(Minghui.org) My mother passed away six-months ago. Going through her possessions, I found her direct deposit bank book. When at the bank, I found that four months of retirement allowances had been deposited into her account since her passing. My fellow practitioner who had come along suggested that we keep the money and use it for Dafa projects.
“No, she's been gone for six months,” I responded. “And no money should have been deposited into her account. The money doesn't belong to us and shouldn't be used for Dafa projects. No loss, no gain, as they say. I'll use this situation to talk to people about Falun Dafa. This would show the goodness of practitioners to people.”
Worthy Child of a Senior Captain
When I went to my father's workplace, I spoke with a clerk. I explained that my late father was a former employee and as his spouse, my mother, lived on the allowance from this company. I explained that my mother had passed away at the end of last year; however, her account showed four months of additional payments after her passing. I asked what I should do with the money.
The clerk gave me both thumbs up and said, “I can't believe that I have met such a good person. No one would have blamed you if you had kept the money.”
“But you're right,” he said. “The allowances should have stopped, but it's not controlled here. You have to go to the Social Security Bureau to return the money. If it cannot be done there, call me at this number and I'll have it done for you. But, I would need the cremation certificate.”
“You are really worthy of being the child of our senior captain and leader,” he added. “In this world full of swindlers, blackmailers, and thieves, you are someone who returns an overpayment. I will definitely talk about this in the next seniors' meeting.”
I told him that because I practice Falun Dafa, it was easy for me to return the money.
Nothing Happens Without a Reason
On my return home, I looked for the cremation certificate, but could not find it.
“Am I rocking the boat,” I thought. “My father's workplace made the mistake and put the money into mother's account. Maybe I don't have to be in such a hurry to return it.”
I immediately realized the thought was selfish and not my true self. My true self should be selfless. A thought came to me from the teachings of Master Li (the founder) :
“Those who are attached to money seek wealth and feign their cultivation.”(“Cultivators’ Avoidances” from Essentials For Further Advancement)
I suddenly came to understand that as a practitioner, nothing happens without a reason. Since my mother passed away, I had taken care of everything, such as handing in her identification card, and her household registration had been canceled. Actually, the Social Security Bureau had been notified. I wondered why her monthly allowance had not stopped.
Isn't this incident to test me and help me remove my attachment to profit, and at the same time letting people know the goodness of Falun Dafa during the process of returning the money?
With this thought, I could delay no more, and I decided to go to the bureau the next day. I had to walk the cultivation path Master arranged for me and do what was right.
Social Security Clerk: “She's truly a good person”
I took all the required documents to the Social Security Bureau and talked to a clerk about the issue.
She turned around and said to an older coworker with a smile, “Something new! Someone doesn't want extra money and is returning it!”
The coworker looked up my mother's name and confirmed that I was right. As it turned out, her area should have contacted the Social Security Center one level up, which would have informed my father's workplace to stop the payments.
“She's truly a good person,” she said to the person she called. “She took the initiative to return the money.”
After she hung up she told me they needed the death certificate. Since mother died half a year ago, I asked if the police station would even bother to issue it. She then tried to get everything settled. I heard her say during every phone call, “She's truly a good person; she took the initiative to return the money.”
In the end, she gave me a number of the person in charge of the matter at my father's workplace, and she suggested I go to the Social Security Center with that person.
“I can tell that you are a kindhearted person,” I told her before I left. “You have made so many phone calls today and saved me a lot of trips. Thank you! I want to give you some software that breaks through the Great Firewall. You can use it at home.”
Changing Biased Opinion
The next day, I called the person at my father's workplace. I asked her to come with me to the district Social Security Center.
“It's none of our business,” she said when I arrived at her office. “The Social Security Bureau made the mistake and now they just shift the responsibility to us.”
“Something must have been done wrong somewhere, or the money wouldn't have appeared,” I said. “I'm not here to find out who made the mistake. I'm returning the money for your own good because sooner or later someone will find out about it, and whoever is found guilty will either lose their job, or be demoted and have to pay for the loss.”
She agreed and thanked me for being a nice person and thinking of others.
“Do you know why I can do this,” I asked. “It is because I practice Falun Dafa. We are taught to be selfless and altruistic and to think of others first under every circumstance. Practitioners of Falun Dafa are all good people.”
“After getting to know you today, I have completely changed my opinion about Falun Dafa,” she replied. “When you called me about returning the money, my coworkers said, 'Such a nice person.' Some even said, 'Let her spend it. She doesn't have to worry about it.'”
I gave her software to break through the Internet blockade and told her more about the persecution. She told me that she believed everything I said, and she quit the Youth League, an affiliate of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). She also promised to tell her co-workers what we talked about.
By returning the undeserved four months of allowance, I was afforded the time to help people understand Falun Dafa to everyone I talked to, some of whom even quit the CCP or its affiliated organizations. I also received the funeral expense allowance, about which I had not known. It is just as Master said:
“If something is yours, you will not lose it. If something is not yours, you will not have it even if you fight for it.” (Zhuan Falun)
“The Dafa I am imparting directly targets the mind and your attachments are to be eliminated amidst material gain, but you won’t necessarily lose out materially.” (Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference in Australia)
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Category: Improving Oneself
