(Minghui.org) I am 76 years old and drive a car for a government agency. Whenever there is a need, I go to work at my workplace when there is a need, and I am known to do my job diligently.
I developed some occupational diseases in my 40s from driving a car for long periods of time, including constipation and back pain. I always carried medicine in my pocket. When I suffered from constipation, it was generally rather severe. I took large doses of medicine, but it didn’t seem to have much effect.
When I had back pain, I couldn’t stand up straight or lay down to sleep. I could only sleep on the sofa. When I turned my head, my spine and neck hurt. I took medicine all year round. I even drank herbal liquor. However, nothing stopped the pain.
My wife was sick and weak. We had two children who were in school. I was the main breadwinner. If I was sick, how would my family survive?
Changing Notions
I was raised in a poor family. My mother was a single parent, and it was extremely hard for her to raise four boys. We didn’t have enough food to eat or money for clothes. We couldn’t afford to go to school. When I was 18, to get away from poverty, I joined the military. After I retired from the military, I worked at various places, and then was assigned as a driver for a government agency.
During the first half of my life, I was brainwashed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda, so I didn’t believe in Buddha or god.
As my wife’s health was poor and no medicine could cure her, she started practicing Falun Dafa in July 1998. She used to take medicine all the time but stopped taking all medication once she became a Falun Dafa adherent. She also became optimistic.
Seeing the changes in her made me think: What made her change so dramatically? Do Buddhas and gods exist? I felt Falun Dafa was miraculous. Therefore, I started practicing Falun Dafa in August 1998. I first did the exercises at home. Initially, it was difficult to do the sitting meditation because I couldn’t completely straighten my legs and I couldn’t sit straight. So I sat on the floor and leaned against the sofa. I used a sandbag to help my legs stay in the lotus position. After I started doing the exercises and studying the Fa, Master Li (Dafa’s founder) took care of me and adjusted my body.
Seeing the changes in my wife and myself, I broke through my notions and stepped on the cultivation path without hesitating. I was cleansed by Dafa and have benefited so much from it.
No Longer Greedy for Money
Before I practiced Falun Dafa, I was greedy for money. As a driver, the most convenient way to get extra cash was to collect some gas receipts and be reimbursed for the expenditure. When I fixed the car, I hoped I would be given a small gift, such as a shirt. Since other employees were doing the same things, I thought I would too. Every year when it was time to be reimbursed for medical bills, I usually received the most money because I was older than most of the other drivers. If I didn’t have many medical receipts, I would buy some daily necessities and submit them as healthcare costs.
Once I became a Falun Dafa cultivator, I learned the universal law of “there is no gain without loss” and that human beings suffer because of committing bad deeds. I decided to rectify myself and not take advantage of others. When I became healthy, there was no need to take medicine; consequently, I didn’t have any medical bills to submit for repayment.
The healthcare system was reformed, and so 1998 was the last time in which medical reimbursements were made. My colleagues asked their supervisors to approve of them getting a reimbursement after that date. The chief of our department was surprised to see that I didn’t join their efforts, “Don’t you have a bill for even one penny to reimburse?” I said, “I have no medical bills.” While we were at a hair salon, our manager said, “Look at the Falun Dafa practitioners. They don’t even ask for one penny. If everyone practiced Falun Dafa, it would be easy for me to do my job.”
During the 20-plus years I have been practicing Falun Dafa, I haven’t taken one pill, and thus saved the government a lot of money.
I didn’t want to get free gas vouchers from my employer anymore. A supervisor said, “Look at the Falun Dafa practitioner, how much he saves in gas.” When there is a need to fix the co-op vehicle, I go there to do the repair and people offer me gifts. Once a person said, “We have men’s dress shirts. Tell me which color you like.” I said, “I don’t need the shirt. I am a Falun Dafa practitioner.” Since I started practicing Falun Dafa, I am highly praised by my supervisors and colleagues.
Improved Our Environment
Our apartment is in an old building, and we live on the fourth floor. Our neighbors know that we are Falun Dafa practitioners. Our factory director and bureau chief live on the floor above our apartment.
Since the housing system was reformed, repair of the apartments became the tenants’ responsibility. The lights installed by our employers were removed, and it was difficult for people to walk in the hall at night. I installed some electric cables and three lamps that operate by voice command, so now our corridor is bright at night. When the bulb burns out, I put in a new one.
For 20 years, I have paid the electricity and looked after the maintenance. Nowadays, there is a decline in people’s morals, and people are afraid of losing money. In most cities, people don’t look after a building this old, and no one cares or makes repairs for many years.
The windows in the corridors were old and broken. It was cold and dirty in the winter. We installed new glass in the windows to keep the building clean and warm and paid for them out of our own pockets. We also bought paint for the handrail twice. Our neighbors are very happy with our efforts.
My wife and I usually clean the hallway. The neighborhood administration officer often checks it for hygiene. Once, when she came to our unit, I heard her say, “No need to check this one. We are certain it is clean.”
A tenant said, “No other place can compare to where I live now. There is light and it is clean.” He told others that my wife and I are so good. One neighbor told her relatives that we were good. A neighbor from another unit said, “You might not know, but we all consider you to be a role model.”
We are Dafa practitioners. Master Li (Dafa’s founder) asks us to be good people wherever we are. We feel the things we do for the building are trivial things. Our neighborhood administration officers give us a “civilized household” award every year. Our behavior is a reflection of Master’s mercy and mighty virtue. Dafa can cause people to become benevolent and raise their moral level. The Great Law blesses human beings.
Master Li said:
“The main purpose of our cultivating Falun Dafa is to bring people to high levels. While it does not intend to do such a thing, it can nonetheless assume a great constructive role by promoting spiritual civilization in society.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
No language can express our gratitude to Master. We will do better from now on and will deserve Master’s mercy.
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Category: Improving Oneself
