Visiting Scholar from Mainland: Divine Culture Unveils Ultimate Question

A philosopher’s quest for the truth may be found in China’s ancient divine culture.
Visiting Scholar from Mainland: Divine Culture Unveils Ultimate Question
Audience watches the DPA performance in Houston on Dec. 23. (The Epoch Times)
12/26/2008
Updated:
10/1/2015
<a><img src="https://www.theepochtimes.com/assets/uploads/2015/09/houston-dec23.jpg" alt="Audience watches the DPA performance in Houston on Dec. 23. (The Epoch Times)" title="Audience watches the DPA performance in Houston on Dec. 23. (The Epoch Times)" width="320" class="size-medium wp-image-1832114"/></a>
Audience watches the DPA performance in Houston on Dec. 23. (The Epoch Times)

HOUSTON—A philosopher’s quest for the truth may be found in China’s ancient divine culture.

That’s according to a visiting scholar from China, Mr. Liu, who attended the show presented by the Divine Performing Arts 2009 World Tour at the Jesse H. Jones Hall for the Performing Arts in Houston.

Mr. Liu has been working in Austin for just over a year as a researcher in the field of science and technology. He drove three hours to see the show which played there on Dec. 22 and 23.

After the curtain closed, Mr Liu told an Epoch Times reporter that he felt good and appreciated a deeper meaning conveyed in each piece.

“It is absolutely an excellent bridge to carry and express the Chinese culture. To be specific, the authentic Chinese culture with 5,000 years of history emphasized benevolence, righteousness, propriety, wisdom, and trust. The nation should be governed by four dimensions - propriety, justice, honesty, and honor.”

Mr Liu said those concepts were fully expressed throughout the show and said the colorful costumes “perfectly matched a beauty that touched people’s hearts.”

He overheard two people sitting behind him at intermission saying how much they liked the show and that made him feel proud.

“It calms people’s hearts down and people enjoy it peacefully, melt into it, proving that truly beautiful things move people’s hearts.

[But,] because of a moral degeneration today, many popular things are vulgar. This show doesn’t have those things. We don’t need those vulgar things to seduce people. This is a top level show.”

In comparing the show to a pure, clear stream, Mr Liu said: “I feel the DPA show, from one aspect promotes traditional Chinese culture, and from the another aspect, it lets people feel the principals of truthfulness, compassion, and tolerance.”

He said he did not believe the show would ever go to China because of the Falun Gong content and some of the performers who follow the spiritual practice that was introduced in 1992 and outlawed in 1999 by the Chinese communist regime.

Since then, thousands upon thousands have died deaths by torture inflicted while they were illegally held in custody. Mr. Liu hoped this situation would end soon.

“The persecution is still very serious in mainland and it is still happening. One program in the show, in which one male Falun Gong practitioner was persecuted to death, represents what is happening in China now. Many such tragedies have happened, even among my relatives. I have sympathy for them; that should not [have] happened.”

Mr Liu said that since leaving China he exchanged views with his fellow countrymen that didn’t want to go back to China.

“We all love our country, but we do not love the current situation. Besides, social morals have degenerated very fast in China, in all fields. I feel heartache over this situation; I feel anxious but hopeless,too . I hope the situation will improve.”

He had no problems accepting the spirituality contained in the DPA’s performance of China’s rich past, of Buddhas and Gods, and 5,000-year history.

Many Westerners believe in Christianity and 50 percent of scientists follow Jesus’s teachings, Mr. Liu said. “If people really want to understand, they will find the truth.”

For example, in the program “The Five Millennia Begin,” Emperor Xuanyuan is portrayed as a Buddha descending to the human world, with gods following him.

“The show does help me understand something,” he said. “From a scientific viewpoint, evolution has been questioned by many scientists on the issue of where humans originally come from? Where do we go after we leave this world? Who am I? Many people are asking these questions. It is the ultimate question in philosophy. The Chinese divine culture has a very good answer for it, and the program I just mentioned is very touching.”

  For more information please visit DivinePerformingArts.org

 

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