My Cultivation Experience from Working in Shen Yun’s Kitchen

Greetings, Revered Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners! 

1. Master’s compassionate care

I obtained the Fa in January 1999. Every time I’ve encountered difficulties or tribulations in cultivation, it’s always been under Master’s guidance and support that I’ve passed them. I’ve felt even more so after I started working in the kitchen to help with the Shen Yun tour, and I feel that Master is always by our side. 

One example is that every morning, we’ll head towards the kitchen after sending forth righteous thoughts in the morning, and we will stay there working only to return home around 9 pm. After deducting time for meal breaks and finding time to do the exercises, it still means about 10 hours or work each day. Sometimes the gaps between cities are short and we need to travel during night, leading to perhaps over 40 hours without proper rest time, and this doesn’t just happen once, it could happen multiple times during a season. This would be very difficult to deal with for an ordinary person, but for us, we only need to enter the next kitchen to feel refreshed. The tiredness would be blown away and we would make the required meals on time. After which we would again repeat the 10 hour working days. If it wasn’t for Master’s strengthening, how would anyone be able to do this, four months in a row? Another example is shown in the cooking. Sometimes, you’d follow one Shen Yun company for a long time, and it could be challenging with limited variety in provisions. This would require a high level of creativity in composing dishes, and in the end, you’d completely run out of ideas. At this point, suddenly a new idea or a new solution would come to you. I know that these hints are from Master. 

Sometimes, when we’ve just arrived in a new city, it typically takes a while before we’ve settled in the new kitchen with all our equipment. However, the time is ticking and it looks impossible to deliver the next meal on time. It looks impossible, but in the end, we’ll always manage to deliver it just in time. I know that it’s with Master’s help that we could complete it on time. We’re just doing our part and have a wish to do it well. With faith in Master and Dafa, there are no tests we cannot pass, since Master is always by our side. 

During these years we’ve encountered a lot, which has helped me improve in my cultivation and my skills. Although there’s been pain, suffering, and joy, we’ve stumbled and gotten up again, and it’s all been under Master’s compassionate care. It has strengthened my righteous thoughts, which has helped me walk my path with steady steps. In this process, I’ve let go of many rigid attachments. 

2. Letting go of complaining

The most valuable assets we’ve got in a kitchen would of course be our equipment. Therefore, we try to take good care of them and clean them well after use. After some time though, you’d still need to replace some of the essentials. Our funds are limited so at first, we only replaced one electric hot plate. We were really happy and I started to think about who might need it the most. 

Before I figured out who had the need, I saw that a fellow practitioner had already opened the box and started to use it. I got a bit annoyed and thought: “Why didn’t you ask around if anyone else was in greater need first? You’ve got good ones already. Every year, you’d choose the ones in the best condition, so you don’t actually need this new one, there are others who need it more.” My heart was constantly complaining about it. Even so, I didn’t want to make a scene, so I thought, just let it be. So, I just let it pass, but I hadn’t really let go of it in my heart.

The following year, we got two new hot plates. This time I thought: “Great, this time we’d be able to distribute them to those that really need a new one.” I wasn’t yet sure who those would be, but before I had a chance to check, I saw that the same practitioner had already opened the boxes and started to use both of them! I almost couldn’t accept it, and got really angry! I thought: “Last year, you took the new plate, and this year, you’re taking new ones again. And one isn’t enough, you’re taking both of the new ones? I can’t look at you anymore.” I really wanted to argue with her, but I held back and endured the irritation.

After the tour season, I went home and started to reflect on myself. When I thought about this incident, I realized that it can’t be a coincidence that this happened two years in a row. I found that I was complaining and my heart was unbalanced. I had to remove it since it would otherwise create conflicts in our cooperation and I also wouldn’t be able to raise my own xinxing. So, I made a decision to let go of this attachment. 

The good news is that this year, we got three new hot plates. This time I didn’t pay any attention to it at all and I don’t even know who took them in the end. If anyone wanted to take mine, I would be fine with it. That actually happened. When I saw that the fellow practitioner needed a larger hot plate, I offered mine for her to borrow. I said: “Mine is larger and you’ll be done with it in one shot.” It made her happy and sometimes she also offered me some help. We cooperate really well together. I had really let go of this attachment and now when I see her again, I feel gratitude. She has helped me improve my xinxing. I’m also grateful to Master for his compassionate arrangement. 

3. Removing the attachment to dislike criticism

Master said in Teachings at the Conference in Los Angeles: “When Dafa disciples make mistakes, they do not like to be criticized. No one can criticize them, and when someone does, it sets them off.”

My attachment to not being able to take criticism has been very rigid. It took me a long time before I could let go of it. 

The most classic example is when you receive feedback from the waiting staff. They’ll say, “your food wasn’t to their liking” and “there’s tons left”, or this and that. That really burdens my heart and creates a lot of pressure, or I’ll feel wronged. I might not show it on the surface but it could really create a turmoil in my heart. I would think, “You’ve got no idea how hard this is and how tired I am, and you’re just complaining.” It’s been really difficult for me to let go of this attachment and I stumbled on this every year. Every year I would tell myself that I needed to let go of it, but when it really happened again, my heart still couldn’t remain calm. It took me five years, and I suffered through those five years. 

I knew that I wouldn’t be able to raise my xinxing if I didn’t let it go! So, I prayed to Master to help me solidify my will. I can’t keep going on like this and I can’t let the chances pass, or else, how could I call myself a cultivator? How would I be worthy of being a Dafa disciple? So, I told myself that this year, I have to pass this test!

This year, I finally did pass this test. My heart was no longer moved. I didn’t complain anymore and I didn’t feel wronged. I could now calmly take in any suggestions. I felt really happy and light in my body, and I feel like a new person. Thank you Master for seeing that I had really made up my mind and for helping me remove this attachment that had bothered me for five years.

One day a fellow practitioner asked me how I felt all these years when people had criticized me for food being left over, or that it wasn’t tasty enough etc. How did I feel? Would I become angry? Would I feel hurt? I replied: “Of course, I would feel both angry and hurt. Others cannot understand the feeling. You work hard but get no appreciation in return. But this year I’ve finally let go of it! It doesn’t bother me anymore what other people say.” The fellow practitioner asked again: “Do you mean that you won’t listen to any of that and will just do whatever you like?” I replied: “No, I mean that I’ve really let go of not being able to take criticism and it won’t move my heart anymore.” I can now listen to other people’s suggestions and cooperate and discuss different solutions with the coordinator, to make things that suit Shen Yun.

Then the next great test arrived immediately. The last Shen Yun company we served was very special. Nothing seemed to suit them. Every day we received messages that we needed to make changes. It was a real challenge for one’s creativity. The coordinator also gave me a lot of suggestions, but even till the end, we still weren’t really able to grasp their preferences. During this painful period, I was able to keep a steady and calm state of mind. Had it been before, I would have lost my temper. So, this was a really good test for me; it was a good thing. Being able to find where one falls short, that motivates me. After this test, I had finally removed this attachment.

4. Letting go of focusing on other’s shortcomings 

Many times, I would see other people’s shortcomings, or take notice of things that’s not in line with my own view, or things that don't meet my standard and it could make me irritate. Such as when someone is cutting meat slices in inconsistent sizes, or not chopping vegetables pretty enough. Some people are too slow, and some are chit-chatting instead of helping out. When I’m about to criticize them, I would remind myself that this is an attachment to focusing on other’s shortcomings, and I must quickly remove it.

After this thought appeared, and when I turned around the concept and looked again, what I saw was instead how fine my fellow practitioners are. Some have left their families, their job or their business behind while others are carrying out the duties despite being amidst karma elimination, without a word of complaint. All the way since the beginning till the end of the touring season. How many people could achieve that? I should learn from all of them! After removing the concept, what I saw was that we were like a family, like brothers and sisters; just like a family. And we are indeed a big family.

During the tours we help each other and we’ve been through rain and dust, and we’ve overcome all kinds of interference and hardship together with righteous thoughts and righteous actions. We will walk well on the Fa-rectification path that Master has arranged for us. 

The above are my current understandings. If anything seems inappropriate, please kindly point them out to me.

Thank you, Master,

Thank you, fellow practitioners.

(This article was presented at the 2025 Nordic Fa-Conference)