(Minghui.org) I am a sophomore at a university. This is my second year practicing Falun Dafa, and I would like to share some of my experiences and understandings about the arts, artificial intelligence in the arts, and design.
About half a year ago, I encountered a situation that made me truly reflect on my cultivation and personal goals. I met an ordinary person and we became friends. One night, we were on a call together talking the night away. We were discussing our opinions on modern art, and he was very respectful of my view that I didn’t like contemporary art, asking no questions about it. He asked me, “Since you are a graphic design student and don’t like contemporary arts, do you think that artificial intelligence is a threat to your major?” I said, “No, I don’t think so, it’s just a tool to help.” He then said, “But you can train it, you know. I’ve seen some AI art and it’s pretty impressive.”
At that moment, I hesitated. I wasn’t only unsure how to respond, I was afraid. I had a past experience where an ordinary person reacted quite negatively when I shared my views, and I feared that the same thing would happen again. Instead of expressing what I truly thought, I avoided the conversation and changed the subject. When the call ended, I sat there with all my thoughts, feeling a bit lost and empty, and a bit disappointed in myself for not being able to give him my actual thoughts and opinions on the issue. The more I reflected, the more I realized that this was not what I should do. I’m a practitioner, and assuming someone’s understanding or reaction before even trying to communicate is clearly not the right approach. I was lacking Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. This was going against what I’m practicing and I needed to fix it.
So I cleared my head, sat down, sent an apology text to him, and started explaining my view on the issue and answering his questions. The next morning, I was very fortunate because he was actually able to look at the problem rationally, and afterward we had a very thoughtful conversation about artificial intelligence, the arts, and even an article from Master about fine arts, which is also a topic I would like to discuss here later.
Looking back at this now, I realized that my initial hesitation came from an ordinary mindset, rather than a practitioner’s perspective. Master also said in a recent article:
“It follows, then, that in all circumstances one should adhere to the standards for a practitioner, prioritize Dafa, and look at everything in light of the teachings. We are at a significant historical moment in the end times, when the Way is renewing creation and redemption is being offered to humankind. So no matter what issues arise, all the more so should you approach things with a spiritual frame of mind; put Dafa before other things; and keep at the forefront of your mind, and make a singular focus of, safeguarding Dafa practitioners’ initiatives and ensuring that they achieve the success that they should in saving lives.” (“Critical Times Reveal One’s Spiritual State”)
I had failed to do that. I was still looking at the situation using human thinking, assuming the worst instead of handling it with righteous thoughts.
Upon reflection, I realized that my hesitation stemmed from an attachment to seeking comfort and avoiding potential conflict. I feared being misunderstood or judged, which led me to choose silence over truthfulness. However, avoiding discomfort does not align with the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. True compassion isn’t about pleasing others but about being truthful while maintaining kindness.
At the same time, I recognized that I had been unconsciously distancing myself from ordinary people. I shy away from discussions about modern technology or anything that doesn’t align with my beliefs, fearing that it would lead to conflict or misunderstandings. But through this experience, I learned that avoiding these conversations was a missed opportunity. Instead, I should approach them with the Fa in mind, align my understanding with the Fa, and use these moments to clarify the truth.
I’ve since been making an effort to change this, and I’ve been able to form friendships with more ordinary people. Surprisingly, conversations about Fa-related topics have come up quite naturally, sometimes even more smoothly than I’d expected. There were no harsh debates or tension; even though some of them didn’t end up practicing, we still became good friends. Through these friendships, I also encountered other xinxing tests. At times, I found myself attached to maintaining harmony, avoiding deeper conversations about Dafa out of fear of making them uncomfortable. But I reminded myself that as a practitioner, I need to clarify the truth, regardless of the outcome. Each encounter taught me to let go of my attachment to results and focus on fulfilling my responsibility with a pure heart. So far these connections have remained positive, and I am truly grateful for the opportunities that Master has given me. This whole experience has been a wake-up call, not only in my cultivation but also in my understanding of art.
With that in mind, I started to reflect more and more on the nature of art, technology, my purpose in creating art, and how all of these fit into my cultivation.
When I graduated from high school, I was not a very diligent practitioner. At the time, I enrolled in a university and pursued graphic and digital design. However, navigating coursework, assignments, and projects was much more difficult than I had anticipated. This was my first time stepping into an environment surrounded by ordinary people, and my limited understanding of traditional arts was challenged by modern perspectives and abstract interpretations of art.
In high school, I had been used to studying traditional arts, so when my university required me to take a more abstract and modern approach, I had no clue what to do. In my first semester, we visited a contemporary art museum and were told to quick-sketch the displays while analyzing or writing down our thoughts on the so-called “art.”
My mind went blank when looking at them. I couldn’t comprehend what I was looking at, yet all around me, people were admiring the pieces, saying that they were beautiful and thought-provoking. I stood there, dumbfounded, struggling to see what they saw. When I asked where they saw beauty in the works, some responded that beauty is subjective, so it is different for each person, and it is something I must see for myself. But if I said I didn’t see the beauty, I was later met with criticism. My professor even emphasized that there was no right or wrong in art, and to just put down what my heart tells me, because “art is about expressing your true self.” This only left me more confused.
The assignments and projects are graded, yet there was supposedly no right or wrong. I must then be graded on my true feelings. But if I don’t “feel” the right way, I might risk getting a lower grade. So how right is truly right, and how wrong is truly wrong? Moreover, did I even know what it meant to express my true self, when my brain, heart, and flesh are not truly “me”? If someone were to ask, “Who am I?” my instinct might be to respond with my name, yet that is just a label. I am not my name, nor my brain, nor my body—these things belong to me, but they are not me. What am I supposed to express?
As I was exposed to more discussions and critiques, I found myself influenced by their perspectives, questioning my own beliefs, and drifting further from the foundation I originally had. I gradually started to slack off in my cultivation. I lost the clear sense of right and wrong that I used to have, and over time I became competitive, seeking validation in grades and critiques. I gained a “skill” I never should have acquired, creating works without thoughtful intent and assigning arbitrary meanings to them afterward.
I had started to justify ordinary artistic concepts, convincing myself that they aligned with Dafa when they didn’t.
Master said:
“From the very beginning, those things were the result of people abandoning their own thoughts and upright thoughts, and were the products of people’s limbs and bodies being directed by their postnatal human notions. Only when a person abandons his master consciousness (zhu yishi) and allows his human notions at the surface to roam freely can he produce such things.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Discussion on Creating Fine Arts,” Teaching the Fa at the Discussion on Writing Music and Creating Fine Art)
Upon reading this, I suddenly understood why I had felt so lost. When I first encountered modern art, I was still unconsciously aligning my understanding with Dafa—that’s why I couldn’t resonate with it. But instead of recognizing that as a strength, I ignored it. I feared that my way of thinking was too rigid or outdated. When I abandoned that alignment, my xinxing level dropped, and my artistic intent followed.
I had willingly given up my consciousness for the sake of fitting in.
I now try to look at it from a practitioner’s perspective again, and realize that art carries deep influences—it both shapes and reflects human morality. When society embraces chaos and distortion as beauty, it is a sign of declining moral standards, and AI, as a product of human input, mirrors these changes. AI lacks a moral foundation and cannot create art with true spiritual depth. Real art requires the artist’s inner cultivation, something no machine can replicate. Understanding this helped me clarify my direction as a designer—to aim my work to be meaningful and connected to the truth, rather than just following trends.
I’ve also come to appreciate that beauty is not arbitrary; it has objective principles rooted in higher truths. Traditional art has a moral and spiritual basis, while contemporary art often disregards these foundations in favor of subjective expression and personal interpretation, and modern thinking often tries to remove these foundations, leading to confusion in values and aesthetics. By reading Master’s articles, I came to realize that true beauty aligns with virtue and righteousness. This helped me recognize my own attachments to modern artistic influences, and inspired me to align my work more with traditional principles.
Reflecting on all of this later, I found a greater sense of purpose in what I was doing. I was no longer so lost. Before, I often felt uncertain about my path, questioning whether my work had any real meaning. But as I aligned my understanding with the Fa, I realized that art itself carried a responsibility, and this new perspective made me more engaged and driven. I now understand that what I create can either reinforce distorted values or uphold what is upright. This has become a source of motivation—I want to improve in both my studies and my cultivation, so that the art I create carries upright thoughts. If AI were to draw from my work, then at least it would be taking something positive.
At the same time, as a graphic design student, I know that design may not fully qualify as a traditional form of art. But that doesn’t mean I can’t use it to promote Dafa and save sentient beings. Of course, this has to start with me doing the first of the three things well: studying the Fa every day. Without a solid foundation, I had unknowingly let my thoughts be shaped by the world around me. Modern society constantly blurs the line between right and wrong, and if I am not careful, I will keep getting swept along with it.
On that note, I’d like to end my sharing with a quote from Master from the same teaching.
Master said:
“It’s because Dafa disciples with artistic skills have abilities and energy. If the things you do aren’t upright, or aren’t upright enough, you’ll reinforce the unrighteous elements, which will affect human society even more. In cultivation, you’re supposed to rectify yourselves by cultivating away everything that’s not good. You should be a good person wherever you are. So in the field of the arts you should be a good person as well, and in your artwork you should display what’s beautiful, what’s upright, what’s pure, what’s good, and what’s bright and positive.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Discussion on Creating Fine Arts,” Teaching the Fa at the Discussion on Writing Music and Creating Fine Art).
I am still a relatively new practitioner, with much to learn and improve upon. If there is anything not in line with the Fa in my sharing, please kindly point it out.