Germany: Practitioners Celebrate World Falun Dafa Day to Express Gratitude to Master

Falun Dafa practitioners from Germany’s Mannheim and Heidelberg gathered on May 8, 2022 at the Wasserturm, a well-known landmark in Mannheim, to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Falun Dafa’s introduction to the world. They also wished Master Li Hongzhi a Happy Birthday.

Falun Dafa practitioners from Mannheim and Heidelberg, Germany, express gratitude and wish Master Li a happy birthday.

Many practitioners who gathered that day were veteran cultivators who had been practicing Falun Dafa for over 10 years. Cultivating in Falun Dafa and assimilating to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance has given them good health, improved moral values, and fulfillment in life.

Dana: Searching Inwards to Elevate in Understanding and Broaden Horizons
Dana, a Bulgarian practitioner, was engaged by a German family of Falun Dafa practitioners in 2007 to help care for the family’s elderly grandparents. “From the start, I was greatly impressed by the warm sincerity displayed between members of the family.”

Dana, a Bulgarian practitioner participates in the World Falun Dafa Day event at Mannheim.

“In 2008, the family invited me to watch a Shen Yun Performing Arts performance in Frankfurt with them. Since I am proficient in Russian, they also gave me a Russian language version of Zhuan Falun.”

“My family is deeply religious, and I believe in reincarnation after death. Before encountering Falun Dafa, I read many books about the human soul and reincarnation. However many unsolved questions remained in my mind, scattered like pieces of an incomplete puzzle. In Zhuan Falun, I found answers and the puzzle in my heart is finally resolved.”

“After practicing Falun Dafa, I learned to look inwards and became more tolerant of others. I have a female colleague at my workplace who often approaches me with strange queries. My mood would sour on seeing her in person, yet my unkind reaction distressed me greatly, leading to frequent self-examination. Later, my colleague confided to me about her unfortunate childhood and family misfortune. This spurred me to adopt greater understanding and compassion for my colleague. Thus, the tense atmosphere between us disappeared. I realized that during a conflict with others, the ability to calm down and examine my shortcomings can have a positive impact in changing the situation for the better.”

“Master also taught me to let go of my self-interests. I used to lose my belongings. After some thought, I decided to stop worrying about the missing items and follow Master’s arrangements. After letting go of this attachment, amazingly, my lost items were found.”

“Master, thank you for explaining to me the principles of the universe. This practitioner will cultivate more diligently in the future.”

Natalie: I want to Spread the Beauty of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to More People
Natalie, who lives in Mannheim, has been practicing Falun Dafa since 2000. “I was frail and sickly child living in Russia. Visits to the doctor and hospital were frequent events.”

Russian-born practitioner Natalie, at the World Falun Dafa Day event in Mannheim.

“After practicing Falun Dafa, my physical condition started to improve. Now, I am healthy.”

“One day, I returned home to find the elevator in my residential building had suffered a power outage. I started climbing the stairs to my 10th-floor apartment. Halfway there, I suddenly encountered my 11th-floor neighbors, a mother and daughter, sitting on the stairs, crying. I approached them and offered to help. The mother explained they had found the climb too strenuous and had decided to take a break. Both mother and daughter suffered from diabetes, although the daughter’s condition was particularly serious.”

“The following day, I ran into the mother again. She told me her daughter was seriously ill and had been admitted to the hospital. I took out a bookmark bearing the words “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,” and handed it to her. I advised her to have her daughter recite this phrase. The more she recited, the better the effect.”

“Two weeks later, I ran into the mother and daughter again. The daughter excitedly told me that she had recited the words on the bookmark, and she recovered from her illness. Mother and daughter kept offering their thanks incessantly.”

“Falun Dafa is great. It purifies my body and mind. I have absolute faith in this cultivation system. Thank you Master. I will spread the beauty of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to the rest of the world.”

Falun Dafa Cultivation Changes Moral and Spiritual Outlook
Ija, a Russian-born Falun Dafa practitioner, had keen interest in spirituality and religious belief since her youth. In 1997, she bought a copy of Zhuan Falun at a Düsseldorf Chinese bookstore. That chance encounter marked the start of her cultivation path.

Russian-born practitioner Ija, and her mother Zoia, at the World Falun Dafa Day event in Mannheim.

“I grew up under the former Soviet socialist system, within a society full of deceit and lies. For example, fare evasion while taking public transport is the normal practice in our society. I grew up thinking this was right. Practicing Falun Dafa showed me the error in taking even the smallest transgressions lightly. Before boarding, I now make it a habit to visit the automated ticketing machine to purchase my ticket. Although it may seem like a trivial matter, for a person accustomed to ticket evasion since young, this was a wake-up call.”

“During disputes with others, I used to insist that I was right, and the issue was not of my making. After studying Falun Dafa, I tried to maintain a harmonious relationship with others. As a result, my work environment has greatly improved.”

Ija convinced her retired, 89 year old mother Zoia, to pick up Falun Dafa cultivation in 1998. Zoia lived in the Ukraine until a month ago, when the Russian-Ukrainian war forced her to evacuate. After many setbacks, she was finally reunited with her daughter in Germany. Zoia used to be impatient, a trait she improved upon after practicing Falun Dafa. Dafa helped increase her work efficiency, understand the most important things in life, and highlighted the desires and attachments she had to give up.

For Ija and Zoia, Falun Dafa changed their moral and spiritual outlook for the better. For this, they thank Master Li Hongzhi and wish Master Li a happy birthday.

Waltraud: Falun Dafa is the Greatest Blessing in my Life
Born in Austria, Waltraud started practicing Falun Dafa in 1995. Before the launch of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong), Waltraud had attended Master Li Hongzhi’s Fa conferences three times.

Waltraud attending World Falun Dafa Day activity in Mannheim.

Twenty years of cultivation has given Waltraud a deeper understanding of Falun Dafa’s principles. “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance not only helps me understand myself, it also helps me understand others.”

“Zhuan Falun is brilliant in content. It has given me hope, wisdom and energy. It also taught me to be a better person. If I could only bring one thing with me, it would be the book Zhuan Falun.”

“Zhuan Falun taught me how to better understand and communicate with others, and to welcome criticism as tools to improve my cultivation levels. In the past, I only considered things from a single angle. Zhuan Falun taught me to perceive an issue from multiple angles, in order to view the situation from a new perspective.”

“While many things in life are meaningful, I have found Zhuan Falun to outweigh everything. This book contains many priceless treasures. Although many pursue the unknown, few realize the answers to their long-awaited queries can be found in Zhuan Falun. For this reason, I hope more people will give Zhuan Falun a chance.”

“Master taught us to look inwards when we encounter problems. From my experience, people all possess a divine side. We can bring this side to the forefront by looking inwards and cultivating inwardly.”

“Falun Dafa is the greatest blessing in my life. My gratitude towards Master is so great, words cannot express my thanks. What Master Li Hongzhi has given us is extremely special, the greatest happiness that can be bestowed on mankind.”