Improving through Sharing With Fellow Practitioners
在与同修的交流中提高自己
Nina S, Gold Coast Queensland
昆士兰环金海岸 Nina S
Greetings, Revered Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
尊敬的师父好! 各位同修好！
I first attained the Fa in October of 1999. It was a bit of a rocky start for me, but in early 2000, I started to really cultivate properly, studying the Fa every day and because I wasn’t working at the time, attending the daily exercise site as often as I could. I got married in 2000, my husband is also a practitioner; and we have 2 daughters. We live on the Gold Coast where we run a business together, which brings with it lots of opportunities to improve my xinxing. I am also the local coordinator for my area, and am responsible for coordinating our local Fa study group, local truth clarification activities, government work and Shen Yun promotions. I often feel time is so tight and the pressure is immense, but in spite of how well or poorly I cope with those pressures there is always a sense of responsibility towards sentient beings that stays with me. Our local Fa study is an environment I have come to cherish, and in that field the pressures seem to melt away and I am conscious of an almost unspoken understanding of one another and the pressures that each one of us faces in different ways in our own environments. It feels like a true family to me.
我是一九九九年十月得法的。开始不太顺利，但从二零零零年初我开始认真修炼，每天学法。因为那时我不工作，所以尽量去参加集体炼功。我于二零零零年结婚，丈夫也是修炼人。我们有两个女儿，一家人住在黄金海岸。现在我和丈夫一起经营生意，也有很多提高心性的机会。我也是当地的协调人，负责协调当地的集体学法、讲真相、政府工作和神韵推广工作。我时常感到时间很紧，压力很大。但不论我做的好与差，我心里总是有一种救度众生的责任感。我很珍惜当地的小组学法，在那个场中压力好像化解了，我感到一种不言而喻的相互谅解，也体会到每个人在各自环境中所面临的的压力。我觉得那个环境就像自己的家一样。
We will be presenting the Art of Zhen Shan Ren on the Gold Coast at the end of September. As with most projects, the process has been quite challenging from securing a venue to inviting VIP’s and so on. It’s very easy to get disheartened when a lot of effort is put into a project, but you don’t see much in the way of positive results or positive outcomes. It is often difficult for us to get VIP’s and government representatives to attend our events regardless of how much effort we put in.
我们今年九月底在黄金海岸举办“真善忍美展”。跟其他很多项目一样，组织过程很具挑战性，要找地点、请要员等等。在投入很大精力却又看不到什么积极的结果时，很容易感到灰心沮丧。一直以来，不论我们多努力，仍然很难请到要员或政府代表来参加我们的活动。
I was responsible for sending out government invitations to the opening of the exhibition. I went to a lot of effort, and coordinated with our local practitioners to include their names and addresses on the invitations sent to their respective councillors, state & federal MP’s. I thought that if we coordinated and cooperated well and put our best effort forward, we would achieve a positive result.
这次办美展，我负责向政府要员发邀请函的工作。我花了很大精力，跟当地学员切磋，把他们的名字和地址也写在寄给他们所在地的市议员、省议员和联邦议员的邀请函上。我想如果我们协调好，配合好，同心协力，就会有好的结果。
After emailing the invitations out one by one, I printed good quality copies for the local practitioners to also hand deliver to their respective councillors, state & federal MP’s, organizing one practitioner from each electorate to take care of the task so they could also have a chance to personally connect with their representatives. The practitioners all put their hearts into it, and we cooperated & coordinated well. Before some practitioners even had a chance to visit their representatives, the rsvp’s were coming in, all saying they could not attend the opening. I didn’t lose heart, and a suggestion was made by our local art exhibition coordinator to send an email to the group reminding everyone to FZN and only acknowledge Master’s arrangements, which I did. Some practitioners did get to deliver the printed copies of the invitation, but the rsvp’s continued to come in with no one able to attend. I thought I would give the politicians an opportunity to still position themselves well and replied to their rsvp’s asking if they would like to send in a welcome greeting or message to be read out in their absence.
一封封邀请函通过邮件发出去了，我还印制了一些高质量邀请函，让每个地区的一名学员负责把邀请函亲手递交给他们的议员，这样同修也有机会与他们的议员建立起联系。同修都很用心，我们协调、配合的很好。可是，在有些同修还没机会登门拜访他们的议员之前，我们就开始接到回复了，都说不能来参加开幕式。我没灰心，当地协调美展的同修建议我给大家发个邮件，让大家一起发正念，我们只承认师父的安排。我发了邮件，有些同修也登门手递了邀请函，可是回复还是都说不能来参加开幕式。我想我还是要给这些政客们一个摆放好自己的机会，就回信问他们是否可以发来欢迎致词，在开幕式上宣读。
There were still several politicians yet to rsvp, and I shared with our local art exhibition coordinator that I wanted to contact the state MP for the area where the exhibition was to be held to ask if he would like to officially open the exhibition. He hadn’t rsvp’d yet, but I didn’t want to be pushy or seem desperate as I thought that wouldn’t reflect well on the the exhibition. After sharing, we thought that it was worthwhile doing if handled correctly.
这时，还有几位议员没有回复，我跟协调美展的同修商量，说我想跟我们举办美展的那个地区的议员联系，问他是否愿意为美展揭幕。当时他还没有回复，我不想追着问，让人觉得我很着急，那样会给美展带来负面影响。跟同修交流后，我们觉得如果处理得当，这事值得努力。
A couple of days later I received a response from a councillor declining to send a welcome or greeting message, and I started to feel disheartened and sad because I truly wanted these sentient beings to be saved. I felt I had failed them and didn’t know what else I could do to assist Master.
两天后，我接到一位市议员的回复，他谢绝发给我们欢迎致词。我开始感到沮丧和伤心，因为我真想让这些众生得救。我觉得我辜负了他们，不知道怎么做才能帮助师父救他们。
I called our local art exhibition coordinator to share with her. I said that I was now unsure about asking the MP to open the exhibition and wasn’t sure that he would be able to anyway as the responses so far hadn’t been promising in terms of attendance. When I look back, it was clear I felt defeated, which wasn’t a good state to be in. We shared for a while and she asked me if I had read an email she had sent out the day after our group Fa study. In it she had shared a section from Master’s Fa Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting – 2009
我给协调美展的同修打了电话，说我对请议员揭幕一事没把握，也不知他能不能来，而且接到的回复都说不能来参加开幕式。回想一下，很明显，我当时感到自己失败了，状态也不好。我们交流了一会儿，她问我是否读了她在小组学法后发出的邮件，里面有一段师父“在大纪元会议上讲法”。
Master said,
"…As long as you come into contact with someone, you are doing something to save him—including when you solicit advertisements. Which side a person stands on, and whether he will make it—these are all things placed along the way as Dafa disciples go about interfacing with ordinary people in various capacities, and you shouldn’t attach too much importance to those activities in and of themselves. The bigger you perceive the challenges to be, the harder things will be to carry out, since “the appearance stems from the mind.” And so the task will become increasingly burdensome. When I say “the appearance stems from the mind,” by that I also mean that the difficulty stems from your overstating the importance of the matter itself and seeing yourself in a lesser light. Don’t take any such things to be a big deal, for with something as significant as saving sentient beings you should just do what you are supposed to do, going about it in a composed manner. When you encounter things that don’t sound so good or that aren’t what you hoped for, don’t take it to heart, and just nobly and confidently do what you are supposed to. If you don’t let the evil’s interference sway you, bad factors won’t arise from you, the evil will become trivial, you will become towering and massive, and your righteous thoughts will be ample. That’s truly the case.”
师父说，“只要你们接触人就是在救人，包括拉广告。人站哪一边、行和不行，都在大法弟子接触常人的事情中摆，别把事情看重。你们越把困难看大，事越难办，相由心生，那个事就越麻烦。相由心生还有这层意思，因为你把它摆高了，把自己摆小了。把那事情看的没什么了不起的，救人这么大一件事情，做你们该做的，心里踏实一点，碰到听到什么不太顺心的、不太如意的也别往心里去，堂堂正正做自己该做的事情。不被邪的干扰、不被它带动，那些不好的因素就不从自己这生，那邪恶就渺小，你们自己就高大，正念就足。真的都是这样。”
After I read this, I realized that Master’s words pointed directly to my shortcoming in handling things. I truly did place too much emphasis on the tasks instead of simply carrying them out in a composed manner, and I saw myself in a lesser light, something I have struggled with for many years.
读完这段法，我认识到师父的话直接指出了我的缺点，我确实把事情看的太重了，而不是堂堂正正的去做该做的，我把自己摆小了。这也是我多年来的一个纠结。
I looked within and knew that how I saw myself was something I had carried with me for many years of my cultivation, a lack of confidence and self worth as a cultivator. Being in this state has sometimes manifested in an attachment to needing to prove myself by working hard on projects, and this often gets out of balance and affects my everyday work running a business with my husband and caring for my children, and most importantly my time for exercises and quality Fa study.
向内找，我认识到我怎么看自己是我修炼中一直没放下的，我缺乏自信，小看自己。在这种状态中，有时反映出来的执著心就是在做项目中加倍努力，以证实自己还行。而这种努力往往失去平衡，影响到我和丈夫经营生意的日常工作和照顾孩子，更重要的是影响到我静心学法和炼功。
Although I became aware of this incorrect thinking some time ago, and had worked on eliminating it, there were still elements of it there that were now manifesting in how I handled the government work for the exhibition opening. I read the rest of the section this practitioner had emailed and sent forth righteous thoughts. I felt a shift immediately, and decided to call the MP that afternoon and carry it out in a composed manner as Master had instructed. I checked my emails at that moment, and an email had come through from a councillor who couldn’t attend the opening asking for some draft wording to help compose a welcome message to be read out in her absence.
尽管我前一段时间就意识到这个错误观念，也在努力去除它，但在为美展开幕式做政府工作上仍反映出这种观念的因素。我读完协调美展同修的邮件，开始发正念。我立刻感到自己变了，我决定当天下午就给那位议员打电话，抱着师父说的那种堂堂正正的态度。我查了查邮件，看到了一位不能参加开幕式的市议员的回信，他让我们提供些信息，以便他起草一份欢迎致词，可在开幕式上宣读。
I knew that sharing with a fellow practitioner who then advised me to read Master’s words had created a breakthrough and change in thinking which closed a gap and produced this result. I had some work to do for our business, so I focused on that for a while. I was starting to feel a little hungry and thought I’d make myself a quick bite to eat, but decided to call the MP first, again not feeling overwhelmed by the task, nor feeling I had to overly prepare myself for it, but again, just carrying it out in a composed manner. After speaking with the MP’s staff member, he said, “Oh yes, he’s definitely coming, we just haven’t sent the RSVP to you yet. I don’t think it will be a problem for him to officially open the exhibition, just send an email responding to our rsvp with more information.” That state MP has since confirmed his attendance at the opening. He will be attending with his wife and will also officially open the exhibition and give a welcoming speech.
我知道是跟同修的交流和读师父那段法使我有所突破，改变了观念，弥补了差距，才有了这样的结果。当时有些生意上的事要做，我就先忙了一会儿生意上的事。后来我觉得有点饿，想吃点东西，但我决定先给议员打电话。我没把它看的很大，也没有刻意做什么准备，就是堂堂正正的去打电话。一位工作人员说：“对，他一定会来，我们还没顾上给你回复呢。没问题，他会去给美展接幕。你再给我们发过来些信息吧。”后来议员确定他会跟太太一起来，他会为美展揭幕，并致欢迎词。
In that moment, I really became aware of the importance of my thoughts and attitude towards the tasks I am undertaking at any moment, but also the importance of my thoughts and attitude towards myself. As I stood at my kitchen bench, I felt a wave come over me, and I was overcome by Master’s boundless mercy for me and for all sentient beings. Later that day another welcome message for The Art of Zhen Shan Ren came through from a state MP.
那一刻，我真正的认识到我对自己承担的任务的想法和态度的重要性，也认识到我对自己的想法和态度的重要性。站在厨房的案台旁，我感到一股能量打过来，我深深感到师父对我和所有众生的无量慈悲。那天晚上，又有一位省议员发来欢迎致词。
Master said,
“There is a lot of hidden meaning contained in [China’s] semi-divine culture, and that also holds true for the old expression “the appearance stems from the mind.” Because each person covers a certain expanse of his own in the world around him, his emotional state will have a bearing on his affairs. That’s even more the case for Dafa disciples, for they shoulder the mission of saving sentient beings, and their expanse is even greater. The Dafa disciples of the world together encompass the whole earth, with each person having a certain reach. All of what you encounter and meet with owes to factors that are present within your expanse. If you can have sufficient righteous thoughts, you can then be towering and massive within your expanse and suppress any bad things that might exist there. Were every Dafa disciple able to achieve this, the entire world would change, since each of you assumes responsibility for a large expanse in this world and represents a certain segment of sentient beings.” (Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting – 2009)
师父说：“半神文化是有内涵的，相由心生也有这一层意思。因为人在社会环境中有自己的一个范围，自己的情绪会影响自己的事。大法弟子更是这样，因为承担了救度众生的使命，范围更大了。全世界的大法弟子包容了整个世间，每个人有一个范围。你碰到的、接触到的都是你这范围中的因素。你能够正念足，你就能够在你的范围中高大，在你的范围中把那些不好的东西压下去。每个大法弟子都能够做到这一点全世界就都变了，因为你们每个人在这个世界上承包了一个很大的范围，代表了一方众生。（“在大纪元会议上讲法”）
During the process of working on the exhibition there are many difficulties, but sharing with one another has really helped to work through those difficulties. If there was something I or the art project coordinator was unsure about, we’d share with one another and things would become clear. Even though we were both so busy, taking the time to share with one another was an important part of the process.
在举办美展的准备过程中遇到很多困难，但跟同修的交流确实帮助我们克服了那些困难。如果我或美展协调同修有什么拿不准的事，我们就互相交流，事情就变得清晰多了。虽然我们俩都很忙，但花时间交流是过程中很重要的一部分。
The following week we were tested again as rsvp’s continued to come in with people saying they couldn’t make it. The art project coordinator called me, concerned. I reminded her of what she had shared with me the week before, and that we should remember Master’s Fa and just continue doing what we needed to do, and every person we’d contacted was someone we were trying to save and that counted for something. Within 5 minutes of her hanging up the phone, she texted me saying a local councillor had just confirmed her attendance at the opening. I called her and we laughed in amazement at how every time we shared on the Fa with one another and corrected our thinking, the situation would improve. It was a reminder to cherish one another, and that eliminating our bad thoughts and notions is an ongoing process, and that sharing with one another can help us expose those bad thoughts and notions so we can eliminate them. Of course none of this is possible without the guidance of our Master.
一周后，考验又来了。我又陆续收到回复，都说不能来参加开幕式。美展协调同修给我打电话，表示有些担心。我提醒她前一周跟我的交流，说我们都要记得师父的法，就继续做我们该做的，我们联系的每个人都是我们要救度的对象，这是最重要的。她刚放下电话五分钟就给我发来短信，说一位市议员确定要来参加开幕式。我立刻给她回电话，我们都很高兴，深深感到每当我们在法上交流，归正自己不好的念头和观念后，情况就有好转。这也是提醒我们清除不好的思想和观念是个持续的过程，互相交流可以帮助我们暴露出那些不好的思想和观念，進而去除它们。当然，没有师父的指导和加持是做不到这些的。
Master said,
“It really is hard to clean out those notions and bad things that you have formed while leading your daily life, and you need to change those habitual things that have formed. You have already formed a way of thinking such as that, and so you have to look into your manner of thinking and correct things there if you want to avoid more problems. You might be wondering, “But haven’t I already cleaned those things out?” Indeed, when you send righteous thoughts the field does become bright and clear. However, the moment you get up, what’s in your head is in fact human thinking, and when you think about something or do something, you quickly lapse and go back to where you started from, and that thing [you cleared out] is there again. And further yet, if your mind and thoughts aren’t even steady when you send righteous thoughts, you will be clearing out and eradicating bad things over here while at the same time producing them over there. Cultivation is about reforming yourself, and things are indeed as I’ve described…"( Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting – 2009)
师父说：“人在现实生活中养成的观念和那些不好的东西一下子很难去干净，习惯性的东西还得把习惯改掉哪。思维的方式已经是这样了，那从思维的方式上还得去找正它，才能不再出问题。你说我不是已经清理干净了吗？是，发正念，这场都亮了，可是哪，一站起来脑子就是常人的思维，想的问题做的事又回到原点，它又产生了。甚至发正念时你的思想念头还不能够稳定，一边发正念清理消灭不好的东西还一边产生着。修，就是修自己，其实就是这么回事。”（“在大纪元会议上讲法”）
Thank you Master.
Thank you fellow practitioners.
谢谢师父。
谢谢同修。