[ENG SUB] EP12 天涯寻法：德音雅乐

Coming For Ultimate Salvation With Dafa: Elegant Music of Virtue Originally published on “Zhengjian.org” Among the Falun Dafa cultivation community, many are involved in musical performance and composition. Listening to the music they create truly washes away worldly dust and purifies both body and mind, allowing listeners to experience a beauty that is clear, lovely, and transcendent. This article tells the story of one such person and his experience of seeking the Way through music in a past life. The story takes place during the Ming Dynasty, when he was born into a family of scholars. From a young age, he took a keen interest in the classics of the ancient sages. His parents also hoped he would become a truly learned man. Because he was highly educated and possessed strong moral character, many suitors came to his home to propose marriage as he grew older. His parents always politely declined, explaining that he had not yet traveled to the capital to take the imperial examinations. A few years later, the time came for him to travel to the capital to take the exams. He set off for the capital as scheduled. On the way, he stopped for a brief stay at an inn. Enchanted by the beautiful moonlight, he strolled out to take a look. He walked to a nearby lotus pond where the flowers were in full bloom. He approached the water’s edge and sat there, admiring the lotus flowers under the moonlight. Scholars have always loved romance and immersing themselves in poetic scenes, and he was no exception. Just as he was completely absorbed in this exquisite scenery, a gentle melody drifted softly toward him. Gradually, it blended perfectly with the exquisite scenery. Amid this clear melody (described in terms of tone and timbre), the scholar seemed to “see” a fairy gliding across the water with light, graceful steps “see” the clear spring water flowing gently and even “see” the joy and warmth as the lotus flowers vied to bloom and even “smell” the waves of that refreshing, rich fragrance…. Time passed bit by bit as he remained completely absorbed, oblivious to the world around him until the night grew deep and the chill in the air intensified, and the clear melody came to an abrupt halt Only then did he awaken from his trance, instinctively searching all around for the source of that melody After looking for quite some time, he finally spotted a young woman carrying a zither on her back, gradually fading into the moonlight He stood there in a daze for a moment before returning to his inn to rest In the days that followed, that exquisite melody lingered in his mind for a long time. Not only that, but ever since that experience, he realized that what he was truly seeking was not the extent of his learning or the height of his official rank, but rather a state of being that would allow his body and mind to be thoroughly refined. Upon arriving in the capital, he met many scholars who had come to take the imperial examinations. After talking with them, he always felt that they were all there for fame and fortune. He truly did not wish to associate with them. Before the exam, he heard similar music again at the inn. Judging by her silhouette, it was still that same woman. Since it was late at night and he didn’t want to disturb her, he tossed and turned in his room: “If I enter the examination hall tomorrow and achieve some degree of success, I won’t have the leisure I have now to immerse myself in the wondrous realm of virtuous music. I’ll spend my days rushing about on mundane affairs —and those mundane affairs aren’t even things my heart truly enjoys doing. Why not just give up the exam? How about devoting this life to studying music instead? But doing so would be a bit of a letdown to my parents and the expectations of my fellow villagers. Just as he was torn between these two choices he heard the music transition from splendor to melancholy, then on to tranquility and detachment Finally, it concluded with the freedom and liberation attained through life itself. This time, he truly understood the deeper meaning expressed by that divine melody. The next day, he did not go to take the exam but instead began a journey to seek out musicians. At first, he wanted to find the woman who had played the piece on those two occasions. However, she would only let him hear the music without ever allowing him to see her up close. He later decided to first seek out others to learn some fundamentals and then, when the time was right, ask the woman for guidance. He sought out more than a dozen musicians in succession, and after about twenty years of study and practice his skill on the zither had reached a certain level. Yet he always felt there was a vast gap between his playing and the “Virtue Melody” he had heard. One day, he returned to the lotus pond where he had first heard the piece He took out his zither and began to play slowly under the moonlight. As he played, he noticed that the melody had changed: When he played a single note, he could hear two distinct zither tones. Startled, he deliberately softened his touch. This made the other tone even more distinct. He listened carefully, comparing his own sound to hers: The two melodies were very similar, but the intensity and purity were different. The other’s sound was ethereal and transcendent, while his own was largely confined to technique and fingering— it was heavily tinged with the mundane. Why was this so? As this thought crossed his mind, he instinctively looked up and saw that the woman was truly as pure and lovely as a fairy, sitting nearby and playing. Noticing his gaze, she and her instrument gently rose off the ground, yet her playing did not cease. Not only that, but as she floated close to him, she gave a gentle smile, revealing the exquisite realm of life. Her smile made him instantly realize the connection between the realm of life and the music he played. Moreover, since he himself was well-read and talented, this experience helped him understand that throughout history, many people —because they knew how to elevate their spiritual realm— had achieved profound mastery in various fields, setting them apart from ordinary people. In such a situation, words seemed superfluous; everything was best expressed through musical notes. When he expressed his inner desire to seek a path of spiritual cultivation through musical notes, the woman responded in kind with her own notes. After finishing her piece, she drifted away gracefully. From the notes, he understood: Find a secluded spot off the beaten path and practice the zither with a calm mind. During the practice, you will inevitably encounter many distractions—both external and internal. When faced with them, act in accordance with the requirements of your current state of being, and then continuously raise the standards of that state. In this way, through the continuous elevation of one’s spiritual state, his skill on the qin would undergo a radical transformation and there would certainly be a sage behind the scenes to enlighten and watch over him In the subsequent years of his qin practice he sometimes encountered raging storms, thunder, and lightning sometimes faced floods, wild beasts, and mosquito bites—these external disturbances; sometimes he faced physical discomfort and internal trials—such as various distracting thoughts and the intrusion of preconceived notions Facing these challenges, he sometimes handles them well, and sometimes he does not When he handles them poorly, he clearly feels the sound of his qin become mundane, weighed down by the material burdens of the mortal world When he handles them well, he feels the realm of his qin’s sound being elevated and the material burdens of the mortal world lighten As he continues to progress in his cultivation, the realm of his qin’s sound also continues to be elevated… One day, as he was playing the qin on a cold winter night the woman came again, but this time she did not bring her qin; she came empty-handed She approached and sat down gracefully. She spoke softly: “Your music has now reached a certain level. In the future, Gods of a very high realm will be reincarnated among humans to hear it. Therefore, you must devote more effort to this.” He was startled: “Why would deities of such a high realm need to be reincarnated among humans?” The woman did not answer; she simply held out her hand, gesturing for him to hand her the zither. He thought to himself that she must surely be using the noble and elegant sounds of the zither to answer him. Sure enough, the woman took the zither in her hands and began to play softly. From this, he came to understand: It turns out that at very high levels, as time passes, certain aspects have become corrupted. To completely reverse this situation, a new method of spiritual cultivation will be spread among humanity in the future. Only by practicing this method in earnest can one achieve true assimilation and rectification. Many Gods are aware of this, so they have descended to the human realm one after another in the hope of encountering this way to cultivate He understood, but then asked: “Why will I play virtuous and elegant music for them when the time comes?” The woman played another piece, and from it he realized: shared hearts, shared aspirations He, too, was one of them Using virtuous and elegant music to help more beings from the higher realms who have descended to the human world realize that wondrous, extraordinary realm so that they may advance together in their cultivation As for those who know the Fa but have not attained it, or who harbor negative thoughts, virtuous and elegant music can purify their negative and improper thoughts and allow their true nature to awaken, so they may truly cherish this opportunity. Finally, he asked one last question: “How will I find this Way of cultivation in the future?” The woman reached out and returned the zither to him and said softly, “Wait within the virtuous and elegant music.” Then she vanished into the distance. He watched her fade into the distance, then began to play again… As he continued to play, he realized: As long as he devoted himself wholeheartedly to this path, the right opportunity related to virtuous and elegant music would eventually present itself, leading him to the cultivation Fa that would one day be widely disseminated among humankind. As long as he continually refined his skill and elevated his realm in playing the instrument, this process was, in fact, a grueling trial. Moreover, combining this with the quest for the Fa made the journey even more arduous. This is something those in other professions cannot truly understand. No matter how arduous it was, after a long wait and a relentless search, in this lifetime, through a music-related opportunity, he finally fulfilled his heart’s desire: to truly cultivate in Falun Dafa. Truly: Virtuous melodies and elegant music descend from heaven, light and ethereal, revealing freedom and ease. Body and mind are ethereal, the state of being serene and joyful. Cultivating to a state free of dust, transcending the heavens!