(Clearwisdom.net) I want to share my experiences in cultivation and saving sentient beings at my workplace over the past few years. Everything would have been smooth for me if I had followed Teacher's requirements, and I would have witnessed the wonders of Falun Dafa. But because I had looked at the Fa with quite strong human thoughts, my path of cultivation was like a roller coaster.
Before I started cultivation, I had worked in the finance sector and in the area of information technology. I was very impetuous and always wanted to reach my goals immediately. After I started practicing Falun Gong, I went to the other extreme; I failed to coordinate well the relations between my work and cultivation. After July 20, 1999, when the Communist Party started its persecution of Falun Gong, I went to Beijing several times and was involved in processing truth-clarification materials. Hence, I paid little attention to my normal work. However, my thoughts were very righteous whenever I looked for a job. For this reason, Teacher always gave me opportunities. Many times my work performance was very good and pay was also pretty good, but I never worked that long at one job. It became a habit that whenever I came across trouble, either I would not want to face it, I would deal with the problem with human feelings, or I would be so absent-minded in my performance that the people around me were disappointed.
In the last two years when I returned to my hometown from other provinces, I found that the local practitioners were spreading Falun Dafa, clarifying the truth, and encouraging people to quit the Chinese Communist Party and its related organizations in a steady and an orderly way. Suddenly I realized that I had failed to harmonize the environment and had brought trouble to clarifying the truth, so I decided to treat my life with care, calm down, and nobly and righteously validate the Fa in all areas.
Soon enough, someone introduced me to a job. Although comparatively speaking the job was not as good as the ones I had had before and the working conditions were not good and the pay was low, I still accepted it. I tried to draw on lessons I had learned from my previous experiences and overcome shortcomings in my cultivation.
Looking for Jobs with Righteous Thoughts
Due to the financial persecution by the old forces, many practitioners were short of money and came across many obstacles while searching for a job. I thought it was because they did not have a correct understanding of the Fa or used the excuse of "earning money" to use for Dafa purposes and "for clarifying the truth to save the sentient beings" to cover their attachments.
Actually, Teacher said before:
"You don't need to talk about making some amount of money to use for Dafa--you don't need to think about giving it to Dafa. If you want to talk about doing some big-time business, and make lots of money with that big business, you can leave it at that, (audience laughs) and you don't need to mention Dafa. That last part always sounds like a stretch to me. (Audience laughs) The reason is, I've told you that it's fine for Dafa disciples to make a lot of money, and you can do whatever type of work--that's not an issue. " ("Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference")
I enlightened that the Fa has prepared all wisdom and living conditions. The issue is how we put it into practice. Teacher did not acknowledge the persecution arranged by the old forces, nor did we. Every workplace that employs Dafa practitioners receives blessings. Maybe I had a human notion in this respect and was very confident that even during the time when I was forced to leave home and become homeless in order to avoid being arrested and persecuted, I still could easily find employment at the job fairs in various cities during my travels. I would be offered a job as an assistant to a general manager or even a branch manager. Even though the general manager knew I was a practitioner, he still expressed his willingness to protect me.
At one point in Shanghai, which was a gathering place for the evil forces, the general manager even felt so proud to have me, a practitioner, as his employee, that he proposed to let me use his office to clarify the truth. As a result, many of his friends came to visit him. Several individuals in high level management also asked me to help them to install the software for breaking through the Internet blockade.
Miracles in Doing Business
In my previous job I fostered a mentality of seeking short-term successes and quick profits. When I dealt with clients I always had a very clear purpose. Now I understand that my work provides me with opportunities to contact the sentient beings who have predestined relations with me, resolve all the karmic relations with benevolence, and at the same time to save them. However, I was unable to meet all the requirements. Since it was arranged by Teacher, I simply did these things by predestination and did not use human notions to deal with my clients.
Among my clients there were many government officials. From several people's view they were quite difficult to deal with. These officials treated visitors in a condescending manner. However, I never experienced this. They were all very friendly to me. This was because I used compassion gained from cultivating Falun Dafa to deal with every one of my clients.
One day I went to the tax bureau to look for the director of the administrative office. I didn't know which was the director's room. When I saw an office very well decorated, I just went in. The person in the office talked to me for about two hours as if we were old friends. After I came out, I learned that he was the director of the tax bureau. My business had been solved very quickly.
A few days ago I went to see a client. When I arrived at the gate the gatekeeper would not allow the taxi in, so I had to walk a long distance in the rain to get to his office. When it was time for me to leave, he insisted on driving me back. Since I did not want to bother him, I left while he was taking a phone call. When he caught up with me in his car, I was very moved.
My clients have treated me very kindly. I think we might have some kind of predestined relationship. During the Fa-rectification period, as long as we can treat others with a kind and compassionate mentality as a practitioner should, Teacher will help us to effect a benevolent solution.
I did not seek any particular result and just did whatever Teacher asked us to do and assimilated to the Fa unconditionally. The result was that Teacher unfolded the wonders of Dafa for me. One day I went to see a client. Our company had registered in the local area four months later than the other company which had established relations with this client two months before us. (This was the largest client in the local area and the most competitive one as well. It would decide whether our company would survive in that area. If we could not secure a deal with the client then our head-office would withdraw its investment.) The general director of the company in question said to me, "We had a sauna bath with the responsible members of the other company last night. They promised to gave us 40 thousand yuan as a kickback. I know that you are unable to do that, so I will not sign the contract with you." I said, "You haven't signed the contract, have you? In that case I still have an opportunity. You only need to give me ten minutes to introduce our company." He replied that he was very busy but I quickly replied that it was all right and that I would wait for him until he had time. I sat in his office quietly reading Zhuan Falun daily for four days.
He was really too busy to come to talk to me. In the afternoon on the fourth day, he managed to find some time to see me. He said, "I have never met such a quiet visitor. I will give you your opportunity. You tell me about your company." Just as I just finished talking, the director of the board of this client company returned. When he was told that our head-office was in Shenzhen, he told me that he was also from Shenzhen. On the following day he went back to Shenzhen and saw our company's banners everywhere. He phoned me and asked to see our managing director. I made the arrangements right away. After his vacation was over he came back and signed the contract with me. Our competitor was dumbstruck.
If I had not cultivated Dafa, I would have used human notions to look at the issue. Since they (the client and the competitor) had already developed such close relations, I would have thought I had no chance at all.
"In the eyes of human beings things don't change, but in the eyes of Gods all of this changes." ("Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference")
My path is arranged by Teacher so nothing happening around me is accidental. Since it is my work, I should do my best. As a result, miracles happen. I know that if I had not cultivated Dafa I would not have had the patience to sit in his office for that long. Even if I did sit in his office for a while, I would not have been able to sit there so completely at ease, which showed the client a compassionate and calm atmosphere.
Before I practiced Falun Gong I had very good social skills. I talked and dressed so well that I often attracted the attention of everyone at the dinner table. However, at the completion of every business deal, I was so extremely tired that I needed a long time to recover. After I learned Dafa, I found that my previous ideas changed. I became simple and sincere, as if I had been turned into another person. I understood the Fa that Teacher taught us in the past. He would seal off some of a practitioner's thoughts so that the practitioner would not think about problems in ways that would lead him down a blind alley. After I lost the "techniques of social engagement," I used compassion and kindness to reach my clients. In this way it became easier for me to do business. I also clarified the truth to a lot of my clients. As a matter of fact they thought I was not a common person but had my own thoughts and inner knowledge, so I naturally won their trust and did not need to "rack my brain" for ideas to please them.
Changes like this also surprised me. I became very sober, steady and full of energy. Since I felt very relaxed at work, I was able to save a lot of time to study the Fa and clarify the truth. Recalling my extreme thought about being unwilling to work, I found that I had been just like the frog in the well. I had been looking at Dafa with such a narrow mind. This was actually disrespect to Dafa. The time at work is also a process of enlightening to the Fa and validating the Fa.
"Calm, but without strain of thought--
The truly wondrous can be seen. "
("Abiding in the Dao" from Hong Yin)
Reading these words of the Fa made me feel like floating clouds and flowing water, natural and spontaneous, and I felt assured of my deep understanding of the Fa. There is a very famous saying in the Kung Fu community which states, "A few ounces can deflect a thousand pounds." In the past I thought it was just descriptive, but now I enlightened that it is the manifestation of the realm and the nature of the Fa when human beings of the past melt into nature. In view of this, we can see that the traditional Chinese Taoist principle "The Unity of Heaven and Man" has been totally destroyed by the false reasoning and heresy of "fighting against heaven and earth" advocated by the Communist Party. Thereafter, human beings' natural links with the gods have been separated. This is a most horrible thing for the Chinese people.
Many people think that doing business requires methods, techniques, and all kinds of marketing concepts. People are terrified by the idea of all these things. If I was not practicing Falun Dafa, I would have no way to enlighten to the principle that "a great way is extremely simple and easy" and have the pleasure of "pursue nothing and gain naturally!" In the past I thought it was a waste of time to go to work. That was because I could not understand the Fa correctly. Teacher said:
"Yet what I want to do today and the cultivation method I've conferred to Dafa disciples are to establish in the cosmos an unprecedented, higher wisdom. The goal is to make it possible for beings that drop down in the future to return from here--at the very least they'll have such a chance. This is part of the cosmos being able to harmonize itself." ("Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference")
Cultivate Xinxing at All Times
I had this fear of being wronged. Several months ago, the chairman of the board of directors sent me to visit dozens of clients to collect feedback. I reported on the actual situation. This chairman always blamed the attitude of a branch manager on a poor business situation. He was unwilling to face the true situation. Therefore he changed a good half of my report to targeting that manager. After seeing the revised report I felt very bad. I thought that the manager would be mad at me. During that period of time he was very rude to me and I was unable to explain that the changes were made by the chairman of the board of directors.
One evening my mind was in a turmoil over this. I did not want to be wronged anymore so I wanted to phone the manager to explain everything. However, when I sent forth righteous thoughts targeting this problem, my attachment of fear of being wronged emerged. I kept trying to send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate it. I eventually calmed down and thought it was not important to clarify the facts any longer. Thereafter I faced him with complete ease, even though the problem was still there.
One day I realized that this manager was also one of the sentient beings. What if the issue between us hindered his correct understanding of Dafa? How selfish I was, since I only thought about how to improve my xinxing! After this thought emerged, I went to meet him one morning. He suddenly smiled at me and asked me about the operation of the business. I told him about the the actual situation of the market survey. He smiled and said, "I was wondering how come it all targeted me. It doesn't matter." The matter had finally been solved. Originally I had worried that the chairman of the board of directors would blame me, but nothing of the kind happened!
One day I took some clients on a tour of our company. It was previously arranged that several deputy general managers would meet the clients. However, due to an internal struggle for benefits, they neglected our guests and pushed everything on me, which put me into a very difficult position. If it happened before I practiced Falun Dafa, I would have flown into rage and even would have resigned! In the evening when I studied the Fa I realized that I should not use human notions to solve the problem.
After Fa study and sending forth righteous thoughts, I finally calmed down and let go of my attachment to fear that the clients would blame me and think I was incapable. On the following day I said, calmly, to the deputy general mangers, "When the clients came to our company, beside the hardware, they also came to see our team. If it was for only my own performance, they already saw it so it was quite unnecessary for them to come to our company. I hope you can cooperate well." They thought what I had said was reasonable and all said that they would do well. Teacher said,
"Actually, with a lot of things if you calmly and gently talk to people and handle those things rationally, you'll find that your wisdom will flow forth like a spring, and every sentence of yours will get right to the point, and every sentence will speak the truth." ("Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference")
The chairman of the board of directors asked me, "Does Falun Gong require practitioners to work diligently? Do you use Falun Gong as your guidance? It seems good to have such belief." Later when he and I talked to the guests, he always raised the subject for me to clarify the truth. The deputy managers now all have a good impression of me. They think that I work hard and am able to endure hardships, have good conduct, and have very good skills in public relations. I know everything comes from Dafa. Before I was forced to leave and become homeless I had always lived a very good life and was pampered and spoiled. My endurance was very poor. It is Dafa that has taught me to be strong.
Compassionately Saving the Sentient Beings
My work provided me with many opportunities to clarify the truth and encourage people to quit the Communist Party and its related organizations. I treated everyone equally regardless of their government organization, enterprise, or rank/position. Some government officials wanted me to install the anti-blockade software. If I found something hard to say in person I asked other practitioners to e-mail them the truth clarification materials once I got the e-mail address. Sometimes people from several dinner tables listened to me. Cultivating Falun Dafa is the most glorious thing, so every time I clarified the truth to them, what I had to say sounded very appealing and many people liked to listen to me.
Several years ago I accompanied someone to attend a wedding of an official from the provincial police department. It was the time when Zhao Zhifei (he was the head of the Hubei Provincial Police Department and Second in Command of the provincial 610 Office) had just returned to China after being sued abroad. Most of the people attending the wedding were from the police department or the political and judicial system. There were more than twenty people in my box. I talked loudly about the disgraceful things that Zhao Zhifei did. Everyone listened attentively. From time to time someone would raise a question or two. Two colleagues of Zhao tried to defend him and used distorted information to argue with me to distract other people's judgments. I sent forth righteous thoughts to make them leave. As a result, before the wedding started, the two of them left our box and went to the hall to have a jolly time until the wedding was over. The remaining people in my box all listened to me attentively. Among them was an official from the provincial political and judicial committee, who said, "When I am at work I behave as another person, now I am not at work so I like to listen to you talk."
Someone showed concern for my safety. This was because there were simply too many policemen there at the wedding. Perhaps Zhao Zhifei himself was in the hall. However, when I noticed that many people wanted to know the truth I continued talking and did not have any fear. I was moved to tears. From the beginning of the wedding to the end, except for those two who argued with me, no one left.
One day I met with the head of the local criminal police division at a dinner table. He was the head of a police substation. He said that a few days before he had interrogated a Falun Gong practitioner. Because the practitioner stopped him from saying Teacher's name, he beat the practitioner. I was very angry when I heard that. I looked into his eyes and said very loudly, "Don't you know that many heads of police substations have either died in car accidents or sudden illnesses? If you don't care about retribution to yourself and your family, then go ahead!" Many people tried to persuade me from talking any further. The table next to ours was occupied by the members of the criminal police division. I felt very bad about the persecution the practitioners had suffered. I said, "Today I will clarify the issue with him. It would do him good."
He was deterred by my dignified and imposing manner when I spoke. He said seriously, "I want to listen to her." He even moved to the seat next to me. I talked to him for more than an hour so that he would repent his wrongdoing. Before leaving, he said timidly, again and again, "Actually I did not really beat the practitioner. I only wanted to scare him. From now on I will not treat the practitioners badly."
Sometimes when people at the dinner table chatted about this and that, I sent forth righteous thoughts to switch the topic to Falun Gong and quitting the CCP. It proved to be effective every time. Actually, it is just like Teacher said, that everyone has a side that is clear about things and wants to know the truth. As long as our righteous thoughts are strong, Teacher will certainly help us.
I did not pass up any opportunity to clarify the truth. It is as if an automatic mechanism formed at the beginning of the persecution. I have gained repayment from it. In 2000, I was promoted to deputy manager of the branch company. The general manager of the head-office held the first banquet for the branch managers all around the country. When everyone raised their glasses for a toast, I said, "Since I practice Falun Dafa, I don't drink." Everyone was so shocked that they all put down their glasses.
During the banquet I kept clarifying the truth and almost everyone asked me questions. It lasted until late at night. Then the general manager brought many people to my room and continued to discuss the topic. The general manager said, "From the very beginning I have known that the Communist Party is lying. The death rate of practitioners is far below normal. This shows that it (Falun Gong) is very effective in curing illness and improving peoples' health. Many entrepreneurs in Shenzhen are studying issues such as how Falun Gong takes care of so many people, and they want to use it in their businesses. Why were 10,000 to 20,000 practitioners able to go to and leave Zhongnanhai in no time and after they left there was not a single cigarette stub on the ground." I told them, "Our Teacher said that he does not want anything from us, but wants our hearts to be good. Therefore, everyone tries to become a better person." Many people suddenly realized that the Communist Party has fabricated absurd and shameless lies to deceive people.
Before I went to Beijing for the second time I phoned the deputy general manager. He asked, "You will not stay behind no matter what I say, will you?" I said that was correct. He said, "OK, pay attention to your safety." On Monday when I did not show up at work, he guessed that I had been arrested so he sent people to Beijing to rescue me. A practitioner who went to Beijing with me was beaten to death. One month later I went to Tiananmen Square again. Hence, even the general manager of our group called me Falun Gong Warrior, and I became a noted person in the group. I felt happy that so many people in the group have righteous thoughts.
I began to send out truth-clarification materials in 2000 in large quantities. From a grand and spectacular scale at the beginning I am doing it quietly now. It has been six years of difficulties and hardships. However, I never felt strongly that it was a mission. Instead, I always thought it was requested by Teacher so I had to do it well. I often puzzled why my cultivation did not make me compassionate.
Beginning this year I was determined to eliminate my remaining fundamental attachments. One day when I was sending out truth-clarification materials I looked at the myriad twinkling lights and suddenly felt that it was so bitter to be a human being. Human beings are immersed in fake principles and a course of human life soaked in emotion. However, when all this illusion is over, they cannot take away anything with them, but they still need to go through the sixfold path of reincarnation. The most pitiful are the Chinese people, who have been hijacked by the Communist evil spirit. They do not believe in God and do not respect the heavens. Because they are living with the standards of hell, they still are ignorant. If it were not for Teacher there would be no humankind today! Suddenly I felt a little bit of the hardship that Teacher has been suffering to save us. Becoming a Fa-rectification period practitioner is the most lofty glory of the cosmos. How lucky we are. We have no reason not to come forward to save the sentient beings simply because of our selfishness. This is the expectation of Teacher and the cosmos! I felt deeply ashamed that I only knew how to save sentient beings passively. With tears in my eyes, I put the truth-clarification materials gently on every doorstep and quietly told them the blessings brought to them by Falun Dafa practitioners. My heart was full of gratitude toward Teacher.
In spite of this, I still do not do well in many areas. For example, among my classmates and friends, most of them have gained vested interests. The results of clarifying the truth to them about quiting the CCP was not as good as the results I achieved in clarifying the truth to them in the past. I noticed that I had a lazy mentality, and thought about how I had been talking to them all these years, and that I felt a bit tired and no longer wanted talk. I was satisfied just giving them a copy of the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. I am overcoming this lazy mentality.
Some of the things that I have done are still not in line with the Fa. Since the Fa-rectification has not ended yet, as long as there are the things in our cultivation that Teacher doesn't acknowledge I will not acknowledge them either. I will certainly do them better in the future.
For anything I did not do well, please feel free to comment and correct.