(Minghui.org) I used to have a short temper and often fought over minor issues. If somebody offended me, I would never let it go. I would use very harsh language to curse people. Even I myself didn't think I was a good person.
One day, a co-worker introduced Falun Dafa to me. I asked him if a bad person like me can cultivate Dafa. He said, “Yes! Dafa can change everything.”
So I borrowed a copy of Zhuan Falun(the main book of Falun Dafa). I finished the book in two days. “This is what I've been looking for,” I thought to myself. “It offers the answers to many of my questions about life.” With a deep sigh of relief, I declared in my heart: “I've finally found my Master!”
Since I began reading the books and doing the exercises, many changes have happened to me. In my daily work, I try the best to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
I am a furniture saleswoman at a mall. This is a very competitive field. The sales representatives compete intensively. After I started to practice, I never vied with others for business. Instead, I try to be compassionate and forgiving.
Once, I talked to a customer about my products. He liked mine and was about to sign the contract. But a seller from another booth came over and asked him to go to her booth. The old me would have fought with her and filed a suit against the mall authority, because what she did was against the mall policy. She would probably lose her job or at least have to pay a fine.
But, as a practitioner, I didn't do so. I said to myself, “I cultivate Falun Dafa. I need to be compassionate and put others first. I should not make her lose her job because of this.”
So, I said to the customer, “Furniture is expensive. You should make the comparison. Go ahead and have a look at hers, and buy whatever best suits you.” He smiled and thanked me. After a while, he came back and bought mine.
Through this incident, I had a deeper understanding of Master's teaching, “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) If I really followed this teaching of Master's, I would not lose what belongs to me. But in this process, I can cultivate myself, and get rid of the bad notions and attachments, such as competitiveness and selfishness.
I sell luxury furniture, which is quite expensive. When I talk about my products to customers, I never lie. Once a customer asked me where the wood materials came from. I told him they came from Africa. There are only two origins of this kind of wood, Africa and South Asia, and the African wood is cheaper.
He nodded and said he needed to look around.
The second day, he came back, and said, “Let's sign the contract. I chose to do business with you, because you don't lie.” It turned out that he went to another mall, and saw the same furniture made of the same materials, but the salesperson there told him that the materials came from South Asia.
“They are liars. They lied to me about the materials. Who knows if they lied about other things,” he said. He then purchased the furniture, which cost more than 100,000 yuan, (roughly 20,000-30,000 U.S. dollars).
This made me think. If I didn't cultivate Falun Dafa, I would have been one of those liars he referred to. Nowadays, people use all kinds of tricks to make money. This makes their lives so stressful. I am lucky that I am a practitioner of Falun Dafa. Master taught me to follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. My life is happy and easy.
I often talked to one of my coworkers, Ms. Chen, and told her about Falun Dafa. She became supportive and agreed to quit the communist party.
However, one day she got mad at me for a minor thing that was not my fault. Since then, she cursed me whenever she ran into me. Even our supervisor said to her, “Enough already. She has never fought back. Why don't you let it go?”
One day my brother came to my workplace, and Ms. Chen started to curse me. My co-workers said, “It is too much. Why don't you fight back? If you start it, we will help you.” I smiled and told them that I am a practitioner of Falun Dafa, and we won't do that.
“She is a senior. If we fight, and she gets mad, it will hurt her health,” I said. The co-workers said, “Only Falun Dafa practitioners would think of others in such a situation.” One of them said, “I admire Falun Dafa practitioners. The government's propaganda about Falun Gong has been all lies.”
One day, I saw Ms. Chen had difficulty doing something. I said to her, “Sister, let me help.” She replied harshly, “No!” I said to her sincerely, “Please don't stay mad at me. If I did something wrong, please tell me. I will fix it. Being mad is not good for your health.” She didn't say anything.
To my surprise, the next day she came to me with a bag of candy. “This is from my son's wedding. It is just for you,” she said with a big smile.
After that, she said to everyone, “Falun Dafa practitioners are good people.”
At work, I am very responsible. I fill out product orders carefully and proofread them carefully. Once, I was interested in a type of luxury furniture. I recommended it to my supervisor. He and other sales staff thought it was too expensive and that few people would buy it. I said, “Let me try.”
The furniture turned out to be popular. We outperformed other stores in the mall.
A few months later, a coworker asked our supervisor if she could be in charge of this product. She asked many times. The old me would not give in. This product had brought me a lot of commission. Moreover, the supervisor and this saleswoman were against this product back then. I had every reason not to give it to her.
However, I am a practitioner who should take self-interest lightly and put others first. I was going to say yes. But a second thought occurred to me. If I just agreed so easily, she and other people would think that I was simply giving in to the pressure of the supervisor. I should honor Falun Dafa and let them know that I do so because I practice Falun Dafa.
So, I said to the supervisor, why don't we draw lots? He agreed. My product is A, and hers is B. I'll let her draw first. She got B. The second time, she got B again. This should have already put an end to it. But I said, “Let's give her one more chance, and if she gets A, I will let her take charge of my product.” But she got the B again.
She left angry and threatened to quit because product B didn't make money.
The second day, I said to the supervisor, “Go get her back. It is not easy to find an experienced salesperson. Let her take charge of my product. I believe she will do a good job.”
The supervisor was very happy, “Falun Dafa practitioners are really kind. In you, I see what true righteousness is.” I smiled, “Falun Dafa is righteous.” He thanked me, and I said, “You should thank my Master, who taught me to do so.”
I took over product B and made all kinds of changes to the displays. Soon, I made a big sale, and business got better every month. That saleswoman, however, didn't do well with product A. She eventually quit.
I thought of Master's words:
“Of course, such a person is not really foolish. We simply treat the issue of personal, vested interests with indifference, while in other areas we are very wise. In terms of conducting scientific research projects or carrying out assignments from our supervisors or other duties, we are very clear-minded and perform them very well. Only in terms of our personal benefits or our interpersonal conflicts will we care less. Who will call you foolish? Nobody will say that you are foolish—it’s guaranteed to be so.” (Zhuan Falun)
My supervisor was really grateful. Since then, he has given me more business. He also became supportive of Falun Dafa. One day a customer asked him if there were any Falun Dafa practitioners in the mall, perhaps to find an honest salesperson. He said, “Yes, there is. I wish that all my employees would practice Falun Dafa. These practitioners are outstanding.”
I never try to compete with my coworkers, but I always do the best in sales and make the highest commission every month. I know it is not because I am the best at sales; it is because I am blessed by Falun Dafa.
Many miracles have happened in my daily work.
One day in 2008, two sales agents teased me, “We have made two sales today. You made zero.” I smiled, “Don't worry. Business will pick up.”
Right after that, a customer who had bought furniture from me before came in and said, “I bought another apartment, and need a whole set of furniture for the living room, bedroom, and kitchen. Can you give me a quote?”
It costs 200,000 yuan (about 30,000 U.S. Dollars). He signed the contract and went to another booth. The salesperson at that booth asked: “Didn't you just sign the contract? Why are you still looking?” He said, “I have another apartment that needs furniture.” That salesperson got excited and tried to sell him the same set at a cheaper price, but he would need to wait for a few weeks.
He came back to me and said, “I am going to buy the same set here with you. Just make another contract at the same price. I will pay cash today. I like doing business with you. With you, I have no worries.”
So he spent 480,000 yuan and paid cash (roughly 70,000 U.S. dollars).
Words spread and the whole mall sales staff was shocked and amazed. Nearly 500,000 yuan was spent at one booth in one day! A co-worker quietly asked, “Did your Master help you?” I smiled, “Yes, those who follow the teachings of Falun Dafa are blessed by our Master.”
There are actually many miracles in the last decades. I don't fight for personal interests or ask for promotion, but I always get the highest commission every month, and the highest bonus. All of these are the blessings brought by Dafa.
Master has given me so much. I often think, “I am the happiest person. It is great to have Master Li.”
I am not good at writing. I don't know how to express my appreciation to Master Li. I thank Master for teaching me Falun Dafa and transforming me from an extremely selfish person with a short temper to a compassionate, peaceful person who always puts others first.
Thank you, Master!
(Submission to “Celebrate World Falun Dafa Day” 2018 on the Minghui website)