(Minghui.org) I got a job as a senior executive in my hometown in Sichuan in April 2013 after having worked in Beijing for a number of years.
I would like to share some of my cultivation experiences in a complex work environment.
Digging Out Attachment to Fame and Gain, Balancing Work and Cultivation
I work for a holding company with many subsidiaries. I started out at a factory upon my return to my hometown. Before long, I was getting promoted on a regular basis, eventually becoming CEO of our loan underwriting division.
In addition to the power to make decisions, I also enjoyed a considerable pay raise and was provided with a luxury car for work. I became the envy of many.
However, the busier I got, the harder I found it to keep up with Fa study and doing the three things. I was studying the Fa less than an hour a day and oftentimes simply fell onto the couch and went to sleep as soon as I got home.
My cultivation state was not good, and I was unsure of what to do. I wanted to resign from my job so that I could be more focused on doing the three things, but I also felt I should stay on, because “only Dafa disciples are worthy of displaying their glory here.”
Master taught us in Zhuan Falun, “All of us have jobs, and we should do our jobs well.”
After reflecting in depth, I realized that I was still attached to fame and personal gain. Through Fa study I realized that my abilities came from Dafa, and if I deviate from the Fa's requirements and spend most of my time dealing with everyday issues related to my position, it really isn't worth it, that my attachment to fame and personal gain could easily be taken advantage of by the old forces.
Master said in “Be More Diligent:”
“This period of history has been left entirely for Dafa disciples so that theymay validate the Fa. In other words, the stage of mankind has been given toDafa disciples.”
I realized that I had to take advantage of my work environment to clarify the facts to my colleagues and my contacts to save more people. With this in mind, I distributed Shen Yun DVDs, talked to people about Falun Dafa around the world, and helped them quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organizations.
Following the Fa Principles at Work
As I became more involved in the company management, I saw that the loan underwriting business in China involves more than a little dodgy dealings, putting lending banks at great risk. I used to think it might be a good thing for a company to engage in loan fraud, because if the banks collapse, the CCP will, too.
However, it was hard for me to sign off on falsified documents or documents I was not sure about. It was a difficult dilemma.
Through Fa study, I realized that I have to rectify what is not right. It is against the Fa principles to falsify things for whatever reason, and I must never follow along with what everyday people perceive as the “right thing to do.” How else can we walk our path righteously?
So I set standards for myself and made sure that all the documents I signed off on went through the proper approval procedure, and I would never sign off on any document that was not honest. As a result, many unnecessary risks were avoided.
Safeguarding Dafa's Reputation
As I became more involved in the company's business, I discovered that a lot of unethical and even illegal practices were in place before I took over as the CEO.
Many peer companies were facing government investigations back then for their fraudulent loan practices. I worried that our underwriting division would be next and that I'd be held responsible as the CEO, even though the illegal things were done during the former CEO's tenure.
Any such investigation would put me in the spotlight and could subsequently cause damage to Falun Dafa's reputation. After all, the Chinese Communist regime has fabricated so many stories to defame Falun Dafa.
I decided to not leave any openings for the CCP to exploit.
I submitted my resignation as the CEO of the underwriting company. The chairman of the board of directors not only rejected my resignation, he wanted to promote me to general manager. I refused the offer.
I called for a meeting of senior management and made it clear that I would resign as the CEO. When I made arrangements for follow-up work, I told them that, as a Falun Dafa practitioner, I would never do anything that would harm the reputation of Dafa.
I also clarified the facts about Falun Gong to the chairman and told him to remember that Falun Dafa was good.
Not long after, our underwriting company was found to have staggering hidden debts in private lending. The company was attacked by creditors and micro-lending companies, and was later investigated for criminal conduct. The chairman of the board of directors was hauled in for investigation.
I was not affected and continued to manage a subordinate factory. People say that I made the right decision at the right time. But I know I avoided unnecessary interference because I conducted myself according to the Fa principles. If I had been attached to power, fame, and gain and accepted the position as the general manager, I would have been involved and would have had to deal with unnecessary tribulations in my cultivation.
Resolving Conflicts with Compassion
I am in charge of a new factory for our company. A major stakeholder is a veteran expert, who often made things difficult for us in the past because he regretted “having sold the shares too cheaply.”
I was convinced he had done things to further his own interests at the expense of the company, so I thought, “You are not cooperative. Let those debt collectors deal with you then.”
When I calmed down, I realized I was wrong to think that way. As a Dafa practitioner, I must always treat people with kindness.
Master told us,
“When you have fear, for instance, you will find that the sentient beings around you are not quite right. When you change such that your presence is refreshing and uplifting to people, and your mind becomes broad and full of optimism, you will find the things around you to be correspondingly different. When clarifying the truth, when validating the Fa, and when encountering challenges as you do things, adjust yourself and look at things with righteous thoughts. It might just prove to be effective.” ("Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference")
“You must hold to being shan, and only then can you resolve problems that may arise and save that person.” ("Fa Teaching at the 2009 Washington DC International Fa Conference")
I decided to communicate with him with sincerity and kindness, instead of focusing on the outcome. As a result, we were able to work with each other much better and more easily.
Looking back, I can see that although there have been times when I slacked off in my cultivation and in doing the three things due to my attachments, I truly believe that as long as we have strong faith in Dafa and Master, keep up with Fa study, and always remember to live by the Fa principles, we will be able to walk our cultivation path righteously no matter how complex the work environment may be.
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Category: Improving Oneself
