Latvia: Way up

Good day revered Master!
Good day fellow practitioners!

Returning

My cultivation experiences have been forming for a long time. I obtained the Fa in 2004, and the first 10 years were spent stabilizing and getting to know the cultivation practice. Since 2013 there have been serious changes in my life and it is all happening because of Master’s compassion and immense Fa rectification process.

At first, when I started to practice I did not feel any changes nor did I have any realisations, however at a later stage it turned out that all my "delays" are related to the music training I started in my childhood, which I had abandoned many years ago due to my insecurity and certain fears about my abilities, leaving behind many unresolved issues. Suddenly, music came back into my life in a way that left no doubt that I should continue on this path. Thanks to revered Master for this created opportunity!

At first, at my workplace a group of people wanted to start singing together. With my knowledge it was more than enough to organise a choir and start performing in small events as well as in bigger celebrations in the city and whole country. Next it led me to the music academy and I finished higher education in a field that I doubted I would be able to do. In a short period of time I became a choir conductor, singer and a teacher, as well as re-started to play the national music instrument “kokle”, which gave me an opportunity to meet a lot of people every day from different groups and schools, where I could expose the persecution  and tell the truth.

It all happened in a very short period of time, however every day there were a lot of trials - I had to abandon such attachments as laziness, fear, doubt, uncertainty and had to pass the tests of the desire for fame, complacency and, although I am quite old, to be able to return to the stage and give performances. Previously, it all created a big block in my cultivation path. Now, getting into it at every step there was an opportunity to understand and upgrade my xinxing, to overcome these blocks.

When you are overcoming a real hardship or tribulation, you try it. When it is difficult to endure, try to endure it. When it looks impossible and is said to be impossible, give it a try and see if it is possible. If you can actually do it, you will indeed find, “After passing the shady willow trees, there will be bright flowers and another village ahead!” (Zhuan Falun, Lecture Nine “People with Great Inborn Quality”)

I found my way. The upward movement had begun.

Translation is helping me to improve

As I practiced cultivation over time, I realised that translations from other languages into my native language help me better understand the Fa and the experiences of other practitioners. While translating I can delve into the text and think it over, understand it more deeply. I have not studied the English language, so when I started to translate I had to use a dictionary for every word and put them together in sentences to understand the meaning. In 2007 working with a computer was a luxury for me, however when a group of practitioners created a team for the Clearharmony web page I joined the translators.

With time the amount of materials for translation only grew bigger. When there was a chance to translate some important materials, there was always someone who responded, and over time a group of translators formed in the local environment who met together to study the Fa and discuss translation problems.  There was an opportunity to learn from the skills and insights of more experienced translators and this contributed to the collaborative work. At the same time, there was an opportunity to work in other country's projects related to translations, journalism and reporting. My experience and that of other translators grew, and even though spoken English is not my strong point, I was able to cope with translations more and more easily, and this helped me to find new understandings by reading texts from other languages as well.

I want to share about an experience I had while participating in the translation of "How the Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World.” The first part of the text I translated very fast and it was related to the history of the spread of communism in the world and there weren't too many ambiguities to get in the way of translation. Reading between the lines that tells how the specter of communism purposefully switched good and evil in people's thinking, I gained an understanding of the difference between sensitivity and inner feelings. Previously, tears often welled up in my eyes when performing or listening to a particularly emotional composition, but now this excessive sensitivity has been replaced by rationality and the ability to form inner feelings, which can be put into musical performance.

In the next piece of translation about education I got stuck for a long time. The translation did not move any further, because at every step there were some nuances related to teaching that I had to check in the comparison between the education systems of different countries. There were also things that I had learned in the teaching program at the higher educational institution, but now the truth about these teachings appeared, and I had to think carefully about the meaning of everything that was written and how it appeared in real life. During this period of time, I temporarily replaced a colleague and also worked in the morning hours at school.

If in the beginning the lessons went without any special incidents, then when I started translating educational articles, everything changed rapidly. It seemed as if there had been a secret riot in the school, the students behaved defiantly in class, it was difficult to achieve the silence that is so necessary for music lessons. The most painful thing in this situation was that the school management was unable to do anything to correct the situation, and for the children to receive education and upbringing in the school the administration lowered the criteria for evaluating knowledge and softened the responsibility criteria of the internal discipline rules, because they could not cope with the growing problems.

I felt weary from the many problems and could no longer concentrate enough on planning lessons. More and more often, I waited to go home to get the translation and to look for answers to the questions, because the situation clearly showed that everything described in the series of articles really happens in reality in this school. I had come across the plan carefully hatched by the specter of communism in the education system, how to make the new generation play things in the hands of the specter.

I realized more and more clearly how important it is to finish the translation of a series of articles and publish it; to introduce it to a wider circle of people, to wake up misled and fed up people, so that the truth reaches children and makes their lives easier. Because without a return to traditional culture and divine recognition, there is no future.

While waiting for Shen Yun

When I first heard from foreign practitioners about the annual Chinese New Year show, I became interested in it because I wanted to see the true ancient Eastern culture on stage. And there was a chance to watch this show in Paris in 2006, as one of the nearest countries where it was performing. Soon after, word reached our practitioner community that a revived traditional art collective was being formed in New York under Master's leadership.

It was thrilling. I was waiting for the chance to see Shen Yun perform in the nearest possible country, and it happened soon, in 2009 in Germany. There was also an opportunity to help with preparations related to Shen Yun's arrival and shows. And although there was a great desire in my country's practitioner group to invite Shen Yun and give our local people a chance to see the divine beauty and harmony, the conditions were not favorable for many years to come.

After a longer break, my next encounter with Shen Yun was successfully arranged for early 2020 in London, shortly before the COVID-19 restrictions came into effect. And when I returned again, I brought with me the joy of watching the show and reflections on why we do not have suitable conditions to organize a performance.

Recently, being at a big event in my country, I thought about how it is with my students at the music school - little girls learn to play an instrument from an early age, which is not easy. The further the studies go, the more complicated everything becomes. Participating in events requires both physical and mental effort, and as a result, the path leads in only two directions: fame or complacency. This is too high a price for a heavy investment. It would be better if you could raise your spiritual level, your inner spiritual world, like the students of Feitian Academy or the performers of Shen Yun, by walking this hard intellectual path. 

Here came to mind what Master had taught: "There is still another reason for failing to increase gong. Namely, without knowing the Fa of high levels, one cannot move up in cultivation. […] Without knowing the Fa at high levels, one cannot cultivate. Without cultivating one’s inner self and one’s xinxing, one cannot increase gong. These are the two reasons. " (Zhuan Falun, Lecture One “Why Doesn’t Your Gong Increase with Your Practice?”)

And then the news came that in order to bring the Shen Yun to us, we had to do our homework and prepare translations for the company's website. I undertook to manage the work of a group of translators, and I encountered a problem I have known for a long time - it is easy when someone gives you a task and then it has to be done as best as possible. But what about when you have to manage the process yourself? It is not so convenient anymore, it is a big responsibility and requires urgent, continuous attention. Then you have to completely give up your desires and rearrange everything, thinking of others.

Here I was helped by the experience I recently gained at a music-related event, when I had slipped into the ordeal of paying back karma without realizing it and there was no way for me to get out of the situation with dignity, everything was very bad and I just wanted to run away from it. But then I realized that this test is not about whether I suffer myself or lose personally, but whether my team achieves what it had prepared for. I got myself together and, despite all my personal experiences, I did everything necessary to bring the situation to a positive outcome. I realized that by thinking of others, it is possible to create positive changes.

Sometimes it is unclear why things happen this way and not that way, until the moment finally comes when everything falls into place. The understanding and skills I gained along the way are now being put to use to help Master save sentient beings together with fellow practitioners.

Please kindly point out the inconsistencies in my experience of the Fa.

Thank you, Master!
Thank you, fellow practitioners!

 

(Submitted to the European Fa-conference 2023 in Paris)