我參與真善忍美展的修煉經歷(PM 2nd sharing)
J D B
尊敬的師父好！
各位同修好！
我想和大家分享我在西澳參與真善忍美展籌備工作的一些修煉經歷。
第一部分 : 把美展帶到我居住城市的願望
我是2009底得法的。當時在西澳，每年一次的真善忍美展在一個叫做丹麥的鄉村小鎮舉辦。丹麥鎮距離西澳首都珀斯有四個多小時的車程。這些畫作平時都存放在珀斯，每年都必須開車運往丹麥鎮。當時住在丹麥鎮的一位女同修是西澳真善忍美展的協調人。 2011年，我有機會參加了這個項目。
我覺得這次經歷非常有意義。回家後，我希望在自己居住的城市羅金厄姆市 (Rockingham City) 也能舉辦美展。這個城市距離珀斯只有一個小時的車程。我以前從未組織過任何活動，而且當時還是個新學員，但我覺得把這個美展帶到我居住的城市是件很重要的事情。我下了決心，好吧，就讓我們試試看吧！
我申請了在當地的社區活動中心舉辦美展。申請時，接待員告訴我可以申請政府的撥款來支付費用。金額不多，但和另一位同修交流後，我們認為獲得市政府的撥款對他們的未來有好處，所以我們也申請了撥款。
我填寫了表格，並隨申請提交了畫作預覽。為了使展覽更適合於所有的年齡層觀看，我們在預覽内刪除了一些比較殘酷的迫害畫作，這導致裏面的編號出現了一些空白。活動中心的接待員後來告訴我，那位審理這個提案的市議員對這些空白提出了質疑。而且她還擔心，我們如果告訴這位議員這場迫害還涉及到了活摘器官，可能會讓他感到更加不安。
由於當時我正在上班，時間比較緊，就同意了這位接待員的建議，可以用修正液把申請表上的一些說明擦掉。但回到工作崗位後，我開始重新考慮。如果這位議員已經對編號的空白處有所懷疑，擦掉説明的部分豈不是更加深了他的疑慮？我心想，這位接待員對這位議員情緒的判斷只是她個人的猜測。我們在申請過程中一直是公開與誠實的，維護了大法的尊嚴，這沒有什麼好隱瞞的。下次工作休息時，我回了她電話，請她把申請表原封不動的提交上去。幸運的是，她還沒有改動。她在電話中聽起來也很滿意，我知道我的決定是對的。
這位市議員批准了我們的申請，條件是我們所有的宣傳資料都必須出現市政府的標誌。我們當然樂意遵守。申請通過後，接待員問我們是否想在第一天晚上舉辦開幕儀式。我們在西澳之前從未舉辦過正式的開幕儀式，所以我有點猶豫。她解釋說，她可以利用社區活動中心的郵件名單邀請對藝術有興趣的人。在這位接待員的鼓勵下，我們同意舉辦開幕之夜。
社區活動中心的所有工作人員都非常熱心，並提出了許多積極的建議。時間有點緊迫，一位同修幫忙設計了傳單、海報和電子邀請函，而我則挨家挨戶地將傳單投遞到當地居民的信箱裡。在另一位同修的資助下，我們也在當地報紙上刊登了半版的廣告。其他同修則負責安排餐飲，並協助懸掛和佈置畫作。
大約有50人參加了開幕儀式。一位工作人員告訴我，這是她在該活動中心參加過的藝術展覽開幕之夜人數最多的一次。從表面上看，我們的美展一開始就已經成功了。然而，儘管我得到了同修們的幫助，出席的人數也令人滿意，但我還是讓自己的感受掩蓋了我們取得的大部分成就。
第二部分：我還沒有意識到的執著
由於我一直認為自己是這次活動的主要協調人，所以我覺得自己應該擔任開幕儀式的主持人。我原本打算在台上分享我學習大法的經驗。因為這次活動沒有人幫我投信箱和貼海報，所以當時我也認為當晚不會有學員來幫忙。然而，那時卻有一位學員在最後一刻挺身而出，自願擔任主持人，並且又有另一位學員接手了當晚的協調工作。這時，我感覺自己被邊緣化了。
師父在《美西國際法會講法》中开示：
“你自己一個人能起多大作用呢？整體上都能起作用，那才是負責人做的好。負責人自己做的挺好，你做的挺好只是一個學員做好，那就做一個普通學員好了。關鍵是負責人的責任哪，得起到這個作用啊。”
現在回想起來，我意識到自己當時一心想成為全場的焦點。我覺得自己做了大部分的辛苦工作，現在一切都水到渠成，但其他學員卻要來接手了。我對自我的執著、對自己名聲的在意，以及顯示心等都在作祟。然而，身為一個得法不久的新學員，我並沒有意識到這是一個向内找、找出自己不足的機會。
在得法之前，我只參加過一次團體運動比賽，當時我年紀很小。但是我在關鍵時刻出了錯，讓我的球隊失望了，這件事也影響了我的自信。從那以後，我避免了參加團隊活動，而是選擇了武術，因爲我覺得這樣我的失敗只能影響我自己。因此，我幾乎沒有與他人合作去完成一個共同目標的經驗。
我對沒有人主動幫忙投信箱和貼海報感到不滿，但我沒有考慮到他們的情況。我們當時沒有太多的時間可以做宣傳，而美展所在的城市距離其他學員居住的珀斯市有一個小時的車程。我當時也沒有組織小組學法和交流來討論美展的準備工作。這次活動的組織非常鬆散，我也不知道如何把同修聚集在一起成為一個團隊。
後來，我以自己扭曲的視角向美展的西澳協調人（那位住在丹麥鎮的女同修）表達了我的不滿。我認為我的這種情緒助長了她的不滿，她感到非常生氣。第二天，她告訴我，她打了電話給我們這個地區的一位輔導員，並就我向她抱怨的事情對这位輔導員進行了嚴厲的批評。
當她告訴我這件事時，我對自己感到失望，因為我覺得自己造成了同修之間的隔閡。我沒有和當晚擔任主持人的學員和接手協調工作的學員交談過，所以我只是單方面的理解這件事情。我沒有意識到我的執著在很大程度上扭曲了我的視角。
儘管我得到同修們的幫助，促成了這次活動的成功，但我仍然心懷怨恨。我當時在一家工廠工作，而其他一些同修卻是醫生、建築師、工程師和企業主等，我的自卑讓我覺得自己與他們相比微不足道。
現在回想起來，我意識到美展的成功和我個人的感受是兩回事。我得到了很多幫助，儘管組織得比較鬆散，但我們配合的很好。然而，我卻只專注在那些我感到被忽視或認爲其他人侵占了我職責的時刻。當時，我並沒有意識到這些感受使我對整件事產生了多麽扭曲的理解。
美展持續了一周。我每天都去，其他同修也輪流來幫忙。每天早上，我都會先去煉功點煉功，然後再去社區活動中心，我希望這能淨化周圍的環境。
有一天，從當地報紙上看到我們的廣告後，一位女士帶著女兒來看美展。她尤其被一幅陳肖平畫的《學法》所打動，畫中描繪了一位母親抱著孩子在柔和的燈光下學法的場景。這位女士從畫中看到了家庭和睦的景象，她對法輪功產生了興趣，於是我向她介紹了我們當地的煉功點。一天早上，她來到了煉功點，開始了學法和煉功。十四年後，她仍然堅持修煉。
師父在《大紐約地區法會講法》开示：
“我說，哪怕我度成一個，我的事也沒有白做。”
這個社區活動中心經常會舉辦各式各樣的課程和活動。所有在那裡的工作人員，以及所有參加這些課程和活動的人都有機會看到美展。美展結束後，每年，我都會去該活動中心詢問是否可以在那裡放些傳單，而那裏的工作人員每年都會問我什麼時候再舉辦美展。但我總是回答說我沒有人手幫忙，因爲大家都住得太遠，無法提供協助。
工作人員的反覆邀請其實是在提醒我，這個美展多麼受到歡迎。然而，我並沒有去銘記那些幫助我促成美展的同修，以及美展本身的成功，反而一直糾結於自己在投信箱方面沒有得到任何幫助。之後的幾年，我越來越覺得沒有人願意幫我，甚至到了懷疑當初根本就沒有人幫我籌備美展的地步。
在接下來的幾年裡，我不再組織任何活動，而是專注於挨家挨戶的派發真相資料。我固執地認為，以後不會再有人幫我籌辦其他的活動了，所以派發信箱這項工作很適合我，因為這是我可以獨自完成的。
我一開始是步行送真相報紙。每天只能擠出一個小時，所以花了整整一年才送完我負責的地區。我穿壞了好幾雙鞋，掉了幾個腳趾甲，腳跟都磨破了，還背著沉重的背包。幾年後，我改騎腳踏車送真相資料，我發現這樣更有效率。
多年來，我在自己所在的地區和周邊地區投遞了大量的報紙、大法傳單，拒絕中共的傳單、神韻資料和其它真相材料。有一年，神韻銷售團隊來到我所在地區的購物中心賣票，他們告訴我，有民衆在排隊等候買票，這是他們在其它購物中心沒有經歷過的。我覺得這與我在該地區持續不斷的投遞真相資料有關，這鼓勵了我繼續做下去。
我還發現，做投遞信箱這個項目時，最大的障礙其實是我自己。當我修煉狀態不好時，思想業力和不好的東西會干擾我的心智。而在我修煉狀態好時，短時間內我能奇跡似的覆蓋很大的面積。
雖然我多年來一直堅持投遞信箱這個項目，我仍然希望能在我所在的城市再次舉辦美展，但我不知道自己如何能獨自完成這個任務。
第三部分： 十三年後，第二次機會
不久前，一位曾在悉尼協助組織真善忍美展的學員，在美展開幕前就搬到了珀斯。由於錯過了能看到美展的成果，她很好奇，也想親身體驗從頭到尾舉辦一場美展的過程。在一次洪法活動中，她提出了想在西澳舉辦美展的願望。我們在大組學法後進一步討論了此事，她問我是否知道合適的場地。“知道！”我立刻回答，“我明天就去申請！”
我簡直不敢相信。最近我想舉辦美展的念頭越來越強，現在竟然有人願意幫忙。
第二天，我的目標明確，頭腦清醒，直接去了社區活動中心，申請再次在那裡舉辦美展。從第一次美展到現在已經過了13年了，接待人員和經理都換人了。在填寫申請表時，我遞給經理一本《真善忍國際美展畫冊》讓他翻閱。
申請立即獲得了批准！彷彿這個社區活動中心一直在等待著這一刻！
第二次參與美展，讓我有機會以不同的方式來面對這個項目。首先，我不是協調人，我也不想扮演這個角色。其次，美展的日期讓我們有更多的時間準備。來自悉尼的那位學員組織能力很強。她組建了一個團隊，我們定期進行討論和學法。我們溝通順暢，彼此都清楚各自的角色和需要完成的工作。這與第一次辦美展時鬆散的組織方式截然不同。
包括協調人在內，沒有人堅持自己的意見。我們都貢獻了自己的想法並進行了討論。協調人聯繫了我所在地區的議員，並收到了所有議員的回覆。
我一直與我所在地區的州議員保持著定期的聯繫。第一次拜訪她時，我向她講述了我修煉法輪功的經歷，她非常熱情，以至於我不得不主動結束會面。之後，我經常邀請她參加世界法輪大法日活動和其他洪法活動，我用這種方式和她保持聯繫，但並沒有期待她一定會出席。當協調人邀請她參加美展開幕儀式時，她欣然接受了。我很高興她終於有機會參加在她選區舉辦的大法活動。
佈置美展當天，我們發現沒有鑰匙去拿那幾幅單獨存放的有師父法像的大型畫作。然而我們沒有慌亂，而是決定繼續運送其它畫作，相信一切都會順利解決。我們很快就找到了解決方法，溝通也很順暢。
等我們再回來取有師父法像的大型畫作時，貨車已經是空的。現在回想起來，我不禁思考事情是否就是這樣安排的。這些有師父法像的大型畫作是很重要的，而空貨車意味著我們可以更加小心地運輸它們。
在《亞太地區學員會議講法》中，師父开示：
“怎麼樣做好，其實就是個協調問題。我講協調也就是配合好，證實法也是修煉，都向內找就會配合好。”
在佈置場地的過程中，我們互相交流想法，並在行動前與協調人確認。一切都很順利。我們團隊合作默契，溝通順暢，最後順利完成了佈置場地的工作。與第一次辦美展不同的是，這次我並沒有感到自己是活動的“主角”，反而很高興能成為團隊的一份子。
當天下午，在做開幕儀式的準備工作時，我突然開始感到身體不適，臉上也冒出了紅疹。因為我家離得近，而且當時有足夠的學員來完成準備工作，所以我就打算回家洗個澡。
回到家後，我意外地發現自己的女兒做了一件嚴重辜負我信任的事。我內心十分不安，但我知道必須去謹慎面對。之前，我曾經做過一個夢，夢裡師父提醒了我過度保護女兒的危險，還有我是無法控制她們的行為的。我記得女兒告訴我，她打算和朋友一起來參加美展的開幕儀式，於是我努力克制了自己的情緒，讓自己冷靜下來，因為她們的出席遠比我當時的感受要重要得多。我平靜地和她談了談，並提醒她一定要在開幕式前和朋友一起到場。
他們都出席了，甚至還留下來幫忙收拾東西。我回到社區活動中心後，感覺也恢復了健康，臉上的紅斑幾乎都消失了。現在回想起來，很明顯地，師父當時安排我回家，是為了讓我的心性經受嚴峻的考驗。
我選區的州議員和五位市議員，以及大約45位其他各界人士，都出席了開幕式。副市長發表了開幕致辭，到場的嘉賓都對當晚給予好評。副市長和一位議員也接受了《大紀元時報》的採訪，他們對美展給予了高度的評價。我相信他們因此得到了福報：在下一次的市議會選舉中，他們都成功的連任。而副市長當選了市長，那位市議員當選了副市長。
第二天，發生了一件非常意想不到的事。我和另一位學員正坐在美展的桌子前，這時我的州議員來到了我們面前，她問我們是否願意與西澳州長見面，他會在活動中心的另一個區域接受媒體採訪。我們當時都明白，州長這次能見到學員的機會是很珍貴的。幾分鐘後，我的州議員帶著他進入了大廳，並用身體擋在他面前，迫使他在我們的桌子前停下來。
她介紹了我們是法輪功學員，並解釋了我們正在舉辦真善忍美展。州長與我們握了手，然後經過了展覽的畫作，前往接受採訪的地方。我們都驚呆了。他本來可以走另外一條路，但我們當地的議員特意帶他進入了展覽區，並把他介紹給我們。開幕之夜一定是給這位女議員留下了很好的印象。
展覽結束後，社區活動中心的經理表示歡迎我們隨時再次回來舉辦美展，因為所有民衆的反饋都是正面的。
結語：形成整體
我認為這次美展的整體組織以及我們所有學員的合作，是美展成功的關鍵。我們似乎形成了一個整體，共同取得了這項成果。
住在珀斯的同修們開車一小時來到我所在的地區，挨家挨戶地投放傳單，張貼海報。我們對彼此的想法沒有任何爭論。美展的協調人認為，我多年來在該地區投遞信箱所做的前期工作，已經清理了許多不好的東西。她驚喜地發現，她發給當地州議員和市議員的邀請郵件都得到了回應。
參與這次美展的過程中，我的思緒常常回到十三年前我們舉辦的第一次美展。兩次美展都很成功，我也都得到了同修們的幫助。不同之處在於，第一次美展時，我因為自己的執著，而無法意識到並感激同修們的幫助。之後，我一直帶著這種執著和想法，直到最後幾乎說服了我自己這一切都是我獨自完成的。
這些年來，我在大法修炼中成長了很多，也放下或減少了許多執著。當我們一起籌備第二次美展時，我對第一次美展的記憶開始變得清晰和真實。當我長期以來固守的那些想法逐漸地消退了，我才明白，我的執著是如何扭曲了我對當時情況的理解。
我甚至有機會與其他同修坐下來，澄清了一些誤解。回想起第一次美展，我終於能夠意識到自己所得到的所有幫助。我不再糾結於別人沒有為我做的事情，而是對他們所做的一切心懷感激。
這段經歷讓我明白，當我們共同開展一個項目時，都需要坦誠和開放的溝通與討論，以及適當的組織。當然，還有大家齊心協力、共同合作的誠意。唯有如此，我們才能真正形成一個整體。
感謝師父！
感謝同修！
My Experience Working on the Art Exhibition
J D B
Greetings, Master.
Greetings, fellow practitioners.
I would like to share some of my cultivation experiences working on the Zhen Shan Ren Art Exhibition in Western Australia.
Part 1 – A Wish to Bring the Exhibition to My Town
I obtained the Fa in late 2009. At that time in WA, the Zhen Shan Ren Art Exhibition was held once a year in a small country town called Denmark, more than four hours’ drive from Perth. The paintings were stored in Perth and had to be transported to Denmark each year. At the time, the practitioner in Denmark was the art exhibition coordinator for WA. In 2011, I had the opportunity to participate in the exhibition.
I found the experience very rewarding, and after returning home, I wished to hold the exhibition in my own town, Rockingham, which is only an hour from Perth. I had never coordinated an event before and was still relatively new to the Fa, but the thought of bringing the exhibition to my town felt profound. My heart was set on it, so I thought, OK, let’s try!
I applied to hold the exhibition at our local community centre. When I applied, the receptionist informed me that we could apply for a government grant to cover the costs. The amount wasn’t much, but after discussing it with another practitioner, we decided that receiving a grant from the council might be good for their future, so we applied.
I filled out the forms and submitted a preview of the paintings with our application. We had left out some of the more graphic depictions of the persecution to keep the exhibition family-friendly, which left gaps in the numbering. The community centre receptionist later told me that the councillor had questioned these gaps. She expressed concern that our explanation about raising awareness of a persecution that involved forced organ harvesting might further upset him.
Since I was at work and I felt rushed, I agreed that the receptionist could use correction fluid to remove the explanation from the application. But when I returned to my workstation, I began to reconsider. If the councillor was already suspicious about gaps in the numbering, wouldn’t removing part of the explanation only increase his suspicions? I decided that the receptionist’s impression of his mood was only her own perception. We had been open and honest in our application and upheld the dignity of Dafa so we had nothing to hide. At my next break, I called her back and asked her to submit the application unchanged. Fortunately, she had not altered it and sounded pleased, and I knew I had made the right decision.
The application was approved by the councillor on the condition that the town’s logo appear on all our advertising materials. We were, of course, happy to comply. After the application was accepted, the receptionist asked whether we would like to hold an opening night. We hadn’t done this before in WA, so I was a little unsure. She explained that she could use the community centre’s mailing list to invite people interested in art. With the receptionist’s encouragement, we agreed to hold an opening night.
Everyone working at the centre was helpful and offered positive suggestions. There was little time to advertise, but another practitioner designed flyers, posters, and digital invitations, while I delivered flyers to letterboxes in the suburbs around the centre. With financial help from another practitioner, we also placed a half-page advertisement in the local newspaper. Other practitioners organised the catering and helped hang and display the paintings.
About 50 people attended. The caretaker told me it was the largest turnout for an art exhibition opening night she had experienced at the centre. By any outward measure, our first exhibition had begun successfully. Yet despite the help I had received and the encouraging turnout, I allowed my own feelings to overshadow much of what we had achieved.
Part 2 – Attachments I Had Yet to Recognise
Since I believed I was the main coordinator of the event, I felt that being the MC on opening night was my role. I had expected to speak on stage about my experience with Dafa. Because I felt that no one had helped me distribute the flyers and posters, I had also assumed that no one would help on the night. When another practitioner stepped in at the last minute and volunteered to be MC, and yet another appeared to take charge of the evening, I felt pushed to the sidelines.
In Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference, Master said,
“How big of a role can any one individual play? Only when the group as a whole plays its role has the coordinator done well. When a coordinator does well himself, well, if you’re the only one doing well, then you should just be an average student in that case. The key is that you have got to play the role of and fulfill the duties of a coordinator.”
Looking back, I can see that I had wanted to be the star of the show. I felt I had done most of the hard work, and now that everything had come together, other practitioners seemed to be taking over. My attachment to self, my concern for my reputation, and my show-off mentality were all at work. Yet, as a fairly new practitioner, I didn’t recognise the situation as an opportunity to look within and identify my shortcomings.
Before coming into the Fa, I had played a team sport only once, when I was very young. I let the team down at a crucial moment, which affected my self-esteem. After that, I avoided team activities and chose martial arts instead, where I felt my failures affected only me. As a result, I had little experience of working with others towards a shared goal.
I felt resentful that no one had offered to help distribute the flyers and posters, but I hadn’t considered their circumstances. I had given them very little notice, I lived an hour away, and I hadn’t organised group study or discussions about how to approach the exhibition. The organisation was very loose, and I didn’t yet understand how to bring people together as a team.
I expressed my feelings of resentment to the WA art coordinator at the time, speaking from my distorted perspective. I think my attachments encouraged hers, and she became quite upset by what I told her. The following day, she informed me that she had contacted one of our state coordinators and spoken very harshly to him about what I had complained to her about.
When she told me this, I was disappointed in myself because I felt that I had created a divide between practitioners. I hadn’t spoken to either the practitioner who served as MC or the one who took over coordination on the night, so I only knew my own side of what had happened. At the time, I couldn’t see how much my attachments had distorted that perspective.
Although the help I had received had contributed to a very successful event, I still felt resentful. I worked in a factory while some other practitioners were doctors, architects, engineers, and business owners, and my low self-worth made me feel insignificant by comparison.
Looking back, I can see that the exhibition’s success and my feelings about it were two very different things. I had received considerable help, and despite our loose organisation, we had worked well together. Yet I focused on the moments when I felt overlooked or that others had encroached on my responsibilities. At the time, I couldn’t see how strongly those feelings were shaping my understanding of the entire experience.
The exhibition ran for one week. I was there every day, and other practitioners took turns coming along to help. Each morning, I practised at my local practice site before going to the centre, hoping to clear the environment around the area.
One day, a woman and her daughter visited after seeing our advertisement in the local newspaper. She was particularly touched by a painting, Illumination by Xiaoping Chen, depicting a woman holding her child while studying the Fa. She saw family harmony in the scene and became curious about Falun Gong, so I told her about our local practice site. She came along one morning, embraced the exercises and teachings and, 14 years later, is still practising.
In Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Conference, Master said, “I said that even if I could successfully save just one person, my things wouldn’t be done in vain.”
The community centre held all sorts of classes and events. Everyone who worked there and everyone attending those activities had an opportunity to view the paintings. Each year after the exhibition, I would visit the centre to ask whether I could leave flyers there, and each year, the staff would ask when we were bringing the exhibition back. I always replied that I didn’t have people to help and that everyone lived too far away to assist.
The staff’s repeated invitations were a reminder of how welcome the exhibition had been. Yet rather than remembering the practitioners who had helped make it possible and how successful it had been, I continued to dwell on the help I felt I hadn’t received with flyer distribution. Over the years, my notion that nobody wanted to help me grew stronger, to the point where I even came to believe that no one had even helped set up the original exhibition at all.
In the years that followed, instead of coordinating activities, I concentrated on delivering truth-clarification materials to letterboxes. I stubbornly held on to the belief that I wouldn’t receive help with another event, so delivering materials suited me because it was something I could do alone.
I began delivering newspapers on foot. I could fit in only an hour a day, so it took a year to cover my entire area. I went through many pairs of shoes, lost toenails, bled from my heels, and carried a heavy bag with me. After a couple of years, I switched to using my bicycle and found it much more effective.
Over the years, I delivered newspapers, Falun Gong and Reject CCP flyers, Shen Yun materials, and other truth-clarification materials throughout my area and surrounding suburbs. One year, when Shen Yun tickets were being sold at my local shopping centre, the sales team told me there had been a queue of people waiting to buy tickets, something they hadn’t experienced at other shopping centres. I felt this was connected to my efforts delivering materials in the area, and it encouraged me to continue.
I also found that my biggest obstacle in this work was myself. When I wasn’t cultivating well, thought karma and demons would interfere with my mind. When I was cultivating well, the amount of ground I could cover in a short time seemed miraculous.
Although I continued this work for years, I still wished to bring the art exhibition back to my town, but I couldn’t see how I could manage it on my own.
Part 3 – A Second Opportunity, 13 Years Later
Recently, a practitioner who had helped organise an art exhibition in Sydney moved to Perth just before the exhibition opened. Having missed seeing the results of their efforts, she was curious about how it had unfolded and wanted to experience holding an exhibition from beginning to end. At a Hongfa event, she expressed a wish to hold one here in WA. We discussed it further at Fa study, and she asked whether I knew of a suitable venue.
“Yes!” I replied immediately. “I’ll apply tomorrow!”
I couldn’t believe it. My wish to hold the exhibition again had recently been growing stronger, and here was someone who wanted to help.
The following day, with a strong focus and a clear mind I went straight to the community centre and applied to hold the exhibition there again, 13 years after the first one. The reception staff and manager had changed since then. While filling out the application form, I gave the manager a copy of The Art of Zhen Shan Ren album to look through.
The application was approved immediately! It was as if the centre had been waiting for this moment!
This second opportunity to help with the art exhibition gave me the chance to approach the same project differently. For starters, I wasn’t the coordinator, nor did I want to be. Secondly, the dates allocated to us gave us more time to prepare. The practitioner from Sydney was well organised. She created a team, and we had regular discussions and Fa study. We communicated well and understood our roles and what needed to be done. It was very different from the loose organisation of the first exhibition.
Nobody, including the coordinator, insisted on doing things their own way. We all contributed ideas and discussed them. She contacted council members in my area and received replies from all of them.
I had maintained regular contact with my local MP. When I first visited her, I told her my personal Falun Gong story, and she was so welcoming that I had to end the meeting myself. After that, I regularly invited her to World Falun Dafa Day events and other Hong Fa activities as a way to keep in touch, with no expectation that she would attend. When the art coordinator invited her to the exhibition’s opening night, she accepted. I was delighted that she would finally have an opportunity to attend one of our events in her own constituency.
On bump-in day, we discovered that we didn’t have the key to collect the large paintings of Master, which were stored separately. Rather than panic, we decided to continue transporting the other paintings, trusting that everything would work out. Ideas for resolving the issue came easily, and we communicated well.
By the time we were able to collect the paintings of Master, the van was empty. Looking back, I wonder whether things unfolded this way for a reason. These were the most important paintings, and having the van to themselves meant we could transport them with greater care.
In Fa Teaching Given at the Meeting with Asia-Pacific Practitioners, Master says,
“Doing things well is actually a matter of coordination. When I say coordination, I’m talking about cooperating and working well together. Validating the Fa is also cultivation, and if you all look within, you will be able to cooperate well.”
As we set up, we shared ideas and checked with the coordinator before proceeding. Everything went smoothly. We worked and communicated well as a team, and the setup was completed without further issues. Unlike the first time, I felt no sense of ownership over the event and was happy to be part of the team.
That evening, while preparing for the opening night, I began to feel unwell and broke out in red spots on my face. As I lived nearby and there were enough practitioners to finish setting up, I went home to freshen up.
When I arrived home, I unexpectedly found myself in a situation where I realised that my daughter had seriously broken my trust. I was deeply unsettled, but I knew I needed to be mindful of how I responded. I had previously had a dream where Master had shown me the dangers of protective sentiment towards my daughters and that I couldn’t control their actions. I remembered that she was planning to attend the opening night with a friend, so I fought my emotional instincts and managed to calm myself quickly as their attendance was far more important than how I felt in that moment. I spoke to her calmly and reminded her to be there with her friend by opening time.
They both attended and even stayed late to help pack up. When I returned to the centre, I also felt well again, and the spots on my face had almost cleared. Looking back, it is obvious to me that Master arranged for me to go home at that time so that my xinxing could be severely tested.
My local MP and five local council members attended opening night, along with approximately 45 other people. The deputy mayor gave an opening speech, and the event was very well received. The deputy mayor and a councillor also gave a glowing interview to The Epoch Times about the exhibition. I believe they both received blessings as a result: at the next council election, they were re-elected, with the deputy mayor becoming mayor and the councillor becoming deputy mayor.
The next day, something very unexpected happened. My local MP arrived while another practitioner and I were at the greeting table and she asked whether we would like to meet the WA Premier. He was there for a media interview in another area of the centre. We both knew this sudden opportunity for the Premier to meet practitioners was precious. A few moments later, my MP escorted him into the foyer and stepped in front of him forcing him to stop at our table.
She introduced us as Falun Gong practitioners and explained that we were presenting the Art of Zhen Shan Ren exhibition. He shook our hands before continuing through the exhibition to where his interview was happening. We were stunned. He could easily have taken another route, but our local MP had deliberately brought him through the exhibition and introduced him to us. Opening night must have left her with a very good impression.
Once the exhibition had finished, the centre manager said we were welcome to bring it back at any time, as all the feedback from the community had been positive.
Conclusion – Coming Together as One Body
I believe the overall organisation of this event and the cooperation among us all contributed to the exhibition’s success. It felt as though we had come together as one body to achieve this result.
Practitioners travelled an hour to come to my area to put flyers in letterboxes and put up posters. We had no disagreements over ideas. The coordinator believed that all the groundwork I had done in my area over the years had cleared the environment. She was pleasantly surprised to receive replies to all the emails she had sent to local councillors and my MP.
During this project, my thoughts often returned to the exhibition we had held 13 years earlier. Both exhibitions had been successful, and practitioners had helped me on both occasions. The difference was that, during the first exhibition, I had allowed my attachments to prevent me from recognising and appreciating that help. I then carried those notions with me for years, until I had almost convinced myself that I had done everything alone.
Over the years, I had grown substantially in the Fa and had let go of, or reduced, many of my attachments. As we worked together on the second exhibition, my memories of the first began to become clearer and more truthful. The notions I had held for so long gradually faded, and I could see how my attachments had distorted my understanding of what had happened.
I even had the opportunity to sit with practitioners and clear up misunderstandings. Looking back at the first exhibition, I could finally recognise all the help I had received. Rather than dwelling on what I felt others hadn’t done for me, I felt grateful for what they had done.
This experience helped me understand that whenever we work on a project, we need honest, open communication and discussion, proper organisation, and, of course, the heart to work well together. In this way, we can truly come together as one body.
Thank you, Master!
Thank you, fellow practitioners!