(Minghui.org) I read Buddhist texts before I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1996, but the teachings of Dafa truly resonated with me. I felt I found a true cultivation way, so I diligently read the Fa (teachings) and practiced the exercises.
Six months after I began practicing the severe swelling and pain from my rheumatoid arthritis disappeared. Falun Dafa restored my health and I understood why we are in this world, and how to cultivate.
Taking Self-Interest Lightly
I work as hospital support staff. I try to be a better person by following Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance at work. I often find money in uniform pockets when I iron them. If it’s a small amount I put it back into the pocket and sew it shut. When the owner retrieves his uniform, he can open the stitches and find the money inside.
Whenever I discover larger amounts such as 20 or 50 yuan, I turn the cash over to my supervisor, along with a description of the clothing it was in. My coworkers usually take the money. They buy things like snacks with it, but I always refuse when they offer to share them with me. Society’s moral values are declining, but I refuse to follow suit. Under Dafa’s guidance I know what I must do to be a good person.
My family owns three acres of land which I rent out every year for farming. One spring my brother’s wife asked to rent our land and I agreed. The renter usually pays the owner upfront. Because I was renting to a close family member, I did not ask for the money and my brother’s wife did not pay me. When I went to the field to see what crop was planted, I saw it was still barren. My brother’s wife didn’t tell me she was no longer interested in renting our land. I was hesitant and wondered if I should ask her to pay or not. I quietly reached out to farmers I thought would be interested in planting this land, only to be told it was too late to plant anything.
The renter has to pay to use the field, even if their crop fails. If she decided not to farm the land, she should have immediately informed me so I could find someone else. Her irresponsible action resulted in our family’s financial loss. I complained to my husband’s younger sister, and soon after, my husband’s two sisters visited my home and told me, “Sister-in-law, let us rent your land. We are here to give you the rental fees.”
After my husband passed away a few years ago, I had difficulty supporting myself and my child. My husband’s sisters knew my circumstances and offered to help. However, as a practitioner, I must be considerate of others. The land could no longer be farmed, so how could I take their money? If I did this wouldn’t my loss be transferred to them? I told them, “Thank you for your kindness. It’s too late to plant anything so this year I won’t rent it to anyone. I’ll just accept the loss.”
Afterward, I realized this incident was arranged to help remove my attachment to material gain, and I was no longer upset.
Practitioners should not take advantage of others. Conversely when others try to take advantage of practitioners, should we just quietly let them, or should we fight with them? Doesn’t this concern the issue of loss and gain? When I recalled the Fa (teachings), I no longer resented my brother’s wife and did not mention my financial loss to her. Through this event, I eliminated my attachments to self-interest, resentment, and combative nature. Perhaps this was a debt I owed her from a previous lifetime. Even if that wasn’t the case, didn’t I gain virtue?
Remaining Calm When Faced with Difficulties
The lock on our office door broke. When I reported it to our supervisor, he flew into a rage. “Why are you reporting this to me?! Can’t you make the phone call yourself?!” According to the rules, all repairs had to be reported by our supervisor, who would arrange for a contractor to repair the lock, and then file an invoice to claim the fees. Our responsibility was to report the issue to him. Despite his unreasonable attitude, I remained calm and unmoved. My coworkers spoke up for me. “Arranging to have a broken lock repaired is the boss’s job. We have no authority.”
Whenever my supervisor asks me to do additional chores beyond my job description, I comply without complaint. When a coworker did not clean her designated room well, he told me to clean it. The ironing room can become very hot, so we usually shower at the end of our shift. One day, as I was exiting the shower area, my supervisor stopped me. “Who said you could shower?” When I told him I was the last person and everyone else finished, he silently walked away.
We were washing the rain boots worn by the outdoor workers. My coworker already completed an initial round of washing, so by the time they were sent to me for the second round of scrubbing, they were already relatively clean. I just needed to wash them a bit more for them to be acceptably clean. Yet my supervisor took one look and started yelling, “These are not clean!” Despite his attempt to nitpick my work, my heart remained calm. Besides helping me eliminate karma, my supervisor was also giving me virtue, improving my character and helping me increase my cultivation level.
I encounter most of my tribulations at work. My supervisor treats me unfairly and my coworkers resent me because I’m honest. If I were not a practitioner I would have retaliated against the people who bullied me, or I would have applied for a transfer away from this supervisor who made my life hard.
Falun Dafa’s principles—Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, guide me. I am determined to pay off my karmic debts, eliminate my karma and improve in levels. Master has borne the majority of my karmic debts, leaving only a small portion for me to endure. The tribulations I faced helped me eliminate my combative mindset. When my supervisor shows favoritism towards others, it helps me eliminate my feelings of jealousy and unfairness. Whenever he makes it difficult for me, I calmly endure. To return to my real home, I know I must suffer and endure hardships.
After witnessing my supervisor’s unfair treatment towards me, my coworkers started speaking out against this injustice. I clarified the truth about Falun Dafa and the persecution to them. When the COVID-19 epidemic broke out, some said, “You were right. Isn’t this the big disaster you talked about?”
Clarifying the Truth
I’ve called people to clarify the truth over the phone. I also posted truth-clarification stickers in public areas, distributed leaflets, and clarified the truth face-to-face.
I met a woman who had one of her lungs removed, and she had severe pneumonia in the other lung. She was cleared to return home for the New Year but had to be admitted late that night when her condition deteriorated. Before she went home, I explained that the “Tiananmen Self-Immolation” was a fraud. After learning about her worsening condition, I brought a copy of Zhuan Falun and read the Fa to her. She asked for the book and began reading.
A few days later, she happily called out to me as I was passing by, “I’ve recovered!” Before she was discharged she told me, “I really want to tell people how I was cured through reading this Dafa book, so others can benefit from it.” She previously refused to quit the CCP. When I offered to help her quit she immediately agreed.
I was clarifying the facts to an elderly lady when her son came over and demanded to know what we were talking about. I told him, “I’m telling your mother something beneficial.” He replied, “Is it about Falun Dafa? I’ll report you if you continue!” He took out his cell phone but I remained calm, and said, “I have good intentions in clarifying the facts to your mother. It won’t be good for you if you repay my goodwill by reporting me to the authorities.” He told me, “Just go.”
One meets all kinds of people while clarifying the truth. Every tribulation is an opportunity for me to eliminate my human attachments and elevate in levels. Only by adhering to the teachings of the Fa and behaving as a cultivator can I walk the path arranged by Master. I am determined to do well the three things, complete my mission, fulfill my sacred vow and return home with Master.
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