Boston, Massachusetts: Practitioners Reflect on Cultivation Experiences at Experience-Sharing Conference

Finding the Purpose of Life

Anh Cao, a student at Harvard, always had excellent grades since he was a child. He liked to be praised and looked forward to continued success. When he encountered challenges in his research work, however, he became depressed and lost interest in his work. With no spiritual guidance to help him, his suffering increased and the situation deteriorated.

All this changed after he attended a Shen Yun performance. During the show, he kept weeping because he was so moved. Afterwards he researched Falun Dafa. That year on World Falun Dafa Day, he decided to begin practicing and joined the group in Boston.

He said the first time he read Zhuan Falun, Falun Dafa’s main book, his questions about life were all answered. He also deeply sensed Mr. Li Hongzhi’s (Falun Dafa’s founder) compassion. He said he finally gained new perspectives on the world. In regard to his research, he decided to follow Master’s arrangement and view every challenge as an opportunity to cultivate himself.

 

More Time to Look Within

Coming from a family of practitioners, Zhou had practiced Falun Dafa since she was a child. She was considered an outstanding dancer and usually gave solo performances or was the lead dancer. But after arriving in the United States, she was often assigned a support role.

At first she was upset. She spent more time studying Falun Dafa’s teachings and looked within. She said the practitioners around her also set good examples for her. She gradually let go of her attachment to fame and assimilated herself to the group. By staying away from the Internet and electronics, she had more time to read the teachings. Looking back, she is thankful because the experience helped her understand what cultivation practice is and how to look inward.

 

Leaving Sorrow Behind

Zhang Yajie had a difficult time last year when her husband passed away. The two had been together for over 50 years, and she constantly recalled the experiences they shared. Her sorrow was almost overwhelming and she had difficulty staying focused when she read the teachings or participated in projects.

As she continued to read the Falun Dafa books, however, Zhang realised that when a person dies their life is not over. Although her husband left this world, he was a practitioner, and she knew that Master had made a good arrangement for him. This understanding helped her let go of her intense grief. She was able to leave the difficult times behind and remain diligent in her cultivation.

 

Family Responsibilities

Adel, who is from the United Kingdom, received a flyer in London about Falun Dafa and the ongoing persecution in China. When she later saw how her family members improved by practicing Falun Dafa, she decided to join them. At that time, she was dealing with serious postpartum complications, and no doctors could help her. They all said she wouldn’t be able to have any more children. Adel continued to improve herself by following Falun Dafa’s teachings. She soon conceived and gave birth to another baby girl.

In the beginning Adel found it stressful to balance work, household chores, and childcare. She became depressed and complained that her husband did little to help. She focused on reading Falun Dafa’s teachings and realised that all the difficulties were opportunities for her to improve her xinxing. She further realised she should focus on developing her compassion and maintain a peaceful mind.

Taking care of her babies all day long, Adel understood they had come for Dafa, and as their mother, she had a sacred responsibility to guide them. She accepted the family situation as her cultivation environment and understood that the challenges were chances for her to help others by practicing Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

 

Selfless Cooperation

Liu helps sell Shen Yun gifts during the performances and said she found this coordination role an opportunity to improve her xinxing. At first, she did not want to be the coordinator and kept making excuses. After looking within, however, she found that each excuse was related to her human notions.

She let go of her negative thoughts when she understood this was an opportunity to improve. Cooperating with others also increased her compassion and tolerance, and she understood that nothing was accidental. Everything she encountered was an opportunity to improve and cultivate herself and eliminate her human notions.

 

Consideration for Others

Yuan considered many ways to effectively educate his child. When his daughter was six, he decided they would read the Falun Dafa teachings and do the exercises together every day. She was not allowed to play until they finished. But it was challenging to implement his plan. Seeing his daughter playing instead of doing as she was told, Yuan tried punishing her, which made the situation even worse.

By looking within and reading the teachings, Yuan understood that only kindness and reasoning can change a person. He had been trying to force his daughter to obey and he was not considerate of her. He had an open discussion with his daughter and revised his plan based on her situation. Little by little, his daughter was able to do better at reading Falun Dafa books and doing the exercises. Yuan said they improved together.