Looking Within After Experiencing a Car Accident

(Minghui.org) While I was driving straight through a green light at an intersection in February 2025, a car in the opposing direction turned left into my lane. I could not stop in time and hit the other car. Although both cars were heavily damaged to the point that airbags were deployed, no one was hurt.

Although blame for the accident lay entirely on the other party, I realized this accident was actually the culmination of my long-standing problems. Master utilized this process to help me improve and reach the standard of a practitioner.

Eradicating Chinese Communist Party Ideology

On reflection, I discovered many undesirable driving habits that stemmed from ingrained Chinese Communist Party (CCP) culture. As a Fa-rectification period Falun Dafa practitioner, I thought my time was precious compared to others, and used this as an excuse to ignore ordinary society’s traffic rules. I would rush through yellow lights and rush to cross the road whenever I thought pedestrians were at a safe enough distance. I would stop for the minimum amount of time at each stop sign, check my mobile phone for text messages while waiting at a red light, and did not pay attention to my surroundings while driving through intersections. In hindsight, if I had paid more attention to oncoming vehicles, this accident might have been avoided.

When I first started driving in the United States, I found Americans in general to be very courteous. Drivers often gave way to pedestrians and often gestured at me to go first when I encountered them at stop signs. This starkly contrasts with my experience while driving in China. I failed to adopt these good manners and consideration toward others and even took things for granted. People gradually stopped giving way to me, and I started complaining about how people were changing for the worse, not realizing that this reflected something wrong with me.

I did not realize my character had problems, even though I was not a kind person on the road at all. Although I always ensured a safe distance between my car and pedestrians before I drove past stop signs, the speed at which I drove was still cause for concern. Cultivators should be good people at all times and be considerate of others, on or off the road. Yet why did I not realize my lack of kindness while driving?

Have Great Aspirations While Minding Minor Details

In fact, my spouse (also a practitioner) often reminded me while I was on the road, “Don’t rush! Don’t rush!” I would rebut, “We’re already late,” and continue with my ingrained behavior. Deep down, I did not believe in strictly complying with the rules of ordinary society. As a cultivator entrusted with the duty in Fa-rectification, I assumed it was acceptable to violate some minor rules in order to save time.

Two years ago, I impatiently tried to rush through while the traffic light was yellow and instead ran a red light. I paid a fine and enrolled in a mandatory online driving lesson. However, I paid little attention during the class but managed to get a full score by reasoning my way through the test. Naturally, I failed to learn from this mistake. A few months later, I failed to make it through another yellow light before it turned red. When I visited the police station to pay the fine, the police could not locate this incident in their system and eventually told me to take it that this violation did not occur.

I later learned that this violation would have resulted in the suspension of my driver’s license for six months. I realized that Master must have protected me by canceling the second ticket, preventing this incident from affecting my regular life and my ability to work on truth clarification projects. Thinking back, I feel ashamed. More shamefully, while I became more careful around yellow lights, I continued to excuse my bad driving habits as unavoidable because I was rushing for time.

Master taught us,

“He is full of great aspirations while minding minor details.” (“Sage,” Essentials for Further Advancement)

My neglect resulted in this problem worsening. We cannot disregard the rules of ordinary society with the excuse that we are carrying out the most important task in the universe. Ordinary society is also a part of the Fa!

After this incident, I made a pledge, “Master, please forgive me. I will definitely change this time! I will not tarnish the reputation of Dafa disciples while driving.” People began graciously giving way to me again. It was truly,

““the appearance stems from the mind.”” (“Fa Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World, Volume X)

Attachment to Material Gain

Because I never considered cost when contributing to truth-clarification projects, I assumed I had no attachment to material gain. In truth, I remained shrewd and calculating when faced with matters of ordinary human society. For example, I use different credit cards to buy different types of goods so I can get the highest rebates. I use store discount coupons and help my parents collect elderly benefits. Yet I never considered this a desire for material gain, because I believed I was doing a good deed by channeling these gains into additional resources for Dafa. In fact, the desire for material gain was hidden within my actions.

In the aftermath of the accident, the police told me the other driver’s insurance details would be included in the police report. As the report would be issued in two days, I decided not to pursue this information from the other driver. Moreover, I felt shaken in the immediate aftermath of this life-threatening experience. But as the days passed without a sign of the police report, I began to worry. I could not remove my car, which was incurring significant parking fees at the police parking lot, without knowledge of the other party’s insurance company. Moreover, if the other party was not insured, I might fail to obtain any compensation, since I had no plans to sue the driver.

One day while mulling over this issue, a passage from Zhuan Falun suddenly appeared in my mind.

“As you know, when a person reaches the Arhat level, in his heart he is not concerned about anything. He does not care at all in his heart for any ordinary human matter, and he will always be smiling and in good spirits. No matter how much loss he suffers, he will still be smiling and in good spirits without any concern. If you can really do this, you have already reached the entry-level Fruition Status of Arhatship.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)

I silently mulled over this passage several times before I understood that Master was trying to guide me to reach a cultivation standard! My desire to gain profit and fear of being at a disadvantage were human attachments. Upon recognizing and rejecting them, my feelings of discomfort vanished. As long as the determination to cultivate is there, any attachment will be quickly eliminated by Dafa!

Removing My Bad Habit of Impatience

This incident forced me to correct my impatient nature, which had been superficially covered up. For example, while queuing at the cashier I would constantly scan around and switch to the fastest-moving queue. Often, the line I switched to would suddenly become the slowest. Similarly, I would try to switch to the fastest lane while driving on the road.

The delay in obtaining the police report triggered my impatience, and this was reflected in my tone whenever I called to inquire. By the 20th day, the personnel who answered my call could not even give me a reason for the delay in issuing the report. I became really anxious and wondered if I should approach a friend, whose husband was a retired senior police officer, to help me check with the police station. As soon as this thought went through my mind, a passage from Zhuan Falun instantly flashed through my thoughts.

“Being so smart, he intends to pursue self-interest. “Whoever bullies you, go to his teacher and find his parents.” “Pick up money if you see it on the ground.” The child is taught this way. From childhood to adulthood, as he receives more things, he will gradually become increasingly selfish in ordinary human society. He will take advantage of others and lose de.” (Lecture Two, Zhuan Falun)

I realized Master was telling me not to do so. When it was time to send forth righteous thoughts, I thought, “I am a Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple. Why should I be anxious about these trivial human matters? This state of mind must be false, born of human concepts and karma. I must reject it.” During the first five minutes, I focused on calming down and eliminating this false state of mind. The uncomfortable feeling soon vanished, and I spent the next 10 minutes eliminating evil beings normally.

The instant I finished sending forth righteous thoughts, I received a phone call from the police station informing me that the police report had come out and would be sent to me immediately. This heart-wrenching delay was deliberately arranged to help me improve in cultivation. If the report had come out on time, I would have failed to detect my deep-rooted human attachments.

The police report clearly held the other driver fully responsible. I sent the report to the other driver’s insurance company and soon received word that they would start the claim process immediately. The company representative also apologized for the delay, stating their driver had withheld facts in order to reduce his culpability. I realized this was a reminder to reflect on my own behavior. Didn’t I also twist facts in the past to align with my human notions, or to shirk responsibility? I resolved to reflect on this issue.

Looking back, I should have let go of my anxiety, worries, and human desires. Practitioners need only let nature take its course, use the Fa to guide our thoughts and actions when events occur, correct our mistakes by looking inward, and send forth righteous thoughts to negate the old forces’ interference. We should trust that Master will make the best arrangements for the final outcome.