[European Fa Conference] How Helping With Shen Yun Improved My Cultivation

(Minghui.org) I realized in early 2022 that my cultivation state was not good. I noticed that a strong human attachment surfaces when I feel that I’ve been offended by others or I feel embarrassed. Instead of looking inward and identifying my attachments and improving, I became defiant and self-pitying. I was obviously not using the opportunity to cultivate myself. Even though I clearly understand from Master’s teachings and hints from other practitioners that I should look within, I had difficulty doing so.

I have the same attitude when I wish for something to happen in my life, and it doesn’t materialize, such as my wish to have children. Even though I felt I let go of all my expectations, my defiant, childlike reproach to Master remains. I kept wondering why he did not make this experience possible for me. After the Shen Yun tour was over, I realized how much participating helped to improve my cultivation.

A few weeks ago when I listened to the podcast of Buddha Milarepa’s cultivation story on the Minghui website, I realized what cultivation used to mean. The cultivator handed all his possessions to the Master and only then could he or she step into cultivation. I understood that although Master does not require us to become monks and nuns and enter a monastery, he does require us to take our attachments lightly and cultivate among ordinary people. I realized that I had still not really let go of many things, and still had human desires – I wondered if I was really cultivating. This was the first time I really understood that I should give up everything and trust Master, just as was done in the past, even if it is only in a figurative sense. Then, I could truly cultivate.

I had these insights when I was able to actively support Shen Yun in 2022. I’d like to tell you what happened.

How Supporting Shen Yun Challenged Me to Cultivate Better

As I had not begun to actively cultivate in late 2019, I was not asked to help with Shen Yun. I was asked to help with Shen Yun preparations. I helped with the ticket hotline, and I distributed brochures in targeted areas, such as outside theaters. I was later invited to help at the Shen Yun Shop during performances. This made me very happy, as I love the Shen Yun products. I have purchased several and given them as gifts to friends and family.

However, I realized that supporting Shen Yun requires a certain stability to withstand pressure. For example I experienced a physical cleansing the first time I was assigned to watch the ticket hotline. In the beginning, my phone almost never rang. This made me think that I had not reached the cultivation level required to save the people I was supposed to save. All these experiences motivated me to cultivate diligently and do the three things well every day. I am convinced that helping with Shen Yun got me back on my feet much faster.

Making Good Use of Time and Unconditionally Following Master’s Arranged Path

I used the time while working on the ticket hotline to prepare myself for selling Shen Yun Shop products. I created handwritten cards describing the products. I also helped update the catalogs, and gave them to the people in charge. I remembered what Master said:

“If the person in charge didn’t think of something, then you can do a little more and fix it, and that will be the end of it, right?” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2014 San Francisco Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XIII)

When I was almost done with the Shen Yun Shop flashcards, the coordinator asked me if I would be willing to support the new Shop Artist Fashion instead of the Shen Yun Shop. I wanted to unconditionally follow her request and thus follow the path arranged by Master, but at the same moment my stubbornness surfaced—I liked to plan in advance and didn’t easily accept sudden changes. I used to think that I could easily deal with changes. When my stubbornness surfaced I realized that I was just fooling myself, and that I was someone who prefers stability and consistency. Fortunately, thanks to my love for Shen Yun, I was able to look forward to the new challenge. The coordinator also knew to find the right words to motivate me. She just said, “It’s best if you learn everything anyway, because you might still have to help out at the Shen Yun shop. You’re young. You can do it.” I was able to hold on to the fact that I hadn’t created the Shen Yun Shop flashcards for nothing. At the same time I started to look into the Artist Fashion products.

Even though the coordinator did not directly tell me that I would take over the main responsibility for Artist Fashion, I slowly realized that this was my task, since no one else was available to take over this task in both locations [Basel & Bregenz]. I also wanted to support the coordinator. I am very grateful to Master and the coordinator for this opportunity and this careful arrangement. My confidence that I could do it grew.

Handling the Artist Fashion products, I liked these well-designed and beautiful garments. I knew how comfortable they were to wear, as I wore a dance shirt and a zip-up printed with Zhen–Shan–Ren ( Truthfulness–Compassion–Forbearance) while helping in the store.

Trusting Master and Fellow Practitioners

During the last few weeks before Shen Yun arrived, in addition to my work and daily duties, I used every moment to promote and prepare for Shen Yun.

It was time to unload the cars and start setting up. I noticed that I had an inner restlessness, as if the time needed to prepare would not be enough to do everything well. I wanted to set everything up in peace, but this was not possible because other practitioners kept asking questions. I felt as if I had to be everywhere at the same time. The fellow practitioner who worked in the Artist Fashion Shop with me in Basel also said that she was not very familiar with the clothing and that she still needed my support. I tried to help her, as well as introduce the goods to her.

I was then asked to take the car, drive to the garage, and fetch some items that were forgotten. I had to leave her alone. We discussed briefly what she could do in my absence. I felt bad that I couldn’t prepare the clothes myself. However, I realized that this may be a good opportunity for her to familiarize herself with them. I let go of my concerns and trusted that she would do it well. By the time I got back she had everything wonderfully arranged, and she was ironing shirts with another practitioner. I was very grateful that she had done so well.

The next day I had to leave again and drive a car to get more programs from the garage. I left the other practitioners alone until the minute the theater doors opened. Thanks to my trust in Master, I was back on time and we were able to welcome the guests and introduce the clothing. Again, I noticed my desire to be in different places at the same time. I had the opportunity to watch the show on and off. However, I still had my car parked in the no-parking zone in front of the theater. During the intermission the other practitioners told me that I received a parking fine. I realized that I needed to be more calm and not leave any gaps, but to fully live up to my responsibilities.

I understood that I had to take a rest and calm down. This helped me to look at the situation from the Fa’s perspective in order to be able to do my work well. What helped me a lot was the daily reading and sharing with the practitioners who helped with the store. I was able to learn what insights they had while selling the products. This allowed us to sell more products every day.

Our interactions with the customers went well. The clothing which had Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance printed on them was especially popular. We were repeatedly told that it would be nice if Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance was printed on the other garments, such as the men’s polo shirts or the women’s dance shirts. One lady who bought a zip-up jacket with Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance printed on it, said that she wanted to only wear these clothes, which are good for the soul. Another customer who owned a clothing store, said that as soon as she touched the dance shirts and I told her about the materials, she thought the price was reasonable. She immediately bought one for herself. People familiar with nicer quality items know that our clothing is high quality. We gave brochures about Falun Dafa to interested people and gave a lotus flower to customers when they bought something. It is very amazing how powerful Zhuan Falun is. The customers were attracted to the book and they asked about Falun Dafa. We sold over 80 Zhuan Falun books in five days.

An additional challenge was that The Artist Fashion Shop not only attracted those who attended the performances, but also practitioners. I was very happy because we had a lot of clothing, and we were able to sell more. On the other hand, it meant that the store was not only open during breaks in the performances, but all day long. I did not have time to take inventory between shows. I just had to trust that the receipts matched the products sold. Had I not trusted Master, I’m sure I would have had a hard time letting this go. I kept telling myself that I’m doing my best – that’s all I could do. After the performances I was able to take the inventory at home in peace. I am very grateful that it all worked out.

The Power of Shen Yun Helps Me Endure

During the five days that Shen Yun performed in Basel and Bregenz, I was truly challenged, physically and mentally. Every day I had different physical ailments, from severe foot pain on the first days, to a sty in my eye, to stomach pain on the last days. I understood that my body was being cleansed. It was bearable and I could carry out my tasks. For example, the sty in my eye disappeared one evening after the Shen Yun performance, although it usually lasts at least a week. I wondered if I had done something wrong, that I had to endure physical suffering while Shen Yun was there. However, I also realized that it challenged my endurance and showed me that I could fulfill my responsibilities despite suffering. After all, cultivation is also about enduring suffering. Sometimes I didn’t get to eat or drink. At night I couldn’t sleep well because my hotel room was scorching hot.

The situations that I usually tried to avoid as much as possible all came together. I think that I managed to endure only due to my trust in Master, the power of Shen Yun, my strong inner conviction, and my will not to be disturbed when doing these sacred tasks. The circumstances were never more than I could bear. For example, the practitioner who looked after the Artist Fashion Shop with me in Bregenz was a very great support from the very beginning. She took care of sorting and preparation and was already experienced in selling clothes.

When I returned home I saw on Shen Yun Creations a video of the “3 Musketeers” titled “Extremely Difficult!” I went to Shen Yun Creations. 18-Day Tour in Mexico! Fighting with Altitude Sickness & Food Poisoning!, tears came to my eyes and I understood that the physical suffering I endured during Shen Yun was nothing compared to what the Shen Yun dancers experience! In the future, I would like to eliminate any interference with strong righteous thoughts, and not go along with it.

Artist Fashion

I have developed such love for the Shen Yun Shop and Artist Fashion products that I would love to open a store here at Bahnhofstrasse in Zurich next to Prada and Gucci. Until then I know I need to cultivate myself even better, since I currently have neither the financial means nor the necessary experience to get something like that off the ground.

Many garments were left after the performances. Therefore, along with the coordinator, I am in the process of offering them through various channels. For example, we have created an e-mail to dance schools describing the beautiful clothes and talking about their origin, namely Shen Yun. In this way, we can also indirectly advertise Shen Yun.

As I understand it, with Artist Fashion and the sale of Zhuan Falun at Shen Yun performances, a new era has begun and everyone can now position themselves by buying a T-shirt that says “Falun Dafa is Good” or “Zhen Shan Ren.” As a practitioner, I now have the opportunity to make people aware of Falun Dafa outside of official Dafa activities—just by putting on a piece of clothing that says “Falun Dafa is Good.” It fills me with great joy to think that more and more people are walking around wearing Artist Fashion clothes.

I was worried at the beginning that I would not do well because I have no sales experience. I want to do a lot of things even better.

Given my experiences with Shen Yun, I understand ever more the importance of actively supporting projects. Actually, they support me first and foremost, so that I am motivated to cultivate myself diligently. The process helps me understand what my life is all about. With the support of Shen Yun, my heart has opened. Instead of pressure, I feel a natural push to always want to do better.

I thank revered Master for the wonderfully arranged path that helps me realize that I have to do everything one step at a time. I thank my fellow practitioners for their trust, support, and compassionate advice.

(Submitted to the 2022 European Fa Conference)