Cultivating as a Member of the Tian Guo Marching Band

(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master and fellow practitioners:

The four-day music training in April of 2019 in Bad Bergzabern, Germany, was a joyful experience for me. 

I joined the Tian Guo Marching Band because the band needed a horn player. The band was looking for practitioners interested in music and tried to convince them to play the horn. 

It is said that, because the horn is the most difficult instrument to learn, everyone stays away from it. A practitioner had with him a few trumpets and a horn. Although I had never touched these instruments, and I had no clue which instrument to choose, I chose the horn. 

What I remember is that I picked up the horn and didn't even know that I was supposed to put my right hand in the middle of it. It took me a few days to be able to play the first note. I became a member of the Tian Guo Marching Band in 2011. 

I live in Belgium, and the Belgian government provides funds for everyone to learn music. The city music schools send out professional music teachers to mentor and train anyone between the ages of 4 and 88 who show an interest. 

I signed up for the music training, and because of my low income, the government waived the tuition fee. I knew this was Master Li’s arrangement for me, a gift from the divine. Thus, I cherished the opportunity. 

However, due to my attachments, I wanted to learn quickly. The result was the opposite. Every time I played under pressure, it was as if I was on a battlefield.

Afraid to Make Mistakes

When I was asked to play alone, I was afraid to make mistakes and be laughed at. The results were never good.

I benefited a lot from the training in Bad Bergzabern. One practitioner spoke about the dynamics of strengths and weaknesses. 

The teacher abandoned the format of his usual instruction and explained the musical terms Accent, Marcato, Staccato, Tenuto, Crecento, Decrecento, and so on. I realized that exaggeration is needed in a performance, not just proper pitch and rhythm. 

A practitioner conductor was very serious and asked us to concentrate on our playing. However, he was very humorous, funny, and relaxed. He deliberately made mistakes from time to time. When we pointed out his mistakes, he admitted them and faced them calmly. 

This made me realize that being afraid of making a mistake is a mistake. We need to treat learning and playing music with ease and humor and not add stress and make ourselves nervous. It is also important not to laugh at others when they make mistakes, in case we make them nervous. 

Another practitioner worked with us on rhythm. We were like children, shaking our heads and bodies, squatting, and clapping our hands and humming, not afraid of making mistakes. 

If we made mistakes, we started over again. I realized that it was important to give up various attachments and to be sincere and frank. If I am wrong, I admit it and correct it until I master it. This is the right way to learn music and this is also cultivation. 

This is to return to our original self and to find our childlike innocence and happiness. 

Experiencing the Beauty of Cultivation by Learning Music

When I was very young, I witnessed the magical effect of my music. My mother was in poor physical and mental health. When she was not feeling well, I sang to her. My singing was my mother's panacea. 

Master said: 

“We have also observed this situation: When a person is born, a profile of his whole life will exist in a specific dimension. In other words, where he is in his life and what he should do are all included in it. Who has arranged his life? It is obviously done by a higher life.” (Lecture Seven, Zhuan Falun)

I was destined to learn, play, and listen to music. I’ve only understood this now, after half of my life has passed.

In the course of learning music, especially learning Dafa practitioners’ songs, I gradually understood the meaning of cultivation. 

It was the right decision to play the horn in the Tian Guo Marching Band, because playing a horn is the same as singing when it comes to breathing and using muscle force. Also, the vibration of the lips can play a role in massaging and protecting the vocal cords. Therefore, unconsciously, my singing skills improved, too. 

When I sang the Dafa songs, I always felt the phenomenon of guanding. Not only was I not tired, but my whole body was relaxed and comfortable. I realized that when involved with music, I could also experience some beautiful states of cultivation. 

Money Not an Issue as a Member of the Tian Guo Marching Band

My and my husband's business went bankrupt in 2012 and we divorced. I lost my property because of the divorce even though I was saddled with the debt and the responsibility of raising our children alone.

The lawyer that the government hired for me applied for protection under the company's bankruptcy law, which gave me nine years to pay off the debts. My income and expenditures were managed by the lawyer. I was given only enough to cover our basic living expenses every week, and the rest was used to pay off the debts. It was out of my control. 

The strange thing was that, as long as I participated in Tian Guo Marching Band activities, I never lacked the funds when I needed them. When I signed up for the band, I had no money. But I firmly believed in Dafa and firmly believed that Master would arrange it for me because I was playing to help people. Thus, whenever there was a band activity, there was always enough money in my bank account.

As one example, I thought that my daughter, who is also a member of the marching band, and I could not participate in the London cultivation experience sharing conference because we had used what money we had for the London Minghui summer camp. 

And also my daughter's school would resume the day after the London activities. She was supposed to go back to her boarding school the evening after the activities ended.

After I learned that our hotel room had been booked and the band had paid the fees in advance, I said to my daughter, “This event is not just for the parade and saving people, but also to attend the Fa conference, which is an important form of cultivation that Master left to us. It is sacred. How can we miss it?" 

My daughter agreed. With this thought, I had an extra 260 euros in my account instantly, and the cost of our event was 262.50 euros! 

A while back I gave a speech about Dafa at a university in the Netherlands. The university had said my transportation and accommodation expenses would be reimbursed. They were paid to me right then, even though I had totally forgotten about it. I once again witnessed Master's compassion.

Master said: “Good or evil comes from that instant thought.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)

As a practitioner, my thoughts are all energy and will become reality. It is often my own thinking that limits me.