(Minghui.org) After I began to practice Falun Dafa, I became healthier and wiser, and was also able to take fame and personal interests lightly. Living by Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, I have become a more considerate, optimistic and resilient person.
Wisdom from Dafa
I used to provide training for department stores on high-end products. A designer that had worked in this industry for a long time told the manger of the store where I’d recently been asked to do a training, “I have been to many training sessions like this, but none of them was as good as Amy’s (referring to me). Her classes were interesting, fun, and engaging. She is so knowledgeable! How many degrees does she have?”
Many other people felt the same way. After a sales manager for a merchandise brand attended my training, he said to me. “This is great and very practical. Not only do sale representatives need to know these things, senior leadership and business owners need to know them, too.”
Later on I became the human resources director and a trainer at a department store, where I trained the managers. One of them, a vice president in charge of business development, was an economist. He said to someone else, “I often talk with professors from renowned universities and go to their lectures, but Amy’s class was much better. What’s her educational background?”
He did not know I’d only gotten a high school diploma and had never gone to college. It is Falun Dafa that has taught me so much and given me wisdom.
In both these instances, there were no training manuals and no one told me what to cover. I compiled the materials based on my own experience. Some major brands have their own marketing teams, and a sales manager once asked me which book I was following, since the feedback on my training from the sales representatives was very positive. I told him that I did not have any reference books and often write up the training materials on my own.
Looking back at these experiences I was surprised, too. In fact, I often read the Minghui website, where I can find stories of traditional Chinese culture, and I have gained insights from different periodicals. I also looked up information on the Zhengjian (Pureinsight) and The Epoch Times websites. That was probably why the participants found my training so impressive.
Once I attended a team building “boot camp,” where I was an assistant. The participants in the two-day camp were government officials, dozens of them, and they were divided into teams of 10 with a facilitator assigned to each team.
After the morning session ended on the first day, my team had a lunch together and the participants talked about the training. The feedback was negative and it nearly became a personal assault. The participants were arrogant and their remarks were harsh. Only one of them, Desi, was quiet and whispered to me, “They are complaining about the instructor, not you. Please do not take it personally.”
I wondered, should I argue and talk over them or should I handle it in a different way? In the past, I would not give in, but now I remembered Falun Dafa’s teachings:
“If you can always be compassionate and calm, you will handle the issues that arise in your life well since you will have a buffer, in a sense. Things will work out well if you are always compassionate and good to others, thoughtful towards people, and handle whatever situations you get into with people by first pausing to consider how well your actions will go over with the other party and whether anyone will be hurt by them.” (The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
I smiled at everyone and felt that I understood what they were thinking. I said, “It is good that we can all think critically. When I took this workshop the first time, I felt the same way. But later I realized I was wrong and the instructor was right. How about we put our own thoughts aside for now and wait to see what comes next? We will come back to this later.”
After the team building games were over the following morning, the team members reviewed the session again. Sam, one of the participants, said to another senior member, “This facilitator (Amy) is excellent.” He then turned to me and said, “I do not agree with all your points, but I like you as a person.”
In his 30s, Sam was confident and liked to challenge authority. During some of the training activities, he often did the opposite of what he was told to do. Everyone else turned left as instructed, but he turned right; everyone covered their eyes while he pushed his blindfold to the side. But he improved a lot during the session and he was funny.
At lunchtime, Sam said to several of his teammates, “Amy is very good at handling challenging situations. I think she’s great.”
Desi agreed, “She is always very patient in getting the message across.”
Another team member, Mary, said, “She is very nice and kind, like a Bodhisattva.”
I was not like this in the past. It is Falun Dafa that teaches us to respect everyone. After all, we come from the divine and we can go back only by being good.
Pure Mind and Body
Once, when I met a group of people for the first time, an outspoken woman said to me, “You must be in your 30s.” “I am well over 30,” I replied.
“About 35?” she asked. “I’m 50,” I answered.
“Come on! You think I’m a fool?” she rolled her eyes. “OK, it’s fine if you don’t want to tell me.”
Although I am over 50, I usually do not tell people that because many of them are often very surprised. “What is your secret to remaining young?” one person asked.
Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa, wrote,
“By doing a practice for both mind and body, you will gain a youthful appearance and look much younger than your years.” “If I’m allowed to tease a little, I’d say that young women will naturally achieve the beautiful skin tone they’re always after, provided they sincerely do mind-body practice—and without needing to go to the lengths they once did.” (The Fifth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
By watching Shen Yun performances, I have a better idea how to match the colors of my clothes. My clothes are simple and neat, and people have said I seem pure and elegant.
My Relationship with My In-laws
I moved my mother-in-law from her hometown and had her come live with us. During this process, there were many conflicts and sometimes I was in tears. She looks demure and helpless, but she likes to take advantage of people, especially those who treat her well. In addition, she cares lot about herself and her young daughter, but hardly anyone else.
My father’s sister used to say, “She (my mother-in-law) is selfish. No matter how good you treat her, she won’t be thankful.” Moreover, my mother-in-law is very stubborn and always thinks that others are bad to her.
Once, she fell down at her son’s place. When her granddaughter went to help her up, she blamed the girl for knocking her down. Especially over the past year or two, my mother-in-law has been irritable, which annoyed her other daughters-in-law so much that they had to take medication to lower their blood pressure.
What upset me the most was that my mother-in-law did not care about cleanliness. I put paper towels and tissues everywhere – on the couch, dining table, dressers, and so on – hoping she’d use them. But she didn’t change.
Considering myself a practitioner, I know it is critical to treat her with patience and kindness and that I should help her instead of resent her. When she wants to wipe her mouth, I give her a tissue; when she cleans her hands, I give her a paper towel; when she goes to the bathroom, I give her toilet paper; when she washes her hands, I hand her sanitizer.
My aunt once held my hand and said, “You are so nice to her. Why does she still demand more?” I think I probably owe her from my previous life. If that is the case, I should just focus on paying my debts regardless of her attitude.
I get my mother-in-law any food she likes and the clothes she needs all year around. She is well dressed and her other daughters-in-law are very thankful. I know that none of this is accidental.
Another thing is cooking. Neither my husband nor I is a good cook. Plus, we are busy with work, so we just get it over with and often buy readymade food. This also works for my son. For myself, it is even easier. I can just eat steamed buns with pickles, or pancakes with cucumber. But my mother-in-law likes soup and things like dumplings. This forced me to cook three meals for her every day, including dumplings and steamed stuffed buns.
Looking back, all these troubles were opportunities for me to do better as a practitioner according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
A Happy Family
Like me, my husband and my son have also benefited from Falun Dafa. My son found a job even before graduating from college. Later on, he applied for a position at a government agency and was hired. At work, he is responsible and capable and gets along well with his coworkers. His managers and coworkers all like him. Sometimes when he sees that I am doing poorly in my cultivation, he says, “Mom, are you following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance?”
My husband is a chief pediatrician at his hospital. He also constantly improves his professional skills to be better. Unlike some of his coworkers who do things just to please higher officials, he focuses on helping his patients and earning their trust and the trust of their parents. Many senior officials are proud that their children have been taken care of by my husband. But he does not know them, since he focuses on helping the children.
This is of the manifestation of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in him. My husband also spends lots of time with team building and training younger doctors. Many of his patients have thanked him and said, “Many doctors just focus on revenue; it is very rare to see someone like you who is really considerate of his patients.”
For myself, I try to be a good person. One time, I was given a 100-yuan bill that turned out to be counterfeit. A friend who works at a jewelry store said, “Don’t worry about it. There are lots of transactions at my store every day. I will spend it for you.” But I did not want anyone else to be hurt, so I simply thanked her and destroyed the bill.
I know that all these things would not be possible without Falun Dafa. I am so grateful for the practice and for Dafa’s founder, Master Li.
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