(Minghui.org) I have participated in promoting Shen Yun Performing Arts every year.
During the first few years, I worked very hard. However, as time went on, I started getting passive and having human thoughts. I started having the state Master described:
“The reason many people didn’t succeed in their cultivation was because they weren’t able to make it through over the long haul. They might have felt lonely or bored, or they might have become so familiar with something or have grown so accustomed to something that they didn’t want to do it anymore.” (“Fa Teaching on World Falun Dafa Day”)
I told another practitioner that I no longer wanted to set aside my life and job to promote Shen Yun, and that the other practitioners who had not stepped forward should work on it. She said that Master did not ask that practitioners who had already stepped forward to retreat back into hiding. I had to admit that she was right.
After reading Master's lectures, I realized that I lacked a good understanding of Master's Fa. Master said:
“Let me put things a bit more clearly. Shen Yun is meant to save sentient beings. While you all know that, has it occurred to you: Master is giving you an opportunity to work together and for those who haven’t stepped forward to step forward.” (“20th Anniversary Fa Teaching”)
“Working together” is also giving practitioners who have stepped forward the opportunity to save sentient beings. Why had I not understood this earlier? I realized that I had an attachment to jealousy, and I was trying to compare the practitioners who had done more and ones who had done less. By comparing myself to those practitioners who hadn't stepped forward to help, I was finding excuses for myself to do less, and had forgotten that I still had not awakened enough people.
Consequently, I started promoting the 2015 Shen Yun shows at the end of 2014. I have learned a lot of lessons that I would like to share.
Let Go of Human Attachments and Work Together to Overcome Obstacles
Another practitioner and I were assigned to put up Shen Yun posters. We went to various buildings and came to a government building. At this point, my human thoughts surfaced and I felt that we should not be using posters to promote Shen Yun to government workers. But my partner was not concerned about whose door she was knocking on—whether it was a shop owner, or a government building.
There were six doorbells at the door, and she immediately pressed the first one. A secretary answered via the intercom, but after listening to us explain what we were there for, she hung up without saying a word. The result was the same with the next four doorbells. We were stunned—what was going on? I blamed my partner for not being prepared or professional enough to promote Shen Yun.
She got angry and replied that this was the reason we kept being rejected! We were supposed to be working together, but we were generating negative energy.
My partner's words woke me up to reality. She suggested I try speaking to the secretary, and she would help me by sending righteous thoughts. However, the response was the same. We decided to give up, and I suggested that we use another method to promote Shen Yun to government workers.
Before we walked away, my partner decided to try opening the door. To our surprise, we found that it was already open! Perhaps the secretary had already opened the door for us, and yet we were still waiting by the intercom.
Once we were in the building, we went to the different departments. Some workers told us they had already received news about Shen Yun, but after my partner spoke more about it, their attitude changed from a business-like one to real warmth. It was as if they had been waiting for Shen Yun. They were willing to let us put up the posters and display flyers.
One secretary excitedly told us that she had learned a lot about Shen Yun, and her boss had not only sent a congratulatory message to the Shen Yun organizers, but he was also going to the performance. She helped us put the poster on the message board.
At the agricultural department, the department head's response was initially lukewarm. He told us that there was no relation between Shen Yun and agriculture. But when I explained to him that one of the department heads upstairs had already sent a congratulatory message to the Shen Yun organizers, his attitude changed, and he watched our 30-second video clip about Shen Yun.
This experience made me realize that one cannot give up easily when awakening people. We had been so close to missing out!
Another time, we went to the Chamber of Commerce to promote Shen Yun. We heard that there were many professors and lecturers working there, and we felt that these were the mainstream members of society that we needed to talk to. Perhaps we were too anxious, but when we explained to the officer at the information counter what we were there for, she refused to let us put up posters; neither would she accept any of our flyers.
My partner refused to give up, and she asked me if I had anything to add. I could tell that the officer had not understood us, so I explained to her that we were volunteers helping to promote Shen Yun, whose goal was to revive China's lost traditional culture and its 5,000 years of civilization. The officer understood, and after thinking for a moment, decided to let us see the Department of Foreign Trade. We thus managed to overcome a major hurdle.
At the department, we introduced Shen Yun to the head of the Department of Foreign Trade and the secretary, and we also explained the truth behind China's economy. Their attitude changed from a business one to one more sincere, and at the end of our discussion they agreed to meet with us a month later to talk in greater detail.
We were taken to the Marketing Department to put up posters. The department head felt that reviving China's ancient culture was a good thing, and she agreed to let us put up posters on the message board at the entrance. We went back downstairs to pass the message to the officer at the counter, and we thanked her for her help.
This experience made me better understand what Master said:
“Clarifying the truth, that’s something you can do anywhere or to anyone. Don’t specifically target some government, organization, etc. Don’t have that thinking. Often it’s precisely on account of such thinking that your path gets blocked. As you know, we are saving people. And what is it we save when saving people? Their minds. So, just direct it at the mind, direct it at the individual. Don’t direct it at an organization or entity.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2013 Greater New York Fa Conference”)
We also went to the local university to put up posters, and we visited each professor and associate professors' office to introduce Shen Yun to them. Every faculty member we spoke with agreed to let us put up posters and display flyers. One professor even helped us get in contact with the head of the China Studies Center.
From our past experiences, we expected the China Studies Center to be close to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Nevertheless, we felt that this would still be a good opportunity to clarify the truth. But when we met with the center's head, we found that she hated the CCP's propaganda and opposed the setting up of a CCP controlled Confucius Institute at the university.
When she learned that Shen Yun's purpose was to revive China's true traditional culture, she was supportive and agreed to let us promote Shen Yun at one of the seminars the center was holding next month.
It seems that the evil elements are getting fewer and fewer, and our environment is getting less restrictive. Master has already paved the way to save people, and all we need to do is to carry it out well and wholeheartedly.
My Understanding of Party Culture
“You Sound Like You're Quarreling When You Talk.”
Several practitioners came from overseas to Salzburg, Germany to help promote Shen Yun, and they all stayed in one large house. Since they lived together, there were many opportunities to discuss how we were doing in cultivation.
One practitioner who grew up outside mainland China told me that whenever he heard Chinese practitioners speak, he always thought they were quarreling. He hoped that the Chinese practitioners would take this feedback positively and not feel hurt.
We realized that this was the result of the poisonous CCP culture on the Chinese people—we are loud and sometimes rude when we speak. I also realized that my own parents frequently sounded like they were also quarreling, and when I was not watching myself, I tended to use a domineering tone when I spoke to others.
Once after I had a meal with a Western practitioner, he asked me if what we had just eaten was Chinese cuisine. I emphasized that it was Northern Chinese cuisine, and as a person from Shanghai, even our cuisine was different from that of Northern China. The Caucasian practitioner did not seem to believe that there could be much difference, so I tried to explain to him that it was similar to how cuisines varied throughout Europe, to which he concurred.
I added that Chinese cuisine has a very long history and is rich in variety. He again appeared doubtful. In my anxiety to convince him, I said, “You should just go to Taiwan's night markets to see just how many different kinds of food there are.” He suddenly asked, “Do you want to argue with me?” I realized that my tone was harsh, and I was trying to push my opinions on him. Thanks to his straightforward comment, this practitioner helped me realize the CCP culture that I displayed in my daily life.
Attachments to Expressing and Protecting Oneself
I once was talking with practitioner A about an issue. He was very insistent on expressing his opinion, and kept interrupting and rebutting me while I was talking. Practitioner B, who noticed what was going on, said to A, “You're surprisingly good at expressing yourself!” Practitioner A did not understand what B's comment meant, and happily said he had learned this while promoting Shen Yun in another city. A third practitioner told A that B was trying to say that he was too argumentative.
From that incident I realized that mainland Chinese practitioners have a strong attachment to expressing themselves and trying to protect their own opinions by arguing with others. This has already become second nature, to the point that we do not see it until someone points it out.
I realized that I, too, had the same problem. I tended to interrupt others and not give them enough time to express their opinions, because I was too used to using my own opinions to quash what they had to say. In fact, this was the reason why I often did not interact well with others.
Not only would the other person find it difficult to accept my opinions, I would also feel upset that others did not seem to understand my point of view.
In contrast, when I interact with the Western practitioners, I find that their words never contain the intention of changing others' opinion. They only try to explain what they understand, and it does not matter to them what the other person might think. Conversing with them is often much simpler and stress-free.
When Master first mentioned the CCP culture in lectures, the Caucasian practitioners often used this to criticize me, and I would get very defensive—all they had to do was point out my attachment. Why did they need to further accuse me of having Party culture?
When I recently talked with other practitioners, I had a clearer understanding of CCP culture. Recognizing it is the first step to getting rid of it. Master said that getting rid of party culture is difficult, but I wondered: Is it possible? Then, I read while studying the Fa, “It’s hard to save a person, it’s hard to change your thinking, and it’s hard to adjust your body.” (The Sixth Talk in Zhuan Falun).
I now feel that no matter how difficult it is, Master has specially arranged this cultivation path for me. With complete faith in Master and the Fa, and by truly cultivating myself, I can definitely get rid of the CCP culture.
Preventing Party Culture and Human Attachments from Dividing Us
Recently, a practitioner mentioned to me that there was a divide between the Western and Chinese practitioners in a particular city. The reason was that the Western practitioners felt that the Chinese practitioners were heavily influenced by party culture, whereas the Chinese practitioners felt that they were of great origin, and had higher cultivation levels than the Western practitioners. As such, they looked down on one another. I was struck by this comment—we are using Master's Fa to teach others to cultivate. The gods in the heavens must be laughing at us!
When I looked within I found that I, too, looked down on Western practitioners, thinking that their culture was superficial. Because of this, I had the wrong mindset that Western practitioners must have a limited cultivation level.
A Western practitioner once pointed out some bad habits that we Chinese practitioners had. One Chinese practitioner rudely replied, “You're always criticizing us, but you Westerners don't know that you have armpit odor!” I was deeply embarrassed by this Chinese practitioner's response. To our surprise, the Western practitioner did not get angry at all. Instead, he calmly pulled open his jacket, smelled under his arm, and said, “My armpits don't smell!” His response made everyone burst out laughing.
That intense moment was dissolved by humor, and a divide between the Chinese and Western practitioners was avoided.
This Western practitioner was able to deal calmly with this rude rebuttal, which was characteristic of party culture. It also demonstrated his magnanimous and high cultivation level. It was a good lesson for me to improve myself as well.
Conclusion
After I finished writing this, I thought about my previous experience-sharing articles and how they contained attachments to showing off. I realized that I had these attachments because I felt inferior and was always looking for others' respect and recognition.
I now have the greatest honor of becoming a Dafa practitioner, why should I still feel inferior? The reason I have shared my experiences is to help us all elevate out mind and heart nature and together awaken more people.
Please point out any errors I have made due to my limited understanding. Thank you Master, thank you everyone!
Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions or understandings. All content published on this website are copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
Category: Improving Oneself
