(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master, and fellow Practitioners!
Since the time I began practicing Falun Dafa in 2001, I have published many articles clarifying the truth and validating the Fa in my hometown before immigrating to Canada. My ability to write and publish articles in newspapers and magazines was strengthened with the help of the Fa. This also was the reason for my gaining great confidence in writing articles.
Nevertheless, after immigrating to Canada about seven years ago, due to my lack of good writing ability in English, my confidence was diminished. However, after seeing many magazines in the Persian language in Vancouver, I was encouraged to again resume writing truth-clarification and Shen Yun articles in my mother tongue.
Overcoming Fear
This was easier said than done, as I was still not familiar with the printing situation in Canada. I was also told that one probably had to pay a lot of money to get anything published. Fear and financial concern were my first obstacles to starting writing and promoting Shen Yun shows in Vancouver publications. However, when the Vancouver Falun Dafa coordinator told me that the publisher of Shen Yun fliers in Vancouver is Persian, I regained my confidence and I believed I could write again.
In my opinion, all of this came about due to Master’s arrangements, so that I would be able to identify the attachment to fear and then try to eliminate it.
Master said,
“And once the person is frightened, it’s an attachment—fear—which has to be dealt with, then. And so the greater the person’s fear, the more it will seem that he has some condition. He simply must be made to break the attachment, learn a lesson, and grow from it spiritually by letting go of his fears.” (The Sixth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
Willingness to Struggle with New Difficulties
Participating in Shen Yun promotion training classes and selling tickets at Shen Yun ticket booths, as well as reading extensively on the Shen Yun website and in The Epoch Times media, helped me to realize that there are conditions required for promoting Shen Yun.
When I wanted to write the first article, another concern came to mind: What would I say if were asked why I am promoting another culture’s performance rather than the Persian culture? The attachment of worry again popped up and led to exactly what I’d predicted, as the editors of the magazines asked me those very questions.
When I looked inside, I realized that I was not confident enough, nor was I willing to struggle with new difficulties; otherwise I should not stop doing what I should do, as it was related to saving people. I corrected my thoughts and believed that if the publishers published my articles, they would receive blessings and virtue.
When my first article was published, I believed that it was possible.
Participating in Shen Yun ticket sales booths helped me increase my strength and benevolence by looking at this show from a non-practitioner's point of view. I learned what concerns people had, what questions they had, and what convinced them to see the show. After that, I began to write frequently for various publications.
Reaching Out to Publishers in Toronto
When my family and I came to Toronto, despite not being familiar with the publishers and media in this commercial city, I could recover my righteous thoughts faster and change my mind towards the positive side easier. I realized that I needed to communicate more and meet with magazine publishers face to face in order to have a more significant impact. Therefore, I decided to communicate directly with magazine publishers.
After a review of Persian-language media and publications, I started to talk to these people about Shen Yun. I thought that they probably had seen many of the advertisements for beautiful shows written in English in the past, but maybe they still did not know exactly what these shows represented and therefore might not have paid much attention to them. After communicating with several people, I realized that my hunch was right.
I contacted several publications over the phone and found out that they charged a significant fee for printing each article. I was disappointed, but I remembered that great things require persistence and effort.
I contacted the director of one of the best publications in Toronto. He owned the most popular magazine and Persian-language video and television media in Toronto. It was not difficult to make an appointment with their office.
Overcoming Stormy Weather and Finding a Noble Publisher
It was a cold and stormy winter day. I traveled part of the way by bus. When I got off at the first bus station, I was shaking from the cold. My hands were freezing and I could not even use my mobile phone to find the next bus number. I hesitated for a while and asked myself if I should go home. I did not know the way and was freezing. I waited at the bus station for a while to decide whether or not to postpone my appointment until the weather was better. It was like a struggle between righteous and wrong thoughts. Finally, the righteous thoughts won. I told myself to be strong, go ahead, not worry, and leave everything to benevolent Master.
I could barely use my mobile phone to find the correct directions, and when I thought I could not bear the cold anymore, the bus arrived. I continued my way throughout the day, despite the freezing rain, with no umbrella. I pulled my hat on, and did not want to take my gloves off, but had to. I circled around the newspaper office a few times before I found the entrance area and the door. Finally, I reached my destination.
For me, it felt like reaching a peaceful and better place after the hardships of a difficult path.
I could not imagine that the managers of the publication and TV media, a married couple, would welcome Shen Yun so much. They accepted the flier with appreciation, then suggested that they could advertise information about Falun Dafa. They agreed with everything I proposed. They were noble souls and strong people.
The Friendship Deepens and Flourishes and the Dafa-supporting Publisher Was Blessed
From then on, this friendship took a greater turn and led to the publication every year of a large number of articles validating the Fa, clarifying the truth, and promoting Shen Yun. These articles in their various publications and media played a significant role in introducing Shen Yun to the Iranian and Persian communities.
In one of the Nowruz Persian New Year festivals this year, where we participated in the latest Shen Yun performance in Canada, the media manager couple came to visit in order to write a report for their media. They stayed at the booth for a while and were really happy to see the Shen Yun booth and other Falun Dafa practitioners. The woman went to many other Persian booths and asked them to come to the Shen Yun booth and buy tickets. She praised Shen Yun’s performances at every booth she visited and said to them that everyone must see this show at least once.
After that, she came to me and suggested that I should go to see the owners of other booths. Then the magazine director introduced me to her friend at another booth, and strongly encouraged her to see Shen Yun at least once.
During the entire period of the COVID-19 virus outbreak in Toronto, when most of the magazines were forced to close and stopped publishing, this magazine, which always supported Shen Yun and Falun Dafa, was one of the few magazines that was publishing regularly, and people received the magazines in stores, offices and various Farsi-language organizations. They were able to publish non-stop. The stability of their prosperity was a sign of the blessings they had received from their support of Shen Yun and Falun Dafa.
Practitioners’ Cooperation Is the Key to Success
Our Shen Yun booth at the Persian New Year festivals had a large, positive impact, and many people learned what Shen Yun is about. We sold many tickets and distributed many fliers to Persian people. However, I believe that the success of our Shen Yun booth came from the great cooperation of all practitioners involved. We all had positive, respectful, and very helpful cooperation with each other at the Persian Shen Yun booth. I looked very positively at the cooperation with my colleagues who sold tickets and introduced Shen Yun at the booth, as I knew that each one’s work was valuable. Instead of thinking about the shortcomings of others, I looked at their positive points.
All the time I was selling tickets, distributing fliers, or talking to people about Shen Yun, I was trying to keep the intention and thought of others’ salvation and I was sending righteous thoughts in my mind. In addition, studying the Fa and doing the exercises was never reduced during the ticket-selling period.
Most of the Persian people who came to learn or buy Shen Yun tickets had already seen advertisements in different media. As Persians respect and value the Persian media, I understood how Persian practitioners have high-level responsibilities on this issue.
Moreover, I learned how published articles could be trusted and accepted by people. I also realized that other practitioners from different nationalities who are living in Canada and have a community here, should begin to promote Shen Yun in their own language.
Persian people accepted and trusted materials in their own language and felt happy and satisfied. Therefore, we arranged to have at least one or two Chinese practitioners at the Shen Yun booth at each shift during the Persian events so that people always had a chance to learn about Shen Yun in their own language. The cooperation and support between Persian practitioners and Chinese practitioners was excellent.
Master said,
“For Dafa disciples as a whole, in the process of validating the Fa, when you work together in concert, the Fa power is great.” (Teachings Given on Lantern Festival Day, 2003).
Constantly Improving Shen Yun Promotion Articles
I realized that many Iranians thought that Shen Yun is a Chinese show that originated in China. They have seen the Shen Yun ads, but they did not understand its importance and purpose, so they really needed to hear the truth face to face, and in detail. This experience helped me in writing the articles, as I would answer all the questions that people asked me at the ticket booths.
At first, my articles were printed in a simple and black and white format, but I knew that Shen Yun’s beauty would not be fully seen in this way. Then, I talked to the editor of the magazine, and the next articles were in color and well designed.
In order for people to read different and interesting things about Shen Yun every time and not repeat the content, I spent time translating content from The Epoch Times. I added some of this content to the Persian-language articles, so that each article, and even the photos, were different, allowing each article to present a different aspect when introducing Shen Yun.
Then I realized that sharing the opinions of Iranians who’ve already seen and been interviewed at the show could be effective in motivating other Iranians to watch the show. I know that many Persian speakers around the world have watched Shen Yun. So I prepared articles on this topic, so that other Persian speakers could more easily relate to it and feel that this show is suitable for them as well.
Since we are representatives of our own races, I think it is very effective to print fliers, articles and interviews in different languages and promote them with practitioners who belong to those groups of people.
Matching Shen Yun with the Best
Another important issue that I came to realize was that Shen Yun is at the highest level, so we should have our booths in the best places and during the best events, especially places that could reach rich and influential people. Therefore, spending for the promotion of Shen Yun in this way will result in more benefit, selling tickets to the upper echelons of society. Every time we paid a fee for a booth at a good and high-level place and event, the fee was returned many times.
I am sure that all these achievements are due to the help of our benevolent Master and the good cooperation and effort of all practitioners.
These are my personal experiences and understandings at my current cultivation level. Kindly correct me if there is any room for improvement.
Thank you, Master, and fellow practitioners!
(Presented at the 2023 Canada Falun Dafa Cultivation Experience Sharing Conference)
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