Following Master's Arrangements

(Clearwisdom.net) Greetings Master, greetings fellow practitioners:

Today, I wish to speak to you about following Master's arrangements. If I'm not within the Fa, please compassionately make me aware of it.

I came to Michigan three years ago. Under the guidance and compassionate care of Master, Midwest practitioners and I have ten years of experience in validating the Fa. Especially when it comes to promotion of the Shen Yun Performing Arts shows, I have recognized and addressed cooperation and communication issues with fellow practitioners, while dealing with conflicts and letting go of ego.

After Losing My Job

In 2007, a week after Shen Yun's performance in Chicago, my employer, out of the blue, announced that the company would close down the entire laboratory and lay-off all its staff. When I heard this, I was shocked. I then immediately thought of what Master said,

"Whatever you experience during your cultivation--whether good or bad--is good, for it comes about only because you are cultivating." ("To the Chicago Fa Conference")

I believed that something else would certainly come up. At this time, Master would not want me to lose my job and have to look for another one. A Falun Dafa practitioner should not face such a situation, as saving sentient beings was a priority. I told myself to calm down and not to be misled by superficiality. Once that thought entered my mind, I immediately became clear-headed.

Everyone in the laboratory was looking for another job. At the same time, my employer announced an overtime schedule for important projects. In order to have more time for job hunting, everyone talked about the importance of his or her projects. This reminded me of what Master said in Zhuan Falun, where he addressed the issuance of an apartment and how the people reacted. I remained calm and didn't claim how important my project was, although everyone else did. I realized that there were still many Chinese colleagues to whom I hadn't clarified the truth, and some of them had not yet quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). I realized that I had to use every chance I had to clarify the truth before we all departed.

I actually tried to meet with my Chinese colleagues, making sure I used every chance to clarify the truth to them. I knew that this was of utmost importance. In the end, the company gave my project three additional months. It is what Master said, "Pursue nothing and gain naturally!" One month after the lay-off was announced, I was hired by a university. Everything was well arranged. I knew this was Master's doing. He arranged this so that I could settle down as soon as possible, do the three things well, and I didn't need to struggle. Thank you Master.

Letting Go of Selfishness and Complacency

I endured tribulations, just like the one I mentioned earlier, large or minor, quite often. Alas, all that suffering fostered selfishness in me. Without realizing it, I became attached to the thought that I had sacrificed and contributed a lot to Dafa. Be it the bitter winter or hot summer, "I always bring my entire family, my wife and children, to different Dafa activities. I've also suffered from loneliness because of the technology project that I participated in. The more I did, the more difficult it became to recognize that I had become complacent. I didn't recognize this until I made contact with a practitioner in China. He was of my age. Peacefully, he told me that he was homeless. Every day he made truth-clarification materials. Every day he ate thrown-out vegetables that he found at the marketplace.

What shocked me was not his suffering, but his peacefulness. The true selflessness, the noble thought of "thinking for all sentient beings." What I witnessed was the steadiness and peacefulness of a life molded by Dafa. I felt very ashamed, and realized how much I had stepped aside from the cultivation path. What I thought about was how much "I" suffered, how much "I" sacrificed, how long "I" have been doing this and how it affected "my" family. Practitioners on the other side of the world never stopped clarifying the truth, never stopped saving Chinese people. And they did this all quietly, peacefully, with wisdom and selflessness. I didn't hear a hint of selfishness in this practitioner's voice.

I realized that Master was giving me a hint. We owe our lives to Master and we were saved from hell by Master. The Fa-rectification has proceeded up to today and Master is actually doing it all. The tiny "me" only did something within my abilities, something I should do. What's there to be complacent about? What is it about "me" that I can't give up?

Looking back at my cultivation path, each step forward was with Master's help. I felt increasingly smaller. Without Master's help, I would not have made it to today. So when involved in Fa-rectification projects, I remind myself that I would not be able to do anything if Master had not given me the ability through Dafa. Especially as a coordinator, I need to let go of my ego, harmonize the project's coordination, and tolerate others' shortcomings. Then, we can really be one body, and save sentient beings as we learn from each other.

Master said,

"As long as Fa-rectification requires it, you should do it well, and there's no room for negotiation. And don't get conceited because of your roles, and don't think you're different from others. You're each a particle. And in my eyes nobody is better than anyone else, since I scooped all of you up at the same time. (Applause) Some are more capable when it comes to one thing, others with another--you definitely shouldn't let your thoughts run wild based on that. You say that you have such great abilities and so on and so forth, but that was all bestowed upon you by the Fa! Actually, it wouldn't work if you failed to attain that level of abilities. Fa-rectification required your wisdom to reach that point, so you definitely shouldn't think that you're so capable. Some practitioners want me to check out their abilities and skills. But actually, what I think is, all of that was given by me, so there's no need to look." ("Explaining the Fa during the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference")

Every time I read the above, I feel so small. Everything is in Master's hands. All we can do is hold firm in our belief, and let go of selfishness. So, when I meet fellow practitioners who also have the attachment to self, I try my best to point it out. I'm not doing this out of any personal interest, but to foster an environment of mutual improvement through communication.

Maximize All Activities through Harmonious Coordination

We divided the large Shen Yun promotional activities project into several small tasks, with each task assigned to one practitioner. The group communicated on a weekly basis and everyone reported on their progress. This system itself was not the problem, but I found that people tended to focus only on their share and were ignorant about other practitioners' parts. I was no exception. The group sharing was one of reporting by each project team.

The problem was finally exposed when two months before the show, the practitioner in charge of hotels felt it was not going smoothly, as he had contacted many hotels but had been unsuccessful in achieving what he set out to do. He talked about this during group sharing, and hoped everybody would send righteous thoughts and help find a solution.

I immediately realized that it was also my problem. I always felt that this practitioner was a very capable person. Subconsciously I thought that since he was in charge of this part of the project, he would be successful. This in fact formed an artificial division. This kind of thought left me indifferent to other practitioners' problems. The evil took advantage of this gap, "You are doing your job individually," so it is yours and no one else's undertaking. The evil can then interfere with our projects separately one by one. Master told us to search within unconditionally. It also means that we should unconditionally support the other projects with righteous thoughts. Only this way can the one body function harmoniously and be indestructible like diamond. Seeing it from the human side, it looks as if the practitioner's project had come to a standstill, but in fact, it was I who had the problem. The problem did not lie in him, but me.

Actually, when supporting other practitioners' projects, we should base the project on the notion of saving sentient beings. In the process of promoting Shen Yun, everyone we meet needs to be saved. The purpose for the project that I participated in is to save sentient beings, and so are the projects that fellow practitioners are a part of. Viewing them with rationality, I won't be indifferent to other projects. Even if I don't directly participate in the project, the change in my viewpoint will have a good effect.

Because time had become very tight, everyone's viewpoint changed. The problem was finally resolved while another practitioner was passing out flyers about the Shen Yun show at the student-parent meeting. One of the parents there happened to be the general manager of a hotel and he asked about the lodging of performers.

Several days later, I met with this general manager and we had a great discussion. I feel that when we all support our projects with righteous thoughts, and when we change our old ways of thinking, miracles happen. Master is just waiting for us to enlighten to this. The details were taken care of with no more problems and the price was very reasonable. On the day of the show, the manager and his family went to see the show. A week later, I met him again and he told me, "My wife and I were talking about this show daily since we saw it. We didn't talk about anything else. This show is extraordinarily beautiful. It was unforgettable."

His comments made me happy. This made me understand more about Master's arrangements. Had we corrected our thoughts earlier, this problem would have never happened. A field of righteous thoughts, indestructible like diamond, can never be interfered with. It is the compassionate field of righteous thoughts that brings more people into the audience and saves more sentient beings.

The Purer the Mind, the Broader the Path

Since moving to Michigan, I have participated in many Shen Yun promotional activities because my work time is flexible. I experienced that, "The purer the mind, the broader the path."

I am not particularly good at communicating with others, as I'm a science major. Alas, when promoting Shen Yun, I had to contact a number of people, get sponsorships, sell tickets, negotiate advertisements, and so on. I am also not good at doing business and have no professional training. But, I know Shen Yun is Master's project, so we should follow Master's arrangements, using our pure hearts and righteous thoughts to do our best.

Because of my profession, I'm not afraid of talking to people or giving a brief introduction in front of others. After realizing this, I had to study the Fa diligently and strengthen my righteous thoughts. Each time I was due to meet with customers, I talked with fellow practitioners' about things like the price and other details, and also sent righteous thoughts to support the situation. If another practitioner accompanied me, we sent righteous thoughts for each other and the results were always very good.

Although I have teaching experience, my classes were presented after some preparation. However, when we face different people to promote Shen Yun, the problems are different. There are usually a number of different questions and requests, and there are all kinds of obstacles. We are still trying to achieve a brand image, as we aren't well known yet, and we are also working with limited funds. All of the problems often seem insurmountable at first. But after I eliminate my thoughts, empty my mind, and only think of saving sentient beings, everything becomes much easier. When I only hold the thought of saving sentient beings, my brain becomes clearer, my English becomes more fluent, and divine beings help me. It's difficult to express the wisdom that comes continuously from the Fa. I can only say that I feel divine beings are doing it.

Of course, when I said eliminating thoughts, that doesn't mean becoming indifferent. On the contrary, I try my best to learn from related experiences. I also learn from practitioners that are very good at what they do. During meetings with people, I let them feel that they are dealing with a professional performing company. At the same time, I let them see our peacefulness and benevolence. It can set up a solid base for later cooperation. For example, one television station replied to my letter, "We are happy to cooperate with you. It is a very comfortable and happy experience." I realized that it is the grateful expression from human beings that know the truth.

During the Shen Yun promotion process, it became obvious that when we let go of our distracting human thoughts, the divine path broadens. This human world is delusional, which pushes us to form thoughts based on superficial phenomenon.

My city hosted the very first Shen Yun show in 2010. We all felt a lot of pressure. One weekend, I went to a mall to sell tickets with another practitioner. Our schedule was arranged beforehand by signing in the timetable on-line. The other practitioner was scheduled to be there only until 5:00 p.m. because she had other obligations at home. The day had almost passed, we hadn't made a good sale, and none of us had anything to eat or drink. At 5:00 p.m., the practitioner left and I was alone. It was difficult for me to remain there. Thousands of compelling reasons were driving me away. I thought that the customers of this mall are not very wealthy, people are cold and unfriendly, I have a group study at my house tonight that I should go back and arrange, I haven't had anything to eat today, the mall is about to close, and so on. Those thoughts made me feel as if I was sitting on pins and needles. I knew this wasn't right, so I tried to eliminate those thoughts. I knew I couldn't leave. I had agreed to stay until the mall closed. I remembered the sharing of a practitioner from another region. He said that every time we commit a certain time slot for ticket sales, we can't just walk away, because we are practitioners. We made a commitment. On the surface, I just filled out a schedule for a time to sell tickets. But in fact, when we fill in the timetable, the Fa requires that we be there and live up to our agreement.

Realizing this, my mind calmed down, and I didn't feel that hungry. Just before the mall closed, an ordinary-looking man bought five tickets after listening to my introduction. To my amazement, after this sale, peoples' attitudes seemed to suddenly change as I distributed flyers. People all stopped to hear my introduction and watch the promotional video. The coldness and unfriendliness suddenly disappeared, and I knew I had passed this test. Thank you, Master.

After group study, upon thinking back on that day's activities, I enlightened that promoting Shen Yun means that in another dimension a war exists between good and evil. The key to the victory of the war is Dafa practitioners' righteous thoughts and righteous action. In our dimension, many distracting thoughts appear in our minds. If we can let go of these thoughts, the righteous path arranged by Master will reveal itself. Sometimes the segment is just a thin layer. If we can break through it, then we have improved. Master's arrangements are there, just waiting for us to enlighten.

Of course, we need to be as thorough as possible in our planning, and arrange our ticket-selling activities in higher-class communities. But as soon as the sites are arranged, even though we might "think" that this site is good and that site is not very satisfactory, these are just the thoughts that we need to let go of. What we need to do is to harmonize the coordination, to complement the execution, and strengthen the field of righteous thoughts. The Fa is harmonious and unbreakable. When we aren't attached to what appears in the human world, the power of the Fa will emerge, and the righteous path becomes broader.

Next year, we will have more performances in our area and the ticket price will be higher. So the requirement from the Fa and the expectations from Master are higher, and the level of achievement that we can reach is also higher. Therefore, it will require every practitioner's participation. We need to communicate more frequently and let go of our human notions. Master has already arranged a way, and the only thing left for us is to follow Master's arrangement unconditionally. We should achieve the state of "Righteous thoughts each step of the way, Divine beings are present in this world." ("Stirred by Reflection")

I am thankful for my fellow disciples' encouragement, support and forgiveness. I still have many attachments that need to be cultivated away. Yes, I sometimes act stubbornly or forget to look at things from other's perspective. I know these are all because I don't study the Fa diligently. I hope fellow practitioners will remind me.

In the near future, Michigan will initiate other projects to validate the Fa, and there are many sentient beings waiting for us to save them by bringing them to the Shen Yun performance. This might be the commitment of our prehistoric vows that we could be together, help each other and improve together.

Thank you Master, thank you fellow practitioners.