(Minghui.org) I am a Falun Dafa practitioner from a small town. When I recall my cultivation path over the years, every step has been imbued with Master’s vast benevolence and protection. No words can describe my gratitude. I can only cultivate myself well, do the three things diligently, and conscientiously save more people to repay Master. I’d like to share my cultivation experience and understandings that I gained while I was purchasing an apartment.
A practitioner named Annie and I lived on different floors in the same building. Annie’s husband is also a practitioner. In the past, I did not study the Fa deeply and had a shallow understanding of it. Annie helped me a lot in my cultivation.
The place that I rented was narrow and small. My children wanted to buy me a suitable apartment, and a nearby family happened to be selling theirs. Although we had many negotiations, no agreement could be reached. What was the reason? I looked within and found that it was due to my limited financial capability. I did not want to spend a lot of money on an apartment. I came to realize that my attachment to benefits was still very strong because I always wanted to buy a good apartment cheaply.
Initially, I found a garage that I liked in a residential community. It was nicely renovated, but a few of my relatives said that no matter how good a garage was renovated, it can never beat an apartment. As my elderly husband has difficulty walking and climbing stairs, we had to choose a low-floor apartment. I decided that I would not buy an apartment if it were located on the second floor, which made my search even more difficult.
Despite visiting many places, I could not find a suitable apartment. One day, my nephew told me that an apartment on the second floor near where he lived was for sale and asked me to go take a look. When I went to see it, I immediately liked it. The price was not high, and it was decorated nicely. I quickly reached an agreement with the owner, signed a contract, and gave him a 5,000 yuan deposit. The contract clearly stated that if any party violates the contract, he or she would have to pay the other party 5,000 yuan as compensation.
However, by the time I got home, less than five hours from when I signed the contract, the owner regretted it and called me to say that he was no longer selling the apartment. I was very angry and thought to myself, “How can he do that? Who does a thing like that and violates the contract right after signing it? This cannot do, I cannot let things end like this; I must ask him to compensate me! According to the contract, he needs to compensate me with 5,000 yuan.”
But, I had a shift in my thinking: I am a Dafa practitioner, how can I be moved by such thoughts? I understood this is a real test, but this gain is right in front of me, and that moved my heart. Annie saw my attachment to sentimentality and said, “You are a Dafa practitioner, so you need to measure things based on the Fa. Compare them with Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. You cannot fight with the other party like an ordinary person, or else you will become an ordinary person.”
I understood the principle intellectually, but the attachment was really hard to let go of. I thought to myself, “It was not easy for me to find an apartment that I like, and the contract stated clearly that there should be compensation for breaching it. Now, it is the other party who regrets their decision, so there should be nothing wrong with my asking for compensation. There is nothing wrong with that, even if I follow the reasoning of ordinary people. Furthermore, 5,000 yuan is not a small amount!”
This attachment to personal gain made my heart beat so fast, and I kept rejecting it. I then thought, “I am not an ordinary person. I am a cultivator, so I must get rid of the attachment to personal gain.” Despite that, this attachment kept reappearing, and I kept suppressing it. I thought about what I should do and kept studying the Fa to strengthen my righteous thoughts.
With continuous Fa study and improving based on the Fa, I learned that what cultivators need to get rid of are fame, gain, and emotion; it is not a coincidence that this happened to me.
If I am fixated on personal gain, I can go down the rabbit hole and have more attachments, such as complaining, hatred, fighting with others, etc. If I do not suppress it, the evil elements will make use of this attachment and strengthen it, making me steer away from my path of cultivation. A cultivator needs to look at problems based on the Fa. Regardless of whether it’s good or bad, I must look at the problem with righteous thoughts. Isn’t this a chance for me to improve my xinxing? It’s an opportunity for me to get rid of the attachment to personal gain. Isn’t that a great thing? How can I pass up this chance? When I understood the principle, I suddenly felt so relaxed.
I then went to the owner’s house and said, “Just return my deposit to me. I do not need the compensation that is mentioned in the contract. I practice Falun Dafa, and Master told us to follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance and become better people. I need to put myself in others’ shoes and see if my behavior can be accepted or if it is harmful to others. I believe that you must have your reasons for not selling the apartment anymore. I do not blame you and I understand you.” The seller was delighted to hear that. I then clarified the truth to him. It is the evil Party that is persecuting us, and he understood what I said, and agreed with Dafa and quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations.
Purchasing an apartment is quite a difficult process for me because I wanted one on the ground floor, renovated and ready for move-in. As I did not want to waste too much time on this matter, I left it on the shelf for now. However, I did not expect that less than half a year later, Annie told me her neighbor was in a hurry to sell their apartment. I liked the apartment the moment I saw it, and it was even better than the earlier one I saw. Not only was it renovated well, but the living area was big, and the price was appropriate. It was also near Annie’s apartment, making it convenient for me to go to group Fa study.
I never expected to be able to get such an ideal apartment. This is Master’s miraculous arrangement. Thank you, Master! I understood that we really get blessings when we cultivate in Dafa. As long as we let go of our attachments and do the three things well, Master will definitely arrange the best for us!
Through this apartment purchasing experience, my xinxing improved a lot. I believe that I was able to have such a good ending because I was able to discover my attachment. I recognized this attachment through my cultivation in Dafa and abiding by the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance to correct myself in time. Additionally, I also learned that as a cultivator, I cannot only look at who is right and who is wrong in the face of a conflict. The critical thing is to look at how my heart was moved and correct myself in time to be considerate. When my xinxing truly gets elevated, my gong will follow suit!
Thank you, Master!
Thank you, fellow practitioners, for your help!
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Category: Improving Oneself
