My Cultivation Experiences While Attending the Shen Yun Dance Summer Camp

(Minghui.org) I’m 11 years old and I started practicing Falun Dafa with my grandmother, mother and aunt when I was five. We live in California. This summer, I traveled to New York to attend the Shen Yun Arts Proficiency Assessment Center Dance Summer Camp. I would like to share some of my cultivation experiences with you.

Enduring Pain

My legs were in a lot of pain when I began stretching in the first few days of the dance camp. I also had to run to boost my stamina. I was tired and felt everything was difficult. I wanted to cry, and the first two nights, I cried several times to my mother while sharing my feelings with her.

I did not stretch this hard when I learned dance in California. I never took it seriously and always took the shortcut. As soon as school break started, my family and I vacationed in Hawaii and I enjoyed myself. So, when camp began it was difficult for me to get used to the high intensity training.

One night when I complained, my mother reminded me a section of Master’s lectures.

Master said,

“Back in my days of practice, more than once a teacher told me, “Nothing is truly unbearable or impossible.” (The Ninth Talk, Zhuan Falun)

My mother said, “Can you try to bear it? Keep trying and see if you can persist until the end.”

I thought about it all night. When I stretched the next day, I clenched my teeth and tried to have my legs touch the ground and make it into a full split.

The dance teacher called my group over one day when we were stretching our legs. She said that she would stretch us and I was the first to be stretched. As soon as I sat down, a strong fear came over me. The more my legs were stretched, the more frightened I felt. I was frightened of the pain, and started to cry. Afterwards I began crying as soon as I thought of being stretched by the teacher.

My dance teacher told me that the more afraid I was of stretching, the more pain I would feel. I remembered this when she stretched me again the next week. This time, I tried not to be afraid. It turned out that the stretches were not as painful as I thought.

I had skin allergies when I was in California, and I knew this was because I did not study the Fa or practice the exercises well. Sometimes, I felt dizzy and even wept because my stomach hurt so much. At camp, not only did my dancing improve, I was also more diligent in reading the Fa and practicing the exercises. I now feel strong and very healthy. I realized that enduring pain is not a bad thing. I am also slowly relinquishing my fear of pain.

Identifying and Eliminating Attachments

I tried my best to catch up to the dance classes because the camp had already started before I arrived. Even though I was afraid that I would not be able to catch up, I slacked off during dance class and did not take it seriously. I also started to take the easy route when stretching. I gradually saw my attachment of being lazy. The teacher told us, “If you truly want to help your classmate, you should stretch them harder.” However, I asked my classmates not to stretch me too hard.

During nap time, I was lazy and used the mats brought over by other classmates. I also did not help put them back when we were done. Regardless of whether it was carrying the mats to stretch or putting them back, I was lazy and left it to someone else. I know that laziness is a manifestation of being selfish. I hope to eliminate this attachment soon.

I also developed the attachment of zealotry when I was placed in the front and middle during dance formations. I thought, “I must be doing really well.” The teacher reprimanded me the next day and pointed out my problems. I realized I should not have the attachment of zealotry regardless of where I stood in the formation. We should strive to learn from others. For example, I should be truly happy from the bottom of my heart when a classmate does her aerials well or can do a complicated technique. I should not be jealous on the inside and appear to be happy on the outside.

Enlightening to “One thought made all the difference”

Master said,

“One thought made all the difference. If she had lain there on the ground instead, moaning in pain, pleading for help and thinking that she had sustained this or that injury, then maybe she would have suffered a broken bone or been paralyzed.” (The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun)

I repeatedly read what Master said about how, “One thought made all the difference.” My left foot started to hurt and the pain persisted for more than a week. Each day, the pain intensified. I suddenly realized that it hurt because I treated it as a serious injury. When I started to think that my foot was fine, the pain subsided. I remembered what the grownups said about changing your mindset.

Conclusion

The summer camp was challenging, but I gained a lot. I made new friends and my dance skills improved.

I will attend the Northern Academy of the Arts this upcoming school year. I am happy because I already made some friends who will also attend the school. I look forward to being with them.

Thank you to the dance teachers for all that you’ve done. Thank you for helping me overcome the pain during stretching.

Thank you Master! Thank you fellow practitioners!