(Clearwisdom.net) The other day I had an experience that crystallized my understanding of why Master has asked us not to give discounts or lower prices for Shen Yun performances.
Through everyone’s hard work and dedication, we were able to sell out this winter’s performances. On opening night, there were still some people waiting outside the theater, hoping that they could get their hands on some cheap tickets at the last minute. But, of course, because of that attitude, they missed the show this time around.
Yesterday I ran into a woman and we began talking. I mentioned that I had seen Shen Yun and she said that she had really wanted to see it, but missed it. Tickets were already sold out by the time she tried to buy. She had waited too long. When I mentioned the show would be coming back again, she said she wouldn’t miss out this time and would get tickets as soon as they became available.
What I saw here was a changing attitude about Shen Yun. If we offered tickets at a discount to sell more, people would know they could just wait until the end and buy cheap tickets. They wouldn't truly value Shen Yun. Master said in “Teaching the Fa in San Francisco” (1997) from Lectures in the United States, “We humans have a saying that what’s scarce is precious and that what’s rare is remarkable.” This woman, however, now realizes how precious Shen Yun is and won’t take it lightly. That attitude of respect is only given to a world-class show, not a show that is so desperate to sell tickets that the prices keep being discounted. A Shen Yun audience member should respect and cherish the show.
It reminds me a section in “The Issue of Treating Illness” from Zhuan Falun, where Master takes some students to the Oriental Health Expo in Beijing.
"There were three waiting lines: The first line was for those who registered early in the morning for the morning treatment, the second line was waiting to register for the afternoon treatment, and the third line was waiting for my autograph."
As I understand it, this can be viewed as a summary of humanity’s encounter with Dafa. The first line represents the period where Dafa was spreading and those who obtained the Fa before 1999, “in the morning.” The second line is the period of clarifying the truth and those who obtained the Fa during the persecution “in the afternoon.” The final line is the future, where the world’s people will honor and reciprocate Dafa. As Shen Yun’s reputation grows, that future draws ever closer.
Category: Journeys of Cultivation