(Clearwisdom.net)
[Note: Since 2008, in order to promote New Tang Dynasty Television's (NTDTV) Nine Competition Series, Taiwanese practitioners have been holding "Wealth with Virtue" charity dinner events. These events have not only brought in revenue to support the Nine-Competition Series, but they have also generated considerable income for the Asia Pacific TV Station. More importantly, they have promoted the concept of restoring traditional culture, have raised the profile of NTDTV in society and have had the effect of saving more sentient beings. This paper is the sharing of Taiwanese practitioners during the course of organizing these events.]
Greetings, everyone!
On August 7, we held the first "Wealth with Virtue" charity dinner event in Taitung County. This was the very first one held in the Eastern Taiwan region and was sponsored by New Tang Dynasty Television. We were deeply grateful for Master's benevolence, which enabled us to successfully host it within just one month. We would also like to express our appreciation for the efforts of the lead coordinator and the participation of many practitioners from other areas of Taiwan. With the power of the one body, we were able to manifest Dafa's superior power and complete this mission. Below is our experience sharing based on the entire process.
1. Breaking through Notions
This was the third year that the "Wealth with Virtue" charity dinner was held in Taiwan. We always felt that Taitung is a relatively low income region with a small population and few resources. There are not many Falun Gong practitioners in the area and most of them are elderly. We didn't think we had the ability to host such an event and never even thought about doing it.
I attended a meeting in mid-June and learned about the Asia Pacific operations of New Tang Dynasty TV. The charity event was said to be very effective. I was deeply moved. I came back and shared what I learned in a group Fa study and said, "While some practitioners work day and night to promote New Tang Dynasty, what have we done? Now we know the importance of the media work. We should have done more to maximize its effect." I said that if it was due to any personal notions which prevented us from using such an event to validate Dafa and bring more resources to Dafa projects, it would be very regretful.
I also talked about the increasing exchanges between mainland Chinese practitioners and those in Taiwan. More and more people from the mainland are visiting Taiwan lately, which makes Taiwan the front line of the truth clarification effort. Many people from Taitung are still influenced and drawn by financial gain even though they have heard about the truth of Dafa. Moreover, many of the more important Fa validation activities were held mostly in Western Taiwan. Therefore, we felt that should take the opportunity to host this charity event and re-open the field in Taitung to save more sentient beings as well as build up connections with the local people again.
Many practitioners agreed with my understanding but once we decided to host the dinner, the tests began. The majority of the practitioners in our area are seniors. Some practitioners were afraid that we might not be good at talking to people because we had to introduce the New Tang Dynasty TV Station and explain how the Nine Competitions can restore traditional culture and the moral standards. In the meantime, we had to emphasize the relationship between wealth and virtue and also clarify the truth about Falun Dafa. Some practitioners worried that the tickets we might sell might not enough for ten tables. There was so much fear among us even before we started the project.
Facing doubts from some practitioners, I struggled very hard in my mind. Should we host such an event or not? In the meantime, I started to have flu-like symptoms. My whole body ached but no matter how bad I felt, I always had a thought in my mind; we must break through to save more sentient beings. If we didn't do so, the sentient beings would have even less chance to be saved. Therefore, I did not give up and kept communicating with other practitioners. After about two weeks, with the support of righteous thoughts from more and more practitioners, we finally reached the consensus to host the event.
Later on I learned from the general coordinator that many regions usually encountered some sort of interference when they first hosted the dinner event. But I knew that if we were firm in what we were doing, we would make it.
2. Hosting the Charity Event Is the Process of Saving Sentient Beings
After we decided to host the dinner event, everyone was ready to get started. We picked August 7, the closest available date for us. Because of time constraints we immediately started working. On July 14, we invited the general coordinator to Taitung for an in-depth sharing. After the experience sharing, practitioners had more confidence. Everyone put in their best effort.
Practitioners from Taipei printed a booklet so that we could use the picture and storyline to introduce the significance of the dinner. During the promotion, we found that many sentient beings were waiting to hear the truth about Dafa. Even though we had distributed truth clarification materials in the area many times in the past, people still asked what Falun Gong is and why the Communist Party persecutes Falun Gong. Some people showed interest or curiosity in the New Tang Dynasty TV Station. Through promoting the event, we were able to clarify the truth at a deeper level while promoting the New Tang Dynasty TV Station. Many people immediately expressed their support after they understood the truth.
With righteous thoughts and focusing on truth clarification, everyone was working towards the same goal. By July 19, when we had our first meeting, we had sold 25 out of 30 tables. By the 25th, we almost sold tickets for all the tables. We continued to look for sponsors and divided the workload among practitioners.
With reminders from the general coordinator, we constantly sent forth righteous thoughts throughout the entire process and adjusted our targets at each phase. The restaurant where the dinner was to be hosted had 90 percent of their partons from mainland China. We started to send forth righteous thoughts for a long time to clean up the energy field. When it was close to the date of the dinner, we started to send forth righteous thoughts towards the weather, and the utilities so they could be used by Dafa.
From Master's teaching we also learned about the importance of forming one body. We encouraged every practitioner to participate. Elderly practitioners were divided into groups to send forth righteous thoughts and everyone understood their roles. Many practitioners had to take on more than one task.
One week before the event, Master's DC lecture was published. We then worked even more closely with each other and the workload was properly divided. Everyone was cooperating and assisting the general coordinator and team coordinators. No one argued even if they had a disagreement. All we wanted was to follow Master's teaching to assist the general coordinator.
The night before the dinner event, while we were setting up the event site layout, some customers from the mainland were supposed to finish their dinner at 7:30 p.m., but two groups came in late and entered the dining hall at 9 p.m. Very naturally they had the chance to watch our videos that we were testing to show the next day.
I remembered standing at the back of the hall to test the sound. When the music came on, I immediately sensed a gigantic energy field full of compassion. I almost burst into tears. I knew that none of this was accidental. During the sound test, the tour guide for the mainland group walked up to the general coordinator and asked us to stop showing those videos for fear that something might happen. However we ended up showing the videos of Shen Yun, the Nine Competitions and the introduction to the New Tang Dynasty TV Station.
On the day of the event, all of the dining halls were packed. The event was held inside and was directly broadcast outside live. Many mainland guests were able to watch our program.
Dinner guests also behaved completely differently from usual. The people of Taitung County are relatively simple. Prior to the dinner event, we came to the understanding that the event created the field to save sentient beings. That day, the entire setting was full of benevolence and peace. Everyone was quiet, polite and totally in control. They quietly watched the video and listened to the host's speech.
3. Good and Evil Battled in Another Dimension
Since the charity event came from the other side of the central mountain region of Taiwan and was the first one in Eastern Taiwan, holding the event would be a huge breakthrough in other dimensions as well. We could feel that the evil forces were very scared and tried all kinds of ways to interfere.
On the evening of the site setup, one practitioner climbed on a very high ladder to hang a banner and the aluminum ladder suddenly broke. The practitioner was fine. We then found another bamboo ladder and hung up the banner using that one. Later the general coordinator said that hanging the banner was not a simple task. It was a battle of good and evil in another dimension. Successfully putting the banner up meant that we took control of that field.
On the day of the event strong winds came up all of sudden. Our banner outside of the restaurant was constantly blown to the ground. Practitioners had to keep putting it back up. When I took the hotel bus to the train station to pick up the performance group at two o'clock, the bus driver told me, "I have been driving a bus for over twenty years. Today's weather was very strange. It was windy. The clouds in the sky look wicked. It seems that something might happen."
Since the general coordinator had to board the flight at 4 p.m. and fly to Taitung to host the event, I knew we shouldn't allow any interference. Those who were supposed to come shouldn't miss this event. I notified the team which was focusing on sending forth righteous thoughts to intensify their effort. Shortly after 3 o'clock, the bottom of my shoes suddenly came off. While I was outside the restaurant walking towards my car to change my shoes, I saw a large dark cloud covering the hotel.
Later on practitioners remembered that when they sent forth righteous thoughts during that time, they felt that there was a hidden force that prevented them from holding their hands straight up. They could feel the intensity of the battle between good and evil in another dimension. The weather channel also reported a sudden sand storm in Taitung and said that it was very unusual for this season.
The first program of the event was the flag and drum team. A lady suddenly got up and ran outside and said, "How can you play the drums indoors? The building is closed in. My heart can't take it." I didn't move. I told her to stay outside for a while then walked away. Later I saw her go back inside with a smile on her face just like nothing had happened.
4. Feedback from the Community
We received positive comments and feedback about the performances, including the flag and drum team, the Han fashion show, as well as the martial arts, violin, classical Chinese dance and singing competitions. Many people told us, "It was a great program. The food was delicious! Thank you! Thank you!" Since it was our first time hosting the event, we set the dining tickets at 2,000 yuan (about $297) and up. Some people said that they had only spent 2,000 yuan and were able to watch such a high class performance with such a nice meal that they felt embarrassed.
The County Executive of Taitung told the reporter that this was a rarely seen high class event which was particularly upright and positive. He said that he totally agreed with the mission of New Tang Dynasty Television to elevate the cultural and moral values of society. He hoped that everyone could come and support New Tang Dynasty Television. The wife of the Mayor of Taitung said that she was moved to tears by the efforts of the Falun Gong practitioners. She not only bought paintings but also donated products for sale. She also asked the prince and princess of the city's Goodwill Ambassadors to dance at the beginning of the event, which lent a special touch or Taitung culture to the event.
The restaurant employees also changed. At the beginning, when we contacted the restaurant about holding this event, even though the restaurant sponsored the venue and partially sponsored the meal, they seemed afraid and concerned. However, as we continued to meet with them and clarified the truth, almost everyone changed on the day of the event.
The restaurant chairman of the Hotel Board told a reporter that it was their honor to host the event. He said he hoped that we would come back again. The manager who was not nice to us at the beginning personally helped serve the food on the day of the event. Their public relations and restaurant manager volunteered to pick up our people at the airport and extended warm greetings to us. When I told the restaurant manager that many people praised the food quality, he said that it was our excellent performance that made their food delicious.
5. Understandings from the Standpoint of the Fa
On the surface, this event might have looked like a promotion for the New Tang Dynasty TV Station and bringing in resources for the Nine Competitions. It was actually a process of truth clarification and a way to save the sentient beings in Eastern Taiwan. Moreover, it was a process for practitioners across the entire Taiwan region to come together. Our activities in the past were limited to a local region but this time we were able to break through the limits of time and space separating practitioners in Taiwan, to enable us to come together. In addition to the help from the performance group and the general coordinator who came from a far away region, we got assistance from many cities in the south and north. It was the manifestation of good team coordination.
Even though we don't have that many practitioners in Taitung and many of them are elderly, this time we all worked together. We only had one thought, which was to host a successful event. We didn't think too much and only focused on doing things well. Later we realized that as long as we had the thought to do one thing well, miracles would happen. What was reflected besides the assistance of fellow practitioners from other regions, was that we also got help from ordinary people, including a non-practitioner volunteer who is a sound professional. We also had a professional saleswoman helping out with selling products. Many problems might have appeared difficult to solve at first, but were easily resolved. When we were cleaning up after the event, the flag and drum team voluntarily helped us out and we quickly finished the cleaning job. It was like divine soldiers coming down from the heavens.
At first, the general coordinator shared with us her experience in finding sponsors, which was, "No thought and simply deliver the truth." She did not think of anything and only focused on clarifying the truth, letting sentient beings position themselves. During hosting the event, we inevitably encountered some difficulties. I also had some moments of feeling depressed. I remembered Mater's lecture and the sharing from the general coordinator and I would then keep reminding myself not to think too much. In other words, any notions or thoughts are a material existence in another dimension. If we don't think about it we will make things less complicated and we will have less interference. The energy field will have been purified. At the same time, we all reminded each other not to wait or depend on others and not to complain.
Master taught us in the article "Be More Diligent",
"From now on you shouldn't say another word about how well the coordinator does cultivating or leading people, and you shouldn't cast your gaze toward him or her any longer. You need to get back to cultivating yourselves, and cultivate according to what I just said. You all need to do this now. Start cultivating yourselves."
Master's teaching made me realize that as coordinators, we should in fact cultivate ourselves even better and I should require myself to follow the standard of a cultivator. I also noticed that when I restrain myself with righteous thoughts and actions, I truly feel the enormous power of Master's words: "Cultivation depends on you, and gong depends on the master." (Zhuan Falun)
6. Improving and Elevating as a Whole Body
During the sharing after the event dinner, one practitioner said that he always felt bad because he couldn't keep up with the progress of Fa-rectification. He sold a few dinner tickets this time and participated in sending forth righteous thoughts diligently. He found himself to be a new person afterwards. He did not fall asleep during Fa study or while sending forth righteous thoughts. Another practitioner mentioned that whenever she put others first, whatever she was concerned about would be perfectly resolved. She experienced the wonder of being selfless. One practitioner shared the understanding of the urgency of saving sentient beings, which made his righteous thoughts even stronger. We all agreed that the process of organizing the event also enhanced our cultivation.
There were also some touching stories. One elderly practitioner who is in his 80's came to the event with his wife. They rode the train for one hour. After he arrived at the hotel, he quietly sat in the corner and started to send forth righteous thoughts from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. that night. His wife, who is not a practitioner, stayed with him the whole time.
Just like this elderly practitioner, everyone in Taitung tried his or her best to participate in the event. We did what we were supposed to do. We listened to Master and followed what He taught us. We quietly supplemented each other and assisted the coordinators wholeheartedly. We only had one thought in mind: "Host the event well and save the sentient beings." Later on, we came to the understanding that when all of us did this, our great and benevolent Master would arrange the best outcome.
The above was a brief sharing of organizing the dining event. Please kindly point out anything that is incorrect.
Thank you Master! Thank you fellow practitioners!