(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master. Greetings, fellow practitioners.
I would like to share some of my cultivation experiences in coordinating the Epoch Times.
I joined the Epoch Times in Queensland in 2011. I had just graduated with a Law degree, and the expectation was that I would become a solicitor. But rather than look for a job in the legal field, I chose to spend my time in the Epoch Times office, trying my hand at making phone calls and generating sales.
I guess at the time I had a deep-seated urge to make money for the media and was actually quite keen to be part of the "engine room" of the Epoch Times – despite the fact it was a far cry from the glamour of the legal profession.
My first foray into sales was tough. There was no formal training available except for an old sales manual from a previous project. Also, the company was still very much in its infancy in terms of human resources, financial support, and management. It was something we would have to build along the way. Although this wasn’t ideal, I understood at the time that this was an opportunity given by Master for us to build our mighty virtue.
Many times while making sales, I’d frequently be frustrated over why deals didn’t close or keep second-guessing myself over whether I was doing the right thing. It was especially difficult when outside visiting businesses asking for advertising.
Many times I’d feel completely hopeless and wonder if I had made the right decision to be in the media. I frequently reminded myself of this phrase from Master:
“Did you know that in order to save you the Buddha once begged for food among everyday people?” – (“True Cultivation” from Essentials for Further Advancement)
In hindsight, this period of time is something I cherish dearly. Not only did I go through the process of building a media that validates the Fa from the ground up, every rejection and difficulty I encountered doing sales was part of the tempering process for me. At the same time, I had opportunities to remove many attachments.
One incident in particular occurred in 2011. Not long after I joined the sales team, another practitioner also joined. She was a veteran salesperson who had a very direct attitude.
Although in the beginning she struggled, in just a few months she had generated a huge amount of advertising for the paper. I was very unused to her personality and was sometimes averse to it.
The sales environment is perfect for removing attachments, such as to competitiveness and jealousy. I remember even when I was going to school, I was always deeply jealous of fellow students who did better than me. Instead of being happy for them, I would find excuses to explain why the person was doing so well. I would also tell myself that I couldn’t do as well because of external factors that were beyond my control.
In one particular month, that practitioner made a staggering amount of sales, and I was left with a strong, burning feeling inside.
I soon recognized that I was extremely jealous and asked Master to help me remove this attachment. It’s hard to describe the feeling of breaking through. It was like having something surgically removed. The day after, I felt like there was a gaping hole in my body. It must have been a very deep-seated part of my being.
My experience of selling advertising successfully involved constantly breaking through layers upon layers of notions. To reach out to bigger and more profitable businesses, we have to keep improving in our cultivation and our skills and tactics. My understanding is that, as we continue to progress, Master will arrange for us to reach sentient beings in various sectors.
For example, in order to win business, we may need to invite a client to lunch. Sometimes a phone call or an email conversation can secure the deal, while in other cases, we need to be persistent and keep following up with the client until they advertise--a process that can sometimes take years.
Clarifying the truth is always important. We should be determined in saving sentient beings and never give up.
Master said:
“You have to get personally involved, cultivate, and go and put things into action. Working hard is part of your cultivation. You need to think of ways to find the people that you are meant to save. All of these are things that Dafa disciples should do.” ("20th Anniversary Fa Teaching")
Sometimes I’d have strong notions of fear and complacency, and would avoid doing hard work or following up with a client. Sometimes I wouldn’t spend time getting better organized. These seem like minor things, but I feel I’ve missed many opportunities on account of my attachments and that I've hindered Master’s arrangements.
My understanding is that our effectiveness in saving sentient beings depends on how willing we are to let go of self. I need to assimilate completely to the requirements of the Epoch Times and Fa-rectification – to become a being of the Fa.
In 2013, I was promoted to become the CEO. I was 26. I knew very clearly that I didn’t have all the experience or management skills to run a company. But I did know that I had youth, potential, and the heart to do this task well.
When I took on the position, I said to myself that I would never place myself on a “pedestal” and would maintain a humble attitude towards fellow practitioners. I remembered a sharing from another practitioner who said coordinators should be like the ocean – vast and positioned at the lowest level so that all the rivers and streams can flow into it. I have tried my best to abide by this and to maintain an open mind when interacting with practitioners.
At the same time, as the CEO, I have the authority and discretion to make major decisions for the company and to direct practitioners. The responsibility is huge. From my understanding, it doesn’t just involve financial implications on an ordinary level; it affects the direction of the media and could affect the cultivation state of practitioners involved. Master has outlined his expectations of coordinators many times:
“Master has entrusted so many Dafa disciples to you, and expects you to lead them well. So it is something you must do, and it is your responsibility. If you don’t do it well, it’s directly related to your cultivation.” ("Fa Teaching at the 2013 Greater New York Fa Conference")
Only through studying the Fa regularly and maintaining a good cultivation state can a coordinator carry out his/her duties with wisdom. This is especially important when dealing with Party culture in the media.
When it came to learning the many different skills of being the CEO, I’ve felt Master always guiding me and giving me opportunities to learn.
One example is reading books and articles and watching videos on various topics relevant to our media, including sales, advertising, marketing, and business management. All the material I needed was barely a click or a phone call away. It was really like what Master said in “Fa Teaching on World Falun Dafa Day:”
“Actually, with whatever Dafa disciples do, if you put a bit of heart into it you’ll get twice the results with half the effort. If you ask me, it’s a question of heart.”
I find that, whenever our "one-body" experiences something – whether positive or negative – it is a precious opportunity to improve the company and for me to gain valuable experience.
For example, we recently had issues with our accounts receivable and found a lot of advertising was not being paid on time. Rather than blame the salespeople or accounts person, this was actually an opportunity for us to improve as a whole and to work on running the company even better. We quickly created a more comprehensive system to chase up accounts, including the relevant letters, notices, and a timeframe to work from.
I feel that, almost daily, there are new opportunities for us to improve as a whole and to cultivate. It is like the example Master mentioned in Zhuan Falun:
“If a bottle filled with dirty things is sealed tightly and thrown into water, it will sink all the way to the bottom. You pour out some of its dirty contents. The more you empty the bottle, the higher it will float in the water. If it is emptied entirely, it will float on the surface completely.”
Our one-body will float upwards until we reach the surface. Although my personal cultivation is important, my main concern now is the cultivation state of the whole body. In this regard, I’ve found only through consistent group Fa study and sharing can all of us that make up this body improve together and be more effective at reaching out to sentient beings.
One of our biggest tests came in June of this year. It started in January when I jokingly made a comment regarding our company’s cash reserves. At that time, we had paid a large lump sum for a promotional stall at an expo.
I said in jest to my mother: “It’s more exciting if the amount dips.” In the following months, many of our advertisers did not pay on time, and our cash reserves steadily dwindled. By June, a bigger test awaited us.
One of the former directors of the paper, who used to be a very diligent practitioner, had encountered major tribulations and was no longer involved. Over the many years he had worked at the paper, he had contributed significant financial and material support. Further, the Epoch Times was renting a property of his to use as the office. It was at this critical moment when the old forces exploited our gaps.
Over the course of a month, all the former practitioner’s previous financial and material contributions to the paper came to an end for one reason or another. Our lease also expired at the end of June, and we were notified that we had to find another office.
A key staff member also said she was considering leaving the paper because of pressures at home. While this was all happening, we had to keep the operations of the newspaper running and continue finding new advertisers. To top it all off, our company had just enough cash to keep operating for another two weeks… the path ahead of us was very narrow and we had to navigate it very carefully.
For weeks it was difficult to see hope and how we would get through this. One day while sharing about this incident with my mother, she reminded me of the errant comment I had made earlier in the year.
For years she had told me to cultivate my speech. I never took her seriously. This time, I learned my lesson and immediately apologized to Master for my mistake. Interestingly, the day after, a major advertising deal we were working on closed.
I recognized the old forces were exploiting a gap in our one-body and were persecuting us through financial means. Being such an influential paper, the old forces would like nothing more than to see our company collapse. Despite the difficulties, I understood that we needed to endure and keep pushing forward. We couldn’t fall apart, because we were responsible for many sentient beings in Australia.
I looked at the bank balance every day and watched the funds go up and down. I was even reluctant to read emails from the bookkeeper as it made my heart race. One day, my mother said to me, “What’s there to worry about? Let it go. Master is looking after us.” I thought about it and decided she did have a point, and as long as we were righteous, Master wouldn’t let anything bad happen to us.
For the next few weeks, we kept working hard to push through. One by one we resolved all the issues. We found a very suitable premise to use as an office – practitioners worked together to contribute second-hand furniture, desks, a fridge, and all sorts of equipment. We resolved the financial issues for our staff member, continued to get advertisers, and slowly but surely got the company finances back into a healthier situation.
The incident re-emphasized the importance of my role as a coordinator and that I should take my role seriously and not do anything that might jeopardize our one-body. At the same time, it highlighted to me just how ruthless the Old Forces can be if we do not walk the path Master arranges – the old forces are just waiting to disrupt things and to try to take everything away from us.
In recent lectures, Master has highlighted the importance of continuing to improve our media. Going forward, I feel it’s important to no longer treat the newspaper like a “flyer” or a “practice site.” I will work hard to coordinate better and keep improving the business.
I think what has held us back has been our inability to break through our own notions. If we can do this, then this will have a greater effect on saving sentient beings. Master said in “Fa Teaching at the 2013 Greater New York Fa Conference:”
“If the media company that you run could really be well-established in mainstream society and truly become a global media company, think about it, wouldn’t it have a tremendous impact in exposing the evil and guiding mankind in a positive direction? And how powerful would it be in saving sentient beings?”
The above is my understanding at my current level.
Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
Thank you, Compassionate Master. Thank you, fellow practitioners.
(Presented at the 2014 Australian Fa conference)