(Minghui.org) A couple who are both Falun Dafa practitioners have owned a business for years. They drive to markets to sell goods every day. The wife once happily told me, “Master is helping us. We always sell more than others.” She said that none of their competitors can sell as much as they do. Even when others make little profit, they can still make money.

I didn't really know what to say to them. Over the years the couple contributed a lot in validating Dafa in our area. But, I couldn't forget what she said and often thought about it. So I'd like to share my understanding. It's not my intention to judge or blame the couple. I hope that my words can cause other practitioners who have similar understandings as this couple to consider what they're doing. If I say anything inappropriate, please kindly correct me.

In these last moments of the Fa rectification period, the standards that we practitioners must meet are getting higher and higher. Only when a practitioner's every thought is in line with the Fa, the old forces cannot take advantage of our loopholes and we can walk the last steps of our journey well.

The couple often drives to markets both in town and out of town. They get up early and come home late. In their travels they also distribute some informational materials about Dafa. However, they have little time to study the Fa, practice the exercises or send forth righteous thoughts, which are the fundamental things that practitioners should do. They seem to forget about it completely when their business goes well and they become more busy. When they arrive home it's already late. While counting how much they've earned that day, they think about the next day and the next business event. Being proud of, “Always selling more than others,” is that because your attachment is being taken advantage of by the old forces? The more attached you are, the more you sell. The more money you make, the happier you are. Master said,

“It is a very easy thing to control an everyday person’s mind. The animal can make many people come to him for treatment and have them come in droves. My goodness, while he is treating an illness here, the animal directs newspaper reporters to promote him in newspapers over there. It manipulates everyday people to do these things. If someone comes to have his illnesses cured but does not pay him enough money, that won’t do; the animal will cause the patient to have a headache and the patient must pay him a lot of money no matter what.” (Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun)

If a practitioner goes on like this, he may forget to send forth righteous thoughts at the four global times. He may even skip practicing the exercises and may not have time to even study the Fa.

Because of the reasons listed above, it seems that when a practitioner bargains with ordinary people, his xinxing is at the same level as an ordinary person. This is for sure not what Master wants. Monks in the past talked about, “Keep tolling the bell as long as one is a monk.” As practitioners, if we cannot even, “Keep tolling the bell,” how can we be worthy of Master's compassionate salvation?

I remember reading a practitioner's sharing article. She ran a small supermarket. In order to make a living, she had to work all day in her store. Seeing other practitioners going out and saving people, she became anxious. Later she enlightened: Practitioners are here to save people. I cannot let running my business stop me from going out to save people. She made up her mind, locked up her supermarket during the day and went out to clarify the truth to people. She came back in the evening and opened her supermarket for a few hours. Surprisingly, her business made more money than when she kept it open all day. Practitioners understand why this happened.

Master warned us, “Can you bring to heaven the things deep down inside that you cannot let go of?” (“True Cultivation,” Essentials for Further Advancement) We need money in order to live, but we didn't come here to make money. Master has already made the best arrangements for us. We just need to do what Master asked.

I recalled how Master advised practitioners with great care at the end of his lecture to Australian practitioners. Master is waiting to hear good news from every practitioner. When I examine my own cultivation, I deeply feel that I haven't done well!