(Minghui.org)
Eliminating Evil and Pursuing goodness
I was a Chinese Communist Party (CCP) cadre before I began practicing Falun Gong. My company dealt with transportation operations, and also controlled its revenue and expenses. In other words, as a way of making an underhanded source of income, it took bribes from vehicle owners who passed through the gates at the company. In today’s Chinese society, people cannot tell right from wrong.
I had developed a very strong competitive mentality and I only pursued self-interest in this environment. It was just as Teacher said in Zhuan Falun,
"You do not know what a tiring life he leads: He cannot eat or sleep well; he fears losing self-interest even in dreams, and he will go all out for personal gain. Wouldn’t you say that he leads a tiring life, as his entire life is dedicated to that?"
I believed in gods and reincarnation. At my workplace, I protected and took care of people who had little power. My husband runs his own business at home, and because of his strong personality, we often argued. I was not very happy. In addition, my work gave me headaches. I had to spend a lot of time and energy entertaining customers. As a result, I developed a variety of illnesses. I was in physical and mental pain.
I went to meet my sister in a park on July 1, 1998. She used to be quite ill and could not walk down the stairs by herself. When I saw her walking towards me, a feeling of admiration arose in my heart.
I wondered why she was in such high spirits, so I asked her, "You said that Falun Dafa is great. How great is it? Please tell me. Does it say that society is in great decline and there is no more morality? Does it mention reincarnation? Does it talk about how to be a good person?"
She nodded her head and said, "Yes, it covers all of what you just said."
I then said to her, "I no longer have any faith in society. I want to practice Falun Gong with you." My sister gave me a copy of the book Zhuan Falun, and I spent the entire night reading it. The next day at work during lunch, I dreamed I was in heaven. When I awoke, I had a very nice feeling in my heart. I felt so fortunate for having obtained the Fa. Teacher cleaned my body after that. When I did the exercises, pus kept flowing from my nose and mouth for nearly 20 days. At least three to four basins of pus came out. I felt so relieved, and I truly began to feel that I was illness-free.
As I improved physically, through Fa-study and trials, one after another, my xinxing also improved. I began to gradually let go of the pursuit of power and self-interest, I no longer fought with others over self-interest, and I began thinking of others first, using the standard of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to discern right and wrong. I gave jobs to people who lacked power rather than listen to my manager all the time, regardless of whether he was right or wrong. When I found that he was wrong, I explained to him in a kind way or suggested alternative ways of handling things. I took the initiative in communicating my mistakes or faults to my manager.
I became tolerant when dealing with conflicts at home. When my husband blamed me for something, I responded with a smile on my face. So any conflict that was about to happen disappeared. As to my relatives or friends, I focused on taking my share of the responsibilities, and never considered whether I would lose anything. For example, when my father-in-law passed away, his family members divided up his legacy in secret without telling us or giving us a penny. But we paid the entire cost of the funeral. I also took this opportunity to clarify the facts to my family, and have them agree to proceed with the three withdrawals (quitting the CCP and affiliated organizations).
I came to understand through studying the Fa that being a human is not for fighting with others over self-interest, but rather to return to one's original, true self. I also realized that my path in the past led to evilness. Without Teacher's benevolence, I could have dropped into hell. I am truly lucky!
Letting Go of Fame and Self-interest, and Rectifying One's Path
I had dealt with money and power at work in the past. When dealing with customers, taking bribes was very normal, and truly against Dafa's requirements. If I were to go down the same path as others, I could have gained a lot of self-interest, whereas if I followed Dafa, I would sometimes run into difficulties. Since I began practicing Dafa, even though it is not an easy path, I must walk on this path and follow Teacher to return home. I decided to start with myself, "Puts a stop to its downward slide." (“Illuminating All” from Hong Yin Vol. II) I asked my subordinates to do things right by following the rules.
A few trucks which violated the rules were stopped on one occasion. I asked only that they hand in vehicle management fees, as opposed to fining them. I asked that the client take the vehicles back, so that his business would not be affected. He was very touched. Sometimes he wanted to put money in my pocket, but I refused every time. I also told him that I practiced Falun Gong, and I would not accept money from him. He was very excited and said, "It is very rare to encounter people like you these days. Practitioners are truly wonderful. The land of Falun Gong is such a pure land."
If one does not have connections or a network these days, it is almost impossible to get things done, but I helped them. They truly appreciated my help and wanted to give me money to show their appreciation. I said that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner, and I followed Teacher's requirements. I would not take their money, even when they were insistent. I also talked with them about the principles of accumulating virtue and doing good deeds, and being good people by following "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance." All of them said, "Falun Dafa is truly wonderful, and your Teacher is truly wonderful. We want to practice as well." All five of them later proceeded with the "three-withdrawals, and some of them have begun to practice Dafa as well.
Study the Fa to Rectify Oneself--Assist Teacher in Saving Sentient Beings
We are Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples. Our every move and action has an impact on how we elevate in our cultivation and whether we can save sentient beings. Teacher asked us to do the three things well. Therefore, we need to study the Fa well, send forth righteous thoughts, clarify the facts to fulfill our pre-historical vows in terms of assisting Teacher to rectify the Fa, and save sentient beings. So I started with clarifying the facts to my family.
I was very anxious at first, and didn't fully clarify the facts to them. One of my brothers didn't want to listen to me. He was cynical and I couldn't do anything about it. I later calmed down and began to look inward. Through Fa-study, I came to realize my attachment to sentimentality. I had strong selfishness towards them, and did not treat them as other sentient beings to be saved. Therefore, there wasn't a positive outcome from clarifying the facts to them.
I talked to them again later from another angle. I told them the transformation that happened to me when I began practicing, and that I have become more tolerant, which they had witnessed. That was the case with my mother who had been bedridden for a few years. I had been taking care of her myself. They saw it and were very touched. Before I practiced, I wouldn't have let them off the hook, and would have certainly fought with them. When I now give truth-clarifying materials to my brother he gladly accepts them.
My brother suddenly came to see me one day in 2011. He said that he went to the hospital for a check-up, and was diagnosed with cancer of the rectum just like my mother. The doctor said that this illness was genetic, and more than 90% of the time it was malignant. My brother’s cancer was also in the same spot as my mother’s.
He asked me what he should do. I said, “Since it already happened, I suggest you say sincerely ‘Falun Dafa is wonderful, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is wonderful.’ He then went to the park where he began to shout, "Falun Dafa is wonderful! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is wonderful!" After a while, he went to the hospital for another check-up. It turned out that his tumor was benign, and he had it removed with surgery at the hospital. It shocked him, and at that time, when I asked him to quit the Party, he gladly agreed. On his own he listened to Teacher's Fa lectures, and he asked his wife and son to complete the three-withdrawals. Once when I went out to distribute truth-clarification materials, I took a lot with me. Seeing this, he asked me for some and handed them out by himself. I later helped another two brothers in the family with the three withdrawals.
I also took advantage of holidays to clarify the facts to other relatives and friends. I clarified the facts to farmers, vendors, and merchants. I handed out truth-clarification materials and helped them proceed with the three-withdrawals. It was fairly easy to clarify the facts to people of low or middle class, and a little more difficult with people of a higher status or who were wealthy.
Even so, I didn't give up. Teacher said in "What is a Dafa Disciple,"
"In whatever you do you should carry it through to the end, do it well, and if you intend to save someone, then go ahead and save him. When someone is placed before you, there isn’t a choice—you’re wrong if you become selective in terms of saving people. As long as he is someone you run into, you should save him, regardless of his position or social status, or whether he be the president or a beggar. In the eyes of gods, beings are equal. Social status is just a distinction made in human society."
At the workplace, our president, who was in charge of transportation, was also my supervisor. I often clarified the facts to him. A few days after I quit my job, I came to clarify the facts to him again. He said to me, "You just got everything sorted out. It's your time to make more money, but you quit. I feel sorry for you but I also totally admire your Teacher, who has changed you. It's not easy to be a good person these days." He has seen that I could let go of power and money, as well as be considerate of him. I clarified the facts to him on the staged "Self-immolation" incident, the corruption of the Chinese Communist Party, as well as the Two-Hundred Million-Year-Old Hidden Word Stone, which carries six traditional Chinese characters, “The Chinese Communist Party Collapses.”
He finally agreed to proceed with the "three-withdrawals." He also asked me to take care of myself and pay attention to my safety. Through this, I came to realize that as long as one cherishes a benevolent heart and follows what Teacher says, the power of the Fa will manifest and people will truly be saved.
The above sharing is about my cultivation experience, in terms of assisting Teacher in rectifying the Fa, and saving sentient beings during the past few years. Fellow practitioners, please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
