The 2007 Western US Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference was held on March 4th, the day of the Lantern Festival in the International Convention Centre in Los Angeles. About 3,000 Falun Gong practitioners from the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Europe and Asia attended the conference.
  |
| The Fa conference site |
Eighteen Chinese and Western Dafa practitioners shared with the audience their recent cultivation experiences in Fa-study, clarifying the facts and personal cultivation. Speakers talked about the importance of studying the Fa well, looking inward, improving as a whole and cooperation and coordination in cultivating themselves and doing well with truth clarification, spreading the Nine Commentaries and helping people withdraw from the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organisations, taking part in the Divine Land Marching Band, exposing the CCP's atrocities of harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners to surrounding cities' government organisations, clarifying the facts to schools, and clarifying the facts in front of the Chinese consulates, as well as the experience of upgrading their xinxing and harmonizing everything in their lives.
  |   |   |
| Practitioners share their cultivation experience | ||
Ms. Yu from Taiwan shared that Dafa disciples' spreading the Nine Commentaries and helping people withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organisations is helping the world's people see clearly the CCP's wicked nature, so as to quit the vile Party and its affiliated organisations. While she participated in the process of spreading the Nine Commentaries and helping people withdraw from the CCP organisations, she felt that more and more people have learned the truth and are making efforts to help others quit the CCP. More people have also wanted to begin cultivation in Falun Dafa as a result of understanding the true facts concerning the persecution of Falun Gong. She said that she understood that the opportunity for clarifying the facts is like melting ice--it requires us to seize the time to do it quickly.
Dafa disciple Vivian from Colorado discussed the three forums held recently on exposing the CCP's harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners, and had a deep impression that more and more people who have learned about the truth have stood up and joined in exposing the CCP's crimes.
In November 2006, Vivian was invited to give a speech at a conference held by the Amnesty International at Boulder Branch at the University of Colorado. She related the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong and played a seven-minute video exposing the CCP's harvesting organs from living Falun Gong practitioners. She also suggested to hold a forum to expose the CCP's crimes. As a result, a student organisation decided on a date for the forum on the spot and said that they wanted to hold it at the best location on campus. They even offered to cover all of the expenses. Students spent a lot of time collecting signatures, printing leaflets, posters and sign boards, sending emails, collecting funds, and invited four speakers including Canadian human rights lawyer and independent investigator David Matas and Falun Gong practitioners Zhang Erping, Li Xiangchun and Wang Wenyi.
What moved Vivian the most was that when she was preparing the seating arrangements, she had thought of preparing for a hundred to a hundred and fifty attendees. Amnesty International estimated the attendance to be at least 600, and the administrative staff of the building estimated it to be a thousand. On the day of the forum, it snowed heavily for several hours, the temperature dropped to below freezing, and there was a serious traffic jam. Even so, the main conference venue of the Boulder Branch still had 300 audience members, and the branch conference site at Denver University had a hundred attendees.
A major Spanish TV station did an on-site interview. The school newspaper of Denver University published a half-page report about the forum on the front page on February 6th, and the school library expressed after the activity their willingness to hold a "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" Art Exhibit and even help make posters for the art exhibit.
The San Francisco Eastern Bay Area Fa-study group shared their understanding when clarifying the facts and promoting NTDTV's Chinese New Year Spectacular. They realised that the show displays divinely-inspired culture and is in fact clarifying the facts about the persecution of Falun Gong also. The practitioners in the Fa-study group decided to help the sentient beings learn about the Spectacular, and help predestined people go to watch the show. Everybody at the practice site started taking action. At rush hours, sometimes after 6:00 a.m., they distributed introductory materials about the show at subways. Young pactitioners also contributed their effort and promoted the show to their classmates and parents.
Ms. Zou from Los Angeles shared understandings that she realised during the process of promoting and selling tickets for the Spectacular. She understood that everyone has a different opinion on things, and it is crucial that practitioners coordinate well when cooperating with each other. She said that if everybody held his/her own opinion and did what they wanted, there would be no way to achieve good cooperation. With such an understanding, she reminded herself at all times to let go of her ego, cooperate with fellow practitioners, and try her best to do things well. If nobody went up and down the stairs to fetch tickets, she would do it, whether or not it looks important on surface. Since everybody is a part of the one body, there should be someone doing each part.
Ms. Zou said that we are all still cultivators and it is hard to avoid having human notions, so we could be interfered with as a result of these notions and attachments. If we can truly form one body, have timely exchanges and harmonize and complement each other, the righteous field we form would be harmonious and indestructible. Our attachment would then be something we need to cultivate and improve upon individually.
Ms. Li from Canada shared how she persistently clarified the facts about Falun Gong to surrounding cities' government organisations. She said that she did so not because of those government officials' status among people, but because they are selected by the people, representing his or her constituency. Whenever a city becomes a voice of justice, it will inevitably urge the provincial and federal governments to make wiser decisions and place the whole nation's position correctly. If every country and nation can make correct choices, the evil will have no place to hide and will be completely eliminated.
Ms. Li said that while doing truth clarification, we may meet with interference. Therefore Dafa practitioners should have strong and steadfast righteous thoughts, negate all interference and persistently clarify the facts. If we give up after not seeing an immediate effect, then we will not fulfill our responsibility. Ms. Li called upon all practitioners to work together concertedly to form an indestructible entity.
Xiao Lin is an overseas Chinese student who has been in the U.S. for six months. When she was in the sixth grade in China, she obtained the Fa through her mother. She talked about her twelve-year experience since then, including the time when she was studying the Fa and cultivating with her mother, and the painful experiences due to the evil CCP's persecution of Falun Gong - her mother went out to clarify the facts about Falun Gong but never came back. Thereafter, she has courageously clarified the facts in mainland China.
Xiao Lin said that her mother had gone to Beijing but never came back. She herself went to Beijing and returned with her mother's ashes. She did not cry, because she could feel her mother was with her and was encouraging her to strive forward diligently.
Xiao Lin eventually came to the U.S.. She said that she has progressed rapidly since her arrival. She can freely practise the exercises and study the Fa, and has never been happier.
A young practitioner who lost her mother amid the CCP's persecution of Falun Gong said that she has formed a habit of "looking inward" and "looking at herself" during the past few years' cultivation practice. When a problem occurs, there must be a loophole somewhere in ourselves. She said that if we simply emphasise others' mistakes, then it is helping others to cultivate. If other practitioners realise something, cultivate and upgrade to a higher level, then what about ourselves? She has gradually understood what "great freedom" means.
Dafa disciple Teresa from Los Angeles shared her miraculous experience of surviving a serious car accident more than two moths ago. She said that after the accident, her car was completely ruined. At the time, she fell into unconsciousness after letting out a scream in fear. After she woke up, she started sending forth righteous thoughts and persistently practised the exercises and studied the Fa. She soon recovered.
She said that if the accident had happened to a non-practitioner, it might have been life-threatening. She recovered without any medical treatment, but only by persistently practising the exercises and studying the Fa.
Mr. Zhang from Colorado, who started cultivating in Dafa in 1996, once hesitated on the path of cultivation. Later, after reading fellow practitioners' experience sharing articles on the Minghui website, he gradually understood the preciousness of Dafa and slowly broke through his own obstacles. He realised the importance of studying the Fa more and participating in group Fa-study and exchanging experiences with other practitioners. When his state of cultivation was not good, he reminded himself to participate in group Fa-study and experience sharing, so as to compare with each other in studying and cultivation, which he finds indeed helpful to his cultivation.
The Fa conference began at 8:00 a.m. and came to a successful end at 5:30 p.m.
* * *
You are welcome to print and circulate all articles published on Clearharmony and their content, but please quote the source.
more ...