(Minghui.org) The 21st Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference in Austria was held on June 10, 2023, in Baden bei Wien near Vienna. Practitioners, new and veteran, came from all parts of the country to attend the event, and 15 of them presented papers.
The papers were simultaneously translated into Chinese, English, and Vietnamese. Those who attended said they were deeply moved by how the speakers had made progress in cultivation and that practicing Dafa was a magnificent undertaking. The event was also an opportunity to strengthen the cooperation among practitioners as one body.
An experience-sharing conference was held in Austria on June 10.
Persistence in Saving People Pays Off
Katja has worked for a construction company since 2015. Her boss is devoutly religious and said he wanted the world to become a better place. She thought he would enjoy Shen Yun, so she gave him a flier about it. He said he would take it home and show it to his two daughters. When she asked him about it later, he said his daughters did not want to see it. He sounded averse to the show. The next year, Katja tried inviting her boss to Shen Yun, but once again he refused. In 2017, Shen Yun was held in a renowned theater in Vienna. Katja thought that this time, perhaps the venue was more suited to his social status. However, he turned down her invitation once again. He told her he knew she meant well but he still could not understand Shen Yun.
Katja did not give up because she had started to practice Dafa after attending a Shen Yun performance. She only went to the show after a practitioner recommended it to her three years in a row. But years went by, and her boss refused to see Shen Yun.
“When we began promoting Shen Yun 2023, I felt there was nothing to indicate that I should not invite him to see the show for the seventh time. I let go of my reservations and sincerely hoped he would be able to see Shen Yun at some point in the future,” Katja wrote. Later, she became a member of the company’s Christmas celebration committee. She suggested giving tickets to Shen Yun as Christmas presents. After she showed him a trailer, her boss said, “A good friend has been telling me about this show for many years. I must go. I know she has only good intentions for me. Katja, I promise you, this time, I will go for sure.” He kept his promise and even invited 10 employees to go also.
Katja spoke about how her persistent efforts to invite her boss to Shen Yun paid off after many attempts.
Letting Go of Competitive Mentality
Veronika spoke of how the book How the Specter of Communism is Ruling Our World helped her let go of her attachment to a competitive mentality. She grew up in a socialist environment. When she was a child, she was taught to fight for personal gains. In addition, like many women, she was told that women should be liberated.
When she began practicing Falun Dafa, Veronika could not understand why liberal thinking was not a good thing.
It was also truly difficult for her to let go of her desire to be better than others. This also manifested in her family relationship: It was like two tigers trying to rule one mountain. “When I read the book, I suddenly understood: Communism has existed among us for a long time. Our socialist system and communism have similar starting points, except in our country it has been presented to us in a pretty package,” she said. By reading the Fa teachings, she recognized the source of her attachment.
Veronika began to send righteous thoughts often to get rid of this fundamental attachment. Now, she is able to understand Master’s teachings. Her competitive mentality is slowly fading. She finds it easier to give in, let go, and take a step back in conflicts rather than fighting to gain the upper hand.
Improving in the Process of Managing Customer Emails
Rosi spoke of her improving in her cultivation while dealing with Shen Yun customer emails.
She has handled this responsibility since 2020. Due to the COVID pandemic, the Shen Yun shows in Austria were canceled. Many people who bought tickets were issued vouchers. To handle communications with different people well, she had to maintain righteous thoughts all the time. However, she failed to do so with a woman who asked for complimentary media tickets for herself and a companion. Rosi refused to give the reporter complimentary tickets.
The woman was upset, and Rosi saw the woman as being arrogant. But she soon regretted her attitude, because she realized the woman would have a bad impression as a result of her decision not to give her free tickets. “I did not treat her as someone who should be saved. Instead, I handled things using the mindset of an ordinary person. What if she could not be saved because of me? I knew I had to let go of my ego and open my heart.”
Rosi sat down and wrote a sincere email explaining Shen Yun’s mission and apologizing to the woman for upsetting her. The woman soon replied and thanked Rosi for the “great” email.
Rosi knew it was Dafa’s compassion that changed the woman’s attitude. She also mentioned two incidents where Shen Yun customers overcame many obstacles to get to see the performance. Through these incidents, Rosi said she clearly understood how important every step and every decision was, and she saw Master’s compassion for sentient beings.
Handling Problems with Righteous Thoughts
Johannes, an inventor, lives in western Austria. Since he began to practice Falun Dafa in 2016, his life has gone through a huge transformation.
He has invented many things and won many competitions. However, he discovered afterward that his inventions were frequently criticized. He became isolated, irritable, and depressed. Practicing Falun Dafa was a major turning point in his life.
Johannes began practicing Falun Dafa in 2016. He spoke of his cultivation experience at the conference.
This year, once again, he did technical work for Shen Yun in several cities, including Prague. Shen Yun was scheduled to perform in a convention center in Prague. The venue was built by the previous Czechoslovakia Communist Party. Many technical things did not meet Shen Yun’s requirements and had to be added so that Shen Yun could perform there.
One of the problems was the noticeable circulation of cold air. It was very forceful and would affect the performance. He first thought of dealing with the problem based on his knowledge of physics as he usually would as a technician. But this could not account for where the cold air was coming from. He realized that particles in the air, cold or hot, are living things.
Johannes later realized he had to look at the problem with righteous thoughts. By working with other practitioners and sending righteous thoughts during the performances, the draft subsided bit by bit. The idea that “Every problem can be resolved technically” has become an outdated notion for him. Through understandings gained from Zhuan Falun, he learned new things. He stopped relying on ordinary science alone to handle problems. Instead, he uses a higher science—knowledge gained from studying the Fa daily to solve problems.
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