(Minghui.org) Falun Dafa practitioners from four Nordic countries attended the Nordic Fa Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden, on November 6, 2022. Fifteen of them presented experience sharing papers that talked about how they have cultivated themselves, looked within, and raised awareness about the persecution of Falun Dafa.
The 2022 Nordic Fa Conference
During the midday break and after the conference, many new and veteran practitioners gathered together to talk about their experiences and insights from attending the Fa conference. The sharing helped everyone deepen their understandings and see how they fell short. It also inspired them to become more diligent in cultivation and save more people. Everyone benefited a lot from the conference.
Cultivating Myself Well and Fulfilling My Mission
Thomas, one of the organizers of this year’s Fa conference, started cultivating Falun Dafa in 1998. Every practitioner’s sharing at the conference moved him.
“Now my understanding is becoming clearer. Cultivation requires one to abide by the standards of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance to become a truly good person. It doesn’t mean to become a ‘good’ person who tries to please others,” he said.
Thomas, one of the organizers of this year’s Fa conference
Thomas has taken on many responsibilities in local truth-clarification projects. “To me, taking on responsibility is a big challenge. It means that I must make more sacrifices. Take, for example, when organizing a truth-clarification event. I need to be the first person at the venue and the last person to leave. I also might make mistakes during the process. This means there are many chances for me to cultivate and improve myself,” he said. “This is actually a form of honor. As a Dafa practitioner, I should cherish this wonderful gift well. What I need to do is to cultivate myself well and do better in accomplishing my mission.”
Studying the Fa Well and Looking at Problems with Righteous Thoughts
Ilmari, a physical therapist from Helsinki, Finland, started to practice in 2015. He attended the Fa conference with his wife and mother-in-law. After listening to practitioners read their experience sharing papers, he felt that he had gained a bountiful harvest.
Ilmari, a physical therapist from Finland
“Especially when some of them talked about how they overcame their own notions and obstacles and tried their best to do well in their truth-clarification projects to save people as they cultivated themselves. This was the greatest help and the most beneficial to me, because I have also had many similar experiences.
“Several of the papers that impressed me talked about attachments to complaining, hatred, and negative thoughts. All of these affect one’s improvement in cultivation and one’s environment.” Through the experience sharing, Ilmari said he realized the seriousness of these problems.
Ilmari said that he would reflect on himself when he went home and correct himself based on the Fa, do his best to study the Fa well, use righteous thoughts to look at problems more, get rid of attachments, and put his heart into doing well in his truth-clarification projects.
Learning from Fellow Practitioners and Cultivating More Diligently
Yvonne, a senior economist from Sweden, started cultivating in Falun Dafa in October 1998. Twenty-one years ago, she went to Tiananmen Square with 35 other Western Falun Dafa practitioners to display a banner that read “Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance” as a peaceful petition for Falun Dafa. She has clarified the truth about Falun Dafa to people ever since.
Yvonne, a senior economist from Sweden
“The gathering and truth-clarification event held at Gotha Square yesterday was great,” she said. “Seeing so many practitioners together, clarifying the truth and saving people with sincere hearts, made me happy and grateful.
“The practitioners’ experience sharings today are all great,” Yvonne said. “Everyone is comparing themselves to and cultivating with each other. This is especially true for a few Chinese practitioners, who shared about how they looked within and improved in their cultivation in the face of their own problems and setbacks. That was very inspiring and touching.”
Breaking Through Notions and Saving More People
Daniel, a university student from Stockholm, started cultivating Falun Dafa the year he emigrated to Sweden with his family. He was eight years old then. As a young Dafa practitioner, Daniel often participated in the local truth-clarification events to promote the Fa with his family.
Daniel, a university student from Stockholm
“I originally felt that I was doing quite okay. But listening to the practitioners’ experience sharings today, I was ashamed. I see the big distance between these practitioners and me and my shortcomings. I really benefited from it a lot,” he said.
“I know that, as cultivators, we must look within and cultivate ourselves whenever we encounter conflicts. For me, my looking within was always superficial. The real attachments were hidden by excuses. I did not find them and have missed all these opportunities to improve in my cultivation.”
Daniel said he was really moved when he heard a practitioner talk about his experiences of being responsible to sentient beings while promoting Shen Yun. Daniel said that he still has many notions and obstacles when it comes to clarifying the truth on his university campus. He wants to place more emphasis on studying the Fa and looking within to break through his notions and save more people.
The Fa Conference Inspired and Helped People
Carl came from Visby, the capital of Gotland in Sweden, to attend the conference. He manages his own forestry company.
Carl felt that this Fa conference was very inspiring. “What left a deep impression on me was a young Chinese practitioner who shared about how she kept studying the Fa and did not give up cultivating despite the lonely situation she was in when she was in China and her parents were illegally sentenced to jail for clarifying the truth.
Carl from Visby, the capital of Gotland, Sweden
“And a Swedish veteran practitioner who participated in Master’s Fa and exercise instruction class in Gothenburg in 1995 shared about how she cooperated with the other practitioners to clarify the truth and save people during the Art of Zhen Shan Ren (Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance) International Exhibition, which she helped with. This moved me deeply,” Carl said.
Carl said it felt great to be able to attend this Fa conference. He was inspired and thought that it really helped him. The conference made him realize the importance of studying the Fa well, looking within, clarifying the truth, and saving people.
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