Statues

[PureInsight.org] Chinese people often say, “facial appearance originates from the heart,” which makes a lot of sense. Here is a story that can serve as proof.

Once there was a sculptor who liked to pursue the latest trends in the art world. He often made statues of evil demons, ghosts, and monsters. As time went by, he found his facial appearance became more and more ugly. He went to a hospital for an examination but couldn’t find the cause. One day he met a qigong master who was an accomplished cultivator. The master said confidently that he could cure the man’s illness. But he wanted this artist to pay him back by sculpting one hundred Buddha statues. The master also told the artist that as soon as he started the sculpture work, the master would start to cure him. The artist agreed to this arrangement.

So, the artist stopped all his current work and started to work on the statues of Buddha. While he was working on them, he found his facial appearance began to gradually change. After he got one hundred statues done, his appearance didn’t just return to normal but he looked even more handsome than before. When he delivered the statues to the master, the master said: “It was not I who cured your illness; it was you.”

Why was that? The master explained that when the artist sculpted the statues of evil beings and monsters, the images of evil beings and monsters remained in his mind. As time went by, those images reflected on the artist’s surface and became part of his look. When he concentrated on the statues of Buddha, his mind was preoccupied by the image of Buddha. The glory, compassion, and brightness of Buddha remained in his subconscious; thus unknowingly, his appearance gradually changed towards the good side. When the artist sculpted the Buddha statues, his mind was rectified, and his appearance returned to its original look. In this sense, wasn’t he sculpting statues of himself?

This reminded me of a scene at the International Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance Art Exhibition held in Korea in September 2009. There was a statue of Buddha at the exhibition. The statue of the Buddha was pure white. The Buddha held one palm erect in front of his chest and held another palm facing forward. The statue of Buddha showed compassion and sympathy. When one saw this Buddha statue, for unknown reasons, they would be touched by the enormous compassion sent out from the statue. People couldn’t help having a deep reverence in front of the Buddha statue.

Mr. Dazhu Xue of Nonnberg City in Korea was 91 years-old. You can call him a century old man. He stood in front of the statue of the Buddha for a long time. He held his hands in the “Heshi” position and said with emotion: “I was born in 1917. I have seen so many statues of Buddha in my life. However, this is the first time I see a statue of Buddha with such great compassion. Really, look at his appearance…”

This old man had been through many difficulties and hardships in his life. However, he was touched by the artworks in the exhibition. After he learned that the artists who created those works were all Falun Gong (Falun Dafa) practitioners, Mr. Xue said: “Yes, artists without a clear and clean mind wouldn’t be able to create such paintings. Not everyone is able to draw like this.”

Mr. Xue was quite right. He could sense the minds of the artists through the paintings. Then, certainly he was able to know what type of people those artists were. How could those artists have such clean and clear minds? It is not only about what they were thinking when they painted those paintings, but also, it is about Falun Gong which they practiced daily.

Falun Dafa practitioners follow the principle of the universe: Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, which is explained in the book Zhuan Falun. It is very natural that their artworks manifest the images of great, magnificent, and compassionate Buddha, because those are the expressions from their hearts. On the other hand, what do those cultivators look like? In the process of assimilating to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, would it be possible that their appearance doesn’t change at all?

Look at their peaceful appeals all over the world; look at the magnificent parades of the Celestial Marching Band; look at the wonderful performances by Shen Yun Performing Arts… They bring light, serenity, compassion and joy to this world. Meanwhile, their great compassionate and forbearing actions form the positive energy of their look. Just take a close look and you will find that their appearances are so righteous and kind. Sincerity and persistence have already become the character of the group.

They have gone though difficulties and hardships for 10 years. Their appearances have become more and more serene and righteous. This is the result of the manifestation of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. When looking at their dignified appearances, I believe that when one sees Falun Gong practitioners, they will know what type of people they are.

There are so many Falun Gong practitioners all over the world. Have you ever paid attention to their appearances? They are building a monument of morals for all of humankind. They are also sculpting statues of themselves!

Translated from: http://www.zhengjian.org/zj/articles/2009/10/31/62327.html