(Minghui.org) A Western media company recently published some articles attacking Shen Yun Performing Arts. The tactics used were the same as those used by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in 1999 when they started to persecute Falun Dafa.
Genuine Dafa practitioners with unshakable faith in Master Li and Falun Dafa can see through such vicious tactics very clearly. But there are some people who believed those distorted accusations and spread them around, causing a very bad impact. I would like to share some of my understandings in this regard.
Shen Yun, through its outstanding performing arts, presents to the world the brilliance of China’s 5000 years of traditional culture and civilization, completely free of the CCP culture and ideology. Like blooming lotus flowers in today’s chaotic world of moral decline, Shen Yun performances have awakened the kindness in people’s hearts and guided them back onto the path of traditional culture and values. Shen Yun has also exposed the CCP’s brutal persecution of Falun Gong practitioners in China, making the CCP extremely scared.
The CCP has for years tried every means to interfere with and disrupt Shen Yun performances. As Dafa disciples, we should step up to clarify the truth so that such malicious attacks and accusations will not prevent people from watching the Shen Yun shows and being saved.
Master has talked about the role of Shen Yun in saving people many times in his Fa teachings. In interviews with audience members, many have shared how they went through spiritual purification and other positive transformations after watching Shen Yun. But I noticed that not every practitioner truly believes that Shen Yun is saving people, and some participate in the promotions or production while harboring various human attachments. For example, some may think that since Shen Yun is a project directly led by Master, they might get more mighty virtue by being involved. Some practitioners who had great enthusiasm at the beginning, have lost their passion over time.
Whatever we do, be it promoting Shen Yun, or participating in various functions during production, we need to clearly know that we do it for the purpose of saving sentient beings. Only with righteous thoughts and a clear understanding of Shen Yun’s role in Fa-rectification, will we not be easily affected by various rumors or gossip. If all Dafa practitioners understand the importance of Shen Yun and have firm faith in Master and the Fa, such malicious rumors and misinformation may not happen.
Master said:
“Do you know that one of the biggest excuses the evil old forces use at present to persecute Dafa is that your fundamental attachments remain concealed? So in order to identify such people, the ordeals have been made more severe.” (“Towards Consummation,” The Essentials of Diligent Progress II)
In the early days of the persecution, the CCP’s slanderous propaganda came to target our human notions and attachments. Similarly, the current slanderous rumors are also testing the various human attachments that some Dafa practitioners hold deep in their hearts.
For example, some practitioners are very interested in getting some “insider information” from Shen Yun performers, or want to know if Master has said something they haven’t heard before, or seek details about how Shen Yun performers go about their lives. Therefore, when some former Shen Yun performers said something, these practitioners enjoyed listening to it and spreading the gossip. This is exactly why the CCP’s secret agents have been able to repeatedly use “former Shen Yun performers” to lure them into a trap to cause more harm and damage.
In the recent media article attacking Shen Yun, the interviews with a few former Shen Yun performers are misleading. In fact, the Shen Yun Creations website (https://www.shenyuncreations.com) offers a comprehensive picture of how Shen Yun performers, teachers, and students at Fei Tian go about their daily lives, including a variety of activities such as daily training, festival celebrations, graduation ceremonies, videos of performances, and interviews. Shen Yun performers and Fei Tian students talked about their personal experiences on tours and in rehearsals. All of these provide a true depiction of their fine character, spiritual aspirations, and professional integrity.
Resentment is often concealed deeply in our hearts and finds its way into our daily lives. For example, we may complain to others if the person in charge has arranged something inappropriately, or if someone around us has done something contrary to our own expectations, etc. Complaining may become a habit if we don’t focus on removing it in our daily lives or fail to maintain a kind and compassionate heart toward things we come across. We may complain about things or people around us, or more seriously, we may even complain about Master and Dafa when our egos are challenged.
Some former Shen Yun performers vented their complaints and dissatisfaction in the interviews, and distorted some facts. As genuine Dafa practitioners, we understand that no matter what environment we are in, there are always elements and conflicts present for our cultivation. We should remember that nothing we encounter is accidental, including various tests and tribulations. Their occurrence is for us to improve in cultivation. They also occur due to our own karma.
Practitioners who truly understand what cultivation involves will face situations with righteous thoughts when conflicts and difficulties arise, look within to find their shortcomings, and eliminate them instead of feeling dissatisfied or angry, or complaining about others for their own personal gain, or even taking revenge.
Master has saved us from hell, cleansed us, and taught us the Fa of the universe. He has endured enormous karma for us, guided us in cultivation with great compassion, and patiently explained the Fa principles to us again and again to help us amend our mistakes and shortcomings, so that we can walk well on our cultivation paths. In the face of Master’s immense compassion and sacrifice, do we always feel grateful? Do we always remember Master’s teachings in the face of tribulations? Or do we only thank Master when things are calm, smooth, and pleasant?
All genuine practitioners know that we can’t achieve Consummation by sitting on a sofa and drinking tea. Conflicts and tribulations are good opportunities for us to improve our xinxing. We should therefore always be grateful no matter what situation we encounter. Without Master’s Fa-rectification, the universe will perish in the process of formation, stasis, degeneration, and destruction, and we, who are lost in the human world, will have no chance to return to our true homes in heaven. Thanks to Master’s compassion, we become Dafa disciples. We can never repay what Master has given us. We should cultivate diligently, follow Master’s teachings, and walk more steadily and firmly on the path of cultivation, so that Master will be less worried about us.
The Shen Yun performers and Fei Tian students I know are very positive in life and enjoy helping others. They are rational and diligent in cultivation, and are very serious, responsible, and selfless. They are highly disciplined in their professional training, and cooperate with each other perfectly on the stage.
Shen Yun is a treasure Master leaves for mankind. No slander can undermine its glory. In fact, what is happening now is also a process of weeding out those who cannot be saved.
In many of his Fa lectures, Master has reminded those who still listen to and believe the propaganda, that they should seriously look within if they have a fundamental problem in believing in Master and the Fa. If they can truly realize their attachments and eliminate them immediately, the tests will become opportunities for them to strengthen their righteous thoughts. If they still hold on to their human attachments, refuse to look at their problems from the basis of the Fa, and continue to follow those evil things at critical moments, they aren’t living up to Master’s compassionate salvation.
The above is only my personal understanding at this stage. Please kindly point out if anything is inappropriate.