Young Practitioner: Letting Go of Personal Gain and Jealousy

(Minghui.org) I am a young Falun Dafa practitioner and have grown up in a family of cultivators. However, I once gave up practicing and often slacked off. But Master never gave up on me, always watched over me, and guided me back to the path of cultivation.

I enjoy reading the young Dafa disciples’ experience sharing articles on the Minghui website. It is as if I am reading my own experiences and helps me discover many hidden attachments.

Clarifying the Truth to My Clients

Master arranged for me to have a job with a flexible schedule in the cosmetic industry. I have had many opportunities to interact with young people and clarify the truth about Falun Dafa in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere.

For security reasons, I clarified the truth to my clients from a third-person perspective. I often broke the ice by listening to their complaints about life, sharing recent news, and talking about the current social chaos. I used the wisdom Master Li (Dafa’s founder) granted me and shared my opinions from the perspective of traditional ideas.

If my clients were in business, I told them about the terrible things the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has done. I said that an organization that had done so many bad things and killed so many people carried negative messages and that these negative messages could suppress their fortune and wealth. I advised them to distance themselves from the Party.

When they said they wanted to stay safe and healthy, I told them how Falun Dafa benefits people physically and mentally, and how people have been blessed by sincerely reciting the auspicious phrases “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”

Some of my clients said they did not believe in anything, and I learned that some of their families were involved in the persecution of Dafa practitioners. I silently sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate all the old force beings that prevented them from understanding the truth.

Some of my clients agreed to quit the CCP and its youth organizations, but it was hard to raise the topic of Falun Dafa. I was worried and distressed at those times. I knew it had something to do with my cultivation state, so I told myself that, no matter what, at least I should do my job well and take good care of my clients professionally. Otherwise, they might not return and thereby lose the chance to hear the truth about Dafa.

I treated my clients kindly, and my prices were reasonable. I was patient with demanding clients and kept myself from having negative thoughts about them. I just tried my best to provide excellent service to everyone. When recommending beauty products, I only suggested those suitable for the client rather than only focusing on the expensive ones.

When clients asked for a refund, even when it wasn’t my fault, I returned their money because I knew that’s what a practitioner should do. Sometimes my heart was in a tangle, and I felt unfairly treated, but no matter how challenging the situation, I kept in mind that I was a person who lived for others. I treated every client as if they were a member of my family and did not look at their bad sides. I knew I had to cultivate myself well if I wanted to awaken them. I was once lost in this ordinary society for too long. I have missed many chances to tell predestined people the truth about Dafa, so I now want to seize every moment to do well.

Taking Fame and Personal Interest Lightly and Eliminating Jealousy

Society’s moral standards have been declining sharply. In the beauty industry, many people only seek profit. They only promote expensive products and services, such as high-priced embroidery with so-called feng shui messages. Many of my peers persuaded their clients to buy those products and made a lot of money. Their monthly income could be in the hundreds of thousands or a million for some. Guided by Dafa, I understood that those services reflected distorted ideologies and carried bad messages. In addition, they cost way too much. I was determined not to go down that route, no matter how tempting it was.

However, it bothered me when I found my income dwarfed by other stores. Fellow practitioners and friends all seemed to have more money than me. They opened large stores and bought new cars or big houses. I didn’t think about it when my business was good, but I couldn’t stand it when I was struggling to cover basic expenses. I was very jealous and thought, “Why are ordinary people so blessed and able to make so much money just because they know the truth? How can Dafa practitioners have successful careers, when I am making so little?”

My business worsened when I wanted to make more money. I became jealous of others and felt that life was unfair. This mentality affected me. I couldn’t focus when studying the Fa. I didn’t know what to do. I studied the Fa and tried not to think about it. However, when I read, I couldn’t stop thinking, “Master, I’ve been doing the exercises and studying the Fa. I know I haven’t done well, but please let my business improve soon so I can clarify the truth to more people.” At that time, I didn’t realize I had a hidden pursuit of personal interest hidden under the excuse of saving people.

Master said,

“That’s because human beings all have debts to pay off that are owed over here and owed over there, and everybody has suffering they have to go through, and it’s precisely during such difficulties that you show whether you can cultivate. If you can, then everything might change. But your cultivation has to be solid, real, and self-motivated. If you say, “I’ll cultivate and I’ll do the exercises every day,” but deep down inside you’re secretly thinking, “As long as I practice, Master said all those troubles of mine will be removed and changed,” then if you have such thoughts, things won’t change. That’s because in that case you have a gap and you’re covering up your attachments. You might fool yourself, but you can’t fool divine beings. When you truly become a cultivator, become a right-minded and upstanding Dafa disciple, everything will change.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Western U.S. Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. V)

Looking back on what I had been doing since I started practicing, I saw that I was seeking what I wanted in the Fa. It made me feel as if I were a despicable thief who just took and never gave. I took Master’s compassion and profound caring for granted and begged Master for help when things went wrong.

I asked myself if these thoughts were from my true self and why I came to this world. I calmed down and recognized my notions and attachments. I knew I should think and behave like a practitioner.

I finally understood what Master said,

“But true improvements come from letting go, not from gaining or getting your way.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. II)

I used to recite this sentence to suppress my jealousy and came to understand that I should eliminate my attachments and not just restrain them. I had to face my problems, recognize my attachments, and eliminate them. After that, my cultivation started to improve, and my business improved.

I still had notions and negative thoughts from time to time, but when they came I looked within to examine my heart and dug out the hidden attachments behind what I said and did.

In today’s society, people are chasing fame and fortune, and their moral standards are deteriorating. People without ethical standards and faith dare to do all kinds of bad things. Things that attract people nowadays, such as video games, cell phones, having affairs, and money, also greatly tempted me. I seemed to be easily driven by fame, fortune, and my career. But as a disciple of Dafa, I have Master’s care and guidance, and I have the Fa to restrain my behavior.

Time is precious. I will seize every moment to practice diligently and fulfill my vows.