(Clearwisdom.net)
Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
This year, we have reserved the best theatre in Brisbane for Shen Yun. This is a result of all practitioners' efforts and improvement in group cultivation, and also from our strong belief in Master, Dafa, and righteous thoughts. The process has also been a precious cultivation opportunity for me. I'm very grateful to have this opportunity to share some of my cultivation experiences. Please kindly point it out if there is anything improper.
Looking Inward is the Key to Resolving "Conflicts"
For the past few years, I have largely taken the responsibility for finding the venue for Shen Yun. We all know that Shen Yun is for saving sentient beings and is the top show in the world; it deserves to perform at the best theatres. However, for the past three years, we were not able to book the best venue in Brisbane for various reasons. In the end we had to settle for a small venue instead.
Naturally, many practitioners were disappointed. Some had developed grievances against the main coordinators and complained how we botched things, saying that we did not have strong righteous thoughts and that we had accepted the old force arrangements. Mistrust and misunderstandings occurred among practitioners. Some gossiped behind backs; some even spread groundless rumors. For a while, there was much discord among practitioners, to the point that we broke into two groups to study the Fa, rather than sit together. Because I was the main contact person, a lot of the complaints were directed at me, saying that I should be held responsible for failing to reserve the best venue, that I did not have strong righteous thoughts, and so forth. Finding that I had become a target, I felt wronged and really upset. At the same time, I also developed some grievances, complaining that fellow practitioners were not cooperating and following the Fa. At one point I even wanted to wash my hands of it all.
After I calmed down, I asked myself: "Why do I encounter so much criticism? Why are there so many complaints against me? Why do I feel so upset and hurt? Is it really other practitioners' fault that we did not cooperate well?"
Master said in "Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference:"
"When you are working together and you feel wronged or get angry, it's hard at that moment to reflect on your role in the matter or look within and realize what your state is or what attachment triggered that event. The majority of the time it's that [you are upset about] your suggestion not being adopted or that you looked down on someone. The manifestation of these two attachments tends to be the most intense." (July 18, 2009)
I found my hidden attachments: I tended to look down on others, thinking that I was more capable of getting things done and that I could do this and I could do that. I seldom felt the need to share with fellow practitioners, except for the few I felt comfortable with. To dig deeper, I saw the hidden selfishness and ego. The reason that I felt hurt and upset was because I could not let go of ordinary human mentalities and ego. Master said in "True Cultivation" in Essentials for Further Advancement, "Cultivation itself is not painful--the key lies in your inability to let go of ordinary human attachments." I realized that all these things happening around me were providing a precious opportunity for me to expose my attachments and let go of them. How could I turn round and accuse others of not cooperating? I realized that if I had shared more with practitioners from the very beginning and worked with practitioners as a team, then there would have been much less misunderstanding and mistrust. I realized that in the process of helping Master rectify the Fa and save sentient beings, we must not just busy ourselves doing things, and most importantly we must not relax in our cultivation. Otherwise, how can we accomplish such a sacred mission?
At the next group Fa-study and sharing, one practitioner asked me if I would give up the role as the main person in charge of venue booking. From my heart I said that I had no problem at all with doing that and that I would give my utmost support to whoever was in charge. A venue team was then established to continue our efforts in venue booking.
Be Considerate of Others First
Things were progressing very slowly. Some practitioners became a bit concerned and formed another working team to make inquiries themselves. One day I went to drop off some introduction materials about Shen Yun at the Gold Coast venue office and bumped into a few of them who were also there checking out the venue. I was very embarrassed and reacted with human emotions. I thought that their mistrust of me really went too far and that what they were doing was wrong. However, as we walked out of the office, a thought suddenly came to my mind: "I'm a Dafa cultivator and I must act as a cultivator. I must be considerate of others first, not myself. We are all Master's disciples and are all here for the same purpose of saving sentient beings." So I said calmly to one practitioner, "We have been cultivating together for ten years, and we are aware of each other's shortcomings, but I see your good wish to reserve the best venue for Shen Yun. Let's work together, not against each other." Immediately, the wall between us disappeared, and we were able to communicate openly and honestly. The field was also harmonious.
From this incident, I realized that when I take a positive attitude towards a fellow practitioner and let go of my rigid mentalities and opinions about others, I will see a totally different person in front of me. Master said,
"But actually, Dafa disciples should first be considerate of others no matter what the occasion, and put themselves in the other person's shoes, and look at the whole picture. Then you will know what to do." ("Fa Teaching Given at the NTDTV Meeting," June 6, 2009)
Looking back, I feel very grateful for that day. It offered me another opportunity to expose my human mentalities and to learn the importance of:
"Think about where the other person might be coming from, see if you can look at the whole picture, and then you will know what to do." ("Fa Teaching Given at the NTDTV Meeting," June 6, 2009)
Keep Strong Righteous Thoughts and Firmly Believe in Master and the Fa
We were told that the venue was not available for us in 2010. I thought, "Although we still have loopholes among ourselves and we are still yet to form a strong and harmonious cultivation environment, we do not accept the old forces' arrangements. It's up to Master." Meanwhile, the venue team got together to share experiences and look within. The overall coordinators also took the lead in looking within. When we started to rectify ourselves, the barrier between the coordinators and other practitioners became less and less, and the field around us also became more and more harmonious.
At that time, we received a letter in reply from the Queensland premier's office, asking us to contact the theatre manager. So I called at once to request an appointment, but he said there was not much he could do to help. I told him that we had come up with a new proposal for him to consider, so he agreed to give us half an hour at 2:00 p.m. on Monday. Meanwhile I received an email from the manager informing me that another practitioner wished to check out another venue that they managed and that she would also be coming at the same time. I got a bit annoyed, thinking that it was distracting us from what we should focus on. But I immediately rectified myself: We are all trying to achieve the best for Shen Yun; we are one body. As long as we have strong righteous thoughts and harmonize what Master wants, everything will be fine.
Being fully aware of the importance of the meeting, I spent the whole of Sunday studying the Fa, and asked Master to strengthen my righteous thoughts. A group of five went to the meeting on Monday. Others practitioners were supporting us by sending forth righteous thoughts around the venue or at their own places.
The meeting with the theatre manager and related staff members was very friendly, but the theatre manager made it very clear that our new proposal was not acceptable due to the theatre's tight schedule. He suggested that we look at the other venue they had available, and his technical manager then began to go through some technical aspects of the other venue. I told everyone that the other venue had been suggested before, but not approved due to its narrow stage layout. I said that the primary theatre was the only one that would meet Shen Yun's requirements and asked the theatre manager to check the calendar again to see if he could find several dates for us. He had seen a Shen Yun performance and knew how wonderful Shen Yun is, but still he said that there was nothing in 2010 and suggested that we consider 2011. I said, "Yes, we need the venue for 2011, but right now let's please take another look at 2010." He went through his calendar again, then said, "There are several maintenance days at the end of May. Would these days work with your schedule?"
It was incredible the way things turned out. A seemingly impossible situation made a complete turnaround. It was so simple and natural. I knew in my heart that it was Master's arrangement. What Master wants are just our pure hearts and strong righteous thoughts, just like Master said,
"When disciples have ample righteous thoughts
Master has the power to turn back the tide." ("The Master-Disciple Bond" in Hong Yin II)
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
I know that I still have a lot of attachments yet to relinquish, and that sometimes I still repeat the same mistakes and still encounter "conflicts" with practitioners. But I better understand that as long as I truly cultivate my xinxing and look within, nothing will keep me from elevating in the Fa. Through these ups and downs, I have become more and more aware that only by cultivating ourselves well can we do better in accomplishing our sacred mission of assisting Master in the Fa-rectification and saving sentient beings.
I would like to share one of Master's poems from Hong Yin for mutual encouragement to finish my sharing:
"Rational and Awake
Pause for a moment of self-reflection,
and increase your righteous thoughts
Thoroughly analyze your shortcomings,
and progress with renewed diligence"
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
