(Minghui.org)
Breaking Through Our Initial Doubts
Shen Yun will be performing in Taipei, Taiwan for the twelfth year in 2018. Last year, practitioners in my area were hoping to organize a reception to promote Shen Yun to people in our area, but we didn't do it because we thought we might not be able to pull it off.
When a practitioner asked whether we should hold a reception this year, some of us again had many doubts: First, there were only seven practitioners in our area, and two of them were quite elderly. Second, we didn't have any established contacts in mainstream society. And finally, we hadn't completed the training to promote Shen Yun.
I thought that these concerns were the result of fear and an everyday mindset. I began to consider how I could help our practitioners take action and achieve a common goal.
I recalled what Teacher Li Hongzhi said,
“I feel, however, that be it things of Dafa, or matters of Shen Yun, including some other things in Dafa, they are not to be done by a small number of people. If your area has just one person, Gods will help you accomplish it. If you have other people in your area who do not lift a finger, then Gods will absolutely not allow it, so you must go and ask others to all get involved. People in charge are coordinators, and you should coordinate others well and motivate them well, and have everyone involved. That is being in charge! Suppose you say, “I am in charge, and I just want to do it myself.” Yet it’s not that you are the lead person doing this thing—it’s not this concept. As I have been saying all along, I ask the people in charge to lead the people in this area well. Do not fear that there will be problems with them. Perhaps they have no experience at the moment, but as time passes, through practice they will gain experience. The key is to lead them to study the Fa often, and have them realize their huge responsibility. They will be able to do better gradually.” (Fa Teaching at the 2016 New York Fa Conference)
I suggested that we attend the reception in Tainan so we could see how they promoted Shen Yun. After we returned home, hosting our own reception became a popular topic in our discussions. Practitioners from other areas also encouraged us to hold an event. Finally, we made up our minds to organize a reception and motivate people to attend Shen Yun.
Becoming a Whole Body
The first thing to do was find a venue for the reception. Several practitioners from other areas came to study the Fa and share their experiences with us, including pitfalls we may encounter.
We tried to rent a facility from two high-class restaurants but were unsuccessful. After a group meeting, a practitioner suggested a restaurant where she had previously been given permission to display Shen Yun posters. When we visited the restaurant, we found that they had a room that would accommodate 100 people in 15 tables, which was exactly what we needed!
The next step was to approach the owner and make a reservation. Before meeting with the owner, our fellow practitioners pointed out that we should clarify the facts to him. We believed that the owner would agree to rent to us if we sincerely explained the meaning and purpose of Shen Yun to him.
Under Teacher's guidance, I knew that we should proceed because an arrangement had been made and was just waiting for us to execute it. We met with the owner the next day. He knew that we were all volunteers and mentioned that he had once participated in a volunteer organization and had also previously attended an introduction to Shun Yen. In the end, he agreed to rent us the room. During the process, I felt Teacher's blessing and protection. I was confident that we would have a good result!
We were now ready to invite guests. We agreed that three or four of us would go out to invite people. One time, we were riding motorcycles and stopped in front of a modest-looking residence near my home. There were ten villagers sitting and drinking tea, as if they were just waiting for us to approach them.
One of them asked, “Are all of you Falun Dafa practitioners?”
We replied: “Yes. We are here to invite you to attend a reception for Shen Yun Performing Arts.”
We also briefly answered other questions and emphasized our sincere desire to have them join us at the reception. In the end, five people agreed to come. Afterward, a practitioner told me that some of them were actually very well off and owned land although they dressed very casually.
I learned that I should not judge people by appearances and should remove my attachment of looking down on people.
Another time, two practitioners went to invite a friend to the reception. She was surprised to learn that one of the people who would speak at the reception was her husband's Chinese medicine teacher. She ended up buying Shen Yun tickets and also agreed to attend the reception.
During the process, I deeply felt that Teacher had made the arrangement and that we only needed to let go of our ordinary mentalities and invite those who have a predestined relationship.
The practitioners in our area worked together to complete many tasks, including finding the venue, inviting guests, preparing food, and so on. With no prior experience, we were able to remove the attachment of fear and coordinated together as a whole body.
I felt that we had been unselfish and helped one another. As Teacher said,
“The next person's things are your things, and your things are his things.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference” from Teaching the Fa at the Conference II)
Removing Jealousy
While working as one body, I realized that the practitioners’ varied characters and strengths complemented one another to achieve good results. I also found my attachments of envying others, inferiority, and jealousy. When practitioners did well, I was not happy for them. Instead, I thought that they could do more because they were more capable than I was.
Teacher said:
“You’re a model worker. You can do it. You should come to work early in the morning and go home late at night. You can do all this work since you’re good at it. We aren’t good enough.” People will be sarcastic and cynical, and so it is not easy even to be a good person.” (Zhuan Falun)
I realized that my thoughts came from the attachment of jealousy. I corrected myself by changing my mindset to just focus on working well with others. I learned that when I see practitioners who have good abilities, I should be truly happy for them!
Under Teacher's blessing and the practitioners' hard work, the reception was a resounding success! Although it was a cold evening, nearly 90 percent of the invited guests attended the event.
The good outcome was also a result of our being able to reach out to help save people in a sincere, compassionate manner.
Teacher said,
“The Buddha-light illuminates everywhere and harmonizes everything.” (Zhuan Falun)
Teacher believes that we can do well, so we should believe in ourselves too!
