It has been less than a year since I began my Falun Dafa cultivation. In the past few months I joined in efforts to spread Dafa [hongfa] and Fa-rectification activities. I was in a passive mode when I performed my duties. I was a follower, doing what was needed during large-scale hongfa activities and a casual participant in smaller scale activities. I felt obligated to participate, so I participated, but I primarily assisted others. I failed to realize that hongfa is my responsibility as a practitioner. Since I did not like to use any formality to hongfa, I had been working as a loner and separated myself from the entire process of Fa-rectification. Now, I would like to talk about my understanding of media communications and also to share my cultivation experience creating a literary project, which could be a reference for other practitioners. Please offer your suggestions to improve my work. á
1. Create opportunities to approach the media to our advantage.á
My husband and I often discuss about how to hongfa more efficiently. We also feel that our hongfa activities fall into a format, which isolate the practitioners from the ordinary people around us. Although practitioners have tried many ways to open up the channels to approach the media, the media has not yet been brought into full play. Many ordinary people are exposed to Falun Dafa in parades and flyers we hand out. As a media saying goes: "You have to chase the news, and make a piece of news into the media focus." In modern society, the media spreads information. In order to approach the media effectively, we must first clarify the truth of Falun Dafa to the media professionals. This is because the government does not control the media in western countries. Take newspapers as an example. Each paper has its own policy, and every story it runs, regardless of its length, represents its own intention and opinion. Thus, we have to be in touch with the media no matter whether it is a headline or local news. These people are very important. They have their cluster of readers and viewers that favor their articles and programs. Once these important media people understand the righteousness of Falun Dafa in their minds, they will spread the Fa positively. This will be a crucial breakthrough. But how can we spread the Fa to them effectively? I don't think we lack any advantage. We can organize a special team to contact people in the literary and artistic fields and to explore new approaches to get to know people working in the media. We can produce video programs on specific topics, report practitioners' achievements in the fields of science and technology and reveal their lives as Falun Dafa practitioners. The report on practitioners' achievements would enable ordinary people to understand how the practitioners regard success in their careers and how they lead their lives outside their work. Kindhearted people will be inspired by hearing of a new way of life and renewed moral standards.
Let me tell you about something that is happening. We can discuss it and share our ideas and opinions. á
Our daughter won a prize in a children's picture book coloring contest held by a Chinese newspaper. We took her to accept the prize on the weekend. After the ceremony, my husband and I wanted to talk with the staff of the Chinese newspaper and show our appreciation for sponsoring the contest. We were so fortunate because the people we spoke with were the owner and Chief Editor. While my husband discussed some issues about the newspaper's business operations with the owner, I spoke with the Chief Editor about the format on the special column of the newspaper. The Chief Editor spoke about how Chinese people had promoted Chinese culture through the newspaper while I spoke about my interest in traditional Chinese culture and ways to introduce it to western society through schools and other social organizations. I gradually led our discussion from westerners' interest in Chinese culture to their interest in studying Falun Gong. In the end, I spoke about their concern of the persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China. The Editor-In-Chief showed a strong interest. My husband also expressed his opinion on the future of news reporting and newspapers and provided the newspaper with reliable news sources. We had a very good conversation with them. The Editor-In-Chief remarked that my husband's ideas were so fresh and his thoughts so clear that she would like to invite him to be the paper's consultant! I was so happy, not because he was offered this position, but because of the things we could do to promote Dafa if the position were to materialize. The Chief Editor also said that she wanted to interview me. I gave her some information about a local community group I knew that had an interest in Chinese culture. I was sure she would learn a lot about the situation in China from the western people, especially about the persecution of Falun Gong once she interviewed that group. I believe the viewpoint on China from western people would sound more attractive to the readers than that expressed by me, a Chinese. They were delighted to hear about our soon to be published novel. They had been looking for a writer from Mainland China in Florida for a newspaper function. Now they had found one without much effort. They immediately invited us to the function. My husband and I smiled at each other because we knew that it would be a wonderful opportunity to hongfa. Even though we did not tell the editor directly that we were practitioners, we took the opportunity to clarify the truth from an angle that they could accept. From this experience, I feel that the more naturally we behave, the easier the job arranged by Master Li is done. That is simply the power of Dafa. á
2. Do not neglect individual cultivation practice while doing hongfa worká
Now, Let me talk about how I practice cultivation along with my work in literature.á
Master Li mentioned in his article: "Path," "A cultivator has no role models. The path each person take is different..." I understood that Dafa created my life, so I should fully play my role as a particle in Dafa. Since the path each person takes is different, the duties each person has are also different. How could I put myself to best use according to my own abilities? How could I devote myself to the process of the Fa-rectification? This is the way Fa-rectification disciples should think.
I'm not a professional writer, nor have I had any professional training. My work in literature originates from the experiences in my life. Since I became a practitioner, I have seen and felt Dafa's power and glory. Although I do not outwardly show much enthusiasm and passion, I have experienced the rebirth of my body and spirit in Dafa. What Falun Dafa practitioners have done in their cultivation touches me and inspires me every moment, which is also the source of my literary work.
The trip to Geneva this past March deeply moved me. The rain in Geneva gave me the framework for my screenplay. I have never produced a screenplay before. That rainy day in Geneva made me determined to create one. The image of practitioners meditating in the rain is in my mind constantly. I understood the unparalleled artistic effect of such a film and that it would be unparalleled in effectively promoting the Fa. Art comes from real life and refines real life. A masterpiece is not written by hand, but by heart. I started writing the screenplay with the above ideas.á
I collected a large amount of materials from the Minghui website and from a veteran Chinese practitioner who happened to live near me. I learned a lot of what has been happening from her. I learned how practitioners' understandings and the situation of Falun Dafa in China have changed and shifted. Now I could objectively reveal the real people and their real thoughts in my play. Only realistic content can offer real value and create a masterpiece.
After the first step was finished, my husband borrowed many books about screenplay writing from the library for me to read. He asked me to write in Hollywood style. It gave me a big headache when I read those books. I realized that I couldn't read them anymore. First, my English is not very good, so it would take me forever to read them. Second, I couldn't follow the format. Third, I had no intention and desire to please the audience with the fast and emotionally provocative scenes depicted nowadays in movies. My passion to be a playwright stems from Dafa and what I want to manifest precisely is the portrayal of what Dafa has brought to people. I'm writing with my heart, not my hand. After I sorted out these issues, I threw away any existing formats that could only limit my writing and began writing as it came to me naturally.
The writing came even smoother than I had expected. When I fully devoted myself to the writing, the project became even easier and smoother. The continual pieces coming forth from my mind gave me the confidence to finish it. I understand that it is not due to my individual talent and ability, but from the strength I have received from beyond my own capability. Who gave me the passion to produce the play? Who propelled me with a brave heart to take on the job? I was fully aware the project did not belong to me, but to Dafa. Using wisdom from Dafa, I am able to depict positive and negative sides of human nature in my play, uplifting morality and revealing the truth.
After the screenplay was done, I felt relief and a sense of freedom. I thought it was time to publish it. Attachments to fame, self-interest and the pursuit of success sprouted in my heart. I had a strong desire to publish the work as soon as possible, but it was strange that I couldn't find any practitioner to work with me on publishing it. I was disappointed and unsatisfied with others. When this attachment emerged, my project suffered and no further progress was made. I spoke with some practitioners and exchanged differing views. I realized that I was in the middle of a xinxing test. In each conflict with others, I was only searching outwardly for the faults and shortcoming of others instead of searching for my attachments. Cultivating my own heart is the right way in cultivation practice! After I relinquished my attachment to personal success and achievement, many problems were solved immediately in a smooth manner.
Now, I am no longer attached to my own so-called achievement. I only think of how to do well steadfastly. I tell myself: don't wait, don't rely on others, do whatever I can. With this mentality, my mind is even more open than before. After the project is completed, I will look for help from others. After the lyrics were finished, I didn't mind when I couldn't find a composer. So, I feel even more relaxed and free with my creativity. Practitioners from other states said pushing me to do something was no longer the case, but the other way around. I really appreciated the encouragement practitioners gave me in each step of my cultivation. The encouragement enabled me to change from a passive practitioner to an active one in promoting Dafa to others. This is part of the process whereby Dafa practitioners improve themselves as a whole. á