(Minghui.org) Greetings, esteemed Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I'm 60 years old and began practicing Falun Gong 13 years ago. When Shen Yun came to my city for the first time in 2017, I joined the cooking team. Ours was the last Mexican city visited by the company that year. A culinary institute lent us their kitchen to prepare the food for the company. The other practitioners did their jobs and left, but another practitioner and I stayed behind to clean up. When we finished, we went to study the Fa near the shopping center where we had a ticket sales booth.
When we passed by a restaurant, I noticed that the other practitioners from the cooking team were there eating, including my husband. I felt very jealous. When I studied the Fa I couldn't focus because I kept thinking that while I was cleaning, the others were taking a break and relaxing at the restaurant. I knew that I should have righteous thoughts and keep my heart unmoved.
Master said,
“...if someone is doing well, instead of feeling happy for him or her, people will feel uncomfortable.” (Lecture Seven, Zhuan Falun)
I asked Master for help to remove that attachment, because I saw that it was deeply rooted in me.
Master said,
“The issue of jealousy is very serious as it directly involves the matter of whether or not you can complete cultivation. If jealousy is not abolished, everything that you have cultivated will become fragile. There is this rule: If in the course of cultivation jealousy is not given up, one will not attain Righteous Fruition—absolutely not.” (Lecture Seven, Zhuan Falun)
I knew I had to eliminate this attachment and this was my opportunity. At the time, I thought, “Everyone has what they deserve according to their virtue.” After we finished reading I went home.
The next day, we arrived at the kitchen and did everything we were asked to do. I don't speak either Chinese or English, but we understood each other using hand signs. I began to see how dedicated and harmonious my fellow practitioners were when we worked together. At that moment, a great feeling of respect, admiration, and compassion for all of them arose in me. At noon the Shen Yun kitchen coordinator called me and another practitioner over and invited us to participate during the Shen Yun tour next season. We happily agreed. I felt that my jealousy had been eliminated and Master was rewarding me by inviting me to help the following year.
I received a call in 2018 to confirm if I was available to help during the tour and I said yes.
We worked in harmony. Although we spoke different languages, we understood each other well. The cooking institute director asked me how we managed to work so harmoniously, with no screaming, and no swear words! He also wanted to know if we all spoke Chinese. I said no. I clarified the truth to him. He was surprised and moved, and asked, “Then how do you communicate with each other?” I told him that we communicated using hand signals, or if someone spoke English, he was our translator and told us what to do.
I sometimes had difficulty understanding, however, and was upset with myself. I began to doubt myself and have negative thoughts, such as, “You're no good at anything.” I saw this thought clearly, and tried to eliminate it by remembering that I was there to support Shen Yun in saving sentient beings. Nothing and no one could interfere with me. I also analyzed which attachment I hadn't eliminated. I realized that I had not studied the Fa every day.
I noticed I had a gap. Master said,
“And all of the human ideas, as well as the variety of sources from which those ideas stem, that are bound up in that human thinking will serve to interfere with the person. Whichever kind of life form your thinking aligns with, that life form will immediately have an effect on you.” (“Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XI )
I had always used lack of time as an excuse. Master said,
“Those of you who do work for Dafa, especially, shouldn’t use any pretexts to conceal your not reading the books or studying the Fa. Even if you do work for me, your Master, you still need to study the Fa every day with a calm mind and cultivate yourself solidly.” (“Towards Consummation,” Essentials for Further Advancement II)
From that day on, I increased the time I spent studying the Fa. When we traveled from one city to another, we listened to the Fa teachings. Gradually, my negative thinking changed.
When I went to help in the kitchen the following afternoon, I met the director of the Culinary Institute and some of his students. He told his students that he admired our punctuality. If we said we'd arrive at 7:00 a.m., we arrived before the hour. The director told his students that they should learn from us. At that moment, I understood the great responsibility I had to do everything well. Apparently ordinary people considered us part of the Shen Yun staff. I know that I'm not part of the company, but I am a Falun Dafa disciple and I have to validate the Fa with my words and behavior.
Master said,
“…as Dafa cultivators in the Fa-rectification period, the historic mission that you have--this great responsibility--is indeed enormous. What lies before you is not merely personal cultivation or saving a few people. The entire human race is before you…” (“Teaching the Fa in the City of Chicago,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. VII)
I also participated in the 2019 Shen Yun tour. This year something happened that I never experienced in my life.
When we were in Mexico City, we had an extraordinary experience on how our time has been greatly extended. We worked for a long time but the clock was moving very slowly. We practitioners were amazed. There were many seats left to be sold. I thought, “Master is extending the time, so the sentient beings can get their tickets and be saved!”
Master said,
“Right now every minute and every second is crucial. If you miss out during this period of time, you miss out on everything. History won't recur. The history of the cosmos and the Three Realms have gone through so many, long, long years--what have all the beings been waiting for? What are they all here for? For exactly these few years!” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. IV)
I understood that I have to take advantage of every second of my life because this period of time is very precious. My responsibility as a Dafa disciple is enormous, and Master, in His great mercy, is extending our time to be able to validate the Fa and assist Him during the Fa rectification period.
Thank you Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners for allowing me to participate in the Shen Yun Tour.
This is my understanding at my current level. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
(Presented at the 2019 Mexico Fa Conference)
