(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I am a practitioner from Washington, DC. I would like to share with you some of my cultivation experiences while promoting Shen Yun. I call it "Purifying My True Self While Promoting Shen Yun Performing Arts."
1. Letting Go of Self For Overall Coordination
While the artists from Shen Yun Performing Arts tour across the United States, practitioners from other areas asked me to help sell tickets. I became anxious after realizing that there were still many unsold tickets at one of the locations; therefore, I booked a plane ticket for a Friday. I was assigned to sell tickets in a shopping mall on a Saturday because there are more potential customers on the weekend than during the rest of the week. The coordinator told me that I was going to be the only person selling tickets in that particular mall and that one person was enough. I became upset. What kind of shopping mall is this? Only one person was assigned to sell tickets on a Saturday, not to mention the other days! I was reluctant to sell tickets in this location and wanted a better site where I could sell more tickets. The coordinator answered that they had already spent a lot of effort on the booth design and insurance and really needed someone there. Though I agreed to the assignment, I was still very frustrated and reluctant to sell tickets at that mall.
I had come by plane from quite a distance and I was sure that I was quite capable of selling tickets. I believed that I was wasting my talents in promoting Shen Yun in such a place, not to mention that I still had a lot of other projects to work on. I am aware of the importance of Shen Yun, but I only have two hands. After struggling for a while, I decided to promote the tickets at what I labeled as a "bad" place, though I felt uncomfortable in my heart.
I understood that I had an attachment and a xinxing problem. I asked myself, "What am I doing here? Didn't I come here to help the local coordinator?" Master emphasized that we must coordinate well for the success of the shows. Master said at the "Fa Teaching Given at the NTDTV Meeting,"
"If you were working at an ordinary company and your boss told you to do something, would you tell him that you're just going to do whatever you feel like doing? So, why can't you cooperate well when you are validating the Fa? Why can't you handle this well? Why can you do something well only if it appeals to you? These are precisely problems of coordination and cooperation. It was a shared aspiration that brought you together for this initiative, but when you each insist on your own views, and just do what pleases you, how could that amount to cooperation? If each of my five fingers here wants to be extended, a fist can't be formed and there will be no punch to throw (laughs). It's weak this way. So you need to work together well."
I had come here to work with local practitioners. I needed to let go of my ego, and not just do whatever I feel like doing. If I insist on my own ideas, I will dilute the strength of the entire body. As a Dafa practitioner, I should harmonize the body. No matter where I am and what I do, the goal is to validate the Fa and save sentient beings at that place. After recalling the Fa principles that applied to this situation, my attitude changed and I no longer felt frustrated. I told myself that I would do whatever I was assigned to do, and pay serious attention to everyone passing by the booth.
The days from Monday to Friday flew by quickly. Saturday was just around the corner. I thought that I would finally sell more tickets on Saturday because there would be more people. However, on Friday evening, I received a phone call from the coordinator changing my assignment. I would deliver the Special Edition of Shen Yun on Saturday and Sunday. Local practitioners would take over my spot at the mall on the weekend. I was not really shocked, but my heart was not at peace. I wondered, why don't they let me sell tickets on the weekend, but only on weekdays when there are fewer customers? It turned out that I hadn't completely let go of my attachments. I was still thinking only of myself, instead of the entire body and from the perspective of the coordinator. Actually, every day was important during the final days of the promotion. I only cared about the weekend, or which mall I should sell tickets in. Didn't I just want to sell more tickets for myself? I realized that the wish of "doing things" and "accomplishment" were still part of me. I still wanted to validate myself. How could I allow these attachments to continue to exist? On the path of cultivation, nothing happens accidentally and everything is arranged. We have to let go of every attachment. Thank you Master and fellow practitioners for giving me the opportunity to abandon my human heart and move to a higher level.
2. Being Considerate of Others' Points of View
I still subconsciously measure myself against others and demand that others adhere to my point of view.
One U.S. city had only two practitioners, who urgently needed help in promoting Shen Yun. After the D.C. show had concluded, I looked for other practitioners to come along and help in that other city. I couldn't find any available practitioners on my contact list who were willing to come along; however, I believed that they could overcome their difficulties. So, I called them over and over again, but I wasn't successful in convincing them. Therefore, I had some reservations about them.
I did not consider this issue from another angle. Everyone lives in a different environment and has his or her own given circumstances, such as family, work, and projects to handle. I cannot demand others to view their needs based on my ideas of what should be done. I told myself that if I thought badly of others because they did not cooperate with me, it was my problem. In short, it boils down to me not studying the Fa well. We can only encourage others, but not demand that they comply with our ideas. Everyone has his own path and their human heart to let go of. All of this is taken care of by Master. When I wasn't enlightening to this, Master always gave me hints through different opportunities.
3. Busy Helping Promote the Shen Yun Show
Practitioners from another area asked for my assistance. One after another they contacted me and asked if I could help. Honestly, I didn't like to be out of town so frequently because the "Three Withdrawals" project I was working on was left with fewer people. I couldn't just leave on short notice. Also, another problem for me was that I had difficulty driving long distances. I had to find a fellow practitioner to come with me. The practitioners in other places do not understand my situation. At that time, I did not feel comfortable with what they told me. If you ask someone for help, you should be polite and nice; otherwise ask another person. I have been struggling with this issue for a few days.
My awakened side tells me that promoting the Shen Yun shows is to save sentient beings. It is not helping others in ordinary society, which is my duty and obligation. How can I expect other practitioners to be sentimental towards me.
I remembered that Master said in "Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Switzerland,"
"So I'm telling you that you have to consider others first in everything you do. Some people are happy if others give them money. When someone gives them money they don't consider whether it will bring the other person trouble, whether his financial situation will become tight, and so on. 'As long as others give me something, I'm happy, but I don't consider others. As long as others are nice to me, I'm glad, but I'm not concerned about others.' Sometimes, even when some people are extremely distressed and have no choice but to say something to please you, you aren't understanding of them. There are all kinds of situations."
Thinking about this issue, how much is there to coordination? There are just a few practitioners in those areas who are organizing the Shen Yun shows. How many difficulties do they need to overcome? Why can't I understand my fellow practitioners' situations? Why do I think about the problem just based on my own point of view and care so much about fellow practitioners' attitude? In fact, they are the ones who gave me a chance to improve myself, but I did not enlighten to it at the time.
Cultivation is to cultivate ourselves. After I rectified my thoughts, everything seemed to go smoothly. Manpower, transportation and other difficulties were resolved satisfactorily.
4. Purifying my Heart
I will share some stories about the time I was promoting Shen Yun tickets.
1) At one time, I was helping to sell tickets in a city. I was responsible for preparing the equipment and promotional materials. Just a day before the opening of our sales booth, the contact person told me not to bring the television because the place had already taken care of everything. When we arrived, we found that our booth was in the corridor, while the TV was inside the room and could only be seen through the window. The window was also covered with advertisements. The TV could only be seen through a few gaps between the advertisements and the sound was inaudible. The Internet signal on our PC was blocked by the high buildings nearby. We could not check the availability of the tickets on the computer. I tried to play the promotional video on the PC and it could not loop to replay. It only played the first part for 30 seconds. It was impossible for me to stand near the PC and play the video every 30 seconds. It was noon and we only had two hours to promote tickets at that place. Upon entering, a special pass and escort was required. So, I didn't have the opportunity to straighten out everything that day.
I became anxious because the situation was outside of our control. I started to blame my husband because I had asked him to prepare a DVD for me the night before. He seemed to not care about my request. The shows are pure and beautiful, emitting strong energy to save sentient beings, however, my complaining didn't solve any problems. Instead, it just emitted a black substance that made the environment more impure and more difficult to save people.
I never heard of Shen Yun performers losing their temper before a performance. On the surface, we are just introducing the show. If our own field is impure, we can't impress ordinary people and we will not achieve the goal of saving sentient beings. Gradually, I calmed down. I first introduced the show with the Shen Yun book in my hand. Then, I played the 30-second video clip on the PC. It seemed to be too short and not enough for the customers, so I quickly showed the seating chart and told them there were only a few good seats left. Why don't you hurry up and buy the tickets now? After people agreed to buy tickets, I called the practitioners in charge of ticket handling to hold the tickets for me.
Some people bought tickets right away, some said that they needed to go home to discuss with their family and come back the next day for the tickets. The next day, I brought the TV and sold more tickets than the day before. Sometimes, I was very busy and people were lining up to buy tickets. While taking care of the seat selection for someone, another one called me to order tickets and another asked me questions. My past experiences allowed me to take difficulties lightly. Having a calm and peaceful heart is the key to saving sentient beings. Do not consider difficulties to be impossible. Try to find alternatives, as no television or computer could affect the outcome. The real obstacle is in our own hearts. A pure heart can emit strong energy and can change people, thus giving them the opportunity to be saved.
2) One day, as I was promoting the show in a shopping mall, two young men approached the booth. One of them took a flyer, so I stepped forward to introduce the show. They came from the side of the booth, and their backs faced the TV screen after passing the booth. When I talked to them, they just turned their heads to watch. They twisted their bodies to look at the TV. Their posture indicated they were ready to leave at any time. I intended to introduce every frame on the TV screen, hoping they could turn around so they could get closer to the TV. However, they didn't stop at the booth. My heart started to pound and I became concerned. I tried to suppress the impurities in my mind and I sent forth righteous thoughts, "Eliminate all evil factors behind him, the Fa rectifies the universe, the evil is completely eliminated." I put my true nature into play. After watching the TV introduction, I showed them the Shen Yun book, page by page. Finally, one young man turned his body and faced the TV. I said, "Don't you want to buy a ticket?" He smiled and said, "I would like to, but I need to find someone to go with me." Then, he was ready to leave. Suddenly, I noticed another young man who had been standing behind him silently. Thank you, Master for the reminder! I pointed to that young man and said, "You can go with him!" At this time, I felt that the field surrounding us was clear and pure. He said, "Ok!" I replied without hesitation, "Let me help you select the seats!" I immediately ordered the tickets for them.
3) One day I was processing tickets at a ticket booth when a young man passed by. He looked around, but didn't show any desire to buy a ticket. When he was about to leave, I stood up and immediately introduced the show to him as I didn't want him to miss the show. At that time, we had no materials about the show, except one single poster on the door. I was nervous, as I was not confident without the TV. Aware of my shortcomings, I tried to suppress my nervousness. When it again surfaced, I sent righteous thoughts in my heart: "Eliminate!" allowing righteous thoughts to dominate. I pointed to the poster and introduced the show to the man. He said, "I can't go to see the show." I asked, "Why not?" He replied, "I have four children." I inquired, "Well, why don't you bring them with you?" He replied, "No, they are too young. They are 5, 4, 2 and one year old." I said, "They are indeed too young. You can find a babysitter. This show is world class and it is their first performance here. Don't miss it." He changed his mind and said, "Ok, I will buy two tickets and I want good seats." Good seats? Which ones were good seats in his mind? The most expensive ones? He did not look like a high-ranking official. Could he afford the most expensive seats? I realized that these were not my own thoughts and denied them. I pointed to the best seats with the highest price and said, "These are the two best seats, right in the middle, not too far, not to close." He responded, "Ok, I'll buy these two tickets."
I found that the process of selling tickets was also a process of purifying myself. Initially, I lacked confidence if I did not have the television or the Shen Yun books. As I gradually suppressed and eliminated my concerns, I found that my mind became purer and purer, absent of any distractions. I tried not to worry about him finding a babysitter, or if his wife was available on the day of the show. I just needed to introduce and guide him to Shen Yun, step by step. The energy was totally under my control. In fact, it was his awakened side that made him buy the tickets.
4) One day, I was returning to the ticket center after eating and I saw a couple walking in front of me. The husband was holding a bundle of cash in his hands. An idea suddenly came into my mind. This money should be used to buy tickets to the show. I passed them and when I got to the television, I promoted the show to them. I showed them the seating chart. After checking the availability of the seats, they decided to buy the tickets. I asked how they wished to pay for the tickets. The husband took money from his pocket. It was exactly the amount of the tickets, no more, no less. I realized that this money was for Shen Yun.
5) One day during lunch, a dentist passed by our television. I promoted the show to him. He received it well, but said he needed to discuss with his wife if they would buy the tickets. I told him to call his wife right away because there were only very few good seats left. He called and bought five tickets. The next day he returned to buy two more tickets for his assistant and her daughter, but the two tickets were not together with the five tickets he bought the day before. He insisted that they sit together. I asked him to bring back the five tickets and I would find 7 seats that were together in another row. After one hour, he did not return. I told the other practitioner about this situation. We decided to send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference. After 2 or 3 hours, he finally returned with the tickets and I exchanged the tickets for him. Two days later, I saw him while he was walking towards me. I asked if he came to buy more tickets. He smiled and replied, "Yes, I want one more for my assistant's husband and I hope this is the last time I need to come." I said, "I hope that you will come again!" A few days later, he came again with a big smile on his face. He said, "This time I would like to buy one more ticket for my mother." I checked the seating chart. There were no more seats next to the 8 seats he had already bought. He said, "Well, that's why I brought all my tickets with me to exchange." I exchanged the tickets and said, "This row has 10 seats. You already took 9 of them. Why don't you buy the last one so you don't need to come back." He had already returned 5 times. He thought it over and said, "Ok. It makes a very good present. I'll buy it."
There are many similar stories. One profound experience shows how righteous thoughts are very important. During ticket promotion, we need to rectify our impure notions, purify our own field and eliminate all interference. When that is achieved, our words will clear the environment and will have a positive effect on people. This really is represented by "Broadly shines a Buddha's light, Justly setting all things right." (Hong Yin, Version A)
Master told us at the "2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference,"
"If a Dafa disciple's heart is unsteady, it will cause changes in his or her surroundings. When you have fear, for instance, you will find that the sentient beings around you are not quite right. When you change such that your presence is refreshing and uplifting to people, and your mind becomes broad and full of optimism, you will find the things around you to be correspondingly different. When clarifying the truth, when validating the Fa, and when encountering challenges as you do things, adjust yourself and look at things with righteous thoughts. It might just prove to be effective."
Let's assist Master to rectify the Fa with a pure mind and fulfill our prehistoric vows.