(Minghui.org) Soon after I began practicing Falun Dafa in 2011, my insomnia, tonsillitis and headaches disappeared. The practice not only improved my health but also helped harmonize my relationships with others. By striving to conduct myself following Falun Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, I gained the trust and recognition of upper management at my job.
Practicing Falun Dafa opened my wisdom, and I’d like to tell you how my environment changed when my mindset improved.
While interacting with various departments at work, everyone is usually polite and courteous. However, when a problem arises and issues can’t be resolved people try to shift the blame.
I once found myself in this situation. After multiple unsuccessful attempts to resolve an issue, the other person was determined to place the blame on my department, which I was the head of. As a practitioner, I knew I shouldn’t be upset, but the feelings of grievance and resentment were difficult to overcome. It was past 9:00 pm, so I decided to put the issue aside and went home to meditate.
Listening to Master’s voice and the music as I meditated helped me calm down. I remembered Master taught us to practice Falun Dafa’s principles:Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. I thought, “As a practitioner, I should be tolerant. If they insist on me taking the blame, I will. This is Master’s way of reminding me to let go of fame and personal gain.”
I began drafting an email in my mind. The draft made perfect sense and allowed both sides to save face. I marveled at the wonders of Dafa and realized what it truly means to have wisdom.
After meditating, I turned on my computer. As soon as my computer finished starting up, new emails began coming in one after another. One of them was from the manager who wanted to blame my department. I nervously clicked it open—and froze. It was an apology letter, and she withdrew her accusation!
I rubbed my eyes and read it again. Her attitude changed 180 degrees. I checked the timestamp, and it was sent exactly the moment I decided to take the blame while I meditated. It turned out that what Master said about, “circumstances follow the mind” is true!
From then on when I looked inward, I was often pleasantly surprised by how much the circumstances changed when my mindset did. This reinforced my determination to believe in Master and the Fa even more.
Another Practitioner’s Tribulations are Cultivation Opportunities
Another practitioner, Ailing (alias), and I are very close. Last year, she faced a crisis where her business’ financial chain was broken, she had some health issues, and the conflicts at home intensified.
She turned to me for advice, and I was eager to help. However, each time we exchanged understandings, my words seemed to make little difference. She complained to me almost every day. I was stressed out and worried that something bad might happen to her.
When my left shoulder began to ache I knew the old forces were taking advantage of my loopholes and trying to impose bad things on me. I looked inward and identified many attachments, but the situation didn’t improve much.
I reached out to another practitioner, Bing (alias), for help. She patiently listened and said: anyone who crosses paths with you is there to help you cultivate. Even though they may seem to be seeking your help, you should unconditionally look inward instead of focusing on giving them advice.
So I looked inward unconditionally and found I had the attachment of qing (sentimentality) between fellow practitioners. I realized that Ailing’s pain stemmed from her being unable to extricate herself from her hardships. She was unwilling to look inward—instead she complained about the crisis at work and home.
I also realized that I was anxious about her and was trying to pull her out of the mire, but in doing so, I fell into the mire myself. I also saw that Ailing was entangled in guilt and pain after seeing that my help had been in vain.
At that moment, I suddenly realized that Ailing’s main consciousness must have come to me because of my own attachment, and she was helping me remove this attachment at the cost of her own suffering. My attachment was handling things from the perspective of qing.
I felt the first step in removing my attachment was to stop listening to complaints—by listening I was pleasing the old forces. By refusing to listen, I would also be helping Ailing cultivate her speech, remove her attachment to relying on others, and I would become more rational.
When Ailing called again, I asked if it was urgent. She replied that it was not, and that she just wanted to vent about the same things so she could feel better. This time, instead of pointing out that she was not looking inward, I simply told her that I was busy. She decided to hang up. I completed the first step: I stayed in control of myself and gave Ailing the opportunity to face her emotions on her own.
The second step was to trust that Master was watching over Ailing and that she was capable of passing her own tribulations. I realized I shouldn’t worry too much.
Gradually, Ailing began to focus on how to change her situation. She actively studied marketing courses to broaden her thinking and stopped calling me to complain.
The process took more than six months. During this time, I focused on studying the Fa, cultivated my xinxing, and looked inward. Thanks to what Bing pointed out, I finally understood what the predestined relationships between people, especially practitioners, truly are.
We shouldn’t become so involved in fellow practitioners’ problems that we forget that these are opportunities for us to look inward.
This concludes my limited understanding. Please kindly point out anything improper.
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Category: Improving Oneself
