PureInsight | February 4, 2002
Master said, "Disciples, be diligent! Everything that's the most magnificent and the most wonderful is developed in the process of your validating Dafa. Your vows will become testaments of your future."(From "Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciples") Diligent I have been from the moment I attained the Fa, as have other disciples. I have met with wind and rain and bumped and tumbled along the road of cultivation. I have experienced all kinds of tests to eliminate karma from my body and to improve my xinxing. One by one, the challenges of the various trials and tribulations have been overcome by calming my heart, reading and studying the Fa, searching within myself and following the advancements of Fa-rectification the past couple of years.
Master said, "Many disciples are highly educated, and the vast majority of the disciples outside China have advanced degrees. Why is this the case? It's precisely to have you put to full use at this crucial time what you've learned among everyday people and are good at, to have you validate the Fa using the everyday people's skills Dafa created for people in this world." (From 'Lecture on the Fa at the Washington, D.C. International Conference") I thought at that time, this referred to only professors and people with advanced degrees and not to me. However, Fa-rectification developed to the point where I too was being called to re-enter my field, that of singing, to express Dafa's mighty virtues. I left the stage 10 years ago. Since I began cultivation, I rarely sang because I felt that ordinary songs had a lot of sentiment, and if I performed them I too would develop an attachment of sentimentality. After I left the singing profession I no longer kept my voice in shape. Professional singers know that, from a physiological perspective the vocal cords will sag if not used regularly. The voice will then sound strained, unpleasant and weak. In addition, for optimal singing it takes time for the vocal cords to recover fully. It's like an athlete who has not trained for years and suddenly returns to competition. His performance will be off and he might even injure himself. Restoration of the vocal cords is very similar.
Once I decided to sing again, all types of fears and attachments began to fill my head. I worried about how long it would take to get my voice back in shape and that I might injure my vocal cords in the process. I was afraid my voice would fail me, that I would be laughed at for singing poorly and that I would receive terrible reviews. I was afraid that I would not be able to preserve the great professional reputation that I had worked so hard to achieve. This state of mind was not a simple singing problem, but rather a serious cultivation problem. It was a test of Fa-rectification that I had to pass. But, what can I do? The only thing I could do was to calm my heart and study the Fa. Master said, "The Fa can reveal all attachments, the Fa can eradicate all evils, the Fa can expose and dispel all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts." (From "Deter Interference") Master also said, "People think that the renowned persons, scholars and different sorts of experts in human society are great. In fact, they are all really insignificant, for they are everyday people." (From "What is Wisdom?" in Essentials for Further Advancement) Everything that I feared came from the thoughts of everyday people. How could I be controlled by these thoughts? I reminded myself that Dafa is extraordinary and I am a cultivator. Singing Dafa songs is a gift. It is my predestined mission as a Dafa particle to keep pace with Fa-rectification. I understood that my ultimate goal was to vocalize songs about the great laws of the universe. After much contemplation, I became clear headed. Then amazing things happened.
First, my vocal cords recovered in only two days! Quickly, I began singing and recording. When singing, my thoughts entered another world. My voice told all those able to hear that the human body is hard to attain and that the Buddha Fa is hard to hear. The songs told of the great benevolence of Master Li and entreated people to take this opportunity to receive the Fa. It is very holy, serious and unique. Songs that were recorded when I was in that state produced a powerful effect on me. My voice had a ringing sound. There was a magnetic and penetrating force behind my words. I have never experienced this during all my years on stage. It was the power of the Fa, Master's support and the divine power of the Buddha Fa manifesting through my body.
Among Dafa disciples there are all kinds of artists representing various fields. For example, singers, dancers, performers, broadcasters and producers. There might even be people who, like myself, have been retired for several years. If so, if you can only melt into the Fa during this Fa-rectification period, strengthen righteous thoughts, enlighten to and see the vision you hold at this time, miracles will appear. Then, one can really experience the power of Dafa and the supernormal state. "Cultivation depends on oneself, while gong depends on one's master." (From Zhuan Falun) In reality everything is done by Master. Our responsibility is to let go of all of our ordinary notions and attachments of our artistic professions.
"Put down everyday people's attachments
Already a god when obtaining the Fa…"
(From "Saving All Sentient Beings" in Hong Yin)
Dafa music is becoming more popular. Each day we see more writers, composers and types of songs. Plus, more writers desire singers like myself. Singers often perform only one style of music that best fits his or her expression as a singer. There are no such parameters in Dafa. If it is a Dafa song and you can sing, then you just sing it with all you have. From my point of view, the process of singing is a process of Fa-rectification, advancement and ascending to the highest position in heaven.
Master said, "In fact, Sakyamuni was saying that there are different Dharma at different levels, and that the Dharma at each level is not the absolute truth of the universe. Yet the Dharma at a given level assumes a guiding role at that level." (From Zhuan Falun) Normal singers use human sentiment to move people's hearts. The voices of ordinary singers are made up of coarse particles and can only vibrate within our space-time. They are not very powerful.
Dafa songs are not sung with sentiment but with righteous thoughts. One's heart is relaxed and natural. This state of mind is similar to Taoist cultivation in high mountains amongst the clouds with no distracting thoughts. The more I sang, the finer the particles were that emanated from my voice, and the more powerful and penetrating the voice became. Each word rang out and every tone was like sending forth righteous thoughts. Immediately, it eliminated demons that try to destroy Dafa. Today, my Dafa songs are full of power, righteous thoughts and can penetrate great distances. These are the things I have felt at my level.
The above is my personal cultivation experience. I hope other disciples will correct me with compassion.
Translated from:
http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2002/1/1/13134.html
