My First Time Participating in the Shen Yun Tour

(Minghui.org) In the blink of an eye, the Shen Yun 2025 tour in France has come to an end. This year, I was fortunate enough to participate in almost the entire tour and work on several projects, collaborating with many practitioners. I experienced surprising changes in my character and body.

A Rare Opportunity and a Difficult First Step to Take

Last year, for personal reasons, I found a very demanding job in an administrative department. When the pressure was on, I couldn’t get anything done in all three areas, and I felt completely exhausted and discouraged every day. Fortunately, within the company, I was able to change my aggressive personality, which stemmed from my past Party indoctrination, and learn to understand others better.

At the time, my superior often told me, “You need to improve your skills, I’ll help you.” I didn’t know why I needed to develop these skills, as I had no intention of staying with the company until my retirement, but I wondered if Master had an arrangement for me. Without being able to guess Master’s arrangement, I was simply doing my best to meet my superior’s expectations. At that time, I was thinking more about collecting unemployment benefits while continuing my translation activities at the end of my fixed-term contract, so I could work peacefully on media projects.

At the end of the year, as my contract was coming to an end, Shen Yun’s French tour coordinator heard about my professional experience. She immediately offered me a fairly versatile position coordinating small projects within the tour. I accepted her offer, but I was a little concerned about not being able to return to the media immediately, and having to leave my family for a long period of time, especially since my son was going to take his high school entrance exam this year.

One evening, while wondering if I could negotiate to visit only a few cities, I suddenly remembered a sharing I had read on the Minghui.org website. A practitioner mentioned that, in the past, Master had offered to accompany him to go to several cities to teach the Fa in China. But this practitioner, unable to let go of his work in ordinary society, had rushed home. Later, he realized that his level of understanding was so low and that he had missed a precious opportunity. At that moment, a voice seemed to be lamenting in my mind as well: “Why is your enlightenment so poor?” That’s when I made up my mind: I’m going to seize this opportunity!

Assimilating the Supreme Characteristic of the Universe: “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance”

Before I became a practitioner, I was very focused on doing good and gaining a good reputation, but in reality, it was my attachment to fame that drove me to do so. By participating in the tour as a coordinator, I finally understood that it was impossible to accomplish this task based on appearances alone, without attaining the kindness that comes from the heart. While Shen Yun is a very serious matter, I cannot fail this test. At the same time, from the beginning, I had this deep conviction that Master would not entrust me with a task I could not accomplish.

When I was coordinating backstage activities, because the participants varied from city to city and unforeseen circumstances could arise, such as illness karma issues or last-minute cancellations, I had to find a solution quickly. At first, I was a little lost and wondered, “Will I be able to accomplish this task? Should I be strict or lenient with other practitioners?”

One day, while studying the Fa, a question suddenly came to me: “What does ‘high level’ mean? Does it mean having great powers?” At that precise moment, a few words resonated in my mind: “the supreme nature of the universe—Zhen, Shan, Ren” (The Great Way of Spiritual Perfection).

I immediately understood: “Zhen-Shan-Ren” [Truthfulness, Compassion. Forbearance] is the highest level. In my coordination work, I had to assimilate myself to “Zhen-Shan-Ren,” thinking of others to better understand their difficulties. Gradually, miracles occurred one after another. There were always enough practitioners who overcame their difficulties to achieve the backstage tasks.

When I was working in the food team and became too busy with this work, another coordinator took over, I realized that the practitioners in the Shen Yun project work closely together and with great harmony to accomplish this important mission as one body.

While on Tour, I had an extraordinary experience. One day, a practitioner sitting next to me told me that she had lost the key she was responsible for. Having already had several similar experiences where I had miraculously found lost objects, I half-jokingly told the practitioner to try the power of telekinesis.

In the afternoon, while I was working on backstage tasks, I felt the harmony and kindness between the performers on stage, which moved me greatly. I thought that if Shen Yun performers, like me, had feelings of injustice in their hearts, it would be impossible for them to achieve such perfection and harmony. I made a wish in my heart: “I, too, would like to be kind to everyone, like these dancers.”

That evening, as everyone was getting ready to leave the theater, I suddenly thought of tidying up my coat pockets, which were in disarray. Then I felt something in my pocket. I took it out and saw that it was a key. I asked the practitioner if it was hers, and she said yes!

In fact, this practitioner had left later than me the day before and arrived before me that day, and besides, I didn’t know that she was the keeper of the key. Logically, I had no need for this key and hadn’t had the opportunity to touch it. We still don’t know how or when this key got into my pocket. Perhaps Master saw my desire to be kind to others and helped us break some of the old forces’ arrangements.

Learn to Cooperate and Draw on the Wisdom of Other Practitioners

Since I’ve always worked from home as a freelance translator, I had a very limited view of society and made all the decisions alone when dealing with work-related issues. During the tour, I met practitioners of different nationalities and professional backgrounds with very different cultivation experiences, which made me realize how complex, diverse, rich, and fascinating the world is.

It was then that Master helped me understand that I had to learn to cooperate. I had long thought that the leader had to be the best. In fact, Master once said:

“Actually, when I select people to be Assistants I don’t go by whose level is highest. In my eyes the beings are the same. I don’t see beings as you being better than him or him being better than her. I only look at whether the person has the experience and enthusiasm of working for a group.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World Volume IV)

While coordinating various tasks, many practitioners gave me very helpful advice that saved everyone time and effort. This opened my mind. Instead of dwelling on my own experiences, I learned to draw on the wisdom of others to complete the work together with incredible efficiency. I discovered that fellow practitioners truly possess great wisdom. As long as we are able to put aside our own notions, the advice of others is truly a treasure.

Changing Myself in a Project Where I Am Just a Participant

This year, I also joined the new food group. Most of the coordinators in this group have extensive experience in the business field and work very quickly and efficiently. Before, I was more of an intellectual; I only knew how to do intellectual work in front of my computer; I wasn’t very good at physical tasks. I feel like if the coordinators took a small step forward, I had to run to keep up. At first, I wasn’t used to this way of working at all. When the coordinators wanted to teach me certain things, I couldn’t understand, let alone follow. I lost my temper several times and argued with them.

Once, while I was washing vegetables, Master’s saying came to mind:

“When a person’s various notions, such as his faith in science, religion, or an ideology, etc., are being challenged by the truth of the Buddha Fa, he also becomes agitated.” (“For Whom do You Exist?” Essentials for Further Advancement).

I muttered, “Perhaps I am the one who is wrong. Is my impulsive reaction due to the fact that some of my ideas have been shaken?”

At that moment, I understood that the coordinators’ experience and background were different from mine. I am a knowledge worker. I have no experience in business. If these practitioners succeed in business, it means that their methods comply with the legal requirements at their level in the human world. Translation, on the other hand, is subject to other legal requirements. I must therefore put aside my own opinions and follow the legal requirements in the business world in order to integrate into this new project.

The coordinators’ way of thinking and acting was an opportunity for me to learn a new craft, and also an opportunity to clearly see my own commitment to elevating myself. I had to respect their business experience—to develop new professional skills—instead of judging them in my head—according to my own habits. I had to thank them. Moreover, after these conflicts, I noticed that the coordinators also changed, which touched me deeply.

In this team, the coordinators taught me how to plan my work time like a real caterer, the tricks to getting my work done quickly and efficiently, how to complete a task from start to finish, and how to pay attention to detail at the booth. I also let go of my fear of losing face and successfully presented the food. Carrying the cans of tea and soybeans every day also helped me lose weight and build strong arms, which allowed me to carry entire boxes of Shen Yun programs to Paris.

While participating in sales activities for Shen Yun Shop, Shen Yun Zuopin, and food, I also observed that when I was in a good state of cultivation, customers would come to buy products on their own, but when I was not diligent in my cultivation, even if I shouted very loudly, no one would buy, not even the relatively cheaper souvenir products. I felt that this was a blow from Master to make me realize the importance of cultivation for sales. Perhaps I have already caused irreparable losses, but I hope to have the opportunity to make up for it in the future.

No Longer Attached to Doing Good

I have always attached great importance to what is called “doing good.” But Master once said, “A focus on charitable works is still action,” (“Non-Action,” Hong Yin). During the tour, I discovered that my rule of life was wrong. Sometimes I wanted to help, but the result was counterproductive and ended up harming others. For example, I lent a practitioner a new interdental brush, but it damaged her veneer and cost her a lot of money to repair. This incident also caused her stress at work and within her family. I finally understood what Master said: “you may think that something is a good deed, but if you do it, it may turn out to have been a wrong deed.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun) I would like to take this opportunity to apologize to the practitioner whom I unintentionally hurt.

During this tour, I had many other significant experiences that helped me progress in my cultivation, but I cannot recount them all here. I deeply thank Master for allowing me to participate in these projects and for giving me the opportunity to cultivate myself. I also thank all my fellow practitioners for spending this time with me, for tolerating some of my shortcomings, and for supporting me as a novice on the tour.

The above is a summary of my cultivation experience during the 2025 tour.