[European Fa Conference] My Cultivation Experiences While Arranging a Gallery for the Zhen Shan Ren Art Works

(Minghui.org) Greetings Master! Greetings fellow practitioners!

I used to often wonder why I began practicing Falun Dafa so late – at the age of 51 – but I no longer worry about this and instead focus my energy on doing the three things Master asked us to do well. My experiences last year preparing to open a gallery to exhibit the Art of Zhen Shan Ren International Exhibition made me realize that as long as we cultivate well, Master will bestow upon us everything we need. I would like to tell you what happened. 

Preparing for the Art of Zhen Shan Ren International Exhibition Helped Me Eliminate My Attachments

In mid-June last year, when I was translating for NTDTV, I translated an article about the Art of Zhen Shan Ren International Exhibition in Texas and the viewers’ comments. I was moved by the power of compassion and truth conveyed by the paintings. This was the first time I learned about the existence of the Art of Zhen Shan Ren International Exhibition. I wondered why I had not heard of this project before. The next day, after asking fellow practitioners, I learned that France held many such exhibitions years ago, and they were very successful. But the project was discontinued five years ago.

I asked myself, since this project is so effective in clarifying the truth, why not restart it? I have seen many articles on the Minghui website about the Art of Zhen Shan Ren International Exhibition held around the world. These art exhibitions have great power in clarifying the truth and have touched the hearts of many visitors.

At the beginning of July 2021, I decided to restart this project. Paris is known as the capital of art. It is the number one tourist city in the world, with countless historic museums and cultural centers. I think this may be an intentional arrangement, so that the Art of Zhen Shan Ren International Exhibition can continue to be held in Paris.

I had to find a gallery easily visible to passers-by, with windows facing the road.

After sending righteous thoughts that day, I checked some Parisian shop rental advertisements. I was surprised to see that one shop’s rental fee was much lower than others, the size was just right, and the location was very good. I realize this was exactly what I needed.

I visited the shop the next day and told them about my plan so they knew what my plans were. When I got home, I wrote a letter to the owner because he hadn’t been there that morning. In my letter, I introduced my project in the kindest and most sincere tone, and I told him I wanted to rent the shop at a price 30% lower than the initial asking price. I thought, why not give it a try? Whether he accepts it or not, I’m going to rent this place because its price is so much lower than other properties. After the letter was sent, I received a positive response the next day. I soon learned that three other people wanted to rent the shop at the original asking price, but the owner refused them because he decided to rent to me even if the price was reduced.

In addition, the lawyer handling the process had lowered his fees, and the real estate agents made similar adjustments to their commissions. The real estate agent even negotiated and successfully canceled the first 3 months of rent and a security deposit equivalent to 1 year’s rent. I really believe my truth clarification made the difference. The people associated with the shop changed their attitudes. In the beginning, everyone was asking for big commissions, but now they reduced them to a minimum.

I am very grateful for Master’s compassion, which enabled these sentient beings to hear the truth, be saved, and make the right decisions, so the project could be carried out smoothly. Over the next few months, there were many tests, the biggest of which was the sudden closure of my bank account holding the funds for the transaction, and without allowing any extra time, the funds deposited into the account disappeared in an instant. I realized this was to get me to give up my attachment to money and wealth. I sent righteous thoughts to eliminate this attachment. The same day, I found another bank that would accept me as a customer. After a few days, the original bank transferred all my funds to the new account. Finally, the formalities were completed, and I waited to sign the contract.

Unfortunately, this event caused the landlord to change his mind and he demanded that the contract be drafted according to a completely different procedure. This meant that everything done before was in vain and the whole thing had to be done all over again with new administrative procedures, which was much more troublesome, three times more expensive, and took longer than before.

The lawyer was angry and told me to stop trusting the owner. The real estate agent did not understand what happened either, and there was no way for the landlord to change his decision. I wanted to know why this happened. I examined the whole process from the beginning, but I didn’t know which of my attachments caused this reversal. 

I thought, “If I’m going to build a gallery with solid roots, I need things like stone, wood, soil, and steel to build the foundation. Since this gallery is going to be used to make sentient beings understand the Truth, it has to contain the necessary amount of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Maybe in my current cultivation state, I have not obtained enough “raw materials.” So the owner asked me to destroy everything and start over, perhaps to better improve my xinxing.”

I wrote the lawyer and asked him to follow the landlord’s instructions and redo the documents according to the new procedure. Since the lawyer understood my good intentions, he reduced the commission when he did it. After that, a series of tests took place. I faced every test with the mentality of a Dafa disciple, and I eliminated more attachments to money, losses, and benefits.

Finally, in mid-December, 2021, I signed the contract and got the keys. The entire process took six months. Such a transaction should only have taken one month.

I realized everything a cultivator does is an opportunity to improve their xinxing, and only in this way can they achieve the state of “...it won’t work even if you fall short just a bit.” (The Seventh Talk, Zhuan Falun), so as to realize this project. 

I named this gallery “Tianmen.” I found this name in Master’s Hong Yin, which contains many verses about “Tianmen.” Because I think the gallery is a place where all beings can understand the truth and be saved by Master.

During the process of establishing the gallery, Master made many arrangements for me. I own several houses, live on the rent I receive, and have a relatively high income which is why I was able to commit to this project. Still, as the gallery was established, my everyday person’s work suddenly changed. With the same number of rental properties, my monthly income suddenly increased, and I have found that the increase is comparable to the monthly expense of maintaining the gallery. I realized it was Master who arranged the extra funds for me to maintain the gallery. As Master said, “We’re not asking you to really lose any material things.” (The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun)

I also found I no longer have to pay so many everyday expenses. Before I opened the gallery, my oldest daughter left France to go to university in another country, and I had to pay for her study abroad. My youngest daughter also started her first year of university. I am also financially supporting my niece as she is leaving to study in Australia. Every year I spend about 30,000 euros for the schooling of these three children. Last September, halfway through the gallery program, my oldest daughter was awarded a scholarship and a part-time internship that paid enough to cover all her expenses, so she no longer needed my help. After my younger daughter went to university, she was chosen to study a major with a monthly salary, so she also became financially independent. My niece in Australia also got a part-time job. Last year I sent her enough money to pay the rest of her expenses until she graduates from university.

In this way, my two children and niece became financially independent. All this happened while I was preparing the gallery. I was relieved from my family’s heavy financial burden. And all three young ladies did very well in their studies. Master not only provided me with the necessary financial resources to maintain the gallery, but also made arrangements for the children.

But Master’s arrangement is not limited to this. After the gallery was established, Chinese tourists continuously came to rent a room in my largest apartment. At that time, a Chinese practitioner needed accommodation, and I provided her with a room in this apartment. In this way, the Chinese practitioner interacted with the Chinese tourists and clarified the truth. Most tourists choose to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. One of the tourists did not quit, but he at least heard the truth.

When I was studying the Fa, I read this sentence: 

“My Law bodies are aware of everything. Whatever you think about, they’re aware of it, and they can do anything. If you don’t cultivate they won’t look after you, but if you do cultivate, they’ll help you all the way to the end.” (The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun)

I was really moved. Just because I wanted to provide sentient beings with a new opportunity to hear the truth, and I kept removing my attachments of a human heart during the six months of setting up the gallery, Master kept looking after me during this process.

Truth Clarification at the Gallery

At the end of February 2022, our gallery opened to the public. On June 11, 2022, I invited all practitioners from France to hold a formal opening ceremony. Practitioners from the Tianti Bookstore also came to the gallery to set up a small bookstore, where Dafa books, especially the multilingual translations of Zhuan Falun, are displayed in the window. We also held a screening of the film “Letter from Masanjia.” Because we are showcasing traditional culture, we also promoted Shen Yun to visitors who come to appreciate the paintings. This is a good opportunity to introduce Shen Yun to them.

I’ve had many cultivation opportunities while working in the gallery. I cherish every visitor because I think this may be their only chance to see the artworks and they may never pass by again. Most of the visitors are tourists from all over the world, as our gallery is located in a tourist area in the center of Paris, only a 10-minute walk from Notre-Dame Cathedral.

Everyone who enters the gallery learns the truth. Some write down their feelings in the gallery’s guestbook. I believe it was Master’s Law bodies that brought people with predestined relationships here.

I was most impressed by a visitor from the Netherlands who passed by the gallery and saw books in many different languages, including books written in his mother’s native language (he spoke a different language from his mother). He immediately had the thought to buy the book for his mother. After the young man walked into the gallery and heard the truth, he became firmer in his decision, so he bought Zhuan Falun and Falun Gong as gifts for his mother. I thought to myself, in this beautiful Paris, there are so many gifts for his mother displayed everywhere, but this young man just looked at this book through our window and got the idea to buy a book for his mother, was it not Master’s Law body that brought him here?

Another woman exclaimed as soon as she entered the door, “Wow, so Falun Gong is here! Why are they persecuted?” She said she had seen news about the persecution online, but had no idea why it was taking place. I told her the truth. Because she was interested in practicing Falun Gong, she asked for some information about the local practice sites, and then she left happily.

I can’t tell you all the stories of encounters I’ve had with people in the gallery. I just want to say that Master has arranged everything, and all we have to do is clarify the truth to the people Master has arranged, so as to establish the mighty virtue of Dafa disciples. Master has pushed us to a higher level.

I sincerely thank Master for giving us such a wonderful opportunity to cultivate. Every time I open the door and enter the gallery, my heart is filled with powerful righteous thoughts, and I vow from the bottom of my heart to assimilate to Dafa, to be a disciple worthy of this title, and to diligently fulfill the vow I made in prehistoric times.

Putting the Teachings into Action

Master said, 

“As a student, if his mind is filled with nothing but Dafa, this person is definitely a genuine cultivator. So you must have a clear understanding on the matter of studying the Fa. Reading the books more and studying the books more is the key to truly elevating yourself. To put it more simply, as long as you read Dafa, you are changing; as long as you read Dafa, you are elevating. The boundless content of Dafa plus the supplementary means—the exercises—will enable you to reach Consummation.” (“Melt Into the Fa,” Essentials for Further Advancement)

When I read this paragraph of Master’s Fa, I realized that reading the Fa is not enough; I need to understand the Fa and cultivate accordingly. For a true disciple, every thought and action needs to be righteous. 

Looking back, I realize I always struggled to comprehend the Fa after reading for some time, or half-way into a lecture. Although I tried to comprehend the Fa, I always ended up reading the Fa but not taking it into my heart. 

My family complained that I don’t chat with them at dinner but only hurriedly eat and then read the Fa. I realized I also need to balance my personal life so my family will not look at my cultivation and Dafa negatively. 

I changed my schedule: studying the Fa when I felt the most energetic and finishing the lecture in the afternoon. Although I no longer read the Fa for hours, I now feel like I can better comprehend the Fa. My relationship with my family has also improved. They no longer complain or say negative things about my cultivation.

Moreover, I believe the process of studying the Fa and obtaining the Fa are inseparable from memorizing the Fa. I have twice tried to memorize the Fa in the last year. But each time I set myself a few pages a day to memorize, that goal made me nervous and restless. By looking inward, I found it was caused by my desire to seek something and the desire to show off, because I wanted to show I could memorize the Fa.

Recently, I have a new understanding of memorizing the Fa, which is, I’m no longer attached to progress, but simply put myself in the state that Master mentioned, “...his mind is filled with nothing but Dafa.” (“Melt Into the Fa,” Essentials for Further Advancement)

So, I started memorizing the Fa again. My progress in memorizing is not set in stone. Sometimes I can memorize two pages in half an hour, and sometimes I can only memorize one sentence. I understand that when I concentrate on studying the Fa but cannot memorize it, it is because I need to clear away my attachments related to the content of that passage. When this happens, instead of doing everything I can to memorize the Fa, I stop and look within. My Fa study process has also become a process of constantly looking inward based on what I’ve learned.

I found that many of my ways of thinking and behavior did not conform to the Fa. After I understand a certain sentence while studying the Fa, I gain new insights and a wonderful sense of melting into the teachings. I have become more sensitive when faced with sudden challenges in my daily life. Now I can deal with it quickly according to the Fa, so I often pass a tribulation smoothly: for example, when someone is driving past me on the right side, I no longer get annoyed. I no longer think of going to the police when a tenant walks away without paying rent; I can keep my mind calm when a tenant calls me and complains. I’m no longer hot-headed, but I look within calmly. I can find my own shortcomings every time: such as clinging to complacency, clinging to money, not listening to criticism, etc. As soon as I find these attachments, I send righteous thoughts to clear them.

I even managed to get through a sickness karma test in my sleep. One night, while I was sleeping, my left leg suddenly cramped. It felt as if it was shortened. I immediately sent forth righteous thoughts: I am a Dafa disciple, and I only acknowledge Master’s arrangement. I do not acknowledge any other arrangements. I will not acknowledge this false appearance of pain, which is not my true self. After reciting the verses for sending righteous thoughts, the pain disappeared, the hamstrings relaxed, and I could straighten my leg. When I woke up, I remembered everything that happened. Therefore, I believe in Dafa even more.

Persistently looking inward and sending righteous thoughts to clear my attachments made me feel protected, and perhaps I avoided a lot of interference that might have occurred. I believe after I eliminate more attachments, my speed of memorizing the Fa will be quicker, all that will be loaded into my head will be the Fa, and my ability to assimilate into the Fa will also increase.

As a Vietnamese living in France, I started to read the Fa in French so that I can better communicate with local practitioners. I realized that compared to Vietnamese, it is easier to understand the surface meaning when I study the Fa in French. This can help me understand the Fa better, and at the same time, I can see that I have all kinds of thoughts and my attachments and jealousy were also exposed in the process of studying the Fa.

This is the biggest reward I have gained during my recent Fa study. Master has given me many things. I will continue to focus on studying the Fa.

Thank you, Master, and thank you fellow practitioners.

(Submitted to the 2022 European Fa Conference)