(Minghui.org) The Southeastern U.S. Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference was held in Alpharetta, Georgia, near Atlanta, on April 9, 2016. Practitioners from Georgia, Tennessee, and Mississippi attended the conference, and 16 shared their experiences.

A group of attendees pose for a photo after the conference.

Conference speakers

Young Westerner

A young Westerner, who started practicing a year ago, said that he truly feels just how beautiful cultivation is. He found the Falun Dafa webpage when he was looking for information on Tai Chi workshops. The words “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” resonated with him right away.

He finished reading Zhuan Falun in four days and decided to start his journey of cultivation. While working through various difficulties in his life, he found that the book provided a standard and guide which helped him successfully handle his tribulations. He realized that he needed to study the Fa well to stay on the path of cultivation.

He rectified his mind and felt that Master purified his body, and helped him eliminate his strong thought karma. He now often goes to university campuses to talk about Falun Dafa, and helps to promote Shen Yun Performing Arts.

Dealing with Conflicts

A Chinese practitioner said that she never had conflicts with other practitioners until recently, when another practitioner's words deeply irritated her.

She said, “I felt depressed whenever I thought of her. I even thought of quitting the project that we both worked on. I knew that my notions had been targeted. The old forces want us to have conflicts, so they could take advantage of this loophole.”

She started to read the Fa intensively. She realized that she had strong attachments to achievement and fame, and had a strong notion to protect herself.

“My heart was not righteous, and I didn't treat myself as a practitioner. I always thought that I was right, and I could not take criticism. When I thought about it, all the negative thoughts I had about this fellow practitioner suddenly disappeared.”

Diligence

An exercise site coordinator said that he had recently become less diligent in cultivation. Although he still did the three things, his heart was not pure, and he no longer felt that what he was doing was sacred. Although he looked inward during conflicts, he always thought of others' shortcomings, too.

“Being diligent and going to the extreme are different. If a practitioner is diligent, he seeks to abide by the principles of the universe and eliminate his attachments. If he goes to extremes, he tries to validate himself through extreme actions or speech.”

He deeply looked inward and found that his heart was narrow and he could not take criticism. “I have now realized my problems. In the future, I will try to not look for flaws in others, and only look inward.” He hopes that fellow practitioners will point out his shortcomings with compassion when they see problems, and help him to improve.

Retired Practitioner

A retired practitioner said that she lives in a remote area and often feels lonely. She is very talkative, so whenever she had a chance to chat with a fellow practitioner, she kept talking and wasted a lot of time.

She said, “Gossiping increases one's karma, and a cultivator should be quiet and calm. It was not only a personality problem, it was a problem in my cultivation. There was negative stuff in my field. I told myself I had to get rid of it.”

She tried to listen to others and not hurry in giving her opinions. When she saw flaws in other practitioners' plans, she quietly compensated for them. She saw that she didn't do well in cultivating compassion and forbearance.

“I didn’t speak kindly when I saw other people's flaws. Even if I could sometimes control my temper, in my heart I would complain about that. This was demon nature, and I had to change. Whenever I run into something that makes me unhappy now, the first thing I do is to look inward for my shortcomings.”

Several practitioners also shared how they explain the facts about Falun Dafa in their daily work and look inward during conflicts.