I'd like to write a little about my cultivation experiences during my recent trip to the Baltic countries of Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. I flew first to Stockholm to meet up with practitioners who were going to be my travel companions to the Baltics. On my first day in Sweden, a Swedish practitioner shared with me his new understanding of "Shan" that he had recently enlightened to. What he had to say opened up my heart and mind and set the tone for the rest of the trip.
Simply put he said: if a person is constantly in a state of compassion, then there can be no interference. Of course, Master Li says in Lecture One of Zhuan Falun: "As a practitioner, if you assimilate yourself to this characteristic [Truth, Compassion, Forbearance] you are one that has attained the Tao--it's just such a simple principle." I remember that over a year ago when I read that section it pierced my heart like an arrow. The experience was so profound that I could not read any more that night.
It sounds simple, but it requires constant vigilance -- not even a minute-by-minute, but a second-by-second vigilance.
That first evening in Sweden, my practitioner friend and his wife asked me if I would help to re-work an important letter that needed to be delivered the next day. Writing comes easily to me, and I quickly wrote out the first three paragraphs. He looked over my shoulder, pointed to three words and said something like, "There's an intent behind that phrase that isn't good. Anyone reading that will receive that intent and it might destroy the rest of the letter for them." I was totally amazed -- he was right; bad things could come from my work if my mind is not right.
My Swedish host also cautioned me against doing things too quickly, saying that it's an opportunity for interference if we don't take the time to do things with the proper care. Again, his words had a deep effect on me.
It took us about three and a half hours to complete the one-page letter to our satisfaction. It was one of the most challenging and satisfying collaborative works I've ever participated in.
A profound new understanding like that has a ripple effect on one's life. I recalled the many times I have reacted quickly to an email message or a situation without much thought, not from careful analysis or compassion. I cried for the perhaps thousands of incidents, in this life alone, where my words have hurt people. And I can't imagine the pain that Master Li has suffered for me in order to take away karma from my body.
Another Swedish practitioner helped me to further expand my understanding of Shan. I came to realize how one small flyer truly could be the "rite of passage" for a person's eternal future. It enabled me to look at people with my heart as I held out that small piece of paper and said, "would you like a flyer?" There were very few who refused to take a flyer from me.
It seemed as if there was something supernormal about the spontaneous smiles that came from people who accepted Falun Dafa flyers from their heart. My days in the Baltics didn't feel "right" until I'd given out many flyers and my heart was full of their smiles.
One of my many shortcomings has been to think I can do things better than others. Our first press release (for a news conference to be held on board a ship in Helsinki Harbor) was written by a young Finnish practitioner who, when we parted several days later, told me how he was beginning to be able to truly feel things from his heart.
In Helsinki, when I looked at his press release, my heart sank -- it was a single-spaced document with one paragraph taking up the space of one full page and carrying over to a few lines on the next page. "How would any journalist find the time to even read it," I thought, "let alone come to the event." Of course, I was wrong. Three journalists came: 2 from Xinhua News Agency and one from the Finnish News Service. What better response could we have wanted!
On the other hand, no journalists came to either of the two news conferences I organized in Talinn and Riga, despite professional releases that had been praised by the Toronto media! That taught me a lesson. Also, I realized that if you're going to a different city or country to spread the Fa, it's a good idea to do your best to find out how they operate before doing things the way you do them in your own city.
Of course, nothing is wasted, as I believe that Master Li organizes things for us so that we have ample opportunities to cultivate and advance in the Fa-rectification process. In Riga, it so happened that the conference room next to ours was filled with a Symposium attended by European documentary filmmakers. Since I'm very involved with FGMTV and we broadcast news and documentaries about Falun Gong via satellite I approached a small group of three filmmakers. One of them turned out to be the Associate Director of the Latvian National Film Agency, and after talking with another practitioner who gave him our video, he enthusiastically promised to make copies and distribute them to all his colleagues at the Symposium! It seemed like an instant new "Latvian Chapter of Friends of Falun Gong!"
So, from one event, two very different things happened! During the whole trip I was constantly being exposed to my own inadequacies and attachments, and at the same time I was shown how Master Li arranges everything for us so that whatever needs to be done can be accomplished properly. We just have to put ourselves out there with the heart to do it.
Now I'm home, and wanting not to lose the momentum the trip has provided for my cultivation. It isn't easy! Recalling the experiences and writing about them has made me realize that I'm not remembering the second-by-second vigilance of living in that state of Shan and that I must try harder.
My cultivation is ongoing. I hope these experiences are useful to others, and I'd appreciate anything improper being pointed out to me.
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Category: Journeys of Cultivation
