Sharing on a Recent Incident in Europe

(Minghui.org) While supporting Shen Yun’s performances in Europe this year, I noticed some things that alarmed me. My understanding is that it is an honor to assist the Shen Yun shows. Master Li has given us this opportunity to quickly eliminate our attachments or notions, which I call “condensed cultivation.”

In several European countries, Shen Yun’s merchandise booths sold small lotus flowers made in Vietnam, with pendants showing the words “Falun Dafa, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is Good.” However, they were made by an unauthorized source and had spelling errors. In the name of the Shen Yun brand or Falun Dafa, 500 small lotus flowers were sold to practitioners and Shen Yun audiences under the pretext that “100 percent of the profits will go to Shen Yun.” However, neither the person in charge of merchandise sales nor members of the Falun Dafa Association realized that there would be serious consequences for doing this.

Is it because the success of Shen Yun’s performances in those areas has affected people’s judgment? Were they being used by the old forces and turning a deaf ear to Master’s teachings? Or was it because of the influence of communism that “private property is sacrosanct” is ignored? These practitioners even thought they were doing a good deed. They said, “500 people took the words Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance home. How is it wrong?” Every word of Dafa belongs to Master and cannot be used by any practitioner in any way with any excuse. Could karma and demonic interference have caused the spelling errors?

These people have been donating money to a local company established to clarify the truth, but their behavior did not aid the project positively. The company relied on donations, which did not follow the profit-oriented business model that Master hoped for. Some Falun Dafa Associations even asked practitioners to donate more money, including the practitioners who had only their life savings. Those practitioners blindly rushed to do this thing and emptied their own pockets.

Like many practitioners, I use my own money to produce truth-clarification materials. I have also made the mistake of “financially supporting” fellow practitioners who were experiencing financial difficulties. Regardless, it was not good for me to support them. I didn’t realize this for a long time and lost the opportunity to fund some of the projects I was involved in. It could be that such activity exposes those who only did things because they were, in essence, being paid.

Those who are unsuccessful at Dafa projects or ask others for money don’t take the time to study the Fa and practice the exercises more. They often talk about how much they sacrificed, how busy they were, or how successful they were in supporting projects like Shen Yun. This may be the beginning signs of hubris. No project is done for the sake of the project itself. This is the path of our cultivation. Shen Yun’s success is Master’s wish, and Master is accomplishing that. Why are there so many practitioners who cannot see things from the perspective of the Fa, and yet they have so many supporters?

How can we better fulfill Master’s wishes, avoid inappropriately profiting from Master’s words and teachings, and support Shen Yun well?

It has been relatively easy for me to overcome personal problems in my practice. Still, whenever there was an issue of interfering with the Fa or discrediting Dafa, I would be filled with indignation, “How could you do this?” To this day, I’m still easily affected. Master has repeatedly shown me my attachments.

These thoughts are my current understanding. I want to reiterate Master’s teachings below to improve our characters together.

Master taught us:

“I couldn’t have explained the matter of Buddha-nature and demon-nature to you any more clearly. The tests for you to pass are in fact meant to remove your demon-nature. Nonetheless, from time to time you have used various excuses or Dafa itself to hide it, and failed to improve your xinxing while missing opportunities again and again.

“Do you realize that as long as you’re a cultivator, in any environment or under any circumstances, I will use any troubles or unpleasant things you come across—even if they involve work for Dafa, or no matter how good or sacred you think they are—to eliminate your attachments and expose your demon-nature so that it can be eliminated, for your improvement is what’s most important.

“If you are able to succeed in improving yourself this way, what you do then, with a pure heart, will be the best and most sacred.” (“Further Understanding,” Essentials for Further Advancement)

Master also said,

“Whether it is a Buddha, a Tao, an immortal, or a demon, they should not move your heart. In conducting yourself this way, success is bound to be in sight.” (Lecture Six, Zhuan Falun)