Sharing on How to Better Promote the Chinese New Year Spectacular

By a Falun Dafa practitioner in Mainland China

(Clearwisdom.net) Editor's Note: The author refers to watching and distributing copies of the 2008 Spectacular on DVD. Practitioners outside China should not be doing this, as their conditions are different. This article presents one practitioner's views about distributing the DVD in China, and his/her understanding of the importance of doing so. The principles discussed in the understandings may apply on a broader basis, but please remember that practitioners outside China should not follow suit in downloading, watching or distributing this DVD.

The 2008 NTDTV Chinese New Year Spectacular was so wonderful and extraordinary. Every time after I watched the show, I was moved deeply in my heart. The harmonious, compassionate message conveyed through the show made me feel that I was continuously purified. I watched the show over and over. What often happens to me is that after I finished watching one performance, I could not wait to see the next, I just couldn't stop watching it. I have such a strong connection to the show: I put my heart and a lot of effort into promoting the DVDs for the Spectacular.

When I was promoting this year's Spectacular, I would initially start examining my personal feelings in great detail. At the same time, I'd also introduce the grand scale of the show and the performances. Driven by my enthusiasm, other people showed great interest as well, so that they would easily take my DVDs, and thank me sincerely. In some circumstances, people wanted to watch it right away, and I would watch it with them. I also sent forth righteous thoughts, explaining what each performance was about, so that they could quickly come to understand the miraculousness of each performance and its inner meaning. Generally speaking, most people really enjoyed and thought highly of the show. As to those who felt nervous about the Falun Dafa performances, we should not be affected by them. Instead, we should clarify the truth to them. After they finish watching the show, they are no longer frightened of Falun Gong. Rather, they come to you to talk about the truth of Dafa. Therefore, I'd say this show is truly a means of saving people, so we should never attach less importance to it.

This year, after many practitioners read Teacher's lectures, they came to understand that the show was under Teacher's personal guidance. They also understood the meaning of the show, and thus started promoting it themselves. However, some practitioners still appeared to be passive and couldn't put their hearts into promoting the show. As to their feelings, what was on their mind was that this show was not bad, and that was it. So the effect of their promoting the show was not very good; they ended up often running into people who did not want to watch it or complained that they did not understand. In that situation, practitioners' hearts were easily moved, and they felt that this show would not be very well received.

After I shared with a few practitioners who ran into difficulties in promoting the show, I realized that the problem was in ourselves.

I found that some practitioners did not pay close attention to the details of each performance, so they only had a general impression of each program. Therefore, they had little knowledge of the messages conveyed by each performance, nor an understanding of the inner meanings. They were not deeply touched by the show.

We all know that dance is a form of language, where concepts are expressed through body movements. In order to understand the dance, it's necessary to watch a performer's every move. At the same time, we need to relate to the theme in every program and its background. Doing so, most people have no problem understanding the meaning of a dance.

Therefore, I would like to suggest practitioners spend more time in watching the show to get a better understanding. Only if we truly understand the show will we be able to save people. Some people feel that because the show lasts for a bit over two hours, it's good enough to just go over it once. Otherwise, it would waste their time in Fa-study. Actually, this is not true. What is primary is that, as practitioners, watching the show is not for the purpose of entertaining ourselves. Rather, watching the show cleanses us. Secondly, we need to watch the show to better convey its message of pure truthfulness and beauty to the people of the world, so as to save sentient beings. How could this be viewed as wasting time? Isn't it in sync with the purpose of our studying the Fa? Fellow practitioners, please do not spend time on pursuing your own personal ideas; only when we unconditionally harmonize with what Teacher requires us to do can we truly elevate and embody the greatest compassion in our work as Dafa practitioners.

A practitioner who is interested in music said that the music in the Spectacular did not sound very good and did not have the traditional melodies of popular music. The tone of the music was fairly flat and the singing was not very pleasing to the ears, far different from how some well-known classical singers from mainland China sang their pieces. The only thing about the show of which he spoke favorably was the lyrics. Therefore, before the show even began, he had already decided that it was inferior to others. When other practitioners who shared the same understanding came out to promote the show, they were firm about their beliefs, and more so when other people expressed the same feelings. In addition, because of their lack of understanding of the inner meaning of the dances, they consequently ended up attaching less importance to our show than they should have.

When I heard practitioners share such comments on songs in the Spectacular or on other Dafa songs, I felt very sad, wondering how they could think like that. On the other hand, I was not sure how to reason things out with them, until one day, when I enlightened: I observed people when they were immersed in modern music, they indulged themselves in the music, and I suddenly came to understand what blocks practitioners in understanding the lyrics of songs in our show.

On that day, I happened to run into a few people who were listening to modern music. It was broadcast through a tape recorder, with a strong flavor of emotion; no matter if it was slow, or it sounded exciting, or very deep or vivid, as soon as one heard it, one would begin to feel a strong sense of emotion in the human word. The scene that the music depicted even echoed in one's mind. Seeing the way those people were indulging themselves in the music, I suddenly understood the difference between our Dafa music and ordinary people's music, which is that the realm reflected in Dafa music is peaceful, it's pure and only with compassion. However, ordinary people's music is full of emotion. Even if the lyrics are not promoting human emotion, the realm demonstrates a sense of emotion, because these people are immersed in emotion. Teacher's comments on a practitioner's experience sharing article submitted to a Fa conference reflect this:

"Gone are the flowery expressions meant for affective show: the papers are full of substance, and they are accurate, clean and free of human emotions. They are not something an ordinary person would write, for the inner world of a cultivator is pure and clean" ("Mature").

From this paragraph, I came to understand that the music produced by practitioners is the same, it is pure, and without human emotion. Only when it is truly pure can it touch people's hearts deep inside and save people.

Considering the reflections noted above, let's try to understand songs from the Spectacular again: the singers express their compassion towards sentient beings who are lost, and their words express the urgency of awakening sentient beings to the truth. These vocalists are without any selfish intent; what they demonstrate is their compassion towards sentient beings. This kind of realm cannot be expressed by ordinary singers, even though they can sing extraordinarily well. Therefore, I am saying to fellow practitioners, please let go of post-natal attachments and selfish notions. Let's immerse ourselves in the show! I think after we can let go of our attachments, then we'd feel differently, we would have a better understanding of the meaning of the Spectacular.

Above is my understanding on promoting the Chinese Spectacular. There is only one purpose in sharing my understanding, which is to have everyone pay enough attention to this show, so as to accomplish our mission as Dafa disciples.

Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2008/7/27/182869.html

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