(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
As a member of the team that produces a documentary series for NTD, we have been working hard to make moving and relevant stories to help people understand Falun Dafa and Dafa practitioners. This work gives me great opportunities to interact with practitioners who cultivate very well, and to learn of their incredible experiences in the Fa-rectification period. I feel that we have a responsibility to document this special era, not only to let people know about the persecution in China, but also to convey the greatness of Master and Dafa. Each production is a process of improving ourselves in cultivation.
My major was science and engineering. I never had any professional training in screenwriting or video production. However, ever since the persecution started in 1999, I have gradually developed a strong desire to clarify the truth by making videos. With this wish, I have taught myself about the profession. Throughout the process of making documentaries, I have witnessed and experienced Master’s mercy and Dafa’s power.
Usually, I'll think of the theme of the film I plan to make, and the impression that I would like the audience to take away. With this as the goal, I start to think about the structure of the film. When I first got started in video production, I didn’t know how to arrange my materials. Then a thought came to mind: why not use the structure of Beethoven’s Pastoral Symphony as a reference, to structure the emotional curves of the film? With that hint, my first documentary was a success. From this experience, I understood the importance of constantly being attuned to the audience’s feelings, for example, how to draw them into the story? When to make them sad or happy? When will they feel tired or bored, and how to prevent that? More importantly, we need to instill the truth of Dafa to the audience in a very natural way, in the different sections of the film. Many times, I only have fragmented thoughts and ideas as to how the film should look or feel. But while practicing the exercises, during Fa study, or going about my daily life, inspiration will come.
I usually start to write as soon as I have ideas, no matter how insignificant they seem. While writing, the fragments of ideas or inspiration will somehow start to bind together. After some modifications, I always find that the script carries the exact feeling or impression I hoped to achieve. Usually, after a film is made, when I look back on the whole process, I am amazed as to how it was done. Actually, I have little interest in writing, and my composition skills in Chinese and English were always quite so-so in my school years. But when it comes to writing scripts for our truth-clarification programs, I think it is a manifestation of what Master said: “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun) Because I have the wish to clarify the truth in this way, Master guides me to achieve the task.
Cooperation and support within the team is also key to our success. Making truth-clarifying documentaries is a complicated task. It is time consuming and challenging technically, and we have to conquer the old force’s’ interference. At the beginning, I made the documentaries by myself. Usually in the middle of the process, I would become exhausted, mentally and physically, and couldn't continue. Only after communicating with fellow practitioners and getting their support and encouragement, could I move forward to complete the task. Gradually, the situation got better. I think maybe it was because I have improved in cultivation.
Later, NTD established the "Legends Unfolding" team. With the support from NTD headquarters in New York, the Canada NTD, NTDAP in Taiwan, NTD Nordic, as well as teams from Hong Kong and other parts of the world, it is not the same as before. With a whole team’s righteous thoughts and cooperation, we can push forward much faster. Our production quality has improved tremendously. Actually, most of the team members have not trained professionally, but we have the heart to learn and to improve, and have been trying hard to reach professional levels. With Master’s reinforcement, we have been improving constantly.
During the process of the teamwork, what I appreciate most is team members’ not being attached to their own opinions or ideas. Whether their opinions get adopted or not, everyone tries their best to accomplish the goal set by the team. And they are not choosy about the work they are given. No matter how tedious or hard the tasks can be, they always try to accomplish them in the best way. During the production process, sometimes we have to handle unexpected situations or difficulties. I found that if we don’t complain and don’t try to single out who is responsible, but instead try our best to supplement each other, Master will always give us the wisdom to find solutions.
My understanding is that any difficulties or tribulations we encounter are solvable as long as we improve our xinxing, because Master is taking care of everything for us.
For each of our productions, we have been trying different approaches and artistic expressions to maximize the effect we wish achieve. And we are always trying new techniques. Besides making documentaries, we have started to work on our social media presence and make suitable content for the platform, to let people know the truth of Falun Gong, as well as traditional Chinese culture. This is a new area for us, and I hope to get more support from practitioners in this area. The most gratifying thing for our team is to read people’s comments after they watch our programs and are moved by them.
One comment stated: “From the beginning to the end, I don’t remember how many times I was moved to tears. It looks ordinary, but it is actually extraordinary. I visited London in 2011 or 2012. While on a double decker bus, I saw a Westerner meditating in front of a stand, just by himself. I took a picture and thought that it is just another Falun Gong truth-clarification spot. I thought to myself, is it useful to do that? After watching the film I understand. Actually, this is a site that has been maintained, day and night, for 15 years. It is incredible. I will keep the photo I took. In the future, if I go abroad, I will send it to you. It is small, but a true witness to history.”
Another person shared: “For those officials in the Chinese Embassy in London, I don’t know how many years they usually stay there. But 14 years of sun and rain can cause iron to rust away. It will also change people’s hearts and mind.”
One more comment: “I am a new practitioner. After watching videos made by Falun Gong practitioners, I started to search for their Master and read Zhuan Falun. The book answers my life's questions, gives me hope, and shows me a new world.”
I believe that making truth-clarifying documentaries is my path to assist Master in the Fa-rectification period. In this project, I can cultivate myself and improve my xinxing. For over 15 years, I have overcome a lot of difficulties and tribulations. For example, before joining NTD full-time, I had a full-time ordinary people’s job. I also have a family to take care of. So the time I can use on making videos is very limited. But I had a strong sense of responsibility and used all my spare time for making truth-clarification videos. Later, I wished to have more time for working on the videos, so I wanted to quit my ordinary job, or change it from full-time to part-time. My family did not support the idea for various reasons, and there were a lot of conflicts. At the beginning, I always felt wronged and was upset about it. After a long time, I gradually realized that I should not have resentment in my heart. Instead, I should be thankful, because without my family, I wouldn't have even been able to obtain the Fa, let alone do Dafa projects. After letting go of my attachment, my family environment changed gradually. Now my family is quite supportive of my working on the project, and I also got a full-time position with NTD.
After overcoming this tribulation, I realized that maybe it was arranged by the old forces to prevent me from working on this Dafa project wholeheartedly. But with the improvement of my xinxing, Master helped me to overcome it and walk the path that Master arranged for me.
Recently, I have felt that my attachment to comfort is growing, as well as the qing of “enjoying doing one thing, but resenting doing another thing,” and the attachment to reading news. I am worried about those attachments. Before, when the conditions were not good, I had a strong sense of responsibility. But now, when the conditions are good, I am not as diligent as before. To regain a better cultivation state, I started to practice the exercises outdoors in the early morning with another practitioner, several days each week.
Master said:
“If you, as a student [of Dafa], do not follow Master’s requirements, it is definitely no simple thing. The old forces have arranged for all Dafa disciples a set of their things, so if a Dafa disciple doesn’t follow Master’s requirements, he must be following the old forces’ arrangements. The old forces are in essence gigantic trials and tribulations that accompany you at all times, focused on whether in Fa-rectification Dafa disciples are able to step forward.
If after going through this ordeal some students are still not clearheaded, then they will miss [the opportunities presented in] all of this. Only when you follow Master’s requirements are you validating the Fa and cultivating yourself as a Dafa disciple, and only then are you a true Dafa disciple.” (“Be Clearheaded,” The Essentials Of Diligent Progress Vol. III)
My understanding is, my current cultivation state is also a manifestation of interference from the old forces. If I don’t improve myself, then I am walking the path arranged by the old forces. Only if I catch up and do what I am supposed to do, am I walking the path arranged by Master.
From Master’s scripture: “Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciples,” I feel the seriousness of our responsibilities, and Master’s great expectations of us.
Master said:
“Did you know that Fa-rectification disciples who aren’t able to come through the Fa-rectification period will not have another chance to cultivate, because throughout history you have already been given all the best things? Today you have barely had any hardship in your personal cultivation, and you haven’t been asked to bear the enormous sins yourselves that you committed over your many lifetimes. Meanwhile, I have enabled you to raise your levels in the fastest way, kept everything good from your past, replenished things with what’s better at every level for you, always given you in cultivation all the most magnificent things of every realm, and have made it possible for you to return after Consummation to your highest realm’s position. These are the things that can be made known to you. There is more, which you can’t know about at this time. Dafa disciples are magnificent because you are here at the same time as the period of Master’s Fa-rectification and are able to safeguard and uphold Dafa. If what you do is no longer worthy of a Dafa disciple, think about it, if under the greatest mercy since the beginning of Heaven and Earth and under Buddha’s infinite grace you still can’t do well, how could there be another chance? Cultivation and Fa-rectification are serious. Whether you are able to treasure this period of time is, in fact, a matter of whether you can be responsible to yourselves. This period of time will not last long, but it can forge the mighty virtue of magnificent Enlightened Beings, Buddhas, Daos, and Gods of different levels, and even Lords of different levels. It can also destroy overnight a cultivator who has reached a really high level but who has become less strict with himself. Disciples, be diligent! Everything that’s the most magnificent and the most wonderful is developed in the process of your validating Dafa. Your vows will become testaments of your future.” (“Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciples,” Essentials for Further Advancement II)
Thank you for listening to my sharing. Please compassionately correct me if I have any misunderstandings.
(Presented at the 2018 NTD and Epoch Times Fa Conference)
