(Minghui.org) Greetings, respected Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!
I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1994. I was brought up as an atheist and was not interested in religions or qigong—I thought they were superstitious. In early 1994 I skimmed through the book Falun Gong but put it aside, thinking, “Isn’t it just about teaching people to be good? I’m fine. I’ve always been a good student.’’
From July 15 to 19, 1994, Master held lectures in Chenzhou, and I had the honor of meeting him for the first time. I went up to Su Xian Ling, a famous mountain in the area, with Master, and it changed my perception of gods and Buddhas. Master was very kind, friendly and unassuming, and patiently answered students’ questions. My feeling at that time was that Master was very righteous, and omniscient, omnipotent and extraordinary. The waiter at the guest house told us, “Your Master is really different. He ate all of the big breakfast you sent him—no leftovers. His room is clean, the quilts are neatly folded, and we don’t even need to clean it.”
I attended two more classes that Master taught and started on the path of cultivation. Master adjusted my body and I was completely free from the worries and pain of motion sickness and menstrual cramps. From the joy of attaining Dafa and experiencing its wonders, I weathered the storms of clarifying the truth and exposing the persecution in China, and made it to this day under Master’s care. Without Master’s meticulous arrangements, I might have missed the opportunity to practice Falun Dafa and lost my way home.
In June 2017, a seemingly random opportunity (which I later felt Master arranged) gave me the honor of working for the Epoch Times. The CEO asked me to work in the Accounting Department recovering debts, a job I’d never done before. I agreed to try it for two weeks and said if I didn’t think I could do it, or she didn’t think I was right for the job, I would resign.
The first week, other than eating lunch, I sat in front of the computer all day long. I learned how to operate the system, and I practiced making phone calls to collect debts. My back ached, my legs were numb, my eyes felt sunken. I felt too much pressure and was worried about not being able to recover the unpaid accounts. I told the CEO that I couldn’t do the job, so she should look for someone else. She encouraged me, saying, “I think you can. Come to work next week and I’ll pay you a salary.”
I said, “Well then, I’d better fulfill my promise and volunteer for another week. Let’s see if I can keep it up.” Over the next week, I got better at operating the system and learning how to collect debts, and I had some successes. So I signed up and officially started my job at the Epoch Times.
Debt collection is an endless, time-consuming, and unappealing chore, but it’s also very important, because without financial support, the company cannot function. I tried my best not only for the company’s benefit, but also to maintain the company’s image and reputation. I was polite when I contacted the customers and asked them to pay their outstanding invoices. Some of my coworkers, however, didn’t support me or trust me. Sometimes I was scolded unreasonably, and that distressed me. Although I tearfully endured it, several times I wanted to give up and quit.
One Friday morning, a mentor from my previous internship called me and told me that TAFE (Australia's vocational education and training system) was recruiting. They said I should come in and meet the head of the department first and hand in my resume later. It was windy that day, and I waited for an hour for the bus to arrive. I didn’t get the hint, so I went anyway. When I got there, the department head was not there. My mentor told me to prepare my resume and profile and return on Monday, so I prepared the information on Saturday.
Early Sunday morning I had to secure a judge’s signature before rushing off to a rehearsal for the Tian Guo Marching Band. We’d moved to a new location, and I couldn’t find the main entrance after circling around twice, so I drove slowly, wondering if I should go straight or turn around. Without realizing it, I drifted into the middle of the road. When a car came up on my right, it was too late to avoid it, and I got hit. I was responsible because the other car was on the right side of the main road and I should have moved out of the way.
The other car was new. After the driver lodged a claim with the insurance company, I needed to pay over $4,000. My car insurance covered the claim, but I had to pay $600.
After that, I still had to find where we were rehearsing. I pulled over to the side of the road and started typing in my navigation system. Just then, I saw someone passed by on the footpath and turned around to ask for directions. As I did, I let my foot off the brake, and the car slowly rolled forward and hit the back of the car parked in front of me! I had to pay another $600 excess fee on the insurance, plus it cost me another $600 to fix my car. That meant I had to pay a total of $1,800 to fix three cars, but at that time I only earned $1,300 a month.
Those two accidents that day hit me hard and woke me up. I asked myself: “Where did I place Dafa? Where did I put my own interests? I’m here to help Master rectify the Fa and to save myself and sentient beings, not to pursue comfort. A little bit of poverty is insignificant compared to the suffering Master bore for us—we have shelter and food, so what else do I want? The practitioners at the Epoch Times quietly devote themselves to their work and never think about how much time they sacrifice.”
I saw my own gap and decided to stop looking for a new job. I would just do my job at the Epoch Times well, because this is the most meaningful thing I can do, and it’s my mission. Maybe this was the prehistoric vow I made—to help Master save sentient beings through this project. If I gave up and quit, I would be dishonoring my vow.
Soon after that, TAFE sent me an email, saying that the online teaching program I’d applied for six months before was open and asked if I was still interested. I replied that I was interested but that I could only work two days a week. Although the TAFE job was very attractive, with an hourly wage of $80, which meant 3-4 hours a week would be enough to cover my living expenses, I prioritized my three-day-a-week job at the Epoch Times.
After the government stopped the pandemic allowance, the company could only pay me for two days a week, so I had to find a side job. I decided if that job conflicted with my working hours at the Epoch Times, I would give up that everyday person’s job, where I could over $200 a day.
I regarded the Epoch Times sales team as family members, and because they are also Falun Dafa practitioners, I tended to speak bluntly without considering my tone of voice, or whether the other person could accept it. Someone mentioned this to the CEO and said we might lose clients if I treated them like that.
One day, just as I entered the office, a salesperson angrily approached me. She said that two of her clients called to complain about me—one said I was too pushy, and the other claimed that I’d called them five times in one day. She told me to stop pursuing them and said we would drive the clients away if I continued.
I replied, “That’s not possible; that’s not how I do things.” I opened my computer to show her the records, and the facts proved that those two clients were being unreasonable and that their complaints were unfounded. She kept criticizing me, and I got angry. We started arguing. I said, “Your clients are being unreasonable, yet instead of siding with me, you assume it’s my fault. How can we recover outstanding debts if we don’t cooperate?” She replied, “I’ll take care of it.”
So, I left her to handle her accounts. However, a month passed, and she still hadn’t recovered the old debts, and new ones began piling up. She had many clients, and many of their accounts were far overdue. That’s when I realized that my emotions affected my work, which in turn harmed the company’s interests. So, I calmly and politely sent emails to the clients who complained about me, and the outstanding debts were soon paid.
This incident had a profound impact on me. I often reminded myself of Master’s words in Zhuan Falun:
“As practitioners, you will suddenly come across conflicts. What should you do? You should always maintain a compassionate and calm heart. Then, when you run into a problem, you will be able to do well because it gives you some room as a buffer. You should always be benevolent and kind to others and consider others when doing anything. Whenever you encounter a problem, you should first consider whether others can put up with this matter or if it will hurt anyone. In doing so, there will not be any problems. Therefore, in cultivation you should follow a higher and higher standard for yourself.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
I realized that when conflicts arise, the point isn’t to argue over who is right or wrong on the surface—instead I should look within and see what attachments I need to let go of and where I need to elevate my character. I discovered that I had a strong attachment to competitiveness and couldn’t bear it if I felt I was treated unjustly. I couldn’t calm down, so I began reciting Zhuan Falun every day, trying to maintain a peaceful mindset, neither arrogant nor discouraged.
My heart was getting more and more calm. I silently did what I should do, straightened out my relationships with the sales team and customers, and recovered the debts little by little.
Sometimes when I encountered clients who intentionally refused to pay, the sales team asked me to give up and write it off as bad debt. However, I knew that if a person owes a debt to Dafa, it wouldn’t be good for their future. I told the CEO that I wanted to write a heartfelt letter to the clients, using wisdom to clarify the truth to them and inspire their kind thoughts and encourage them to pay. With the help of my CEO and my coworkers, we drafted a sincere letter.
In the letter, I explained that the Epoch Times is a non-profit organization. Our media company was not founded to make money. Faced with the persecution of Falun Dafa by the Chinese Communist Party and seeing that Western mainstream media are unaware of the truth and reprint reports from Chinese state-run media, those who work for the Epoch Times feel a strong sense of responsibility to society. This led them to create an independent Chinese-language media outlet to uphold the public’s right to know, to report news truthfully, and to give a voice to the vulnerable and those oppressed by authoritarian power.
I mentioned that our newspaper is free and that many who work for it are volunteers. Some staff only receive a modest living allowance. All of our expenses are covered by advertising revenue, which allows us to continue delivering exclusive news to the public. I asked them to pay their overdue amounts promptly to support our mission, adding that their kind actions would bring them blessings.
After we sent that heartfelt letter was sent, we had truly good results. Some clients paid their debts that had been outstanding for years, while others stopped delaying making payments.
One client had 11 unpaid invoices and owed more than $3,000. I’d called, sent texts, and emailed her, but she never responded. After sending her the heartfelt letter, she promised to pay. I persistently followed up, calling and texting her each month, and sent a total of 29 emails. Finally, she settled the debt that had been outstanding for four years.
Another client ran ads for nine months without paying a single invoice, so the sales team stopped running her ads. She agreed to pay one invoice per month, but each invoice required several follow-ups. The salesperson and I spent ten months contacting her regarding over $2,000 in outstanding payments. She later signed a new advertising contract and told the salesperson, “This time, I’ll pay in full upfront. I don’t want to get any more calls from Louisa.”
Master said, “One’s gong level is as high as one’s xinxing level, and this is an absolute truth.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
When my xinxing improved, so did my job performance, and now my coworkers support, trust, and cooperate with me.
Master also said,
“Of course, those of you who work in the media have to cultivate yourselves well if you’re to do well at what you are supposed to do. And so cultivation should be first and foremost for you—for every Dafa practitioner involved in the media. That’s because how well you cultivate yourselves determines your power to save people as well as the effectiveness of your work. This is for sure.” (“2018 NTD and Epoch Times Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XV)
This year, I tried my best to participate in several large-scale truth clarification events in Canberra. On September 11, my lower back hurt badly, making it difficult for me to stand up or squat, yet I continued to take part in the Canberra event. When I came home, the pain subsided, and we received over $10,000 in advertising payments. On September 22, I joined in the Toowoomba parade with the Tian Guo Marching Band and walked the entire parade for an hour, despite the pain in my back. When I got home, I saw a few overdue accounts were also paid.
I’m grateful for Master’s blessing. I’m extremely happy that Master gave me this precious opportunity to help rectify the Fa and save sentient beings by being a part of the Epoch Times team. I would like to thank the publisher and practitioners at the Epoch Times for their tolerance and help. I’m so glad that I didn’t quit halfway through but persisted in helping Master rectify the Fa, saving sentient beings, and fulfilling my vows.
Looking back on these 30 years of cultivation, I truly realize that Master has borne so much suffering for practitioners, but allows us to gain mighty virtue and glory. It’s our immense fortune to be saved by such a great and compassionate Master who personally offers us salvation. We just have to be diligent and cultivate solidly, fulfill our historic missions, and live up to Master’s compassionate salvation, as well as the expectations of all sentient beings.
If there is anything inappropriate in this sharing, I hope fellow practitioners will kindly correct me.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
(Presented at the 2024 Australia Fa Conference)