Reviewing My Cultivation Journey, Grateful for Master’s Salvation

Reviewing My Cultivation Journey, Grateful for Master’s Salvation

 

Greetings, Revered Master! Greetings, Fellow Practitioners!

 

Today, I would like to take this precious opportunity at the Fa Conference to share with Master and fellow practitioners some of my cultivation experiences and insights. If anything is inappropriate, I kindly ask fellow practitioners to compassionately point it out. Thank you!

 

1. Joyfully Obtaining the Fa and Stepping into Cultivation

 

I arrived in Denmark from China in April 1992, just when Master was publicly teaching Dafa in China, so I missed the opportunity to obtain Dafa there. However, shortly after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began persecuting Falun Gong on July 20, 1999, I saw news reports on Danish television about the CCP’s suppression of Falun Gong, including an interview with a Dafa practitioner in Denmark. I was intrigued, never imagining that in a remote Nordic country like Denmark, there were people practicing Falun Gong. Later, my husband found the precious book ‘Zhuan Falun’ online, and we sat together in front of the computer to read it reverently. Soon after, he found contact information for Danish Falun Gong practitioners online, and before long, ‘Zhuan Falun’ and Master’s exercise instruction video were mailed to our home.

 

Ironically, despite the CCP’s overwhelming propaganda demonizing Falun Gong during the onset of the persecution, those destined to obtain the Fa would be drawn to it upon hearing the words “Falun Gong” or “Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance.” As Master taught us in ‘Essentials for Further Advancement: Enlightenment’: “Those who really have a predestined relationship and can enlighten will come one after another, entering the Dao and obtaining the Fa.” In ‘Teachings at the Midwestern U.S. Fa Conference’, Master said, “good people hear good things! When the evil ones curse Dafa, they have to mention the words ‘Falun Gong’ after all. This student of ours then saw ‘Falun Gong’ and saw that it was good. (Applause) Humans aren’t able to damage Buddha Fa. Every time evil uses bad people to damage us, they are actually promoting us!”. I myself came to know Dafa in such a special way during this current unique historical period and was fortunate to step into Dafa cultivation.

 

After reading ‘Zhuan Falun’, I felt the principles it taught were wonderful, unlike anything I had ever heard before. How great Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance are! If everyone in the world followed these principles, how beautiful the world would be! I wanted to be such a person. I then began learning the exercise movements by following the video, though I wasn’t sure if my movements were accurate. The following spring, practitioners from Copenhagen and nearby Sweden traveled to my city, Aarhus, to meet me. We practiced the exercises together in a park, and that sacred feeling remains unforgettable. Then in the autumn, Danish Dafa practitioners participated in a health expo in my city for the first time, introducing the public to the blessings of Dafa and the truth about the persecution in China. This was my first time participating in an activity to validate the Dafa. Soon after, in December 2000, I attended the Taiwan Fa Conference, my first Fa conference.

 

During the conference, I listened to fellow practitioners’ cultivation experiences, and some incredible things happened around me, leading to a profound shift in my thinking. Master helped me break through the shell of atheism. It was as if a bolt of lightning shattered that shell, and my true self awoke! I realized that gods truly exist, that other dimensions exist, and that everything Master taught was true! I deeply regretted my previous low comprehension. It took me a year to understand that Master was teaching us the real truth. At the same time, my body underwent significant changes. I felt the Falun adjusting my body, like a small fan spinning with a cool breeze, moving across my body, knees, and palms, and finally pricking each of my ten fingertips like a needle.

 

The morning after the Fa conference, we went to Sun Moon Pond to practice the exercises. Facing “A pool of clear pond water” (‘Hong Yin: Visiting Sun-Moon Pond’), we practiced quietly to the exercise music. When we began the sitting meditation, I thought, “The Falun has already adjusted my body; today, I must be able to double-cross my legs!” Sure enough, I was able to sit in the full lotus position for the first time, a year into my cultivation.

 

For a long time, I was the only Dafa practitioner in my city, but I never felt lonely. Every day, I could read fellow practitioners’ cultivation experience-sharing articles on the Minghui website, and their experiences and enlightened understanding of Dafa greatly helped my cultivation.

 

I once heard a Western practitioner from Odense, another city in Denmark, say that she was initially the only practitioner in her city. She sincerely asked Master in her heart for more practitioners to join her, and later, several practitioners did come to her city. Inspired by her, I also asked Master to bring fellow practitioners to my side. Sure enough, Master arranged for a practitioner from Norway to join me.

 

My experience of sending righteous thoughts is also unforgettable. In 2001, Master said in ‘Teaching the Fa at the 2001 Canada Fa Conference’, “When we get together for group practice, think about eliminating the evil in the Three Realms, while holding one hand vertically (li-zhang) in front of the chest, and just think with True Thoughts for five minutes—this should do it.” The first time I sent righteous thoughts, as soon as I raised my palm, I smelled the scent of burning meat. I thought, ‘That must be the evil beings being destroyed.’

 

In 2001, when the evil head of the CCP Jiang Zhemin visited Chicago, President Bush’s ranch in Houston, and Mexico, the evil forces in other dimensions came out in full force. Many Dafa practitioners worldwide took urgent action, travelling to the U.S. and Mexico to send righteous thoughts up close to eliminate the evil. I participated in that battle to eradicate the evil. I remember we travelled from the U.S. to Mexico, sending righteous thoughts for long periods of time, then studying the Fa, and having brief exchanges. When someone got tired, they rested briefly and then continued sending righteous thoughts. In this way, there were practitioners sending righteous thoughts at every moment. It was a pure field of righteous thoughts. I must have reached a very pure state of mind; when I raised my palm, the energy at my fingertips pulsed upward, like firing a cannon. It was miraculous, especially since I was still a new practitioner at the time.

 

Looking back on my early days of obtaining the Fa, the truth of Dafa’s Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance deeply touched my heart, inspiring me to remain steadfast in my cultivation and continually strive forward.

 

2. Establishing an Exercise Site and Cultivating Within It

 

Falun Dafa spreads the universal truth of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance to humanity. It is a true teaching for all humankind, a ladder to heaven. There is nothing better to share with people than the message that Falun Dafa is good. I kept thinking about how to share the beauty of Dafa and the gospel of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance with the kind people of Denmark.

 

Denmark has long winters and frequent rain. Danish people are generally reserved and shy. When they first learn the exercises, they worry about making mistakes and being laughed at. Finding an indoor practice site would make it easier for them to overcome these psychological barriers. Seeing my heart to spread Dafa and save people, Master arranged for us to find an excellent indoor practice location in the city center, free of charge. We have been practicing there every Saturday since 2014, and it has been 11 years now.

 

Over the years, countless people have come to learn the exercises, coming and going. Some continued to study the Fa with us after learning the exercise movements, some attended Fa conferences in other countries, some watched Shen Yun performances, and some, though they stopped coming, mentioned they still practiced at home occasionally. Even those who only learned the movements without studying the Fa further, I believe have planted a seed of connection with Dafa in their hearts.

 

At the end of last year (2024), we established a new practice site at a community activity centre. Initially, I wanted to find a practitioner fluent in Danish to introduce Falun Dafa to newcomers, as some practitioners had done at health expos in various cities. But then I thought, everyone is busy, and it’s not easy for a practitioner to travel from another city. Why couldn’t I take on this responsibility myself? I then realized I had attachments to dependency on others and lack of confidence. As my cultivation progressed, I increasingly recognized that my attachment to dependency on others was something I urgently needed to face and eliminate. This attachment could significantly hinder my ability to save sentient beings in the process of validating the Fa. As Dafa disciples, we should hold up the sky wherever we are. We have the Dafa books, exercise instruction videos, and audio-visual materials created by practitioners to introduce Dafa. I could use these materials with simple explanations. Most importantly, I understood that I should create a group Fa-study environment, teach the exercises and study the Fa with newcomers.

 

I knew that to do something well, I needed to prepare thoroughly. Since this was an opportunity arranged by Master, I had to cherish it. I made specific preparations in three areas: 1) Language: I participated in online Fa-study in Danish to familiarize myself with Dafa terminology in Danish in order to better communicate with locals. 2) Technology: I learned to use computers and projectors to display the text of Dafa books on a screen, so everyone at the practice site could participate in Fa-study. 3) Preparation: I planned each session in advance, deciding which videos or content to use and prepared them thoroughly.

 

At the practice site, unexpected situations inevitably arose, which I realized were tests to improve my xinxing and they became part of my daily cultivation.

 

For example, in March this year, after our practice site was featured in a magazine for volunteers and seniors, more newcomers came to learn the exercises. One day, I taught one person, then another arrived, and eventually, four people came to learn, so I taught the exercises four times. While focusing on the newcomers, I couldn’t attend to the regulars and felt overwhelmed. I thought, “It would be great if another practitioner could help.” But then I realized that getting anxious was useless, especially since I shouldn’t let my attachment to dependence on others resurface. I reminded myself to adjust my mindset, stay calm, and maintain a positive attitude toward each learner, which led to good results. Sometimes, only one person came to learn, but I didn’t feel discouraged. I maintained a positive attitude and used the extra time to have deeper conversations with them.

 

However, unexpected things can still happen. Once, a new woman came to learn. I corrected her movements, but she made the same mistake again. After correcting her a second time she still didn’t get it right and I simply said, ‘You’re doing it wrong.’ She immediately responded, ‘I’m not learning anymore,’ grabbed her things, and left.

 

This incident surprised me. I thought pointing out her mistake wasn’t wrong, so why did she leave? But as a cultivator, I looked inward and realized I must have been at fault. During a group Fa-study, I shared this with fellow practitioners. One practitioner shared her own experience: she works at a nursing home and once took three hours to prepare meals as a novice, while others could do it in just over an hour. Instead of criticizing her, her Danish colleague encouraged her, saying, “You’re very capable! You did so well for your first time. It took me even longer when I started.” This encouragement gave her confidence to improve. In contrast, if someone is constantly told, “This is wrong, that’s wrong,” they feel pressured and lose confidence, which could cause them to give up. Hearing this, I immediately understood my mistake: I hadn’t considered her feelings.

 

Master teaches in ‘Zhuan Falun’ (Lecture Four): “ You should always be benevolent and kind to others and consider others when doing anything. Whenever you encounter a problem, you should first consider whether others can put up with this matter or if it will hurt anyone. In doing so, there will not be any problems. Therefore, in cultivation you should follow a higher and higher standard for yourself.”

 

I realized that no matter what we do, even the most righteous things, Master will use these opportunities to expose our attachments in various ways, allowing us to enlighten and let go of them.

 

3. Enlightenment On Gratitude

 

Over the years, Shen Yun’s performances in various Danish cities have been a great opportunity arranged by Master for disciples to save sentient beings and a blessing for the Danish people. The CCP fears Shen Yun the most. This year, it orchestrated large-scale transnational attacks and repression against Dafa, Shen Yun, and Master in multiple countries, including bomb threats to theaters hosting Shen Yun and negative media reports to deter audiences. Denmark faced these types of challenges.

 

After coordinating together, we practitioners clarified the truth to the theatre and to the police officers that we saw on duty in the theater lobby during Shen Yun performances, with police cars patrolling the surrounding streets. The performances were well-organized, the audience filled the seats, and Shen Yun achieved great success once again. Some practitioners sincerely thanked the police officers on duty in the lobby, introduced the beauty of Shen Yun and the essence of traditional Chinese culture to them, and invited them to watch the Shen Yun performance in the future. The officers were delighted and said they were on duty at that time but would definitely watch if they had the chance later.

 

Observing my fellow practitioners’ interactions with the police, I saw my own shortcoming: a lack of gratitude. Often, when things were accomplished through the efforts of family or fellow practitioners, I took it for granted and rarely expressed thanks. I realized this was a bad habit from CCP Culture. As cultivators, we should be good people everywhere, sincerely thanking those who help us and feeling gratitude toward the country and people who accept us. 

 

Master said in Jingwen: ‘How You Should Regard and Act Toward Master’s Family Members’ that “Over the long course of history, most lives, and most people on this earth, have had some form of tie of destiny with me. Most of the people on this earth, in particular, have had kinship with me.” 

 

My thought is that those we meet and connect with are also our relatives. Only with humility can we be approachable, and the knowing side of others will sense the kindness in us, the cultivators. An arrogant attitude cannot save people.

 

Thinking more deeply, as cultivators, we understand from Dafa that everything we encounter, whether it seems good or bad, is actually good because it arises for our cultivation. Sometimes, it may appear that we’ve been wronged or hurt, but in essence these situations help us eliminate karma and improve our xinxing. How can we not feel gratitude toward others from our hearts? When I realized this, I felt my heart expand. When conflicts arise, my first thought may not be perfect, but I quickly adjust my mindset to look for my own issues. I strive to focus on the good in fellow practitioners. When conflicts occur, it’s likely a sign that I have something to cultivate. What I see may be like a mirror, reminding me to pay attention to that aspect of myself.

 

Looking back on my cultivation journey, it has been a process of elevating myself under Master’s protection, assimilating to Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. I wish to walk the path of the universal truth of Dafa, remain steadfast in my cultivation, and continually strive forward until I reach Consummation.

 

Once again, I am deeply grateful for Master’s compassionate salvation!

 

Thank you, everyone!