Improving While Working on a Shen Yun Project

(Minghui.org) I was assigned to work with the graphic design team this year. Everyone on the team was talented and we worked well together. However, I had a strong attachment to promoting Shen Yun in person since the show was going to perform in my city, Milan. How could I only work on the design team without going out to help promote the show?

I felt guilty, and wanted to do other things besides the graphic design work. This thought eventually affected the work I was doing. Even though I was busy with the design work, I asked the coordinator if I could go out to promote Shen Yun. This was putting him in a difficult position and being selfish.

Although I felt sorry for my behavior, I could not eliminate my attachment to helping the practitioners in Milan promote Shen Yun in person. Since my attachment was controlling me, I did not have a pure heart in doing the design work.

Graphic design has an important role in promoting Shen Yun. If I was not able to complete my work on time, we could not produce the Shen Yun fliers and pamphlets on time. Then how could the practitioners present Shen Yun? How could the theater highlight the show? Without the graphics, we would not be able to place ads in the media.

I had thus negatively affected the Shen Yun promotion. Worse yet, I did the work without righteous thoughts, so the designs and printouts did not contain righteous elements. If I was in the correct state of a cultivator, the design would carry righteous elements and help the practitioners who distributed the fliers.

Team members should support and help each other. Every small, unique team is part of a larger one body, and respecting the coordinator is a basic rule to abide by. I did not think of his situation, however, as I was only concerned with my own attachment.

Everyone has different capabilities and their own roles to play. Master gave us different abilities, so that we would be able to fulfill our vows. It was therefore no accident that I was assigned to the graphic design team. I should do my work with an upright mind. Only then can I play the role of saving sentient beings.

A Dream

While Shen Yun was in my city, I saw Master in my dream one night. I was walking beside Him on a dirt road that led to the top of a mountain. Two other practitioners were walking ahead of us.

As we were walking, I contemplated what I had done to earn this opportunity to be walking next to Master. Suddenly, the two practitioners started to run toward the mountain top. I did not follow them, because I wanted to stay beside Master, as I was happy walking next to Him.

Master then put his hand on my back and I instantly felt an unprecedented warmth and compassion radiating throughout my body. He gave me a gentle push and I flew forward at an extremely fast speed. I reached the two practitioners before I woke up.

I could still feel the immense compassion after the dream. During the day, I could still feel the compassion when I saw people suffering. It was such a strong feeling—I felt the need to save them.

I began to worry however, because I could not really understand the meaning of the dream. I thought it may have been a warning for me because of my attachments to fame and power, but I felt there was more to it.

Two nights later, I shared with a practitioner about the dream. I told her that I did not understand what Master was trying to tell me and that I was worried.

The practitioner said, “Isn't it a beautiful thing to dream of Master? Why are you worried?” Her words instantly woke me up. Why was I worried? My worry subsequently subsided, but I still felt a little uneasiness.

It was only after Shen Yun was over that I understood the dream better. It would be wonderful to have Master beside me always, but such a desire is not what cultivation is about. My mission is to be with other practitioners and cultivate with them, while having faith in Master, as He is always by our sides anyway.

Only by truly opening our hearts to the needs of our fellow practitioners can we create a strong single body of practitioners. We came here for the same purpose—to save sentient beings. Not having compassion toward practitioners means that we do not care about ourselves.

In the dream, Master let me feel the immense compassion and pushed me toward the fellow practitioners. Meeting with them was one of the most beautiful things that has ever happened to me, as only together can we fulfill our vows. As we practitioners develop stronger compassion for each other, Master will give us everything we need to elevate together.