(Minghui.org) My mother started to practice Falun Dafa when I was a child, and I witnessed her dramatic improvements. She became healthy and kind. My mother was persecuted after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) initiated the persecution in July 1999. Even our relatives discriminated against us. However I never complained. I knew that Dafa was good, and nothing like what the CCP’s propaganda and slander claimed.
Beginning to Practice
I gradually began to practice in 2011. In the beginning, my mother encouraged my sister and I to read the teachings. I did not practice the exercises and I did not realize the importance of clarifying the truth and saving people. I had a lot of human notions and I felt that Falun Dafa was an oasis of peace.
I did not truly let go of my human notions and attachments for a long time. Instead I often looked for the things within the Fa which I agreed with or that could benefit me. I did not realize my responsibility as a Dafa disciple. Master said,
“If you, as a cultivator, only part with things superficially while deep down inside you still stick to something or cling to your own vital interests that you don’t allow to be undermined, I’d say to you that your cultivation is fake! If your own thinking doesn’t change, you cannot advance even one step and are deceiving yourself.” (Lecture at the First Conference in North America)
Master’s teaching helped me understand why I always felt some interference while I studied the Fa and why it was hard for me to truly focus when I did the exercises. I realized that human notions were dominating my thoughts. I was practicing Dafa to enjoy a tranquil life instead of cultivating myself and eliminating my attachments. If I was not truly discarding my human notions, was I really cultivating? I felt that Master had tried to give me hints, but I did not fully understand what it meant to cultivate.
My Work Offers Many Cultivation Opportunities
My job is in purchasing, and the clients often send me gifts or gift cards in order to be favored. I return them. When I can’t, I turn the gifts into cash and use it for truth-clarifying materials. I purchase goods according to the fair market price. Master taught us:
“...the key is to deal fairly and act with integrity.” (The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
Since I need to make a lot of business-related phone calls and use my personal phone, I asked my manager if the company could reimburse my telephone bill. At first he agreed. A month later he canceled my reimbursement and also shut down my office phone. I had to pay out of my pocket for work-related calls. Master said,
“We believe in letting things happen naturally. We know that we won’t be deprived of what is rightfully ours, and shouldn’t labor to get what is not.” (The Seventh Talk, Zhuan Falun)
I did not think about it again and I did not ask the company for reimbursement. I continued to make the same amount of phone calls, and I still worked as hard as before.
I’m in charge of developing new businesses. Because I’m the only one who knows this department well I gradually began to feel that my co-workers or even my supervisors were not as good as me. I started to criticize their work and our relationship became intense.
After I looked inward, I found that I had both zealotry and jealousy. Every co-worker has his strengths and shortcomings. I was only looking at their shortcomings, and never thought much about their strengths or good qualities. I later realized that this was a kind of jealousy. After I realized it, I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate it. I started to actively cooperate with my co-workers. If some people’s work was less than perfect, I proactively helped them.
Once after I purchased some goods at a very good price, I felt very pleased with myself and began writing a market report to the leader to show off my achievement. I suddenly realized that it was my responsibility to do my work well. Showing off is what everyday people do to pursue fame and personal interest. As a practitioner I should not have such impure thoughts. After I identified my attachment, I stopped writing the report.
Clarifying the Truth to Taxi Drivers
I now study the Fa a lot and read Minghui articles whenever I have free time. I often travel for business. Every time I travel I use the opportunity to clarify the truth. Since I often need to take taxis, I clarify the truth to the drivers in every city I travel to. Some are pleased and accept what I say, but some do not. Some threatened to report me to the authorities. But Master protected me.
One Minghui article talked about how the police in one area pay people if they report Falun Gong practitioners. Since I often traveled to that area, I had some fear. I felt that the negative factors in that area needed to be eliminated. When I went to the area again, I just kept righteous thoughts and clarified the truth whenever I could.
Once when I went to a city in southern China I clarified the truth to a taxi driver. The driver opened the WeChat app on his phone and said loudly, “What did you just say?”
I told him kindly, “Please do not use WeChat to record me. It is not good for you.”
He knew I saw his trick and he turned off the app. He asked whether he could tell his colleagues what I just told him. I said, “You can tell anyone you want. But, please don’t use WeChat since that app is monitored.”
I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate whatever was interfering with him, and he sincerely listened.
One time I had a female driver. At the intersection, the traffic light turned green for her to pass. The pedestrians were still crossing and she stopped to let them pass, but they walked very slowly.
She began complaining, “People are really something. You politely let them pass but they don’t appreciate it.”
I said, “If those pedestrians could be drivers they’d realize they should walk faster to let the vehicles pass as soon as possible.”
Those simple words brought us closer. She told me about a recent accident where her car was hit by an electric scooter. Since the other party bribed the traffic police, the police said that she should take full responsibility. We started to chat about how society’s morals were sliding downhill. I also gave her examples of how practitioners I knew had handled traffic accidents and thought of others first. I clarified the truth to her. Although I did not have a chance to persuade her to withdraw from CCP, I eliminated her negative impression of Dafa.
I used to clarify the truth for the sake of clarifying the truth. Now I’ve integrated it into my daily life. When my thoughts are righteous, I naturally clarify the truth to whoever I talk to. It seems like people are eagerly waiting to be saved.
I’ve experienced many detours during my past eight years of cultivation. With Master’s compassionate protection, I walked through it all. I hope that I can advance more diligently, so that I can save more people.
Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions or understandings. All content published on this website are copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
