(Minghui.org) Interior design projects are very complex. They are different from products produced by factories. Factories have strict management systems and a longer production cycle as they produce many identical products. Decorative projects are different, because they are complete and standalone products. Of course, the operating methods are different, too. Nevertheless, the quality, scheduling, cost, and profit must be guaranteed. This can be achieved under normal circumstances. It is not easy to deliver a high quality product under a tight schedule when things are rushed.
As Dafa disciples we tried to accomplish this. I would like to share my experiences on how we cooperated with each other and successfully completed the redecorating of a three-star hotel and two guesthouses ahead of schedule.
This construction site was about 6,000 square meters. The total project cost was over 60 million. The requirements exceeded that of Beijing's Great Hall of the People. The schedule for completion was very tight. No one dared to take on such a project. However, with supernormal capabilities obtained from cultivation and coordination of the whole body, Dafa disciples finished the project ahead of schedule. Many people witnessed the extraordinary practice of Falun Dafa and the miracles that occurred as we all worked together on this project.
I. Being responsible for our own tasks
When others felt that it would be impossible to finish this project, our Dafa disciples agreed to work on it to completion. Led by the general manager of the company, we established a department to direct the project. Hardly any of the members of our team possessed professional skills. Only a few of us had worked in the industry before. Those of us in charge were all Dafa disciples. Some prepared meals while others looked after the overall guidance of the project. We all worked diligently on our own tasks. Although we did not have any experience doing this type of project, we relied on our kindness to do the job well. We embraced the mindset of divine beings, working in the human world so we could leave a reference for the future people. We took on this project as novices and completed it with high quality.
There were some areas where we did not do especially enough, but overall the cooperation of the whole body was basically in place. We all worked diligently and asked for help if we did not understand. We learned new things if we did not know how to do something. Whatever the job required, we would do it by letting go of self and cooperating with the whole body, which showed that Dafa disciples are good people in any situation. Through cooperation we had the abilities to adapt to different working environments, which is what all Dafa disciples should do.
There were many typical examples of overall coordination but we will share only one. One day after dinner, it was raining heavily when a truck with a heater showed up. By then, all the other workers had already gone home. The driver was in a hurry to get back, so the remaining workers unloaded the truck. Though their clothes were wet from the rain, warm air flowed up from their heads. Fellow practitioners all smiled at each other, as they understood Dafa disciples' power of the whole body.
II. Eliminating interference
When we went to the work site on May 28, 2011, the basic structure had not been completed yet, and everyone was in a rush to catch up and get on schedule. The roof was not sealed and the interior wall plaster had not been waterproofed, a great inconvenience for us. I remember that the interference began that very first day. That night there was a storm with strong wind, and several of our tents were blown down. Fellow practitioners on all the project teams realized that it was interference targeting us, and we made plans to eliminate the interference by sending forth righteous thoughts. Within 20 minutes, the bad weather eased and the ferocious wind and rain stopped. Tents from teams on the other work site were blown over or down while our tent was untouched. This was a test for each of us of our belief in our Master and the Fa. As long as we have righteous thoughts, nothing can interfere with us.
Living conditions were difficult: we drank from a big pot and lived in a tent. June was hot and rainy. The tent was like a sauna, and we would begin to sweat as soon as we entered. Some young people ran away after half a day. Some people had hives and diarrhea. It was really miserable. But none of us complained, and no practitioners gave up. We could endure the heat during the daytime, but at night it was really hard to fall asleep at night. The eldest person in our team was over 60 and the youngest over 40, yet no practitioners were intimidated by the difficulties.
There was also external interference, as the roofing project had not been completed on time, and there were issues of the roof leaking and ground subsidence. It really impacted our design project. In all the projects I'd done, I’d never encountered such difficulties and interference. At times we also thought of quitting. In order to dissolve that notion, we studied the Fa together and understood from the Fa that it was interference from evil in other dimensions. We realized, as Dafa disciples, that we must deny the interference and eliminate it.
Interference also came from our human side. As Dafa disciples we do not care about fame or benefits at work as we have strict requirements for ourselves. We did not smoke or drink, and we always considered the construction team and thought of ways to alleviate their worries.
One example was that the construction team was on a very tight schedule, and materials were in short supply. The decoration materials were scarce from the beginning to the end. Each project team had one to two hundred people, and with three project teams, there were a total of five to six hundred workers. Each day of a delay would cost over 10 million yuan (each person's daily wage was 240 yuan). Therefore, we made the best use of the remaining materials, and divided the leftover materials from each team. This way, those who needed the materials first could use them, and those who could wait would get the make-up supplies later. This solved a big problem, and we saved the company a lot of money. The company praised us and gave us recognition.
More interference came from the construction team. Until construction was finished, we could not begin our design project. Several times we urged them to work faster, but it had little effect. They had too many leftover projects, and they still could not finish them. We asked ourselves what we could do to help. By looking inward we agreed that Dafa disciples are not working for employment. Instead, we are saving the sentient beings as we walk the path of the Great cultivation way. We should show them the greatest compassion and kindness. Because we are two departments within one company, we should talk more to help them solve their practical problems. If they could not solve them, we would silently provide our help. As our mentality changed, our mind nature also improved. The construction team sealed the roof and stopped the leaking, too. Through this, we realized that the difference between cultivators and everyone else is the ability to look inward. Improving our mind nature is the fundamental weapon.
III. Overall coordination
Each person on our project team not only had a job to complete; we also had to work with each other and coordinate well with each other because the project did not belong to a specific individual. It manifested overall coordination.
We not only had to finish our own jobs but also had to understand the overall concept and consider others from their standpoint. As cultivators, if we wanted to coordinate as a united whole, we should do things based on the Fa. No matter how busy we were, all the practitioners in our project team did the exercises in the mornings and studied the Fa in the evenings. That was the fundamental guarantee for us to do a good job. As we kept up with our cultivation practice, we were able to coordinate with each other well. If others did not do well or forgot, no matter who saw it, that person would quietly make up for it. We truly enlightened to “his job is also my job.” We only had one goal: to do the job well with no complaints. For instance, when the warehouse was short of people to help, each time the truck came, staff members would let go of self and be able to help or work as a laborer even though he might be a leader. Many times the staff members of the project team would unload the goods and nobody complained. It demonstrated the mentality and state of Dafa disciples and set an example for other project teams. We gained good recognition from various parties, and this also showed the positive side of Dafa disciples' true natures, thereby laying a good foundation for saving the sentient beings.
IV. Saving sentient beings
We improved our minds and did our job well and were recognized. Thus we laid the foundation for saving sentient beings. After we arrived at the work site, we all agreed that it was a good opportunity for us as Dafa disciples to work as a whole body and improve and save sentient beings. Top to bottom, from project manager to the chief, each of us welcomed each chance to save sentient beings. We {{clarified the truth} to each person who came to talk to us on the project. They also basically agreed with what we said and agreed to withdraw from the CCP's organizations. If there were someone that we could not clarify the truth to, we would tell the next practitioner to try. We seized the chance to save each and every sentient being. We worked together as a whole body and tried our best to clarify the truth.
Once a truck with two drivers came to deliver some goods and asked for the signature of the project manager in order to receive payment. If someone came directly to us, we saw that as a chance for us to save him and clarified the truth. We would talk about the evil Party's corruption and the one-party dictatorship, and about the illegal persecution of Falun Gong. We talked a lot to those two drivers, but they did not say anything. After signing the paperwork, we thought: “That is not right. We should not accept that. Master told us that we should try our best to make people understand.” Then we called the accountant and asked him to continue to clarify the truth to the two drivers. We should not miss any sentient being. When the drivers went to the accountant, the fellow practitioner continued to clarify the facts to them. The drivers said, “Oh, your project manager told us this already and we did not say anything. Now we come here and you are telling us to withdraw from the CCP and its affiliated organizations. That means this is real.” They both agreed and withdrew from the CCP and its organizations.
In the process of working on the project, we cooperated with each other as a one body and valued the chance to save people. For example, after we finished decorating the hotel, many people came to visit. However, the other party insisted that nobody be allowed to visit before the project was officially approved. Because it was in a farming area, nobody had seen such luxurious decorations in a hotel before. Many people came to visit. We had a discussion. What is the purpose of our coming to this human world? Aren't we here to save sentient beings? On the surface, it seemed that many people came to visit. In fact, they came to hear the truth. Why shouldn't we use such good opportunity?
We then arranged to have two practitioners in each building. Each time, visitors would let them go inside with them, so they also had the chance to explain the effect of the decoration. In the meantime, they clarified the truth. It really served two purposes. Thus, more people were saved. We Dafa disciples should take the responsibility of saving people as our own mission.
One practitioner raised the question of safety. We then exchanged our understandings through group study: We, Dafa disciples, should put saving sentient beings as the first priority. As long as we stay on the Fa, place our mind nature in the right place and let go of all ordinary human mindsets, there would be no problem. We are Dafa disciples, we are walking on the road of becoming divine beings. How can humans make us change our mind? Clarifying the truth is the key. After we put ourselves in the right position and let go of all attachments, almost every visitor was saved. Several leaders from the farm nearby also withdrew from the CCP organizations. They said, “You people who practice Falun Gong are such good people. You really are different from others.” There were also some people who were Dafa practitioners before, but stopped the practice after July 20, 1999, for fear of persecution. After we clarified the truth, they came back and started to practice Dafa again.
The above are some of the experiences we had coordinating well with each other as a whole body. That was done under Master's guidance. Since we finished this project on time, Dafa disciples earned recognition from the engineering team and other departments. When we were ready to leave, they told us, “You are such good people. We have never seen a project department and such people. Nobody hit or verbally abused anyone else. On other works sites, you see people either hit or curse at each other. At this site, not only did nobody beat or curse others, but everyone was so nice and easy to get along with. Everyone worked with joy in their hearts. Never did we see you guys worry about money. We will let you take care of our projects in the future if we have any.”
When we were ready to leave after finishing the project, a director from the supervising company took our hands and said, “Sorry to let you guys take such difficult project. In such a short time, you finished such a big project with such high quality. It is really remarkable. We knew how difficult the project was. There were so many difficulties and you overcame them all and finished. It is really great. It is really unbelievable.”
As long as we have the Fa in our hearts, we will be able to finish any task. In fact, it was all due to Master's protection and the power of the Fa. As long as we follow the requirements of the Fa and think about sentient beings, we will be able to conquer whatever the task. There are many shortcomings in our work and cultivation practice that we need to continue to work on and improve in order to accomplish our goal: to do the three things well, be a qualified Dafa disciple, and follow our Master to return to our true home.
The above is our overall experience in coordination in handling a project. If there is any mistake, please point out.
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