(Minghui.org) We encountered serious problems securing a venue for Shen Yun this year. While the matter hasn’t yet been resolved, I’d like to share some thoughts about how our thinking may help us turn around the situation.
I’ve often asked myself: “As a Dafa disciple, have I truly reached a state of compassion? If not, have I at least shown love and kindness to people in my everyday life?” When I measure myself with Master’s teachings, I realize that my cultivation is still far from the level of compassion practitioners should achieve. As practitioners, we must cultivate compassion and let go of complaints and resentment.
Master said: “A wicked person is born of jealousy.” (“Realm,” Essentials for Further Advancement) Jealousy and resentment are wicked, and they reflect an inability to cultivate compassion. Jealousy is manifested as feeling unfair when others succeed, while resentment often stems from personal interests or conflicts, leading us to feel unsettled or even hostile.
When we have resentment, our compassion can’t manifest. In this state, a practitioner cannot save people, or may even push people further away from salvation. We should measure ourselves against the standards of the Fa and when we see our shortcomings, we should rectify ourselves.
Shen Yun previously performed in a local theater, but there were issues due to some theater staff mishandling things. Local practitioners explained the situation to the theater management, and a consensus was reached to address the issues. However, a director at the theater had a grudge against Shen Yun, and interfered to prevent future performances from being held there.
Some practitioners thought this director had character flaws; he seemed to overstep his authority and ignored the agreement reached by the theater. A few practitioners wrote letters to the theater’s board of directors, requesting his dismissal. Others suggested sending righteous thoughts to make him leave. But instead of leaving, he was promoted and gained more authority.
Master taught us, “Remember: Wherever a problem occurs, that’s where you need to clarify the facts.” (Teachings Given on Lantern Festival Day, 2003).
If this director caused issues, shouldn’t we approach him with compassion and help him understand the truth about Dafa? Some practitioners felt he knew Falun Dafa was good, but still blocked Shen Yun, therefore he must leave his position. Reflecting on his behavior now, however, I wonder if the situation reflected the cultivation state of local practitioners and myself, or if his resistance was a reminder for us to look inward.
Could his hostility remind me to reflect on myself and see if I’m kind? Could his opposition to our consensus be a reminder to examine myself and see if I alignment with truthfulness? When we judged his character and sent righteous thoughts for his departure, it’s not surprising that our sending righteous thoughts had little positive effect, or maybe they had the opposite result, even though we had the good intention of preventing him from accruing karma.
We often read on Minghui.org about practitioners in China whose great compassion and forbearance moved even the prison guards. Guards who softened their hearts were later transferred to positions where they no longer sinned against Dafa. The practitioners’ sincerity and forbearance naturally led to these changes, with completely different consequences from what we were experiencing.
Practitioners who call people in China about quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) often share similar lessons. If someone they called asked for money before quitting the CCP, the caller immediately examined their own attachment to wealth. If someone said they would only withdraw if the caller helped them find a spouse, the caller reflected on their attachment to lust. If the person argued in defense of the CCP, the caller looked inward for their own combative mindset.
If we look down on people and miss opportunities to examine ourselves for our attachments, we won’t have the energy from cultivating ourselves to strengthen our power and save people. If we could indeed cultivate ourselves and elevate our cultivation state when dealing with the director, the old forces would have no excuse to test us and may send the director elsewhere.
If this director learned about our complaint to his superiors, and if he actually lost his job, he would be even more hostile toward us. He is a sentient being that Master wants to save and we should not push him away.
Master said,
“I told you a long time ago that a Dafa disciple, or a cultivator, has no enemies. The only thing you have a role in is saving people, and you have no role in using human means and human principles to punish or pronounce judgment on people. This is a fundamental issue!” (“Teaching the Fa in the City of Chicago,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World Volume VII)
Last July, I was asked to help with this theater issue and reach out to the director. After many unsuccessful attempts to connect by email and voicemail, I reflected on my own attitude. I realized that I still had a negative impression of him and I lacked the compassion needed to melt away his barriers. Without genuine compassion, my efforts could hardly reach his knowing side.
Later, some practitioners suggested writing a letter to the mayor to put pressure on the theater. I felt it wouldn’t be effective if we did this out of complaint rather than compassion. We did eventually send the letter, and the mayor’s office forwarded it to the theater’s interim general manager, who agreed to meet with us. We clarified the truth to him and his assistant, but we still couldn’t overcome the obstacles and secure the theater for Shen Yun. This reminded us to cultivate sincerely, especially regarding the director’s role in this matter.
The relationship between Dafa disciples and ordinary people is one of saving and being saved. If we complain about them, we lower ourselves to an ordinary person’s level. “There is no constraint between this qi and that qi.” (Lecture Seven, Zhuan Falun) Thus, we can’t save people. Resentment is wrong for practitioners and must be eliminated. It contradicts Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance, making it impossible to reach consummation.
We are created by Dafa—we live for others and bear the responsibility to compassionately tell people the truth and help them be saved. We cannot look down on or resent people. Ordinary people are often weak and easily influenced by negative elements from other dimensions. We can only encourage goodness, not force it. We must maintain compassion, strive to purify our own hearts, and in doing so, achieve the state of a true Dafa disciple, full of compassion.
Please point out anything not in line with the Fa.