(Minghui.org) My name is Li Mingliang (pseudonym), and I used to work at a textile factory. I would like to tell you how practicing Falun Dafa stopped me from seeking revenge.
At seven a.m. on February 8, 1996, the day after Chinese New Year, the shift foreman and an employee’s boyfriend got into an argument and started a fight. I was the trade union chairperson in charge of the morning shift, so I went over to break up the fight.
The foreman picked up a stick and swung at the other man, but instead accidentally hit me in the head near my temple. Blood gushed out and I fainted. I was taken to the hospital and told I had a first-degree concussion.
I’d risked my life to stop the fight, but the workers in the shop wanted a good evaluation to get their year-end bonus. So they changed the story and claimed that I was a bystander. I was granted sick leave and not on-the-job injury leave. I was demoted from my managerial position to the factory line and stripped of my trade union chairperson title. Instead of holding the offenders accountable, they punished me, the mediator.
This turn of events hurt me greatly, physically and mentally. I’d been treated unfairly but I couldn’t file a complaint. Due to the stress, I was on the verge of a mental breakdown and wanted to get revenge. I thought of hiring a hitman to go after them so that I could exorcise the pain and bitterness in my heart.
What happened at work made my life miserable and I felt resentful. I harbored so much pain and hatred. Although I wanted to break free from the torment and be happy, I didn’t know how to.
Just as I was about to carry out my plan against those who’d hurt me, something happened to pull me out of the abyss of hatred.
I’d heard about Falun Dafa’s teachings in 1996. Falun Dafa teaches people to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and to be good. I felt a sense of peace and beauty coming from the teachings. The hatred in my heart melted.
I was enlightened by something Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa, said:
“The altercations or mistreatment that you encounter as you practice might be either of two scenarios. One is that you mistreated the other person during a past life. Perhaps the situation preys on your mind, and you can’t believe someone would treat you as they are. Well, then you shouldn’t have treated them that way in the past.” (The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
I eventually understood why this happened. Instead of feeling bitter, I felt upbeat and cheerful. In less than a month, I felt a sense of ease and joy, and my heart brightened. The ailments I had for decades―gynecological problems, lower back pain, and stomach pain―were all gone.
My feeling of being treated unjustly and the hatred I’d had for my supervisor and coworkers vanished, and I could even interact with them calmly. I was transferred to another workshop and gradually forgot what happened.
One day, the foreman and the coworkers who’d wronged me went to my neighbor’s house to play cards. They left their shoes outside the house. My husband said, “You should throw their shoes away.” I replied calmly, “I’m a practitioner now. Master wants us to be good people, so I’m not going to do that.”
I lived my life according to Dafa’s teachings and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. The factory later went bankrupt, and I had the opportunity to ask for compensation for my work-related injury. I didn’t ask for any because I felt indifferent to material things.
Unfortunately, Jiang Zemin, the former head of the Chinese Communist Party, initiated the persecution of Falun Dafa in July 1999. They fabricated lies about Dafa and poisoned people's minds. The best thing I can do is to cultivate with diligence and tell people how good Falun Dafa is.
I’m grateful for Master’s compassionate salvation. He pulled me out of the abyss of hatred and purified me. I’m now on the bright path and practice Falun Dafa.
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