Cultivating My Mind during Shen Yun Tour in Sweden

Hello everyone

My name is Teresa and I started cultivation of Falun Dafa July 2012. As many of you already know, I have been living in Sweden for a few years now. And since I arrived here, I have felt a strong desire and willingness to contribute to Shen Yun's tour in this country. I would like to share with you some insights I have gained during the 2024 Swedish tour.

Remove the attachment to losing face and cultivate Truth

I am a person who has often cared about what others think of me and has often feared the judgement of others. This attachment of mine emerges especially in my work environment when I interact with my boss. Although I have a good relationship with her, I sometimes tend to omit small details or cover them up with little lies. For example, if I arrived late to an event, I would attribute the delay to traffic rather than admit that I was late. Or, if I failed to complete certain tasks, I would tend to generalise without being entirely honest. Over time, this behaviour created tension between us, as she probably felt that I was not being completely transparent. I also suffered because during our meetings I did not feel completely at ease and I sensed her controlling thoughts and doubts about me.

By participating in the Shen Yun tour this year, I had the opportunity to see the show several times. It was precisely by admiring the skill and beauty of the dancers and orchestra members that I realised how much love the Creator put into giving us life. He created us with a divine nature and gave each of us unique and extraordinary characteristics. I understood that the Creator welcomes and loves us as we are, and that if I do not recognise the beauty within me, it is the same as not recognising what the Creator himself has given me.

In “Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference in Australia,” Master says:

“In fact, I treasure you more than you treasure yourselves, for you exist together with Master. You are the most magnificent gods of the future, the exemplary models of the new cosmos, and mankind’s hope for the future.”

With this new understanding, when I returned to work, it was easier for me to be myself and tell the truth even when it could put me in a bad light. For example, on my first day back at work, I was immediately put to the test. In the morning, I had an important meeting with my boss and another colleague, and in the afternoon, I had to attend a big event where I was supposed to give a presentation, which was obviously on my computer. When I arrived at work, I realised that I had left my computer at home and didn't have time to go back and get it. This meant that all the work I had done the previous day was for nothing. Instead of making up an excuse, as I would normally have done, I simply said: “Sorry, I left my computer at home. I thought I put it in my bag, but it's not here. I've been a bit distracted lately.”

Then something strange happened: instead of getting angry, my boss laughed and said, “No problem, we can use one of ours. Let's see if we can find the file in our emails.” So we did, and we managed to hold the meeting with great success. When I arrived at the afternoon event, my colleague in charge of presenting the event remembered that I had sent him my presentation by email a few days earlier, so I was able to give my speech to the audience, quickly resolving the problem.

From this situation, I realised how important it is to walk the Truth, the first principle of Dafa. First and foremost towards oneself. For me, cultivating Truth is a journey towards finding one's authenticity and accepting our imperfections without having to appear perfect and invincible. Being authentic with ourselves not only allows us to express who we are but also brings with it the power of Dafa.

In Lecture One of Zhuan Falun, Master says:

“In cultivating Zhen-Shan-Ren, the Tao School emphasizes the cultivation of Zhen. Therefore, the Tao School believes in the cultivation of Zhen to nurture one’s nature; one should tell the truth, do things truthfully, become a truthful person, return to the original, true self, and in the end, become a true person through cultivation”

I feel like I still have a long way to go on this point, but I'm happy to have made a start.

Overcoming the obstacles in my mind

The first day of the tour went very well, but on the second day I started to feel ill. I had a bad headache and felt extremely weak all over. I tried to think positive thoughts, but it didn't help. The pain was so severe that I couldn't stand for long. I knew it was interference preventing me from returning to the theatre, so I called the coordinator and told her that I was ill and couldn't go. From that moment on, I started practising and did all the exercises, even though it took a lot of effort, and the headache slowly began to subside.

The next day, I was a new person and managed to return to the theatre. The coordinator told me that I could decide whether to arrive an hour before the show or go earlier to help with other tasks. I decided to arrive as I had done on the first day, an hour before the show, because I didn't want to tire myself out too much.

I realised that during the tour, I often felt afraid of getting too tired, of doing too many tasks and of returning home exhausted. So sometimes, when the coordinator suggested that I arrive earlier or offered me an extra task, I politely declined, continuing to arrive just an hour before the show, thinking that was enough.

When I arrived in the second city on the tour, I realised that there were not enough practitioners and that help was really needed. The coordinator again asked me to arrive early to help with the laundry, but inside I again thought that it would be too much for me to be at the theatre all day from morning to evening. So I made an excuse and refused. That day we had a lot of interference during the show and difficulties that shouldn't have happened.

When I got home, I felt very sorry and wondered why this was happening.

Master says in Zhuan Falun, Lecture Six:

“Whenever there is interference of one kind or another in qigong practice, you should look for reasons within yourself and determine what you still have not let go of.”

I thought it was a problem of collaboration, and at a certain point, looking inside myself, I saw how selfish my thought of “not tiring myself out” was. It was a concept anchored in my past, in the words I was told as a child in my family: “Please, don't tire yourself out too much, rest, take care of yourself. Don't do too much.” This simple thought was preventing me from helping Shen Yun with all my heart. I felt within myself the desire to sincerely help my Swedish fellow practitioners, and I decided that the next day I would put my whole heart into the tasks assigned to me.

The next day, I went to the theatre in the morning at 10 a.m. and carried out the tasks assigned to me. I spent many hours ironing before the show, but I was happy to do it. During the show, I stood guard in front of the dressing rooms in a cold place, but I endured it. After the show, I went back to the laundry room to finish ironing and washing clothes with another practitioner because I didn't want to leave her alone with all these tasks. That day, I was one of the last people to leave the theatre.

At the end of the day, when I returned to the hotel, my feet were destroyed, but my heart was full of joy, and I felt a happiness I had never experienced before. It was a peace of heart, a sense of fullness and lightness at the same time. For the first time in my life, I felt that I didn't need anything to be happy.

I felt truly grateful to Master for giving me this opportunity to help my Swedish practitioners. From this wonderful experience, I received a strong and clear message that I will not easily forget: “At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is how much you have given and loved during your life.”

Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!

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