PureInsight | April 30, 2006
[PureInsight.org] (Geneva Fahui 2006)
My name is A. and I have been cultivating for 5 years. Since the
founding of the choir over 2 years ago, we have had valuable occasions
to convey our message to people about the truth of Falun Dafa.
The "Coming for You" European choir appeared for the first time in New
York over 2 years ago, having been together for only a few weeks at
that stage. Before this, I had no experience in such a task and never
thought about participating. However, after deciding to follow this
path, I really believed, "this is important and correct." It is also a
special way of expressing the truth of Falun Dafa.
Voice stopped working
After the first choir training in Germany at the beginning of 2004, I
had very strong symptoms of the flu. I was really unsure, if it was
cleansing or interference. During preparations for the 2004 New York
Gala, my voice stopped functioning. I tried to do my best in this
situation and practiced with everyone in silence. I suffered under the
situation and knew that I had come to New York to fulfil a special
mission. However, a terrible cough tortured me and my chest felt as
though everything was stuck together, which prevented me from singing a
single note. Gradually, I realised that something wanted to hinder me
from singing which meant that our choir performance must be extremely
important. I knew from my heart that I had decided some time ago to
devote myself to the choir, thus I decided to perform. After displaying
firm resolve, I received support from the other practitioners. Our
choir leader reminded me constantly to send forth righteous thoughts.
Just before our performance, I thought about Master and the people, who
were waiting for us. Finally, I sang and thanked Master for his help.
The Choir Is One Body
By the time we had landed in Athens for the Olympic Games in summer
2004, we had already sung in New York, Paris and Geneva. We were now
placing more importance on improving our singing quality, since we
wanted to sing with "one voice," being essentially one body. During
rehearsals one day before the Athens Gala, my voice stood out as
somewhat inharmonious with the other voices. Thus, I was asked not to
perform. I felt pain deep down inside, which I had often felt before,
as "I don't belong", "I am not good enough." I was convinced that I
should go it alone. However, it never came to that. I had just walked
away a few steps, when practitioners from Sweden and Switzerland caught
up with me. We shared and exchanged with each other. After Fa study
that afternoon, I put-up my hand for joining the make-up and
hairstyling team. The following day was the Gala performance and I had
peeled off yet again that old layer of pain. By consciously looking
after the other singers, my heart became very light. As we bade each
other farewell, I heard many heartfelt Thank-you's and, astonished,
asked myself, "What for? I never sang!"
Master Looks at the Heart
An important choir rehearsal took place a few months before the
performances in Hong Kong and London at the start of 2005. A few days
before, I began suffering from a fever, preventing me also from going
to work. On the morning of our rehearsal, I pondered after sending
forth righteous thoughts at 5 o'clock, how I could possibly make it to
choir training. In the end, I gave up, I was too weak to travel the
two-hour- long car journey. After falling asleep again, I dreamt that I
was standing before a mirror at my parents' house. I saw, a great big
dark blister expanding and then popping. All that was left was a small
blood stain. And suddenly, I saw a postcard appearing before me. On the
card was written, "I'll bring you home." This sentence says it all: I
felt Master's compassion. Upon awaking, I knew that we receive help,
when our hearts remain righteous. It is the heart that counts.
Evasion Is No Longer a Possibility
We have just recently performed in Paris. I had missed my flight to
Paris. And when I went to work, my boss called me over and told me,
that it would be good, if I applied for another position in the
company. In black and white he meant "We must reduce staff and I cannot
assign you any more tasks in the future." I was not paying attention in
that moment and suddenly, difficulty after difficulty piled up, one
after another. I also noticed that I delivered the wrong figures to the
board of directors of my bank. On that day I completed many tasks that
appeared rather important. I was so busy, completing all the tasks to
the satisfaction of everyone that I never found the time to check my
flights. I also missed the train to the airport. At the airport, I
thought that time was rather tight, but I would make it. At the
check-in counter I heard, "you are too late for the flight to Paris". I
started feeling hot and cold. Why did it happen to me? I realised that
I had left behind a gap and thus allowed interference to come in.
Separated from the Cosmic Principles
Late that night, I read "Lunyu" in French and had to cry. Very clear
before my eyes was my attachment, not being wanted and not being good
enough was separating me from the cosmic principles. How many lives
would be lost, because I am so attached and placed this behind good
principles? I am reliable, punctual, diligent, friendly and conforming.
These are principles, they are principles of virtue. Yet, if
attachments are still there, is it still pure?
My understanding is, the obstacles that I saw in myself and the
obstacles that interfere with what I should be doing have been
precisely arranged by the old forces. They inevitably and inescapably
appear.
In Master's article, "Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Midwest-U.S. Fa
Conference in Chicago", Teacher writes, "So as I told you in the past,
I've said that I knew I was bound to encounter difficulties in the
Fa-rectification, and I knew to what extent that would happen. I was
actually telling you that everything was under control. In fact I was
saying that I knew they would do these things and that the old forces
would show up. The cosmos is no longer good enough, so they were going
to do those things. Everything that they're attached to, everything
that they've arranged, and everything that they want--all these things
were inevitable. Righteous Gods of course wouldn't behave like the
low-level, bad beings that recklessly do evil things. They of course
all act in a good way. But that goodness is warped, and there are
attachments behind the goodness. Also, precisely because of their good
behaviour, the obstacles they've created are the most effective at
deceiving both themselves and others. If it weren't for
Fa-rectification it really would be hard to break through those things."
Righteous Thoughts
In Paris on the day of the performance, I awoke with a headache. It was
not so bad and I tried to ignore it. As we went on stage in the
afternoon for our dress rehearsal, I felt this huge knife stabbing into
me the entire time. I felt terrible. It was obvious that this was
pre-arranged interference. Every time when I have a migraine that I
have experienced over the last 20 years, I try to continue on. However,
I felt a spur of resignation, "how can I overcome this interference?"
Many practitioners supported me by sending forth righteous thoughts.
Afterwards, I felt so terrible, but now I had the strength to say,
"NO". That I did the entire time until our performance that evening.
Apart from that, I followed the advice of another practitioner, only to
think about the task at hand or the next thing I wanted to do. I
allowed no thoughts of interference. Stepping out on stage that evening
in front of the audience, to bring them our message to their hearts,
was no longer a problem. There were no further complications after
that.
In Master's article, "Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Midwest-U.S. Fa
Conference in Chicago," Teacher writes, "So to thoroughly eliminate all
the evil elements, from now on when Dafa disciples send righteous
thoughts they should completely clean out those old forces'
behind-the-scenes helpers, meaning, eliminate them. They're
specifically carrying out everything that the old forces want to have
done. Only after they're eliminated can more sentient beings be saved".
I really treasure this special opportunity with the European Choir in
reaching people's hearts. I would like to encourage all the
practitioners who are not singing with us, perhaps because you are
thinking, "I can't do that so well, others can do it much better," to
leave those thoughts behind and simply sing with us and study the Fa
with us together.
