(Minghui.org) Children born into Falun Dafa practitioners’ families usually come to this world with missions already assigned. They are immersed in a cultivation environment from birth. These children know that Falun Dafa is good and can understand the meaning of the Fa. They do the exercises with their parents. Some even help their parents with Fa-rectification projects.
However, when they leave home for school and enter regular society, they will be surrounded by ordinary people’s sentimentality and their greed for fame and material gain. Sometimes they use ordinary people’s ways of thinking when faced with conflicts. They then often feel lost and miserable inside.
As their practitioner parents, it is a long and arduous journey helping our children analyze difficult situations based on Dafa’s teachings, raising them unstained in this complex society, letting them see the goodness of Dafa, and helping them stay on the path of cultivation.
Breaking Away From Ordinary People's Issues
I went through this with my daughter. This sharing is about how I helped my daughter to break out of an ordinary people’s situation and improve her cultivation.
My daughter plays musical instruments. She enrolled as a graduate student at a top music school. Many of the students in her class had begun their musical training in elementary school. Compared to them, my daughter was behind. But after some hard work she caught up.
At the end of her second year, before summer started, her mentor reminded everyone to practice hard and told them that, when they come back, they would join the “teacher and students concert.”
My daughter had never participated in the “teacher and students concert” before. First year students are usually not considered. Her skills were not up to par the second year, so she worked backstage. She was starting her last year in graduate school, and her musical skills had improved greatly. She practiced hard to prepare for and shine at this concert. But when the names of the students to play in this concert were announced, hers was not on the list. What she could not accept was that two students who were a grade below her and not as skillful as she was had made it. My daughter, who was graduating, would manage the backstage again. Backstage duty includes taking care of the costumes, props, and instruments and coordinating the musicians’ make up, food, and so on. She broke down in tears and called me.
As a practitioner, when I face hardship, especially as “the third person,” my first thought of course is to understand the situation based on the Fa. I knew why she called me—she wanted to pour out her frustrations about how unfair it was. She also knew her mother would have a different take on the situation compared to other people. Deep down inside, she wanted to sort this situation out based on the Fa, but she did not know how.
I let her finish what she had to say and unburden herself of all the pain in her heart. Then I asked her a few questions to make her think.
Putting Others First
“Have you truly put others first?” You take your work seriously, get things done carefully and thoroughly, you are mindful and also well connected. Compared to other students, you are more trustworthy. From your mentor’s point of view, is it more beneficial to put you backstage or on the stage?
“Have you truly put others first? You believe your musical skills have improved. This is your last chance to participate in this concert before graduation. You want to be on stage, you want to have a memory... you are only thinking about yourself. If you consider the situation from the point of view of your mentor, isn’t having you take responsibility for backstage her best option?”
Letting Go of Self-interest
“Have you truly let go of your self interest?” Every music student dreams about performing on stage, hearing applause, and receiving flowers. Backstage work is chaotic, tiring, and unrecognized, yet the success of the concert depends on it. You got put backstage. How should you view this as a cultivator?
Shen Yun dancers at the outer perimeter of the stage dance the same dance as those in the center. The musicians play in the orchestra pit. They don’t get the chance to show their faces during the performance. But whatever their roles are, they contribute to the entire company wholeheartedly. They let others get the applause and flowers and keep their hard work and sweat to themselves. Isn’t this the level where a cultivator should be? Ask yourself: “Have you truly let go of self interest?”
Who Approves Your Success
“Does your mentor’s approval define your success?” Your mentor did not pick you to perform. There might be many reasons for that, but let’s not go into it. Even if she truly does not approve of you, does that mean your are a failure?
Shall we look within ourselves unconditionally? Are we perhaps not yet outstanding? Maybe we still have much room to improve... As Dafa practitioners, we are the most honorable people. When we encounter hardship, instead of belittling ourselves, we have the determination and power to overcome the hardships.
Would not performing onstage at this concert end your music career? Will it affect your future? Will this be your only chance to perform on stage in your entire life? Is your mentor’s approval the only determining factor of your success? What are the standards by which Dafa practitioners measure success?
Everything Happens for a Reason
“How is this incident meaningful?” As Dafa practitioners, we all know this: Everything happens for a reason on our cultivation path. Why did this happen to you? After you found out that you were not selected, didn’t all the negative thoughts deep down expose your true xinxing? Resentment for your mentor, jealousy towards the selected students, fear of losing face, thoughts of unfairness, and so on. All was laid out in the open. As Dafa practitioners, what do we do with these attachments? If we take them seriously and eliminate these attachments, aren’t we constantly elevating our level and improving ourselves? Isn’t this a good thing?
Resolution
At the end of our conversation, my daughter was able to calm down. She began to reflect based on the Fa. A dead end situation for an ordinary person opens a new world for a practitioner. A practitioner sees far and wide on the path to the celestial world. This wonder and glory can only be experienced by a cultivator.
My daughter handled the situation beautifully. She continued to elevate her xinxing when she was faced with various obstacles later on. Her musical skills improved. All her effort and sacrifice gained her high marks at the graduation concert. As of now, she is using her skills to help Master with the Fa-rectification as a genuine Falun Dafa cultivator.
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