My Journey as a Musician in Dafa

Dear Master, dear practitioners,

My name is Asaf. I am a musician who has been cultivating and practicing Dafa since 2020.

The issue of feeling uncomfortable within society has accompanied me since childhood. My parents saw that I did not react in a standard way for my age, and I was later diagnosed as being on the autistic spectrum. This has accompanied me to this day as my label as a person.

At the very beginning of my cultivation, I joined the Tian Guo Marching Band, since I am quite good at music. I can assume that Master has arranged this for my cultivation path. I remember the feeling I had at the parades in Athens on 7 October 2023. That morning, I realized that something terrible was happening in my country because my phone was sounding alarms with siren sounds in an unusual sequence, but I still had to participate in rescuing people in Athens, and play well. I knew that this should not move my heart, but I was worried about the situation of my family. I shared my feelings with the band members. They supported me and helped me manage to remain calm and stable. I realized that I was not alone, I realized that this was an opportunity to maintain righteous thoughts, and also participate as one body. From the moment the parade began, all the thoughts and worries I had disappeared as if they had never been, my mind was relatively focused and clear, and I was able to focus on the role I was in at that moment.

After the parades, practitioners in the band introduced me to the music written by Falun Dafa practitioners, and this gave me a clearer direction about the state of mind of a musician who is a disciple of Falun Dafa.

At the rehearsal on the day before the parades in Prague the next year, I was placed on the side of the line, the axis of the band’s rotation. That is, I was the head of the line, the one responsible for us to rotate correctly, and to carefully follow the instructions of the route and the conductor’s leadership.

On the one hand, a lot of people came and we spent a lot of time rehearsing. On the other hand, I felt that we were not very successful in terms of both playing and marching. It happened that my line did not rotate well, and I felt that all these rehearsals were a huge weight on my head, weighing me down and about to fall completely on me.

There was one musician in my line who could not concentrate and I was not able to help her. In the last half hour, the director of the section told me to switch with this musician. I was supposed to feel a sense of relief, but actually I was thinking: Why doesn’t she trust me? From that moment on, even if I felt like I was walking well, she would constantly check on me and tell me how my steps and playing were, and how I looked in general or turned around. I thought I was doing these things fine and that the player next to me was doing things less well, and she was focusing on me. It felt to me like the director was treating me as inferior, not understanding anything. At that moment I knew I was supposed to take it lightly, but what I felt was that my body started to walk incorrectly and play wrong notes – as if my body was acting against my will. I tried changing my mind, which was focused on jealousy and anger at the director, and at myself. Because of these thoughts I wasn’t walking well, and it was as if it confirmed what she thought about me. I felt desperate.

After that we went back to the hotel. I remember when I was at dinner with the band members, I felt like I didn’t belong, disconnected, and didn’t know if I would be worthy of participating in the next parade. And that is precisely because something inside me felt the same jealousy that is described in Lecture Seven: “Let me tell a story. In the book Investiture of the Gods, Shen Gongbao found Jiang Ziya to be both old and incompetent. But the Primitive God of Heaven asked Jiang Ziya to confer titles on immortals. Shen Gongbao felt that it was unfair, ‘Why is he asked to confer titles on immortals? You see how capable I am. After my head is cut off, I can put it back on my shoulders. Why wasn’t I asked to confer titles on immortals?’ He was so jealous that he always caused troubles for Jiang Ziya.” Zhuan Falun, Lecture Seven

In my words then: I thought that I’ve been playing for 20 years with an academic degree from the Music Academy, and she’s a beginner. I know all the roles of all the instruments in the band, and she can’t hold a note and walk properly. Also, I played solo with the Bay Area’s Tian Guo Marching Band at the veterans’ parades in San Francisco, so they know I am a very good and serious musician and that the level of requirements there is very high. How is it that they give her this important role and these areas of responsibility, and put me in a place where others lead me?

But then I realized that to be a player in the band, it’s not enough to be a good saxophone player. It’s the ability to endure situations, and to deal with both your own things and the challenges of the band, and you need to have a good state of cultivation. We don’t just play music – we’re actually like warriors, and everyone has to do their part well, like in the army.

After dinner I went back to the room. I felt humiliated by everything that happened. But I realized that I had to accept the experience I had gone through, and that’s how I understood the issue of having a certain humility. It doesn’t matter where I am in the line, what’s more important is to be able to act together, cooperate and trust the one who makes these decisions so that we can act as one and our music will be able to save people.

During the parades in June this year, I went through a series of events that were a comprehensive test bringing many insights. It all started with a video audition for the Rome Parade of Bands at the end of June, where we were required to record the song “Thank You Teacher.” Since I was in Israel, I saw a message like this at a glance, and mistakenly thought it was for new members only. It wasn’t until I was making preparations for the trip and saw my name on the list of those who wouldn’t be able to play the song in Rome, that I realized I hadn’t paid enough attention. I think it happened because there is a big gap between the special cultivation environment of the band, where my mind is clear, and at home, where I am the only cultivator in the family.

When I was thinking about how to respond, I looked at my commitment to the band: as a band member, I have an obligation to meet the standard and this is related to the issue of fulfilling the role that Master gave me in saving sentient beings. I understood that not everyone is accepted to the band, and those who are, have a responsibility and a kind of contract that they sign, and they need to have a very strong willingness to save sentient beings through playing music.

The process was connected to the experience in Prague – in both cases I had to deal with the fear of being rejected from the group – a fear that stemmed from the attachments of fear and jealousy. Even though the deadline had passed, I decided to practice and send the video, because of my commitment, while letting go of the attachment to the result. Only when I returned to the original message did I understand what qualities were required: a stable sound, confidence in performance and any quality that can contribute to holding the group together.

When I recorded my part, I thought I was playing well, but when I listened to the recording, I heard my attachments: the sound was restless, unstable and tense. It reflected exactly the way I sometimes speak in a group – tense and trying too hard.

I decided to take responsibility for every musical note and put aside the fact that I have a master’s degree in music. I started practicing with a tuner, and discovered high notes that were harsh. I realized that this was connected to my attachment to wanting to impress. Then, I decided to let go of the attachment to recognition, impression or titles, or to being crowned. I realized that I only wanted to perform the role to the best of my ability. In addition, I decided to give up the internal excuse of “I’m autistic, I always miss things unintentionally” – I realized that putting it this way, these were self-justifications that prevented me from taking full responsibility.

I took another step that no one asked for: I copied all the notes of all the instruments into a notation software that played all the parts. In this process, I understood the role of my instrument better – I discovered parts where I thought I was leading but was actually accompanying, and vice versa. When I submitted the video, this time I felt that it wasn’t about recognition but about meeting the standard of my role for the band. The coordinator got back to me, saying that I had passed the test. This laid the foundation for how I would see myself as a musician within a Dafa project.

When we played the song in Rome at the end of June, I felt more harmonious – I knew my role really well, and also some of the roles of other band members, so I could dissolve into the song and the notes of the other instruments. At first I was worried that it was a distraction, but later I realized that when I could hear my instrument and the others at the same time, I did my job better, like a listener from the side listening deeply.

During the dress rehearsal, I chose to stand at the axis of the line facing the conductor – not out of selfishness, but from a place of leadership and representation, and with a willingness to accept any shift or change in role without argument:

“An everyday person cannot see this point and always believes that he should do exactly what he is able to. Therefore, he competes and fights all his life with a badly wounded heart.” Zhuan Falun, Lecture Seven

And that is exactly what happened! The conductor asked me to move to the inside of the line and I did, and in the second half of the rehearsal he brought me back to the axis. This was a new perception for me: I used to think that I was in a leading position because I was a professional musician. Now I understand that standing at the axis of the line carries a heavy responsibility for everyone behind me – if I am not 100% focused, a domino effect is created.

This time too, the section director gave me feedback. Unlike in the past, I thanked her sincerely – I understood that she trusted me and was helping me perform the role better and more fully.

The next day at our performance, the saxophone member behind me played very loudly, but the band’s director asked me to play more softly. I accepted his comment with understanding and trust, and in the next performance I played more softly as he requested. I asked him if my playing was as he asked me, and he approved. In the third part, the band’s director turned to me with a smile and asked if I wanted to stand at the front of the line. I took this as a test – to be alert enough to shoulder this responsibility without ego, but as a voluntary service.

“When you spread it, you should not pursue fame and personal gain, but should serve others voluntarily.” Zhuan Falun, Lecture Three

I realized that this was a huge responsibility: to be presentable, focused on playing, and to listen to every signal from the parade coordinator. On the third day, during the parade itself in the scorching heat of Rome, the director asked me to stand at the axis of the line for the entire day. I took care not only of my playing but also of the well-being of the others, including making sure everyone drank water.

These are the things that shaped me, which are very precious moments for me. I cherish every time I am able to join the band parades, because I would actually like to do it every week. We don’t have rehearsals every week, so the times when we do meet are very precious moments for me.

I apply what I learned in the band into the music I write, and even when I work with ordinary people, I try to pay less attention to my ego, and more to the overall success.

Now – when I approach any musical situation – I don’t think only about myself or my place to “survive”. The first thing I think about is what is the best thing I can do to help those around me, to take an active approach and look beyond, so that the situation becomes clearer, and serve others so that everyone can find themselves as part of one body, and after we find our way to connect – we will succeed together. This of course goes hand in hand with constant professional improvement as a musician.

Thank you very much, Master, and thank you for listening. I hope that my path as a Dafa musician will become clearer and clearer in the future!

(Speaker at the European Fa-Conference 2026 in Prague)