to Germany from Hungary and encountered Dafa just two to three weeks later. What are the odds of that? Extremely low.” Similar improbable occurrences kept happening to her throughout her life.
These and many other miraculous experiences led her to say with all sincerity, “Everything I have, everything in my life, everything I have in this lifetime, is thanks to Dafa and Master.”
