(Clearwisdom.net) Being involved with Shen Yun in Montreal has helped me to let go of attachments and to improve in my cultivation. It has helped me to develop my level of endurance and to sacrifice ordinary things, as mentioned in Zhuan Falun:
"Whether you can practice cultivation all depends upon whether you can endure, sacrifice, and suffer. If you can commit your mind, no difficulties can stop you. I would say that there is not a problem." ("Lecture Four," Zhuan Falun, 2000 translation version)
From the beginning of the project, I wholeheartedly wished to help; nevertheless, looking back, and looking inside, I realize that some notions were holding me back.
At the beginning of the project, we had several discussions about the number of tickets to sell. As a reference, in 2009 the show was sold out--around 5,200 tickets. For 2010 we had to agree on whether to go with 12,000 or 9,000 tickets. I hoped we could have another sold out show, or at least 90 percent sold out, but in my mind I was only willing to go with 9,000, since it seemed more realistic and achievable in my understanding. At that time, I really felt that 12,000 was too many for us, too many for our capabilities - considering it was more than double the seats in 2009. I felt a little uneasy, not knowing if we could manage to balance well with our other projects, knowing many French Canadian practitioners were already involved in the newspaper, the French-language Dafa websites, the television station, etc. On the surface it seemed to be more prudent to go with the lower number, but was this understanding really correct?
On the subject of Shen Yun, Master said,
"After watching the performance over ninety percent who attend have a change of attitude toward Dafa, and they become clear about what that evil Party is; the people become completely positive. Effecting change in that many people all at once like that would be really hard to achieve simply by clarifying the truth." ("Fa Teaching at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference")
Clarifying the truth is one of the three things practitioners have to do well. The show can have such a powerful effect in society, and it even enables us to reach VIPs and people of all levels of society more easily; it's really something to cherish. Looking back, I thank my fellow practitioners for making the most benevolent and compassionate decision for the sentient beings in our region: we went with 12,000 seats, and we sold more then 920f them. This enabled an additional 1,500 people to see the show and be blessed by it. Those people wouldn't have been able to see it with 9,000 seats.
Each sentient being came to this world because they had faith in the Fa and many of them don't have simple backgrounds, so we really have to do well to have such a tremendous effect with each project and walk well our path of cultivation.
Master said in "Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference:"
"The sentient beings before you, the people here in today's world, are different from the lives of any era in history. Though they appear to be human beings, many came from higher planes and are in fact reincarnated gods. This makes the responsibility associated with saving them and what you are doing even more significant and extraordinary, as well as absolutely necessary."
We really have to strive for improvement as a whole body and remember that our doing the three things well and supporting our projects have a major impact on society. If our minds are not cultivated well, we can only understand a little about the grandeur of what we are doing. It's just beyond our imagination.
Master said:
"the systems of cosmic bodies are incredibly colossal--they're unimaginably enormous--and a system this enormous is still made up of tens of millions of gigantic systems like these. It's true, I have no way to tell you about this structure using the ordinary human language anymore--it's reached the point of being indescribable." ("Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. International Fa Conference," July 21, 2001, published in Guiding the Voyage)
Walk well your path
In September, I had the chance to work on group ticket sales to companies. Again this was a great opportunity to let go of some strong attachments about self, work to get rid of some pursuit of comfort, and open up my mind. Working in sales reminded me of the importance of constantly and persistently working on myself, improving on minor details, and valuing virtue in everything I do. This can all sound very basic, but sometimes, with the pace accelerating and so many projects to look after, we need to be careful in these areas, so we don't revert to less than ideal ordinary patterns or habits.
In the article "Sage" in Essentials for Further Advancement, Master wrote: "He has bountiful virtue and also maintains a benevolent heart; he is full of great aspirations while minding minor details." This is certainly a state for us to strive for in all our projects.
I worked on this project with another practitioner. We gathered information on golf clubs and several other major companies, including the top 10 best employers in our province, and we also worked with social committees.
Then it was time to jump into sales and get on the phone. I had experience with customer service but not with sales. The question was, "Would I be able to present the show well enough, have ample righteous thoughts, focus my tone of voice and energy to touch their hearts, and awaken them to the magnificence of the show?"
Master said in "Clearheadedness:" "While working, your tone of voice, your kindheartedness, and your reasoning can change a person's heart, whereas commands never could!" (Essentials for Further Advancement)
The work that week helped me to be more determined. Some interactions with people were easier than others, and at some moments the conversation felt lighter than at others, but my state of mind was always focused on the outcome.
On my fifth day, the last day of my week, my will was tested. I felt more pressure and was attached to all the results I was expecting. I had to remind myself of the magnificence of the show and why I was doing all this. After cleaning up my field and letting go of my notions, I was determined to finish what I had on my plate whatever the final outcome. After making several calls and persevering, it seemed as though I had passed a test and that my efforts had become visibly fruitful. I got hold of a big engineering company, and it really seemed as though they had been waiting for the call. As soon as I presented the show, they confirmed they would go and we agreed on an appointment to determine the number of seats they would book. In addition, the representative of this big engineering firm agreed to send the promotional materials to more than 3,000 of their employees in the province of Quebec and later on bought several seats.
Looking inside, I realized that many times I was eager to see results, but when I was really able to let go of my attachment or the pursuit in my heart, I understood that I would do whatever I came to do, do it to the best of my abilities, and the outcome would unfold naturally, visible or not. In all regards we should walk well our path, and whenever the outcome is ripe or meant to happen, things will work out. I realized I shouldn't be attached to having things happen the way I wanted or hoped for, but rather, I should really follow the course of nature.
Everything at the right time
Since the end of the summer, I had been wishing for a better way to balance ordinary life with projects and the three things. The solution seemed to be that a job with more flexibility could help me to better assist the projects when needed. In the summer, a lot of phone calls needed to be made for certain organized activities. Sometimes I had to make calls on my cell at work, and this made me feel a little uneasy even though I could still fulfill my work responsibilities.
By the end of the summer, I was asked to help coordinate practitioners in the malls for the promotion of Shen Yun. I agreed to assist the best I could, even if I didn't really know what was required. In October the number of malls increased, and we were setting up ticket booths at eight malls on the weekends and a couple of malls on the weekdays. In order to work better as one body, we agreed to have a team of Western and Chinese practitioners together at all the booths.
At this time I had to be more strict with my state of mind and remove some low level notions that were popping into my head. Those thoughts were certainly more of a selfish nature and an excuse for comfort, which wasn't the right path to take. For example, I had the selfish thought: "Chinese practitioners always have more time than the Westerners. In other cities it's probably not done this way, so why here?" This thinking wasn't based on the Fa and was quickly cleared away, thanks to persistent Fa study, group sharing, and sending forth righteous thoughts.
Promoting the show in the malls was a good opportunity to get to know better my fellow Western practitioners, get more organized, and get rid of my notions. One of the other notions I had at the beginning was feeling uncomfortable about calling practitioners too often, in case I was bothering them. Actually, for several people, including myself, we didn't have the feeling of urgency 3-4 months prior to the show, and it took some more sharing and time to start actively being really mobilized as a whole body. This was a process, and with everybody's input, we progressed better as a whole.
The fact that we had so many malls booked was really a good thing--people went out and joined the project. Even though it seemed a little like running a marathon to have the required number of people out every day, and to continuously offer support to each practitioner, it was a great opportunity to remove the attachment to comfort, raise our level, and share the magnificent show with sentient beings.
Master said in "Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Europe" (May 30 & 31, 1998, in Frankfurt, Germany) :
"The happiness among everyday people is, in fact, not true happiness. It's merely a short time of ease and comfort that's bought with money, and it won't last forever. What a cultivator wants is to truly make it possible for them to be happy forever, retain their human bodies forever, and never suffer again. There's no suffering in the heavenly paradises."
Working well on our three things while making sacrifices here and there is really nothing in comparison with the ultimate goal we will achieve: returning to our original position.
Master said in "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Boston:"
"If this thing really ends one day, the first thing that will be done is to have Fa-rectification Dafa disciples be Consummated and returned to their positions. At that time, when you look back at the path you've traveled, everything will be clear to you. Of course, a Buddha, Dao, or God who's fully Consummated at his position won't think about things like whether he did well or not --it will just be like a dream is over, and he won't even think about it. However, your performance during the present process is forging you and establishing everything of yours."
At some point in October, things just seemed to unfold naturally even though on the surface it seemed like we were in the midst of a tribulation. My wife, who was working part-time, lost her job. After some sharing we decided it was better for her to have those three days available to work in the malls for Shen Yun and that she should keep helping out on the other days with the accounting for the French-language newspaper. We had to follow a tighter budget, but it's what we wanted. Not long after we made this decision, my search for a more flexible job was fulfilled; I was hired for a new job that gave me more latitude to assist with some Dafa projects in the day, as long as the time used was made up later in the day or on the weekend. It felt really magical; this new opportunity was a step forward for me. The only obstacle was that I had been planning to take time off in December to support Shen Yun, and now, it wouldn't be possible to ask for vacation after only 2-3 weeks at my new job. Nevertheless, with the pure wish to find more time for the show, everything was arranged. As soon as I heard by phone that the new job was in place, I confirmed the official date for the training: surprisingly I was told it wouldn't be before 3 weeks. I prepared my letter of resignation, gave my employer my 2 weeks notice, and then still had an extra week to support Shen Yun in the malls as hoped.
One of the interesting things about this story is that the client I was assigned later on at my new work was the same engineering firm that had bought the group tickets for Shen Yun. Later on I also realized that their head office was located at the subway station where I distributed the newspaper. The arrangements were so well made, I just had to walk my path correctly. Many other practitioners also shared favorable situations they encountered when they walked their paths with a sincere heart to support the project.
Master addresses this point in Zhuan Falun:
"If he has the heart for cultivation practice, it is his Buddha-nature that has emerged. This heart is considered most precious, and people will help him. Under such difficult circumstances, this person is still not lost and wants to come back. As a result, people will help him and unconditionally give him a hand--they will help him with anything. Why can we do such a thing for a practitioner but not for an ordinary person? This is the reason." ("Lecture Two," Zhuan Falun, 2000 translation version)
While coordinating the ticket booths, several times things got more tense because it seemed impossible to have the required number of Westerners present. Sometimes it required a lot of phone calls and also planning for me and a fellow Chinese practitioner who was finalizing the schedule. The schedule had to take into account whether people had a laptop, a car, how much time they could give, their ability with the billing, and also their language skills in French, English, and Chinese. Looking back, it seems clear that when my righteous thoughts were ample and I just walked my path, not worrying about whether the goal was realistic or not, it would unfold well as long as I did everything possible to fulfill my role. Sometimes we did not have enough people, but at the last minute people called to offer help, some even coming from other cities, and we could fill all the slots. Some people travelled 2-3 hours to help for a few days; it was really remarkable.
After working on this project, I really understand better the cultivation of speech, and how critical it can be for the project that everybody be reliable and respect their commitments. For some projects it seems that we hardly have a buffer zone, since our resources are limited. Any little change, such as people not coming on time or changing their plans, can have a major impact or even create tribulations for other practitioners.
I hope we can all understand better how important it is to do our three things well, help each other to advance wholeheartedly, and progress with determination on this sacred path to fulfill our historic vows.
Heshi.
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Category: Journeys of Cultivation
