Solidly Cultivating Myself While Promoting Shen Yun

(Minghui.org) Participating in Shen Yun promotion not only assists Master in Fa-rectification and saving people but also offers practitioners opportunities to cultivate. I'd like to share some of my experiences with you.

Master said:

“For Dafa disciples, your doing the three things well is just the biggest thing. You must first cultivate yourself well, only then can you fulfill your historic mission. Therefore, in the entire process of saving sentient beings and validating Dafa, you cannot neglect your own cultivation. So in cultivation, you must be serious, and that is the most basic guarantee for you as a cultivator.” (“Fa Teaching at the New York Fa Conference on the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of Dafa’s Introduction to the Public”)

Eliminating My Attachment to Comfort and Finding Joy in Hardship

I grew up in a privileged environment so I have difficulty suffering hardships gracefully. To promote Shen Yun I frequently had to go out; I visited clinics, clubs, luxury condos, and restaurants, as well as handing out fliers in all sorts of places. When I traveled out of my state to promote Shen Yun, I needed to be on the road for several days. It was physically taxing. I interacted with different kinds of people in different environments.

Master taught us:

“You have to get personally involved, cultivate, and go and put things into action. Working hard is part of your cultivation. You need to think of ways to find the people that you are meant to save. All of these are things that Dafa disciples should do.” (“20th Anniversary Fa Teaching”)

I enlightened that hardships are a route that we practitioners must take. In fact, it is an honor for us to endure hardships while saving people.

Three years ago, another state needed help promoting Shen Yun so I went there and stayed with several other practitioners. For three weeks, not only did I go out to promote Shen Yun but I was also responsible for making breakfast, dinner, and sometimes simple lunches for everyone. When we got back from doing the promotion work, the others could relax but I had to go to the kitchen and cook. I also washed the dishes.

At first, I felt it was unfair but I quickly adjusted myself. I realized this was a great opportunity Master arranged for me to eliminate karma and improve my character. I began happily preparing meals for everyone, and I even felt ashamed that I had the initial negative reaction. After I adjusted my mindset, I even found time to make special dishes to accommodate the tastes of my fellow practitioners.

We were on our way back one night when a practitioner phoned and asked for my help translating an article. She said it was urgent. Because it was such short notice I thought she must really need help, so I agreed. When I began working on it, I realized it was a very long article. I spent all night on my computer. Master’s portrait hung in the living room. Whenever I looked up, I could see Master looking at me compassionately.

I finally finished the translation and it was 5 a.m. I rested a little and went out with the others as usual. I was amazed that I did not feel tired all day. When the promotional activities were over, I found out that my former employer had given me a $900 bonus for the extra work I did when the company was short of staff. I had left the company three months before so this was an unexpected surprise.

Eliminating the Attachment to VanityWhen others talked about the number of Shen Yun tickets they sold at the malls, I was affected. At first, I didn't think about how many I’d sold – I just tried to do my best. But I soon started paying attention to how many I’d sold and then became very focused on it. As a result, I did not sell any tickets for several days even though I had previously been selling steadily.

I felt bad and looked inward. When the ticket sales were going well, I was happy; I became anxious when the tickets did not sell. I realized that I had a strong attachment to fame, vanity, reputation, showing off, and jealousy. With this dirty selfishness, how could I save people? I kept reminding myself and as soon as I had these thoughts, I would eliminate them. I must save people with compassion and a pure mind. I must not have any intentions or selfish thoughts.

One weekday, I was busy promoting Shen Yun in a shopping mall all day but I did not sell a single ticket. I was tired. The mall was nearly empty and would soon close. I silently said to Master, “Master, if I have any attachments that I'm not aware of, please point them out.” At that moment I noticed a couple watching the commercial, and they bought two tickets. Shortly after, another couple came over and also bought two tickets; they had heard about Shen Yun and had been longing to see it. With tears in her eyes, the lady said, “What is this world coming to? Why is society degenerating?” She hugged when we said goodbye. I could not hold back my tears. Words could not express my gratitude to Master.

Eliminating Self-interest

The local coordinator arranged for my husband and me to go to different states to promote Shen Yun. I hesitated at first, as we would lose income every day our business was closed and we were already having financial problems. With both of us gone, not only would we have no income but we'd also incur additional costs. How would we survive?

We enlightened that there are few opportunities to promote Shen Yun and that saving people is the priority. We should set aside our personal issues. So, we went on the road for 5 months. Amazingly, our income did not decrease but actually increased. I had an online part-time job which usually didn't pay much. Suddenly, my income doubled. Our financial problems were resolved during the months we were on the road promoting Shen Yun. From this experience, we deeply understood that everything is being controlled by Master.

At one shop, the owner was cold and dismissive. As soon as I told him that Shen Yun was banned in China his attitude changed. He took the Shen Yun pamphlet from me and loudly said, “Whatever the CCP is against must be good!”

The manager of a hotel associated with a private club was very thankful after I introduced Shen Yun to him. He took several pamphlets and said he would recommend the show to club members.

At the entrance of another private club, the security guard said, “This is a private club. You aren't allowed to go in, but you can give me the pamphlets. I'll pass them out as everyone needs to see me to get in.”

Another time, as soon as I walked into a hotel, the two ladies at the front desk exclaimed, “Shen Yun!” I was taken aback. They hugged me and happily told me how much they loved the Shen Yun show they’d seen.

These are a tiny portion of the experiences I've had. After interacting with people waiting to be saved, we have no reason to slack off. We should cultivate diligently and strive to eliminate our human attachments.

As I finished writing this article, the sun was rising. Things in this human world are fleeting. We must follow Master and save people with a pure heart while solidly cultivating ourselves.