Fa
Teaching at the 2009 Greater
Li Hongzhi ~ June 7,
2009
Good morning! (Disciples: Good
morning, Master!)
You've been working hard! (Disciples:
Master has been working hard!)
I am delighted to see you all, as we
haven't seen each other for over a year. (Enthusiastic applause) I have
intentionally avoided lecturing too much, for I am aware that the more
thoroughly I talk about something, the greater the difficulty it will bring
your cultivation and the more trouble the old forces' elements will make. The
Fa has been taught, and Master has told you that as long as you are steadfast
in cultivating by this Fa, everything will be yours. That's definitely the
case, so as long as you study it earnestly, it is the same as my teaching you
directly. So having pondered this matter, I decided that it was better to speak
less frequently, leaving you more opportunities to improve, to arrive at your
own insights, and to walk your own path. When I teach the Fa infrequently
though, what worries me most is not the hardships or ordeals you face, which
you know to be plenty hard. They are not the hardest thing; after all, however
trying hardship may be, it's over after you get through it, and at that point
things are clear to you. Rather, to quietly cultivate in bleak loneliness,
unable to see hope, is the hardest of all. Doing any form of cultivation
entails undergoing a trial such as this and a path with such features. Only if
one can persevere and continually forge ahead does it amount to true diligence.
It's easy to talk about, but putting it into action is tremendously difficult.
That is why it's said that always cultivating as if you were just starting will
surely result in achieving your ultimate rank.
You have all seen that in today's
society negative things abound, and they spur on people's attachments and
affect their minds and souls, continually dragging the world's people
downwards. It is terrifying. Dafa disciples are human cultivators, not gods
that cultivate, and so as people who cultivate, they will be interfered with to
some extent. If they cannot handle themselves well, then they are just like
ordinary people; and when interfered with, their behavior will be much like
that of ordinary people. Some students haven't encountered much in the way of
ordeals and have gradually become lax. This means that they have formed
attachments to the various temptations of ordinary society, and been dragged
down by its lure. Of course, different people have different human thoughts as
they cultivate and their innate foundations are different, just as their
attitudes toward cultivation are, of course, different. The most precious thing
is to manage to continually progress while in this grueling setting, under
pressure, and unable to see hope. That is the most precious, and greatest,
thing.
I have discovered that many students
have, in this period of time where they couldn't see me, become relatively lax
and not so strict with themselves. Cultivation is truly something solemn. Two
earths have come to pass since the creation of the world, and this eons-old
history has all been to await the final moment that is today. This time is, in
reality, but the blink of an eye or the wave of a hand, as gods see it. But in
this dimension of man, it requires a process that takes time. However long
something takes in human dimension time, it is still but the blink of an eye to
the gods. Many years need to pass in this human place, and as the time drags
on, some students are apt to become less diligent and to slack off a bit. You
have to be vigilant about this problem. I think that you will be fine as long
as you pay attention to it from now on. Seen in another light, the path that
you have traveled and all that you have faced and gone through, as with Dafa's vast
spreading, and the deeds of our cultivators--none of this is possibly by
chance. Ordinary people would never have the chance to experience all that you
have gone through. The unfolding of an event as great as this in the human
world could by no means be accidental. Think about it a little and you will see
that it really isn't ordinary. Since you have made it through so many years,
why can't you do well on the final leg of the journey? Failing to be diligent
in cultivation is actually no trivial thing. The instant you relax, you will be
led away by human thinking and take a backward, or roundabout, route, and you
will cooperate poorly with each other as you validate the Fa and clarify the
facts.
Each of our Dafa disciples' projects
that clarify the facts and save people is self-organized voluntarily for the
purpose of validating the Fa, and you have seen what you've achieved. The media
entities and networks that Dafa disciples have put together, and all that you
have accomplished, strike fear into the evil elements. The wicked CCP has
mobilized
Some Dafa disciples are working on
projects meant to save people, and they are busy and work hard. I'm aware of
all of this. And I know some Dafa disciples have very little time to rest, and
face many challenges. But whatever the case, isn't today what we have awaited?
Whether you made vows in history or came specifically for this affair, what's
before us at this moment, today, is what Dafa disciples are to do and have long
awaited. Though what you are doing is saving people, you are nonetheless
cultivating yourselves as well, and so what manifests in this human setting
won't be fully divine-like. If the world's people could see your godly
appearance and the wonders of what you do, it would break the spell of delusion
that makes this an ordinary, human place. In that case there would be no such
thing as Dafa disciples cultivating or saving people, and the hardships would
disappear. And without those things, your cultivation would become less sacred.
So it is for this reason that you appear to be ordinary human beings. And there
is more than just this. As I just said, this kind of cultivation setting, where
one cannot see what lies ahead and one is immersed in prolonged loneliness, is
the hardest to endure, and it is most apt to lead a person to slack off. This
is the greatest test in cultivation.
Of course, the evil factors in
mainland
Yesterday, I discussed with our Dafa
disciples from NTDTV a few of the situations at hand. Another thing at present
that you are all aware of, is that students who haven't been diligent--people
that didn't step forward for a long time and fell far short--have begun to step
forward in a steady stream as the climate has changed. In mainland
The notions that people from
mainland
Because of the different mindset
that mainland students have, the unsuccessful cooperation, their abnormal way
of looking at things, their always being at odds with people, and their closing
themselves off, some Dafa disciples outside of China wonder if the students
from the mainland are spies. In a lot of places, this has stirred things up and
caused quite some disruption. I think that you know what I've said before,
namely, that I will save the spies, too. He may be a spy in this life, but in
his previous lives perhaps he was outstanding. And they all came for this Fa.
So, why would we judge him based solely on this lifetime? Should we no longer
save him, in that case? He merely has a different profession, that's all. Of
course, what he does in his line of work can indeed cause harm and mean that he
has committed sins against Dafa. But I think that the Fa is immense and that
this is the Great Law of the cosmos, after all, so it can resolve anything. As
long as you can open up your heart and be tolerant, I think anything can
change. Back when I was disseminating the Fa in China, there were so many
students that were members of the wicked Party and veteran cadres from the Red
Army, there were many party secretaries, many students from the state and
public security bureaus, and many students from the military--even members from
the third or second intelligence directorates of the military's general staff.
It's not that they truly went to the other side during the persecution, but
rather, that they were fearful and became confused in the face of pressure. The
person is a human being, after all, and is capable of doing anything under
pressure. Once he becomes clearheaded, he will certainly come back. It's just a
matter of time.
Saving people is just that, saving
people, and to pick and choose would not be merciful. That is particularly true
now, when human society has reached this point and everything is falling apart.
The only criterion now is what a person himself wants. I discussed this just
yesterday. I said that history has never seen an era in which people have
become so bad, as they are today. And that is especially so for the people in
mainland
I thus wanted to point out that
right now, when many of your different projects are short-handed, some of the
Dafa disciples who have come out of China still have no place on a project. I'd
say that you shouldn't worry about whether they have been
"transformed" or not. As long as the person has left that evil
setting, he will regain his clarity and feel regret. Even though it was a
disgrace, the person needs to be given a chance to come back. Cultivators must
have human thoughts in order to cultivate, after all. Such a person's sore
spots are going to be sensitive when they're hit upon, and sometimes the person
will even defend himself with some kind of argument, fearing scorn. So,
regardless of how he got out of there, he should still be able to enter this
environment of Dafa disciples. You cannot push these people away. Instead, you
should get close to them and show them warmth. No matter what they think or do,
and no matter how different their mindset may be, they will gradually come to
know and appreciate how people in other countries lead their lives. Broaden
your hearts and minds some, for they are your fellow disciples, Master's Dafa
disciples. You need to show tolerance for them. If you really do feel
uncomfortable putting someone like this on a certain project or asking him to
do certain things, then you can inquire with the Dafa disciples in
Right now some of your projects
require a lot of hard work. Especially notable are the media projects, which
require a relatively large number of people. For a media entity to really have
the effect of saving sentient beings and really leverage the strengths of a
media outlet, you have to have a firm footing in ordinary society. Having a
firm footing in ordinary society isn't just something to pay lip service to.
Rather, it is something you need to truly act upon. If you want to have a firm
footing in ordinary society, you have to run that entity well. The ultimate
goal and starting point for any company in ordinary society is to do business
and make money. Though your starting point is to save people, you still need to
become well established in society, get into a positive cycle financially, and
adhere to society's management methods as much as possible. If something were
not quite right for human society, it surely wouldn't be adopted widely. So,
when everyone uses certain methods of management, it means that they suit
people's needs and that gods permit such a format in society. In the last
century or two, the way corporations operate has proven to be viable, and you
could say it is the result of what ordinary people have learned through
experience. Then why can't we follow those conventions when we run ours?
Dafa disciples all have in mind the
thought, "We will rush to the front lines, no matter how hard or
exhausting it may be or if it means long nights without sleep--we can, and
will, do whatever it takes." But, when it comes to management, they falter.
Didn't you say that you could do whatever it takes? (Audience laughs)
Didn't you all go from not knowing how to do something to knowing how? Then why
is it that you can't do this part well? Only by running a media entity well can
it grow stronger and have more of the desired effect. Right now how much time
is wasted figuring out how to keep it going and scrounging around for money to
sustain it--how hard it has been! If you really put some thought and effort
into this, then I think the outcome will be great. Whether it's seeking
sponsorships or getting ads, all of that behind-the-scenes work done to get
capital for the media companies is the same as that of those who act as the
public face of the company--the mighty virtue is exactly the same. It couldn't possibly
be that someone's mighty virtue is greater just because he writes articles,
acts as an editor, serves as a translator, often appears in or on that media,
or because he has some select assignment. All of you who participate in that
media entity are, as Dafa disciples, the same, regardless of what task you do.
Yet when you deal with this issue
that has long confounded you, upon seeing the challenges ahead, fully aware of
them, you retreat instead of pushing forward, and don't want to do it. I want
to tell you here, as Master, that I support managing the media companies well.
I have told the people responsible for the media entities that they should put
some effort into this. But there are more people who aren't so clear on this,
and you have this short-term thinking, namely, "When Fa-rectification
requires something, we'll do it. When it's over with, we're done." But
that's not how things work. When Dafa disciples do something, it is never
solely for that one thing. With whatever you do, you need to consider the
present as well as the future, and you need to consider the task itself as well
as anything related to it. Right now this cultural format is being used to save
people and validate the Fa, but won't this format be left to the future? Won't
it be given to the people of the future to follow?
Then there is another management
issue related to how you run a media company. You all have this attitude of,
"If I want to do something, I'll do it. But when someone tells me what to
do, I don't go for it." How could that work? You are Dafa disciples. When
you work at an ordinary company, you do whatever your boss tells you to. So how
come with a Dafa project, when doing something for Dafa, you won't listen when
someone says something, tells you to do something, or assigns something for you
to do? Just think about it: is that right? If we want to gain a foothold in
society and have that media entity more effectively play its role, then you
have to run it with ordinary means. That's what I have told the television
station, the radio station, the Epoch Times newspaper, and the other media
entities. It was something I said to them. If you want to use these [media]
forms to clarify the facts and save people, then you need to take that
approach. Whatever ordinary people do or however they run a company, that's how
you need to do it. It's merely that your motive is to save people. That's where
the difference lies.
Real-life experience has shown that
the human style of management is quite effective, so why don't you use it?
Perhaps that format for doing things is to be left to the future. But if you're
telling me that with your managerial process nobody listens to anyone, then
could that format be passed on to the future? No, that wouldn't work. If people
don't want to listen whenever you assign something and they just want to do
whatever suits their fancy, and each does things his own way, could that ever
work? It's just like when this fist goes out--it's strong when everyone is
clenched together. (Master makes a fist.) But if you're saying that this
one wants to do this, that one wants to do that, and the next one something
else (spreading the five fingers apart and pointing to each finger),
then that's weak, and as soon as it goes out, it will be repelled, right? You
need to have a plan and organize things, coordinate well, and cooperate with
each other.
Some people might think, "Why
should I listen to so-and-so? I think I've cultivated better than him."
You mustn't say that. Only someone who has cultivated well will be content to
follow whatever is assigned to him, and [thinking that way] only proves that
you have not cultivated well. I have said that the media companies you run are
not inherently a part of Dafa, and that the duties which go with your assigned
role do not represent your cultivation level. You are Dafa disciples, and have
come together of your own volition for the purpose of saving sentient beings
and validating the Fa. You built up this project to save people and validate
the Fa. That's how these things should be viewed. Since the company is not a
part of Dafa, it should gain a solid footing in society, and be ordinary. Why
shouldn't something ordinary be managed with ordinary methods? An ordinary
person's job doesn't bespeak of how high his level used to be in the heavens,
nor does it represent how high a cultivator's current realm is or how well he
has cultivated. Since you understand this principle, and know that just because
someone manages you it doesn't mean he has cultivated to a higher place, then should
there still be issues of discontentment or jealousy involved here? It's fine
for someone to manage you, since that is for Dafa. Aren't Dafa disciples
supposed to be able to adapt to different circumstances? When you faced harsh
persecution while in jail, when you were beaten and cursed at by wicked people,
and ordered around, did you succumb to discontentment at that time? Then why is
it that in this situation, when involved in something so sacred, you can't do
it??
Today there are a great many Dafa disciples
before me, so I wanted to spell things out. You have done very well with the
media entities and already had a huge effect in saving sentient beings. So this
is something that needs to be done well. Master's wish is that you will get
them on a solid footing in society and make them solid businesses with a
positive cycle, thus allowing them to have an even greater impact and do even
more to save sentient beings. That's what I wanted to say. As for the
management of things, you should have departments, a managerial level, and
people who do the hands-on tasks. The roles are different, but they all have in
common the one goal of validating the Fa. Those who manage things and those who
carry out tasks earn the same mighty virtue. You are supporting the format of
that media entity and using it to save sentient beings, so your impact is the
same.
I have a lot to say, but whatever I
would bring up would lend too much emphasis to that topic. I won't say much
more. I just wanted to talk in general terms about things at present. If you
have questions that you really feel a need to ask or that urgently need to be
resolved, you can pass them up shortly on slips of paper, and I will answer
them for you. (Applause)
Looking at the essence of the
current situation, we can see that the evil's factors are finished and that the
evil specter of the wicked CCP has been destroyed. It's just that some of its
messages still exist--for example, in some of its books or pictures from the
past--along with its evil factors, though most of those evil factors have been
destroyed. The harm being done to Dafa disciples comes from the mess of utterly
base low spirits and rotten demons that exist in the low-level places that have
been impacted by Fa-rectification. Those things are being directly controlled
by evil factors, and the old bad factors of even higher levels are at work
layer after layer. But in
If I were to end this affair right
now, too many future lives would be destroyed. Those people that came down to
obtain the Fa, those people that came on account of obtaining the Fa, would
have come in vain. Regardless of what those lives are now doing, they were, in
the beginning, gods. They saw how terrifying it was here, yet they dared to
jump headlong in--they dared to come. Why was that? Because they had hope in
the Fa-rectification and Dafa, and they came out of a deep faith. No matter how
they are behaving now, we need to look at how things were initially and look at
their history--at how that life once was--and do our utmost to save them. This
is the Great Law of the cosmos, after all, and for the countless sentient
beings, it's an opportunity that is hard to come by. It is here just this once,
and if they can remain, they will remain; if they cannot, then they will
disappear forever. So I feel that we need to keep doing this and keep saving
them. If the people who had obtained the Fa today were not you but others, and
you were the ones in that circumstance and counted among the ordinary people,
think about it: wouldn't you be deserving of pity? And as for the Chinese
people, who suffer the most severe persecution, they are persecuted to that
extent only on account of the old forces' trying to interfere with you. So
there is even more reason for you to save them. At present, it is a given that
you need to do well the three things and cultivate yourselves well. Have strong
righteous thoughts. When you cultivate yourself well, your righteous thoughts
will of course be strong. So for all of you, saving sentient beings is your
responsibility and your historic mission, and it is something at once both
monumental and grueling.
You know that it's not hard for us
to save a person; the difficulty lies in the evil's interference and pressure.
When a person manages to understand the truth and be saved, it means that,
speaking on a fundamental level, all of the lives in the cosmic system behind
him that he represents are saved in conjunction. It means that immeasurable
numbers of sentient beings and immense systems--so many lives--are saved. It is
a factor that major which makes it hard for the person to have a chance to hear
the truth and understand what is before him. It takes the form of various evil
factors interfering with our clarifying the facts, but in essence it's due to
the presence of that major factor behind it all. I just said that the
responsibility Dafa disciples have is monumental and that this historic mission
is not something just anyone could take on--only Dafa disciples are worthy.
It's magnificent, truly magnificent.
I want to mention something in
passing. It is something I haven't talked to you about before. I spoke about
something at the meeting yesterday, and I need to repeat it today. Otherwise it
will circulate inaccurately. In the past, as a part of Fa-rectification, gods
at every level addressed the matter of determining what would happen with
humankind after Fa-rectification, and gods at a certain level arranged for
there to be a great Final Judgment. This can be found in the Western tradition,
which tells of mankind facing a grand judgment. But it would not be limited to
mankind: all beings of the whole Three Realms would face it. Even deceased
people would be brought back to life and face judgment. This judgment would be
the final conclusion to all that had come to pass since the creation of the
world, and encompass the beginning of and spreading of Dafa as well as mark the
end of saving sentient beings, and in particular, it would encompass all of
what beings during the final Fa-rectification period had done--all of it would
be displayed in full view. When I have spoken about "sentient
beings," I have used the term in a broad, comprehensive sense that includes
everything in the cosmos. Regardless of whether man's science calls something
organic or inorganic, the truth is that everything is alive. The lives of the
multitude of dimensions, all sentient beings, came for this Dafa; and the
living environments that all the sentient beings were provided with were
themselves created for this Dafa. Then I would say that in the end, all of them
would have to face the Judgment. I didn't mention this before while teaching
the Fa, for the arrangements made at that specific level no longer count;
ultimately it will be I who decides what is done. The Final Judgment that they
arranged was not limited to the judging of those who would play oppositional or
negative roles, or those who would do bad things. Rather, those that had played
positive roles would also have to face the Judgment. What would they face?
Here's an example. While you might have played a positive role during
Fa-rectification, there would remain the question: did you fulfill your
responsibilities to the utmost degree? Another example is, those who came here
to be Dafa disciples: what was the vow that you made? did you honor that vow?
what did the Lord Creator require of you? did you do as the Lord Creator
required? If you did not honor your original vow or do as the Lord Creator
required, then you would not have completed what you were supposed to do and
would have in effect deceived the Lord. Since you would have thus brought
losses to your local area's situation at that time, to the progress of
Fa-rectification, and to the sentient beings that were thus not saved, and you
would have thus brought damage or ruin to different levels of the cosmos, you
would be held accountable. I talked about this yesterday, and I needed to
repeat it for you today lest it be passed around inaccurately. I didn't talk
about this before and hadn't wanted to get into this, for I know that you have
all been through so much. But ultimately, no matter how you are made to stand
and face Fa-rectification and yourself, if you have failed to do well, you will
truly be considered responsible.
Next, you can pass up your slips and
I will answer your questions. (Applause)
Disciple: I would like to ask Master
to talk about the function and significance of Shen Yun's performances at this
point in the history of Fa-rectification.
Master: By now you've all seen that at each of Shen
Yun Performing Arts's performances there are hundreds in attendance at a
minimum, and most typically there are over a thousand, or even two or three
thousand, with the number ranging upwards of over five thousand at times,
depending on the size of the venue. As many as that may be, after watching the
performance over ninety percent who attend have a change of attitude toward
Dafa, and they become clear about what that evil Party is; the people become
completely positive. Effecting change in that many people all at once like that
would be really hard to achieve simply by clarifying the truth. Just think
about how many Dafa disciples it would take, all clarifying the truth in sync, to
achieve that? Of course, that's not to say that our media haven't had a large
impact. Rather, it's that right now nothing but a Shen Yun performance can have
an impact as big and instantaneous as I've described.
Everyone's experience while taking
in a Shen Yun performance is different. Chinese audience members understand it
on a rational level. The pure goodness and beauty of what unfolds on stage is
just stunning both in terms of the visual effect and the feelings it evokes,
especially so because it is built completely upon [China's] divinely inspired
cultural heritage, has not a hint of Party culture, and is something truly
human and part of the human heritage. So when the performance shows the great
compassion and fortitude of Dafa disciples, and after it lays bare the lies of
the wicked CCP, it is truly stirring indeed to the Chinese in attendance.
Westerners and persons of other ethnicities also find the experience to be
really powerful, with some even actually seeing, as they watch, mesmerized, divine
beings on the stage. Nowhere else but at a Shen Yun performance have they ever
seen performers of such high caliber or with that kind of positivity on stage.
After watching, many say things like, "It was heavenly," "God
was with them," "This gives us hope for the future," or
"Shen Yun is reviving the arts." Many who make such remarks are
people of prominence, and not the type to speak frivolously. And some of them
are so moved that they are wiping tears away as they speak. All of this indicates
that the performances really do accomplish what I've described. So we know that
Shen Yun's performances really can have the effect of saving people. Then as
Dafa disciples, when we consider that but one Shen Yun tour can manage to save
hundreds of thousands of people, is there anything not to like about it?
Okay, that's all for this question.
Disciple: Disciples from all
countries abroad who have come to the
Master: Thank you all! (Warm applause.)
Disciple: Could Shen Yun travel to
Master: It's fine for Shen Yun to perform there. You
can start an English edition of The Epoch Times if conditions permit.
There aren't any restrictions in place for this media entity. If conditions
suffice, one day it will appear in mainland
Newer students need to study the Fa
more; there is no way around it. If we look at the cultivation state of Dafa
disciples as a whole, we find evidence from the path walked thus far that tells
just how important Fa-study is. A human being is like a container. If he is
filled with Fa, he will--this being the Fa of the cosmos--naturally have
righteous thoughts and play a positive role. That's for sure. So there is only
one way, and it is to study the Fa more. Don't turn doing the exercises into a
formality and stop at that. Rather, you should guide everyone to study the Fa
more. The best thing is to organize students to study the Fa together in
different settings, and this would be especially good in
Disciple: When we're promoting Shen
Yun and, as of the last day or two before a performance, there are a lot of
tickets left, fellow cultivators are often of two opinions. One is that we
should lower the ticket prices, since we shouldn't have empty seats. The other
is that we shouldn't lower the prices, since we need to establish the Shen Yun
brand.
Master: Since this has come up, here's what I would
like to say. You know how there are a number of famous brands out there that
are known internationally, well, often these well-known brands are not hit hard
in times of economic recession. Generally speaking, they aren't affected much
when the economy is bad. The reason is, typically what a bad economy affects is
the lower rungs of society; the upper rungs have savings, and so they aren't
hit very hard. Looked at from another perspective, it is most definitely the
case that in human society the upper class is endowed with a greater amount of
blessing, and such people's inborn quality is better. While this isn't a hard
and fast rule, it does hold true for the vast majority of people, since if they
didn't have blessings allotted to them they wouldn't be entitled to what they
have--unlike what the twisted logic of the wicked CCP says. We don't try to
distinguish the rich from the poor, for we try to save all the sentient beings
before us regardless of which class they belong to. So, it's not acceptable if
we don't take care of the upper echelon of society.
A second matter is the ticket. The
effect of a Shen Yun performance now counts it as the top show in the
world--the best. (Applause.) And I don't just mean at present. I
examined the quality of various shows during different eras of history, and
ours is still the best. I'm referring to the theatrical effect of the
performance, and this includes the artistic form as well as the artistic
technique that's demonstrated. Ordinary people's performances can't compare, to
be honest. What we have here is an assemblage of cultivators, and their
starting point is a desire to save sentient beings; and what fills the stage
but divine beings, who give assistance. Could ordinary people's performances
possibly achieve that? They can't.
So as for the value of the ticket,
we know that the people in Western society have social classes; the fact
remains, however unhappy some people might be about it, that social classes
really do exist. People from different social classes go to different stores
and establishments. There's no question about it. This is something that
Chinese people, having lived under the wicked Party, do not understand. If you
ask someone from the upper class to go and partake in something lower class, he
most certainly won't. Image is something everyone cares about, and, given that
everyone wants to look good, there are many people who want to make their way
into society's upper tier. So, if you find a good venue for our performances,
people from both the upper and lower classes will be happy to go. But if, on
the other hand, the location is a poorer neighborhood or it's a venue that puts
on low-end shows, neither upper nor middle class people will have anything to
do with it. Whatever one may think about this, that's the reality of society.
If we want to save people, then when we try to save them we have to be
attentive to their circumstances. Don't take this for granted.
Here's my take on Shen Yun ticket
sales. You're all talking about what to do when you still have tickets left
over prior to opening night. Let me first address this in cultivation terms.
How sales go in a given locale is, in reality, a true, tangible sign of how well
practitioners have cultivated and cooperated there. (Applause.) I'm not
just saying this because I think Shen Yun is so important. Rather, it truly is
a reflection of your cultivation. The assistants in some areas are
narrow-minded. They will only team up with the people they "believe
in," and if there are other people that they can't stand, they don't let
them participate and even drive them away. In some areas there are students who
interact with each other with strong human attachments and neglect to make
cooperation the top priority. The fights between people there are endless, with
the result being that it compromises our validating of the Fa as well as our
selling of tickets. In some places, people try to grab practitioners to join
their side, each group goes its own way, and they don't work together in the
least. In some areas there have indeed been people who harbor bad intentions
and that stir up trouble. And in yet other cases, people have been preoccupied
with the thought that spies might find out about their plans, and so they cover
and hide what they're doing to the point that practitioners don't have any clue
about what's going on--in which case, how are they supposed to cooperate
together? (Applause.) They go about things stealthily, as if they were
doing something unspeakable. But isn't this something you should do with
confidence and poise? Again and again I've said: don't let appearances, or evil
factors, deceive your eyes, for this phase of history is given to Dafa
disciples for validating the Fa; if you can walk this path well, nothing will
block you, for it is all a matter of whether you walk it righteously. If your
mind is that narrow, how will you achieve what's needed? You won't be able to.
Of course, arranging a performance by Shen Yun is something that the
practitioners in each area have done voluntarily. It's something you do because
you want to. If you don't want to, it's not as if Master would insist on it.
It's something that is done by Dafa disciples of their own accord, solely to
validate the Fa. There is something very real that I've observed, however.
Namely, the change that a Shen Yun performance brings about locally is
enormous. So many people become clear about Dafa in one fell swoop, and they
change for the better. That would be awfully hard for you to achieve under
normal circumstances. And, moreover, some local people seek out Dafa as a
result of the Shen Yun performance and start to cultivate. That is even
something we've seen often.
Then as for the question of the
ticket's worth, consider that this is the best artistry performed on any stage
in the world, that divine beings are performing, and that a person's health
problems are resolved when he watches the performance. And consider that when
someone watches the show, the stress in his life from the economic crisis
nowadays, no matter how great, will be completely dissolved and relieved; the
person's troubles might truly disappear afterwards, he will feel as if he's
seen the light at the end of the tunnel (laughter), and he will seem to
have changed as a person, if not his finances too. (Applause.) This
happens because, having made the right choice at the show, people will have
their karma dissolved for them, and it will be transformed into blessings. And
the health problems of many people disappear after they see the performance.
Then what would you say: how much is that worth? Many audience members have
said, just speaking about the quality of the performance at the most
superficial level, that one ticket is worth $500--$500 U.S. dollars, that is. (Applause.)
Be it in Europe,
Of course, when you have leftover
tickets, there is another reason involved as well; it's not just because of
poor cooperation on the part of Dafa disciples. Namely, in many places people
don't know Shen Yun. However well Shen Yun might perform, the several hundred
thousand who see the performance amount to just a tiny figure when there are
over 7 billion people on this earth. Also, in Western society the performances
and ballet companies have histories that go back a century, and parents take
their kids to see them starting right from their youth. They watch the same
performance over and over again right into old age. People thus know even the
details of a ballet company, such as what caliber it is, who is performing in a
production, how a given artist is doing, and so on. So, when that ballet
company comes to town, all an advertisement has to do is tell which company it is
and what dates it's performing on, and that's it. They can keep it simple and
things work out, people come. But in our case, no matter how well we do our
ads, you still think it's not good enough, and you even think that it will work
only if you pack everything about the show into the ad. Yet that's not
possible. And besides, even if the ad is done supremely well, it doesn't
necessarily mean people will come. The year before last, in the
Then there's another reason.
Consider what kind of stuff people in the
But that said, I have observed that
the quality of absolute beauty that permeates a Shen Yun performance really can
have the effect of saving sentient beings and stirring the soul. The impact of
this will only grow greater and greater as Shen Yun keeps performing in the
time ahead. Truth be told, the extent to which Shen Yun's performances have
moved and impacted society is already something that no other show can match.
It's really sizable. And what's more, this is achieved by the combined effect
of Shen Yun's own strength plus that of the local Dafa disciples who are
organizing the event. After people see the performance they will speak from
their heart about it publicly, spreading the word person to person, mouth to
mouth. Soon there will be a sense of excitement brewing, and we will quickly be
on the radar. At that point you will just need to write a few words and you're
all set--"Shen Yun is returning!" You won't need to do much
publicity. (Applause.)
So, what are you to do when you have
tickets left? You didn't do well, and so tickets remain. My stance is that we
shouldn't lower the prices. (Enthusiastic applause.) Some people might
be wondering, "But since we're saving people, wouldn't it be nice to bring
in even just one more person? Isn't it the more, the better?" That's not
how it is. It's not how you imagine it. Some Chinese people still don't
understand how things work outside of
Disciple: Recently I have discovered
that what makes it hard to remove attachments is in fact that my resolve to
cultivate is inadequate and my will is not firm, and thus, as we head toward
the end, the problem is especially apparent.
Master: If you realize it,
that's a good start, for you have begun to improve. If we are able to recognize
our shortcomings, then we can quickly catch up. At present, some people still
aren't aware of them, and aren't willing to face up to their cultivation
situation or see their shortcomings. Then could you call that cultivation?
Disciple: Some
coordinators in
Master: In cultivation one
mustn't look outward. If people don't listen to your idea, will you then form a
negative attitude? Who are you cultivating for? You know how intensely those
evil factors in mainland
It is true that
some newer students who haven't studied the Fa in depth have been affected, so
I need to shift direction and say a few things to the coordinators. When you're
doing things, think about how Master handles them, and learn from it a bit.
Only when you can manage to have the great breadth of mind befitting a
cultivator will you be able to guide more people and save people. With some
things, everyone needs to listen to the directives of the Dafa Association and
act in a unified manner. With other things, the Association needs to loosen its
grip and allow everyone to act on their own. However, when people can't reach
consensus, the Association will have to decide on the course of action for
everyone; once a decision is made, that's how it will be done, and you need to
cooperate. (Applause) We can't allow differing opinions to affect what
needs to be done. Of course, if you can truly come to an understanding and
improve together, that's terrific, and how it should be. But when time is
tight, as is often the case, and we can't afford to wait until everyone is on
the same page before taking action, then it is sometimes necessary for everyone
simply to follow an executive decision by the Association. Do you understand? (Enthusiastic
applause)
Disciple: My father is a veteran
practitioner and lives outside
Master: Then he's not
making the grade. (Laughs) For one thing, it would be best if he could
realize for himself what to do, since this is cultivation after all. Another
thing you can do is to serve as a catalyst for him and help him along. The evil
won't suddenly tell him one day, "We're not going to persecute you
anymore." If a person wants to cultivate, he should just go ahead. What's
actually at work is fear. Everyone talks about "setting aside all thought
of life and death," but when the pressure increases a little they can't
come through. Don't be a "lesser man who hears the Dao."
Disciple: Please allow yourself to
sit.
Master: Many of the
question slips are asking me to sit, but I think I'll stand. (Everyone
laughs, applauds) It's been a long time since we last saw each other, and I
want to have a good view of you, just as you want to have a good view of me. (Warm
applause)
Disciple: I have a child who saw
Shen Yun perform last year and was very moved. He even shed tears. He saw Shen
Yun again this year, and from the first note, before the curtain had even
opened, he began to weep. He said that it was the same scene appearing before
his eyes again, and that it was how Heaven looked. The child has a predestined
connection to Dafa, and believes in it, and in Master, very much. But sometimes
he has doubts. Is this interference?
Master: I have addressed
this in my Fa teachings. If you study the Fa a bit more you'll all be clear on
this, actually. Human beings naturally have both a good and a bad side, and all
material things and creatures in the Three Realms are constructed of both good
and bad factors, either of which can have an effect. When it is goodness that
dominates the person's actions, then he is good; when it is evilness that
dominates the person's actions, then he is not good. If goodness abounds as a
person cultivates, then he will be in a corresponding state; if goodness is
lacking, his foolish ignorance will show. It's just a question of which quality
is in effect. Cultivation is all about cultivating away the things that are not
good, or negative, and it means cultivating your positive side to the point of
completion. And that is when good fruits will follow. You shouldn't be
thinking, "Wow, this child is just outstanding. He should be just like a
god, and always righteous." It's not like that. People are people. If
someone can see gods, he is still a human being; it's merely that his human
state is different.
Disciple: My mother cultivated for
over ten years, but passed away not long ago. When she was cultivating, she
provided a great deal of assistance to me in life. But I failed to help her
break through the test of life and death.
Master: You shouldn't have
too many thoughts about this. If you think too much, it will become an
attachment. Just put your heart into cultivating. Only when you have cultivated
well will you be able to help sentient beings. The Dafa disciples that have
passed away all have good returns awaiting them. There's no need to worry.
Disciple: Why is it that articles
submitted to the Minghui website from mainland
Master: Many articles that
come from the mainland do indeed speak the way they do in the Party culture.
Their authors don't know any different, as that's how they were educated in
that environment. But after you have edited the articles, you can still use the
true things that are present in them. Don't let it affect anything.
Disciple: How are we to make sense
of the thinking and behavior of students who come from the mainland?
Master: Try to put
yourself in their shoes and understand them a bit. They are cultivators too,
and in essence, the same as everyone else. They are doing the three things as
well, and they too are my disciples. That's grounds enough to try to work with
them. They will gradually become aware of the issue themselves. You need to be
clear on this. Don't push them away just because of this.
Disciple: Should we steer our little
disciples to learn dance, artistic gymnastics, and music?
Master: I know you all
adore the kids of
Disciple: Each time
we have a group activity, because there are very few fellow practitioners who
are capable of sharing the load with creating materials and doing promotional
work, oftentimes I'm the only one and must scramble to get things done. This
situation has created a huge array of problems for my ordinary work and my
family. (Master: Indeed.) It's thus hard for me to squeeze in Fa-study
or cultivation.
Master: Actually, all of
our Dafa disciples face this kind of challenge, since each has family that they
have to take care of, and each still needs to cultivate as well as to validate
the Fa. It's like that for everyone. Balance things well. Of course, there are
often certain special situations where others don't have the skills that are
needed, and there's just one person. In that case, do your best to find others
to learn those skills.
Disciple: I don't know what my vow
is. Some practitioners tell me to do this, and others that, but I can't do it
all. How can I know for sure what my path and my vow really are?
Master: I have never said
to anyone that he should do this or she should do that. Manpower is needed on
each and every front. If you feel that you're especially skilled in a certain
regard, or there is something you especially like to do, then go and solidly,
resolutely, do a good job with that thing. As long as that effort can save
sentient beings, and you have a part to play in it, then go and do it, and
that's that. It's not as if when you wrote your vow you spelled out that you
would specifically come down to be a reporter or a performer. (Everyone
laughs)
Disciple: Could I ask Master to talk
a little about the environment of Fa-rectification at this time?
Master: The environments
in mainland
Disciple: There are many projects
that need Dafa disciples' participation, and there are many disciples who have
yet to appreciate the future prospects of Dafa disciples' media.
Master: Yes, I know. This
is especially the case with the English Epoch Times and other,
non-Chinese-language editions of the paper or of the other media. We're really
short of hands, and this often results in many things being hard to do. So I
would ask: has the coordination of our projects as a whole really achieved what
it should? are there still shortcomings that exist? If you can truly handle
this well, they will really begin to achieve the effect they should, and it
will change the environment around us; it could even be that the effect of the
media will become such that more people in society want to read or watch them,
learn the truth, and even seek out Dafa. If you can really achieve that,
then you will have sufficient manpower, as there will constantly be new people
coming, with some being very capable persons. If you haven't managed to make
that stride forward, then you should examine things and ask whether it results
from some form of inadequacy and that is why you have such difficulty. If you
really manage to do well, the situation will change--change for the better.
That really is the case. Of course, what I described isn't the sole reason for
your situation. There are evil factors making trouble for you as well, after
all. They hold that only when you cultivate in hardship, amidst ordeals, and
under trying circumstances will you gain mighty virtue. And thus, they
interfere. That's how the situation is right now.
Disciple: When we are doing group
study, should we be reading aloud the parts of Master's Fa teachings such as
the signature, the date, and the parenthetical remarks such as
"applause" or "Master laughs"?
Master: (Laughing)
No, you don't need to. You don't need to read the signatures, dates, commas, or
parenthetical parts. (Laughing) (Everyone Laughs) Just read the
Fa--the Fa content--and it will be fine. There's a phenomenon among mainland
students, namely, while studying the Fa some people think that they shouldn't
read Master's full name aloud whenever they come upon it, and that, instead,
they should just say "Master" or "respected Master."
Reading the Fa is reading the Fa, so you shouldn't change it.
Disciple: The mainland Chinese Dafa
disciples who live in
Master: Thank you.
Disciple: How should the management
in our media go about listening to the ideas and opinions of its staff? And in
particular, how so when the students' ideas and opinions diverge from their
own? The coordinators of the
Master: That's true. We
often do that. That is, when people don't cooperate well they just go and look
for other people, and they keep doing that again and again as things continue
not to work out and, in the end, the Epoch Times just becomes one big practice
site. (Everyone laughs)
But having touched
on this, I want to say a few words about how some students fix their attention
on the management. If the setting were your normal workplace, would you dare to
fix your attention on your superiors? Could you do that? You couldn't. Then how
come, while validating the Fa and cultivating yourselves, you are focusing your
attention on external things? What's more, Master has told you that cultivation
is about cultivating yourself; you have to cultivate inward, to look
inside yourself. If you can all manage to do this, there will be no problem
that can't be resolved, and this is the greatest way to work together and is a
magic tool given by the Fa. So how come you don't do it? Those who manage
things are responsible for this, and so are those who should cooperate--each is
responsible. But has it occurred to you that we're always talking about how
others "don't cooperate well," with some people always talking about
how the management has this and that problem? In every case, that is looking
outward, cultivating outward, and dwelling on what others are doing. Why don't
we instead look for our own faults, and try to truly do well? If you can truly
do things correctly, how will others view you? Then when you, as the
coordinator, are anxious about getting something done, why don't you reflect
for a moment on what you might have done inadequately that has led students not
to want to do what you tell them? So you must remember, it is
cultivation--exactly cultivation!
Disciple: There are some veteran
students in the mainland who believe that things like the so-called
"Unabridged Fa" and "Lecture Ten" are real.
Master: That's all stuff
concocted by those despicable secret agents. There is no such thing as this
supposed "Unabridged Fa," nor is there any "Lecture Ten" or
any other rotten demonic stuff like that. What will they cook up next, a
"Foot Fa"? (Laughs) That stuff is just concocted by the evil
specter using the brains of secret agents, and it is used to confuse those
among us who they think aren't diligent, who like to hear gossipy things, who
like to hear something new just for novelty's sake, or who like to show off.
It's meant to confuse such people. But they cannot confuse even one person who
cultivates solidly.
Disciple: Is it the case that when a
person inside
Master: As long as someone
can see the evil for what it is, become clear that Dafa is good and that Dafa
disciples are good people, then that will suffice. But that said, watching the
DVD will never have the same effect as seeing the performance in a theater.
Some people have asked whether we could play a recording of the performance on
a big screen, in effect allowing more people to see it, as if they were
watching Shen Yun live. No, you cannot. You most definitely don't want to do
something like that outside
Disciple: The core players in our
media often leave to work on other projects, making it impossible to ensure the
quality of our work. How can we better deal with this?
Master: Right, when
someone who has done quite well suddenly leaves for some other project, it
instantly creates a manpower shortage. With some students, the moment something
isn't agreeable to them they just disregard how [leaving] will affect others,
they don't consider how it will impact that task that was being done to
validate the Fa, and they just do whatever they please. I have observed this in
some students, and the gods are not exactly impressed, either. At the same
time, though, it is true that other projects are in need of people. If you have
the spare time to help them, well, many Dafa disciples are simultaneously shouldering
multiple duties, so there shouldn't be a problem in principle. But no matter
how much we discuss this matter, it all boils down to a problem of coordination
and cultivation.
Disciple: Could Master please talk
about the Nine Competitions?
Master: New Tang Dynasty Television has held the nine
competitions for the past two years. It has made them quite dramatic and
appealing, and they've become a sensation. The nine competitions are all about
traditional culture--divinely-bestowed culture, the true cultural heritage of
man. It is something that was being lost. In terms of the long-run, the
competitions will serve to pass on such things to the future and its people.
And as for the present, the obvious way in which this format is helpful is that
it raises NTDTV's profile and increases the station's viewership, while, more
fundamentally, it has the even greater impact of clarifying the truth and
saving sentient beings. Once the competitions are over, though, let's stop
there and not keep hyping them up. And if you keep putting on such events, and
are doing so internationally, then you are promoting ordinary people's things
since most of what they involve are ordinary things, after all. The
competitions are to help promote the TV station, enrich its programming, and
further its name-recognition. And the other idea behind the competitions is
that people are competing on the basis of things from traditional
culture--something beneficial for the people of the future and that helps
people to reclaim their traditions.
Disciple: This year's vocal
competition only includes the bel canto style, and not Chinese folk singing. Is
that because folk singing is not being affirmed or kept?
Master: I've mentioned before that there are many
vocal styles in this world. Each ethnicity corresponds to the culture of a
different cosmic body. Perhaps a certain vocal style is a distinguishing trait
of the particular culture in a particular cosmic body's system. So we don't
disapprove of any specific vocal style, other than things that have an adverse
effect on society, the bad things. I won't affirm those things. Since there are
so many possible choices, and we can't possibly use everything, we thus have to
take some things into consideration and use things selectively. As for the
question of what the future human society will be left with, that's a future
matter. Whatever is good will be kept. This year, Chinese folk singing is not
included, only bel canto is. That style can be used by just about any
ethnicity.
Disciple: I would like to ask
whether organizations such as the
Master: I can't talk about things that specifically.
If I were to now say how the
Disciple: A
Master: Yes, indeed. I feel the same way. I hope that
the Dafa disciples in all regions of mainland
Disciple: There is a lot of interference
in
Master: Although this part of history is meant for
Dafa disciples to validate the Fa, the environment is complicated and there are
evil factors at work; hence the challenges. But as long as you do well, have
ample righteous thoughts, and coordinate things well, the situation will
change. If you are unable to do that, are fearful, or have too many human
attachments, then you are apt not to do well. And when you don't do well, evil
factors act more wildly, negative factors gain the upper hand, and all that you
see will be interference and ordeals. My Dafa disciples... you are distributed
over a large expanse (gesturing), and you are each now responsible for
your respective area of this world. Changes in your thinking can lead to
changes in your surrounding environment. How the people in your region are is a
result of the extent to which you have clarified the truth to them. The
environment is shaped by your human attachments. When the environment is bad,
it is because you made it that way. Of course, if you now say, "Then I
will act like a god," and you start to be irrational, then it will be
another case of self-wrought interference. You must be rational, go about
things with confidence and poise, and know well what you should do.
Disciple: Russian disciples send
their greetings to Master.
Master: Thank you. (Applause)
Disciple: We have tried hard to
clarify the truth, but the situation has not turned around much. What can we do
to have Shen Yun perform in
Master: Yes, there are political factors that have led
to big challenges. Don't be anxious. If our Dafa disciples have truly done well
but things still aren't good there, then let's give it a little time and see.
The evil factors of the old forces can see that the wicked CCP is done for, and
if there were a country on its northern border that dealt with it in the manner
that the
Disciple: We have come across
situations such as the following when selling ads: some of our clients listened
to us clarify the truth and learned about Dafa, and decided to advertise, but
after a while they stopped advertising with us when they felt the effect was
minimal. Was this because we disciples didn't do well, or was it that the
client left after having done what he was supposed to do for Dafa?
Master: A person doesn't necessarily change after you
clarify the truth to him. When you clarify the truth, you have to clear up the
person's wrong ideas and help him to see that the CCP's intentions are evil. If
your truth-clarification is inadequate and the effect of the ads is minimal,
then of course the client won't want to stay on. But if a contract has been
signed, then it needs to be honored. If there is a breach of contract that
results in any loss, then whoever caused the loss has to be held accountable.
If there is no economic consequence and it's just a matter of whether they want
to continue, then handle it on a case by case basis. There is no such thing as
a client being supposed to do this or that for Dafa. You are saving sentient
beings, period. It's not that the sentient beings should do certain things for
you. As for whether you've done well or not, Master really doesn't need to
comment on such things. You will know the answer if you try to figure out what
isn't quite right.
Disciple: How can we do better with
clarifying the truth to the two hundred thousand Chinese people in
Master: You are Dafa disciples, so just do your best.
Clarifying the truth is your responsibility. If you're asking how you could
possibly talk to all those people that you want to save, then I'd say just do
your best--do as much as you can. When Dafa disciples do well with what they
are supposed to, things change.
Disciple: There are a lot of new
students who would like to join certain projects, but who don't speak up since
they are afraid that the veteran students might criticize them. And then there
are veteran students who seem to equate participating in activities with
cultivation, and they push new students to go everywhere to participate.
Master: Then there's a problem with the veteran
students. New students are new students, after all, and isn't our focus on
saving sentient beings? New students have just joined in, and they really do
need your help. What's most important is that you guide them to study the Fa a
lot.
Another thing is, let's stop
participating in the community events that take a large number of people and
where you can't directly clarify the truth (for example, the parades and
activities in areas where there aren't many Chinese residents). They don't have
much of a substantial impact and are not that effective.
Disciple: If ordinary people book
Shen Yun and it is not Dafa disciples taking the lead and driving ticket sales,
will the audience be saved just the same?
Master: Yes, it will be. Whoever watches the show will
be saved, and it's the same regardless of who does that work.
Disciple: Some students go back to
the mainland almost every year. Can they take on important projects?
Master: I think it's best that they don't. One day they
might be taken away by the evil Party's wicked police, and once they are
gripped with fear, they might say anything. (Laughs, sighs)
Disciple: When will Shen Yun be able
to perform in
Master: That's exactly what I am thinking! (Applause)
But let me assure you, they will go, for sure! (Enthusiastic applause,
cheers)
Disciple: Many disciples know that
doing work is not cultivation, but they still value highly the accomplishments
of our media. How should we, speaking in terms of personal cultivation,
maintain a pure state of mind and at the same time be effective in what Dafa
disciples are to do?
Master: Keep your righteous thoughts strong, and
realize that you are doing that work to save people. The starting point of what
you do, as a cultivator, is sacred. If your approach isn't right as you go
about things, it will bring about interference to, and cast a shadow over, both
what you are working on and your cultivation.
Disciple: Is the current economic
crisis caused by the significant decline of mankind's morality, and especially
that of those in power?
Master: Let's not worry about the condition of the
world economy. Who holds power or what happens somewhere on some day has
nothing to do with our cultivation. We focus on saving people, period. The
normal arrangements for human society are most definitely based on people's
allotted blessings and amount of karma.
Disciple: Dafa disciples in Donggang
city, Liaoning province; Xinjiang province; Gaomi city, Shandong province;
Lanzhou city, Gansu province; Qingdao city; Yuyuantan park, Beijing; Shanxi
province; Yangpu district, Shanghai; Shanghai; Changping district, Beijing;
Weifang city, Shandong province; Chongqing city; Shenzhen city; Hulu Island,
Liaoning province; Shenyang city; Chengde city, Hebei province; Kunming city,
Yunnan province; Shijiazhuang city, Hebei province; Yantai city, Shandong
province; Jinan city; Heilongjiang province; Lianyungang city, Jiangsu
province; Zhejiang University; Guan county, Shandong province; Hefei city, Anhui
province; Jiangmen city; Guiyang city, Guizhou province; Xi'an city; Bureau of
Health of Guangzhou municipality; Chaoyang city, Liaoning province; Wuxue city;
Huanggang city, Hubei province; Xishui county; Macheng city; Fushun city;
Datong city, Shanxi province; Hebi city, Henan province; Weihai city, Shandong
province; Qiqiha'er city; Fuyang city; Tianjin city; Jinchang city, Gansu
province; Changchun city; Handan city, Hebei province; Chaoshan city; Xuzhou
city; and Tai'an city send their greetings to Master.
Master: Thank you all. (Warm applause)
Disciple: Greetings to our
compassionate, magnificent, and venerable Master from Dafa disciples at the
Minghui Schools. The
Master: While we are persecuted, you can tell the
world about the things that the wicked CCP has done abroad, but don't get
overly preoccupied with this. Saving sentient beings is first and foremost.
Just try to save more and more people. You can expose those evil elements as
circumstances permit. Actually, sometimes I've thought: now that the wicked CCP
is almost finished, who should be given all those things that it racked its
brain to get through deceit and fraud? It hasn't yet been decided where those
things will end up.
Disciple: Master, could you offer a
few words to the Dafa disciples imprisoned in the mainland? How should they
conduct themselves and strengthen their righteous thoughts while imprisoned?
Master: Those are dark dens where the evil is
entrenched during its final days. Each Dafa disciple's circumstances are
different, but under no circumstance should you lose your righteous thoughts,
and you mustn't forget for even a moment that you are a Dafa disciple. If you
put the Fa first, you will manage to have righteous thoughts and be able to
withstand the evil; you will know what to do in the face of the evil. That
said, things are complicated, and people's cultivation states are different.
Some might indeed lose their lives, and some will be severely persecuted. Each
person's situation is different; each person's past history, along with that
which the old forces might have arranged for a Dafa disciple if he was
deceived, have made things awfully complicated. But whatever the case, if you
can manage to keep Dafa in your heart, you will make it through. And even if
the person does lose his life, he will return to his rightful position, for
sure. Even though some people get confused temporarily, they will ultimately
make it through.
Disciple: There is a practice site
in our area and most of the participants are African-American. Some of them
have been coming for over eight years, but they only do the exercises and have
read the book only once or twice. The same is true with the newcomers. How
should we help them?
Master: Just help them to study the Fa, and do a good
job of explaining to them how important Fa-study is.
Disciple: Should the European Choir
continue to try to raise awareness and save the world's people by using the
format of a choir?
Master: I sometimes wonder whether your singing can
really have an effect like Shen Yun, can it really save people? That would be
hard to do. If the choir can't achieve a real effect in terms of saving
sentient beings, then it's not that meaningful. The reason I say that is
because when you rehearse or sing together, it consumes human resources. If you
can, however, really play a big part in saving sentient beings, then you should
do it as long as some people are indeed saved, even if you can't guarantee a
large number. But by all means don't become attached to the choir itself.
Disciple: The Toronto branch of Tianti
Books, Inc. has been open for business for almost a year now, and the number of
people coming to the store to learn the truth and study the Fa has gradually
increased. But the store's business operations are still not quite ideal.
Should the store be run like the media companies, and work on marketing and
advertising?
Master: You're coming to me with even this question? (People
laugh) Just manage your business operations; there's nothing wrong with
doing that. When you don't do well, the evil will interfere and there will be
difficulties. That's how things are right now. If you want to do something,
then do it well.
Disciple: Last week some malicious
thugs in Flushing tried to snatch video cameras from our students' hands, right
in front of a federal investigator from the
Master: Well, it was attempted robbery, as they
didn't succeed in taking anything. (Laughs) It's only natural that the
police would say that. They couldn't say those things were stolen when they
were not. If the thugs did indeed take something, then you can sue them.
Disciple: We would like to tell the
federal government that for a long time now these violent thugs have targeted
us, tried to provoke us, and threatened us for our faith.
Master: It's not just an issue of faith. It is that
the wicked CCP is behind these things. Actually, people know already even
without your telling them--even the police know it. I've been thinking about
something, though. Our students who are in
Disciple: When reporters who are
responsible for reporting on Shen Yun work under tight deadlines and with a
heavy workload, it's hard to share resources among our media and reporters.
It's difficult to do. As a result, there have been a number of problems where
reporters contend with one another to get the few allotted press passes.
Master: Indeed. It's not so much that the problem is
people contending for allotted press passes. There have been times where there
weren't that many people in the audience, but there were still reporters
everywhere and it was quite intimidating for people. It's a performance they're
going to. Haven't you ever thought about how the theatergoers look at you? And
some students like to show off. They'll be carrying their camera around,
"click, click, click," taking photos non-stop, left and right. That
has annoyed people. This isn't just about your character and how you conduct
yourself; rather, it is a matter of cultivation. You didn't make saving
sentient beings first and foremost. Reporting on the performances is a good
thing; your intention is to help promote the event. But when there are too many
reporters, it might really have the opposite effect. And the theater management
won't be able to stand it, either. So it's really not an option to have no
limit in place on the number of press passes.
Disciple: All of the Dafa disciples
in the Beijing aerospace industry, and all Dafa disciples at Ganjiakou, Zhanlan
Road, and Outer Fucheng Gate, Beijing; the Shuangxiu practice site in the
Haidian district, Beijing; Changsha city, Hunan; Guangzhou city; East Lake
Scenic Area, Wuhan city; Hongshan district; China Academy of Sciences; China
Academy of Social Sciences; Zhuhai city; Hongdu Park, Nanchang city; Leiyang,
Hunan province; Chenzhou city; Hengnan county; Xining city; Liuzhou city,
Guangxi province; Harbin city; Dongguang county, Hebei province; Fucheng
county; Chengdu city; Benxi city, Liaoning province; District 204, Shenyang
city; Changqing district; Ningbo city, Zhejiang province; Dongfang city, Hainan
province; Xinyang city, Henan province; Jiangmen city, Guangdong province;
Dongbei University of Finance and Economics in Dalian city; and Jiangsu
province send their greetings to Master.
Master: Thank you all. (Applause)
Disciple: While promoting Shen Yun
ticket sales (Master:
My goodness--this is not a conference on Shen Yun. Why is everyone asking about
it?), I realized that the purpose of Shen Yun's performances is to save
people, and that, as Dafa disciples working on this, factors of our cultivation
are involved. Thus, clarifying the facts should be the main thing we do. But
some fellow practitioners think that advertising in mainstream media is the
main task.
Master: Selling tickets is just that, selling tickets,
and you only need to clarify the truth when problems come up. It's at the
performance that people are saved. There is nothing wrong with advertising in
normal media, large or small. As for how to do the advertising, do things based
on your local circumstances. Some say that passing out flyers is all it takes;
some say focusing on selling tickets at certain locations does the job; and
some believe that advertising is necessary. However you do it is fine. In some
areas they didn't advertise much, but the students worked well together and
sold all the tickets at just a few stores. What I'm saying is, do it based on
the specific circumstances of your locale.
Disciple: Those of us who do media
work need to study the Fa as a group, but we're scattered throughout the world.
Would it be appropriate for us to study the Fa together over the Internet?
Master: You can give it a try. But I'm thinking,
wherever Dafa disciples may be--in whatever remote corner of the world they may
be doing media work--they should not become disconnected from the local Dafa
Association. And it's best for you not to disassociate yourself from the local
group, either. You should all study the Fa with the Dafa disciples in your
local area.
Disciple: When the evil Party's
regime has collapsed, will the people of mainland
Master: When the evil really does collapse, and it is
the time of Fa rectifying the human world, there will be a different state of
things specific to the Fa's rectification of the human world, different from
that at present--completely different. Don't think about those affairs, for
right now we need to do things according to the present situation and save
people accordingly.
Disciple: How are we to distinguish
hints from Master and interference from the old forces?
Master: Master and certain righteous gods will give
you hints, for sure. But often they will be meant to, for your sake, remove
your attachments or help you avoid danger, and they will be for your
cultivation. The interference from the evil factors, by contrast, often takes
the form of false hints that go along with your attachments, your being
overjoyed by something, your likes, or any of your other attachments.
Afterwards you will feel extra happy and be even more attached, and take a
wrong turn, all the while thinking that it was Master leading you along. That's
usually what happens. So how are you to distinguish the two, then? Some people
say that they cultivate by the spirit messages that they receive in dreams. I
would say that's nonsense. (Laughter) Being attached to dreamtime hints
is not cultivation, but rather, going dangerously off course. Disciples of Dafa
cultivate by following the book of Dafa, and they take the Fa as their
standard. Whether you're off in dreamland or in whatever setting it may be, you
have to use the Fa as your standard for measuring right and wrong, and only
then will you not fall prey to interference. I have never given you some kind
of cultivation method whereby you don't have to cultivate but instead just do
whatever my law bodies tell you. I don't recognize that as cultivation. It's
not possible for each and every student to be by my side, and I have thus
taught you to "take the Fa as Master." Having the book of Fa, you
should know how to cultivate.
Disciple: After Master taught the Fa
to the Australian students, their situation improved in some regards. However,
before long, things lapsed. There have been communication problems between
Chinese and Western students, and when problems come up many students say,
"We should study the Fa more," or "Let's set aside our
attachments," but people don't really look within.
Master: Human attachments will always be present. If
it were as simple as Master teaching the Fa to them one time and then all those
attachments being gone, then I'd be happy to teach them the Fa every day. But
actually, the Fa is already with us--it's just a question of living by it.
Cultivation is a process, and one has to allow time to eliminate [attachments].
But that said, you should always keep an eye on the clock. You have to seize
the day--you really must. You're saying that the Dafa Association is lapsing
into old ways and becoming closed again, but is it really like that? I'll look
into it. But whatever the situation, as Dafa disciples who are cultivating
themselves, you should do well yourselves regardless of whether the Association
does well or not. Master has never pinned all of his hopes, or all of
Disciple: Will we witness the grand
Final Judgment?
Master: You shouldn't get attached to whatever it is
Master talks about. (Audience laughs) Don't pay that any mind. Do a good
job with what you should be doing.
Disciple: Some students are very
proactive about work on Dafa projects, and they are cultivating their xinxing.
But, they aren't up for doing the exercises, and they don't take sending
righteous thoughts very seriously. Can students such as this achieve
consummation?
Master: If that's the case, maybe he hasn't put much
heart into cultivation, but if he decides to give it some more attention things
will work out. But that said, there are indeed some people who don't study the
Fa and just do the work. You need to do all of the three things. If you only do
work and don't study, then it is a case of an ordinary person doing Dafa work.
And an ordinary person who does Dafa work cannot achieve consummation; he can
only build up merit. Building up merit, or blessings, means that the person
will have blessings when reborn, but that is all, and he won't achieve
consummation. Then wouldn't you say all of your efforts were for nothing? Is it
acceptable when a cultivator doesn't cultivate? When you go to clarify the
truth, only when your mind has stored up ample Fa will you be able to save
people. That is when your words will have the power to move them.
Disciple: When I was clarifying the
truth I encountered ordinary people who said that they knew such-and-such Dafa
disciple and how he's not even as good as your average non-practitioner, and
though his words sound really good, his conduct is really poor.
Master: I've heard such things too. If what you do is
not befitting a Dafa disciple, then you are playing the role that the old
forces would like to see, and it is dangerous. But that said, I hope that those
of you who happen to hear people say such words will think about how it might
relate to you. Do you understand what I just said?
Disciple: I'm a twelve-year-old
little disciple. I missed the chance to enroll in
Master: Since you are not yet an adult, the law
stipulates that your parents have custody over you. If your parents don't
approve, then it won't work out. If you have the natural talent and physical
attributes required, there will always be an opportunity. If you don't, then
try not to be attached.
Disciple: When Western practitioners
are learning Chinese, should they study the simplified or the traditional
characters?
Master: It doesn't matter much whether it's simplified
or traditional characters. It's fine to study the simplified, just as it's fine
to study the traditional--neither is a problem. I say this because those who
study the simplified characters can still read the traditional ones, and vice
versa. Human affairs are to be dealt with in the future. What we're concerned
with at present is the matter of saving sentient beings. It should be noted,
though, that many simplified characters were produced by the wicked CCP, and
their connotations aren't good. But with so many people--over a billion--using
the simplified ones, this will have to be something that's addressed at a later
time.
Disciple: When it's said that
"the evil is finished," does that mean that the wicked Party is about
to disintegrate?
Master: The factors of the wicked Party are no more.
It's as I said, those people who are propping up that system are really just
trying to maintain their power.
Disciple: Many secret agents have
come to my area. How should we deal with them?
Master: There are
Disciple: Many Chinese citizens have
wished Master well over the hotline to quit the CCP. Their words of gratitude
towards Master are very moving. I would like to hereby pass them on to Master.
Master: Please pass on my thanks to them if you have
the opportunity. (Applause)
Disciple: The attitude of Western
governments toward the wicked Party has grown increasingly soft. Disciples feel
that their strength to save them is insufficient, and that the students
involved are too few.
Master: Pay no regard to such things, as it is just
the old forces playing a balancing game. They won't allow one side to overpower
the other right now. They believe that the evil is no longer sufficient to test
Dafa disciples, and so they try to even things out. All the same, things
overall are changing, the situation as a whole is changing--changing for the
better.
Disciple: The past two days at
Master: Which student loaned it to him? The clothes
you wear represent Dafa disciples. If you casually loan it to an ordinary
person, and that person does things not befitting the Fa or that shouldn't be
done, then are you saving sentient beings or ruining them? We always have some
people don't live up to expectations. (Laughs.) If everyone could manage
to do well, the ordeals that you face today wouldn't be as they are.
Disciple: Dafa disciples have
altered the lyrics to certain songs from the wicked Party and sing them. Of
course, the lyrics now oppose the sinister CCP, but the melodies remain the
same and I find them unsettling to hear.
Master: My view is that Dafa disciples shouldn't be
singing that stuff. It's fine for the general public to sing it.
Disciple: When clarifying the truth
to the mainland, [we encounter people] with two different types of attitudes:
one type agrees to the idea of the "three withdrawals" but doesn't
identify with Dafa; the other type identifies with Dafa but isn't willing to do
the three withdrawals. When the weeding out takes place, what will be their
fate?
Master: This means that they have not changed
fundamentally from before; it's that the truth hasn't been spelled out
adequately to them. As for what their fate will be, the line is drawn right here,
through this. Whichever side of it he stands on, that's the side he belongs to,
and there is no ambiguity. It's possible the person will say he agrees with
this or that, when in fact, in his heart he hasn't changed in the least.
Perhaps he's just saying nice things to be polite to you, but he hasn't in fact
changed and is only being polite.
Disciple: In
Master: What I'm thinking is, though it wasn't a good
motive that led those asylum seekers to interact with Dafa disciples, what
we're doing after all is trying to save people. If you can treat them with
compassion, perhaps they will forever remember your words and deeds. These
might have an impact on the person, and perhaps it is like planting the seeds
of his future affinity with Dafa. If we don't treat them well, however, perhaps
that affinity will be lost. But whatever the case, we should know that what
we're doing is saving people.
Disciple: When I encounter
degenerate art during my ordinary work, is it possible for me to, if I maintain
righteous thoughts, correct those warped factors similar to how Shen Yun does
it?
Master: If you go and try to correct ordinary people's
modern art, do you think they will listen to you? And besides, we don't have
the time to tackle those things right now. What you are to do is save people,
so for now you don't need to pay attention to those things. At present you can
just ignore those things one and all. When the Fa rectifies the human world,
the Fa will naturally have its means of rectifying things here.
Disciple: There are a large number
of industrial and commercial enterprises, and a large migrant community, in the
Pearl River delta area of
Master: The specific conditions of each area in
Disciple: With the TV work we do,
certain skills have yet to reach a professional level. Would it be all right
for us to collaborate with ordinary people in that case?
Master: If you want to hire ordinary people for a
certain project, that shouldn't be a problem. However, it's best you not
jointly start a company or collaborate on some project or other. If the person
is interfered with, it will spell trouble. There have been too many instances
of this. You are a Dafa disciple, and what you do is sacred whereas what he
does is human; little could the two be wed. If you run your own company and you
wish to hire the person and have him simply be your employee, that's fine,
since he will do whatever you say. But if instead you collaborate with him,
that often leads to problems. It's easy for the person to be interfered with.
Disciple: Some veteran students who
obtained the Fa many years ago have left Dafa after being trapped by some
hang-ups in their minds and by attachments. We have no way to untie those
knots, and feel sorry and anxious for them. How can we help them?
Master: Handle it a bit carefully. Try to see what the
person's fundamental issue really is. If it's really that the person is holding
onto the wicked CCP, or on a fundamental level doesn't want to cultivate and
was just joining in the fun back then, then leave it be. But whatever the case,
as Dafa disciples you are to try to save sentient beings regardless of what
their situation is, and that is what you should go and do. When you see someone
to save, go do it. And if you cannot manage to, then it's not your fault.
Disciple: There are many projects
that I could get involved in. With the exception of Shen Yun, I'm not sure how
to discern which are related to my primordial vow.
Master: It's not something you can tell, and if you
think too much about it, it's an attachment. Just go and do what Dafa disciples
should do, and what you do will be right.
I think I'd rather not take up any
more of your time. It wasn't easy for you to make the trip, and you should
carry on with the experience sharing conference. I hope that through this
conference you will all improve by seeing how others have done well and what
approaches they've taken, and bring the good things back home with you. If you
can truly get something out of this conference, it will benefit your
cultivation and thus you won't have come in vain. The expenditures associated
with each conference are not small. In total, according to our estimate, the
cost of flights this time alone might have reached into the millions. The costs
were really sizable. So don't let this become a formality, and don't just come
to join the crowd. Nor should you just come out of curiosity, wanting to hear
what Master has to say. Master has told you that you should walk well the last
leg of the journey and fulfill your mission. And that is what I will always
tell you.
In conclusion, I hope that you won't
lessen your resolve. Haven't you caught glimpses of dawn's light? The evil is
finished, and the closer it gets to the end, the more invigorated you should
be. Fulfill what you are supposed to as Dafa disciples, and save more sentient
beings. Therein lies mighty virtue. Behind each being you save lies a massive
group of lives. What a magnificent thing that is.
Many of you might have passed up
slips that were brought up by the conference staff, while many still want to
ask more things. But whether you ask or not, in our book of Fa you can find the
answer. Read it more. You cultivate in a state of delusion, and cannot see what
the book of Fa is truly like. When you truly do manage to see it, words will be
inadequate, simply powerless, to describe it. I have told you before that
behind each word lie Buddhas, Daos, and Gods, tier after tier. Nor can you
grasp what it meant when Master said that everything has been compressed into
the book of Fa, for at this time you cannot, with your human thoughts, fathom
that sentence. Everything can be gained there; it all depends on how much you
put your heart into it and what your state of mind is. Everything can be gained
through the book of Fa. But cultivation is a serious matter, and you can't be
the least bit sloppy with it. If you bring with you any of a variety of impure
thoughts when you study the Fa, the book, you will see nothing and gain
nothing. Many Dafa disciples have remarked that when a person is persecuted for
a long time it is as if he doesn't improve any by reading the Fa. Actually, the
problem is that at those times your brain is preoccupied with persecution, and
you cannot quiet your mind. Cultivation is serious. You have to be able to ensure
a pure and sincere state when you study, and cultivate, and only then will you
make improvements and get results.
I'll end on a familiar note. I hope
that you will all handle the final leg of the journey well and be worthy of the
title "Dafa disciple." Thank you all. (Long, enthusiastic applause)