(Minghui.org) Master Li Hongzhi said, “For a cultivator, all the frustrations he comes across among everyday people are trials, and all the compliments he receives are tests.” (“A Cultivator is Naturally Part of It,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
I would like to tell you about a recent cultivation experience that helped me achieve a deeper understanding of Master’s words. First, I’d like to tell you how I started practicing Falun Dafa.
I Finally Found What I Was Searching For
After searching for the meaning of life for years, I heard about Falun Dafa when I first met my future husband in February 2009. When he explained what Falun Dafa was, I felt immense inner peace and tranquility, and I understood that this was what I had been looking for.
In December 2008, I wrote a message on the board at work: “Husband Wanted” as a joke, with a deadline for applications. At that time, I practiced yoga, but I did it as an exercise workout. During yoga classes there were several ideas that got my attention – when they achieve high levels, practitioners stay in double lotus (both legs on top of each other) for a long time. I also thought that I would like to go somewhere to accumulate more energy, so I looked into other courses.
I signed up for a course in early 2009. I remember telling the women who invited me to participate in the course - “Maybe we are on earth to save people.” The instructor who was supposed to teach the class got sick, so it was canceled.
A few days later in February 2009, I met my future husband and he told me that I didn’t have to take any classes. Instead, he told me about Falun Dafa.
Two weeks later we submitted our marriage application, and we married three weeks later. The deadline I set as a joke in December 2008, was met. I realized that Master answered my spiritual quest and I decided to start practicing Falun Dafa.
Cultivating in the Workplace
Because I spend hours at work, it’s a good place to clarify the truth about the persecution in China. There are many ways to clarify the truth and we should choose the best one for each situation. Throughout the years, I’ve given my colleagues flowers and other materials. Some visited the Truth, Compassion, Tolerance Art Exhibition, and others attended the Chinese tea ceremony conducted by my husband.
I clarified the truth in various ways, depending on the circumstances, to several colleagues when I worked for the government and now some of them are high-ranking officials.
When I worked at one department, the minister attended our Chinese tea ceremony. I later gave her a book, Zhuan Falun, and a lotus flower. She positioned herself well on the human rights violations of Falun Dafa practitioners in China. Today she has a high position. She is praised for her integrity, and courage to fight corruption and is known to genuinely place the interests of people first.
It is also important to be rational when clarifying the truth. Soon after I began practicing, I worked in the prime minister’s office and collected DAFOH (Doctors Against Forced Organ Harvesting) signatures. One day I entered the neighboring office of a high-ranking person and asked her to sign the petition to condemn forced organ harvesting. She advised me to be careful and avoid doing such things at work. I told her that the workday was over and that it was important for her to know what was happening in China. I later heard that she praised me to my boss.
Another organization that I worked for, almost six years, gave me the opportunity to establish contacts with educational institutions, where we implemented the Peace Petals project. We taught people to make lotus flowers and screened the film, Lotus Fairy Tale to hundreds of children, and their teachers.
In my understanding, a practitioner is responsible for saving the people he interacts with, but in order not to harm the image of Dafa, it is important to take into account the context, the culture of the country we are in, and find ways and appropriate occasions, and adapt our approach to the given situation, especially in the intellectual or academic environment.
Master said, “The complex environment of the workplace, in particular, provides a good opportunity for you to improve your xinxing.” (“Practicing Cultivation After Retirement,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
The workplace is also a good environment for raising one’s xinxing. When I first began practicing Falun Dafa, I was so excited that I was no longer interested in anything in this human world. I later realized that I was going to an extreme, and to be a good, responsible practitioner means that one has to be a good colleague and employee. My understanding is that being honest and a good professional means being responsible towards colleagues, superiors, partners, and our beneficiaries. After I adjusted my mindset, my colleagues and superiors admired my upright behavior.
When I worked at the Ministry of Education I received diplomas, letters of gratitude, and a sponsored scholarship to study in the U.S. When the minister wrote her letter of recommendation for the U.S. scholarship, she added a quality that she noticed in me - high morality. I was very moved.
By following Falun Dafa’s principles (Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance), practitioners become valuable specialists, because the Fa teachings open up our wisdom. We quickly find solutions to problems or conflicts. We also are able to focus. A peaceful mindset gives one the ability to see situations from a broader perspective. However, it is essential that we do not seek these achievements and don’t become elated when we notice them.
The director of an international organization commended my ability to handle a conflict with a university professor, in front of my superior. She suggested that they would partner with my non-governmental organization, and develop aid projects.
My previous superior praised me for writing well and said she would trust me with the most difficult jobs, saying that I was able to accomplish them effortlessly. When I was leaving she was very sad and offered me a director position. However, the project I was managing ended. I decided to look for a new job, which I found quickly.
The new position perfectly suited my background so I decided to give it a try. I later understood that a serious xinxing test was waiting for me as part of a new stage of cultivation.
Deepest Attachments Revealed
I heard from several people that my new colleague was a difficult person. We had a small debate about religion. Afterward, I let the negative thoughts I had about her grow, and I did not notice that they weren’t right. Instead of negating it, I allowed the thought that I had more experience and knowledge in the field than her, and that I would do better.
When my colleague went on maternity leave, she entrusted me with her position as director. We temporarily hired another colleague. I helped her settle in and we did her tasks together. At first, she felt bad that she didn’t know the field well enough and thought about leaving. After the winter holidays, she returned with long nails that were painted bright red. Time passed, but she did not remove the red nail polish. Being in my sight every day, they caught my attention. I began to find them annoying. A month later when we were preparing for the signing ceremony of an important agreement at the ministry, I became irritated and criticized her red nail polish. I even told her that if she wanted to participate in the official ceremony, she had to remove it. She complained to our superiors.
Master said, “You will be made to stumble, whereby you will become enlightened to the Tao. This is how you go through cultivation.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
What happened throughout the following month was a cultivation process. An internal struggle took place between my good part, which understood that this was a perfect opportunity for growth and I should say thank you, and my other side which was indignant. I thought: “How dare she complain after I helped her all these months!” I sent a lot of righteous thoughts, looked inward, and found many attachments: I felt superior, and I was afraid of losing my reputation. I expected people to live up to practitioners’ standards, etc.
I was moved to tears when I understood how much Master cares for us. He gives us countless opportunities to improve, and when we continue to be stubborn, he sometimes arranges harsh experiences for us to wake up and shows us our attachments.
I realized that as a director I should do better. But in the end, I had to face my superiors. When I analyzed the situation, I realized that my colleagues and superiors always praised me, but now I was the “bad” one. I immediately corrected my thinking and remembered that I was the one cultivating, not her. Master arranged this situation for me to improve.
The human environment is very degraded, and it is sometimes very difficult to be in this world. However, we should understand that we must not intentionally change things, even less change others. Our primary mission is to change ourselves and to assist Master. We must be very careful of improper thoughts, and get rid of them as soon as they surface. If we do not pay attention, even seemingly insignificant words can sound like thunder claps to people around us. They are very attentive to our behavior and speech.
I learned a profound lesson that I should not think highly of my abilities when I am complimented, and I should not be disturbed when I am criticized. In both instances, I should look within. I am grateful to Dafa for giving me the wisdom to handle things well.
The process of organizing my thoughts on paper while writing about this experience, helped me look within from different angles and this was profound. My thoughts are now clear and I’ve returned to my usual state of calmness. I encourage all practitioners to share their experiences, especially those who never did before.
Thank you Master for taking care of me and for giving me another chance to find and relinquish my fundamental attachments!
(Selected Submission Celebrating the 24th World Falun Dafa Day on the Minghui website)
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