(Minghui.org) Practitioners came together for a Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience-Sharing Conference in New Zealand on April 18.
The first speaker, Ms. Shang Hua, presented her speech: “Cultivating Like When We First Began.” She shared a story from the early days of her cultivation on the campus of Beijing University. She recalled doing the exercises and studying the teachings with a group.
“Everybody treated Fa-study very seriously. We had pure minds, and encouraged each other in cultivation,” Ms. Shang said. She regretted that she later slacked off for a period. She reminded the audience to make sure they are as diligent and pure-minded now in cultivation as when they first began.
Another conference speaker, Ms. Wang, shared how she improved her xinxing as a housewife, and how she clarified the truth at the tourist attractions.
She said: “Every time I came back from the tourist attraction, I would review my experience that day. I would ask myself why some people did not accept what I said, and how I would clarify the truth if I were to run into the same situation next time. I found that if I have a pure mind and no notions, then I can touch many people. Also, I realized that one should not pursue quantity, but should focus on the quality, when clarifying the truth.”
Ms. Yao, an elderly practitioner who spoke at the conference, talked about how she handled her husband's passing away last year.
She said, “The Fa helped me to recognize what is the most important. How can we call ourselves cultivators, if we stop clarifying the truth when we run into difficulties, or get trapped in emotional tribulation when our family members pass way. It would not be cultivation if everything were easy.
“So I treated all the difficulties as the chances for me to improve. The difficulties also helped me to see my real level. It is not enough to just talk about putting down the human notions. One should really do it when running into problems.”
Jili, who started practicing in 1997, was the last speaker at the conference. He talked about his understanding of discarding notions and looking inward. He said, “Once subtle notions are formed in our minds, they are hard to detect, and they can control the way we think. Notions are obstacles that keep us from looking inward, and may destroy our cultivation. A cultivator must keep assimilating Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and keep looking inward for his own problem. Only by doing so can one get rid of these notions.”
Several practitioners said they benefited a great deal from the day-long conference.
Ms. Xiao from Christchurch said she cherishes every opportunity to get together with fellow practitioners, because there are very few local practitioners in her town. She said, “What touched me the most was the sharing on cultivating like when we first began practicing. I still remember how excited and happy I was when I first started. At that time, I felt that no difficulty could stop me.
“But as time goes by, I slacked off in cultivation. Fellow practitioners' sharing encouraged me, and reminded me of my tasks as a cultivator. I now have a clearer idea of how to clarify the truth in my own town.”
Ms. Li, a visiting scholar from Chongqing, was very happy to attend a conference outside China for the first time. She said, “I really looked forward to it. From the sharing, I learned how practitioners who first came overseas from mainland China adjusted their mindsets, and walked well on the journey in a foreign country. I also saw how practitioners try to recognize their subtle attachments. These speeches will help me to improve in my cultivation and in clarifying the truth in a foreign environment.”
