Embarking on the Path of Cultivation

Dear Master,
Dear Fellow practitioners,

My name is Barborka and I am a practitioner from Slovakia.

I would like to share my cultivation experience with you. I am a young practitioner who grew up in a Dafa environment, as my mother, grandmother, and aunt are all practitioners. Although I did not fully understand cultivation during my childhood and was not diligent, I always knew that Falun Dafa is good. My childhood and adolescence were relatively smooth. I did not suffer from illness or family hardships, and as a result, I became very lazy and attached to comfort. Even though I was raised according to the principles of Dafa, I was gradually drawn into the temptations of ordinary society and became increasingly immersed in a comfortable life. Despite this, I always told myself that once I became an adult and life brought me difficulties, I would begin practicing Falun Dafa. I always knew it was the only righteous path.

However, Master never gave up on me. With infinite patience and compassion, He waited for me to awaken. When I was about fourteen years old, I had a dream in which I was running away from someone evil who was chasing me and wanted to harm me. There was nowhere left to escape. My only option was to jump into the sea, although I would most likely not survive. Just as I began to surrender to fear and despair, a convertible suddenly appeared beside me. It was driven by a Chinese man, and two Chinese women were sitting beside him. The woman in the passenger seat, dressed in a long white gown, stepped out of the car, walked over to me, and took my hand. She led me to the edge of the cliff and jumped into the sea with me. At first, I was terrified, but after a moment we began to fly. I looked at her and saw magnificent radiant wings carrying us through the air. She flew with me across the sea to the nearest shore by a city, where she safely set me down. At that moment, I woke up. It was a deeply meaningful dream for me and one of the very few dreams that I can still remember in such vivid detail. Now I understand that it was a hint from Master that He has always been watching over me. To this day, remembering this dream helps me whenever I am overcome by fear or when finding a way out of a difficult situation seems impossible.

Attachment to Sentiment and Family

Ever since I was little, I’ve struggled with anger toward my stepfather. Arguments and misunderstandings often arose in our family because of his drinking. Whenever we had an important event coming up, he would get drunk the night before. Often he wouldn’t come home for a few days, leaving all the responsibilities to my mum. Mum, though she was a practitioner and tried to handle the situation according to Dafa’s principles, was often distressed, and I went through it all with her. From a very young age, I was dependent on her, and I felt that it was just the two of us against all our problems. I saw her as my protector, without whom I couldn’t go anywhere, so it was hard for me to watch someone hurt her. I harboured anger inside, and later, during puberty, it turned into disrespect. I couldn’t see my stepfather as an authority figure, and I thought he had failed both as a husband and as a father.

When I began practicing more diligently two years ago, this anger began to surface more and more, but the angrier I became with him, the worse the situations became. I realized that the reason I was angry at him was because of my strong feelings toward my mum. In reality, however, it stemmed from my selfishness—I was afraid for myself and knew that my mother was the one who would protect me from everything. Not only would she protect me, but she would also do everything for me and take care of everything, so that I could live a safe and comfortable life. Master said: “What makes people human? It is the presence of emotion, as people simply live for it. There is love for family members, romantic love, love towards parents, emotions associated with relationships, and the affection that goes with friendship. People act for the sake of emotional bonds, and emotion follows you everywhere you go. Everything human about this world stems from emotion, from likes to dislikes, from joys to sorrows, love to hate. And so you will have problems in spiritual practice if you don’t manage to free yourself of it. Those who do, will be free of human sentiments and unflappable.” (“The Fourth Talk”, Zhuan Falun)

I realized these feelings were holding me back in my cultivation, since I had often relied on my mother so that I wouldn’t have to go through suffering on my own. I am therefore trying to let go of these feelings, detach myself from my emotional ties to my family, and become more independent. The only one who is my true protector—and to whom I should be grateful for arranging my life and cultivation path—is Master. If I have sufficient faith in Master, I will also have faith in myself and will be able to overcome difficulties without relying on anyone else. That is the only key to overcoming any problem.

I’ve come to realize that unhealthy emotional dependence not only prevents me from being independent and overcoming my fears, but it has also distorted my view of my stepfather. Master said: “By cultivating shan, great compassion develops in one’s heart, and one becomes sensitive to the suffering of others; and this, in turn, gives rise in oneself to a wish to deliver people from suffering.” (“The First Talk”, Zhuan Falun)

As a practitioner, I should view my stepfather as a suffering being whose karmic role is to cause us difficulties. Perhaps in a past life we caused him the same suffering, and through his actions he is helping us repay our karma. So why, then, am I angry with him? If I fear suffering and want to avoid it, what, then, is the purpose of my cultivation? Even though it’s often challenging when he puts us in a difficult situation, I no longer let it get to me. I accept it as part of repaying karma and try to be compassionate and kind toward him in every way. Only in this way can I show him the power of Dafa and inspire him to work on himself.

Ever since I changed my attitude and perspective toward him, the situation at home has improved. He supports me in my practice and my participation in the Tian Guo Marching Band, and he has even started studying Zhuan Falun and doing the exercises with us. He avoids drinking alcohol and is trying to become a better person.

Joining the Tian Guo Marching Band

I didn’t start practicing fully until May 2024, and from the very beginning, I struggled with my desire for comfort and my unwillingness to try new things. When a fellow practitioner told me in November 2025 that the Tian Guo Marching Band was welcoming new members—especially young people—I took it as a sign from Master that I should join this project. Since I’d been close to music since childhood and played the piano, I told myself I should give it a try. At the same time, however, I had many doubts about whether I could handle something like this. It required a lot of time, determination, and travel. I had to step completely out of my comfort zone and become independent.

When I sent in my application at the end of November and was preparing for the entrance exam, I hoped they’d assign me the flute or the clarinet—instruments that aren’t difficult to transport and that not only sound beautiful but also look nice. After the audition, however, they told me they only needed certain instruments, none of which were the flute or clarinet, so I chose the saxophone, since it seemed the most appealing to me. But then they told me they actually needed a trumpet, French horn, or euphonium instead. Once again, I wanted to choose the most practical option, so I went with the trumpet, since it was the smallest and easiest to transport among the instruments mentioned. But even that didn’t work out for me because playing the trumpet requires a great deal of effort, since trumpeters play the main melodies. I didn’t feel up to that at the time, so I had no choice but to choose the French horn, since the euphonium was too big and heavy.

Until then, I didn’t even know that the French horn existed, and at first glance, I struggled with the idea that I didn’t like it at all. I started researching it, and when I came across information that it’s one of the most difficult wind instruments and that it takes several years to learn to play it, a feeling of anxiety washed over me. I felt like crying because nothing was going according to my expectations, and I felt doomed to failure—even though I hadn’t even held it in my hands yet. At that time, the experiences of other musicians from Tian Guo helped me greatly, and I realized that this entire journey had been arranged by Master and that nothing happens by chance. So I had to accept the fact that this was the instrument Master had chosen for me, and that in this project I had to let go of all human thoughts and expectations. When I finally unwrapped it under the Christmas tree and held it in my hands, tears of emotion welled up in my eyes. I felt a strong connection between myself and the being behind this instrument, who would help me in my cultivation and in saving sentient beings.

However, another turning point came when I tried to play the French horn for the first time. I couldn’t produce a single note. It was very difficult, and it seemed impossible. At that time, I was trying to find a teacher, but without success. Even if I did find someone, they didn’t have time for me. I realized that I was still looking at this from a very worldly perspective and wanting everything to go according to my own expectations. As Master said in “The Ninth Talk” of Zhuan Falun, “Nothing is truly unbearable or impossible.”

Once I managed to let go of worldly thoughts, I knew I had to start learning on my own, so I practiced for at least two hours every day. Although I struggled at first, after two weeks I managed to learn to play the first octave, and after three weeks I learned the first piece, “Falun Dafa Hao.” For the first two months, I taught myself, and despite all the difficulties, I didn’t give up and was determined to learn more songs so that I could join the band as soon as possible. I felt a kind of inner urge and a sense of responsibility to fill the gap in the French horn section, since there are so few musicians who play this instrument.

Since I used to neglect my practice out of attachment to comfort, I immediately felt it when playing the French horn. When I did the three things well and practiced, everything flowed effortlessly. On the other hand, whenever I was lazy and skipped the exercises, playing was very difficult for me. At first, I used to get angry at my instrument and blame external circumstances, but later I realized that my instrument was simply reflecting my cultivation state. Thanks to my determination to join Tian Guo, I became more diligent in doing the exercises.

After two months, I finally managed to find a teacher who helped me a lot. After just the first lesson with her, my note-playing improved, and a month later I was able to play five pieces. Even though I was making progress relatively quickly, I still doubted myself. In April, my teacher asked me during a lesson when I planned to join Tian Guo. I told her that the tour would begin in the summer, but that I wouldn’t join until the following year at the earliest because my notes were still quite unstable and I had a long way to go. She replied, “That’s not true—come on, let’s get started. We’ll make it by the summer!” I was very surprised by her reaction, since ordinary people usually told me I’d have to practice for several years before I could join a band. And she, as an ordinary person, supported me despite the fact that I had only recently started learning. I saw it as encouragement from Master to hurry up—if I devoted enough time to it and had determination in my heart, things would work out so that everything could be accomplished in time.

That’s exactly what happened. Master also arranged for me to have a place to practice—near the school. I had access to a place where I could go and play every day, so I went there during breaks between lectures. In May, after five months of playing, I decided to send in my recordings for the first part of the test. It wasn’t easy for me at all. I had to let go of the idea that it had to be perfect. Otherwise, there was no point in sending it. I was afraid of criticism. On the other hand, I knew I had to get it done by the beginning of June so I could play at my first graduation ceremony. After the first part of the audition, I had to go through a second part—playing seven songs from memory. It wasn’t easy, though, since I was also in the middle of my college exam period and had difficult exams ahead of me. Despite that, the French horn was my priority, so I alternated between studying for school and memorizing the pieces.

A week before the parade, I passed the final test, and so, after six months, I became an official member of the Tian Guo Marching Band. I am incredibly grateful for Master’s patience with me throughout my entire journey. Without His help and encouragement, I would never have been able to do it, and to me, this is nothing short of a miracle.

I’ve always struggled with low self-esteem and a tendency to doubt myself. I felt like I couldn’t fit in anywhere—not only in secular society but also among fellow practitioners. I often felt that I wasn’t a good enough practitioner and that I had no value. Because of this, I was afraid to connect with new people. I felt like I had nothing interesting to offer. My sharing seemed meaningless. I didn’t know how to speak in an engaging way. Even though there is a group of practitioners in my city who strive to create a harmonious environment and support one another, I still felt as if I were standing on the fringes of the group and couldn’t fit in. I’d had these feelings since early childhood regardless of the group I was in. I struggled with this inner mindset for a year and a half, until I decided to join Tian Guo. These thoughts, instilled by the old forces, led to stagnation in my cultivation, and I was unable to move forward. I felt completely incapable. This often stemmed from comparing myself to others. I felt intense envy toward those who were extroverted and articulate. However, I knew I had to eliminate this envy as soon as possible.

Our goal in cultivation is to return to our true selves, and I realized that this is not my true self. I must let go of all attachments, including low self-esteem and feelings of inferiority. It was this very experience that helped me realize that every practitioner has their own unique value and purpose. I found mine in the Tian Guo project—if I hadn’t overcome my fear of new situations and of failure, I would never have reached where I am today, and I would never have had the opportunity to realize that I do have value and purpose. I am a small part of a great project, and every single part is important, regardless of how each person presents themselves. What matters most is having faith in Master and maintaining the shared goal of saving sentient beings. Master said: “Of course, when there’s something that needs to be done in a Dafa project, you should set aside your own things as much as you can to get done what the project needs done. That is the first priority. So you need to cooperate. When completing that task, however, you will bring to it your own manner of handling things, which is a reflection of you walking your own path in cultivation. Master acknowledges this, and there’s nothing wrong with that. It’s inevitable that each person goes about things like that. It can’t possibly be that you are all the same, as if all cut from the same mold.” (Fa Teaching at the 2013 Greater New York Fa Conference)

First Parade

The first parade was a very intense experience for me. I had to overcome many of my inner fears—from the fear of communicating and fitting into a new group to the fear of losing face and my tendency to strive for perfection. I was surprised by the attitude of the Tian Guo members, who were very supportive of me throughout the entire parade. I felt as if we were one big family. When someone corrected me, I didn’t take it as criticism. Instead, I was grateful for the opportunity to improve. It was unusual for me to have people notice me and encourage me when they saw that I lacked confidence. I rarely encountered this among ordinary people. I felt that within the energy field of the group there was no ego or selfishness, only pure compassion, cooperation, and determination. Even though I had many doubts—that I would play poorly and others would hear it—I realized that we were all there for a single purpose, regardless of whether someone was a beginner or an experienced player. What truly mattered was putting our hearts into it. Moreover, as we played, I felt a powerful field surrounding us. The more I focused on playing well and not making mistakes, the more out of tune I played. When I relaxed my mind, let go of all worldly thoughts, and allowed myself to be carried away by our mission, I felt as if the instrument were playing on its own—everything suddenly became much easier and more natural. As a practitioner, I should follow the natural course of things and not focus on the result, not only when playing but also in my daily cultivation. My entire experience with band has been about following the course of nature. I had to eliminate many distracting thoughts that revealed my attachments and my inability to let go of the desire to control my own destiny.

It was a beautiful experience that helped me bring my deepest attachment to fear to the surface and change this mindset. I still have a long way to go, but despite many difficulties and trials that I have not yet fully overcome, I’ve managed to make it this far. To me, this is proof that nothing is impossible—even the laziest and most comfort-seeking person can change and achieve their goals if they have a sincere desire to help Master save sentient beings. Of course, I owe this to our compassionate Master, who constantly helps us. Without His protection, I would never have managed it. I hope this experience will forever remind me of the power of Dafa, and I will strive to remain diligent and overcome my attachment to comfort and my fears. 

Thank you, Master! And thank you to my fellow practitioners and members of Tian Guo for their support and for the strength they continually give me.

Since my level is limited, there may be inaccuracies in this sharing. Please kindly point them out.

 

(Speaker at the European Fa-Conference 2026 in Prague)