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Turkey: Stories of Western Practitioners in the City of Mersin, Turkey (Photos)

October 17, 2006 |   By a Turkish practitioner

(Clearwisdom.net) In the last two years, many locals in Mersin have started to practice Falun Gong. They read the Dafa books and live their lives following the principles of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." Many of the practitioners have undergone great physical and mental changes since they began their cultivation.


Falun Gong practitioners doing the exercises in a coastal area of Mersin


Little Falun Gong practitioners in Mersin practicing meditation


Practitioners in Mersin gather to read Dafa books, share with one another their experiences of cultivation, and talk about how to further spread Dafa in Turkey

One of the practitioners used to be an alcoholic who lived an indulgent life and was in mental turmoil. Once when Falun Gong practitioners were spreading the practice, he was offered a leaflet. After coming into contact with practitioners, he felt that Dafa was what he had been looking for. As a result, he started to practice Falun Gong and thus abandoned his previous lifestyle. Since then, he has done the exercises at the local practice site every day, read the Dafa books, and quit smoking and drinking. In his free time, he volunteered to clean the place where practitioners gathered to have group study and exercise. He fixed the door and bought curtains, a sofa, a refrigerator, and cushions with his own money for everyone’s convenience. He made efforts to give his fellow practitioners a tidy environment. He said, "I am not short of money. I used to be in mental turmoil and was unable to find a direction during the first half of my life. Now I have been re-born through the cultivation of Dafa." At present, he is able to practice meditation peacefully with both his legs crossed for twenty minutes. If there are activities to spread Dafa, he helps to prepare, such as unfolding banners or moving heavy stuff. He quietly makes contributions to spread Dafa.

There is another Western practitioner who is involved in translating Zhuan Falun into Turkish. After coming home from work, he stays in his room and translates. He has kept at this translation work all year. His fellow practitioners said that he often holds up and looks at Master’s photo for a long time. Sometimes he has contemplated Master’s photo for an hour. He said that he missed Master a great deal. He had read many wonderful stories on the Clearwisdom website about Master’s introducing Dafa to the Chinese people in the early 1990s. He takes pride in being one of Master’s disciples. To help Master spread Dafa in Turkey, he has come up with many good ideas. He said that many things in Turkey still needed to be done and that he would do them well.