A Salary Raise Helped Me Discover a Hidden Attachment

(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!

I spoke with my manager and sent her an email to ask for a raise. She replied, “Yes, I’m aware. This is done every year.” Every year, our salaries are increased by a fixed amount, but this year I hoped my raise would be greater than in previous years.

I drafted another email asking for a larger increase and I was about to send it. However, since cultivation means thinking of others first, I decided to wait. My manager’s daughter was in labor, and I felt it would not be appropriate to bring it up right then. I would wait until Monday.

However, after I did the exercises in the park—which I will share more about later—and studying the Fa, I suddenly realized that perhaps I was seeking something that was not meant to be mine and that obtaining it might come at someone else’s expense.

After I read the Fa, tears streamed down my face. I wondered why I hadn’t recognized this deep attachment sooner. If I hadn’t studied Zhuan Falun again that day, I might have sent that email the next day asking for a larger salary increase. I could not hold back my tears. Every cell of my body felt Master’s compassion—that he was guiding me and showing me that I was about to take the wrong path.

Master truly guides us through every step of cultivation. Recognizing our attachments is not easy. At that moment, my human notions kept telling me that I deserved a larger raise. But from a higher perspective, everything is the opposite. We should cultivate our hearts and minds diligently instead of measuring ourselves by the standards of ordinary society.

Recognizing attachments is difficult, and letting them go requires an even higher level of understanding. I am deeply grateful that, through Master’s compassionate guidance, I was able to gain this understanding.

Master has been with me every step of my cultivation. I hope to understand the Fa more deeply and eliminate the many attachments that I have not yet cultivated away through continued Fa study and looking inward.

Practicing the Exercises at a Park

I would also like to share some experiences I’ve had while doing the Falun Dafa exercises in a park near my home.

Every Saturday, we go to the park to do the exercises. The park is usually full of people. Some are jogging, while many children come with their soccer teams and parents. To my surprise, I often see many children from the daycare where I work. As they play soccer, they frequently look over and watch us doing the exercises.

I felt that perhaps Master had compassionately arranged for these children, who have predestined relationships with Dafa, to have the opportunity to encounter the Fa. Several of them came over to greet me. I gave one child a lotus flower ornament, and their parents gladly accepted it as well.

It was raining when we arrived at the park one Sunday. Nevertheless, we first sent righteous thoughts. Shortly afterward, the rain stopped, the sky cleared, and the weather became beautiful, allowing us to complete all five exercises. I deeply felt Master’s compassionate encouragement and protection.

This also helped me realize that whenever I practice the exercises in a public place, I should always present myself neatly and conduct myself with dignity, because I am representing Dafa and providing people with an opportunity to learn about the practice.

On another occasion, when we went to get my exercise mat from the car, I picked up a flyer and a lotus flower and placed them on a nearby bench before we began doing the exercises. I did not know why I did this.

As soon as I finished the exercises, I noticed a couple walking by with their child. They stopped to watch us. I immediately picked up the flyer and the lotus flower and began introducing Falun Dafa to them. While we talked, the woman began speaking Persian (Farsi) to her child. I was delighted to realize they were from Iran. I told them that I was also Iranian and introduced Falun Dafa to them in Farsi. I also told them about the persecution of Falun Dafa in China.

At that moment, I understood that it was not a coincidence that I brought the flyer and the lotus flower from the car. I felt that Master had compassionately arranged this predestined encounter and gave me the opportunity to clarify the truth to them.

This experience also made me realize that I need to be more diligent in my cultivation so that I can better fulfill my responsibility to help Master save sentient beings. If I hadn’t picked up the flyer, or if my mind had been distracted, I might have missed the opportunity to speak with this family.

This experience reminded me that, as a Dafa practitioner, I should maintain righteous thoughts, stay focused, and cultivate myself well at all times and in every situation, so that I can fulfill my mission and do well the things I am supposed to do.

Promoting Shen Yun

I would like to share some of my experiences at a Shen Yun booth in Vancouver.

Whenever I had the opportunity, I went to the booth to help introduce Shen Yun to the Iranian community. Most people know that the political situation in Iran has become extremely turbulent, and many people have lost their lives. When I thought about approaching Iranians to talk about Shen Yun, I worried that they might feel I did not understand what they were going through, and that I was asking them to attend a performance while they were experiencing such difficult circumstances. Because of this, I waited for some time until the situation calmed down. When conditions improved somewhat, I was finally able to go and speak with them.

This was not easy for me. I was also emotionally affected because so many people were killed in Iran in just two days. After calming my mind through cultivation, I asked compassionate Master for strength and wisdom so that I could fulfill my mission. I realized that I first needed to improve myself through Fa study, doing the exercises, and cultivating diligently.

About a month later, after the death of Iran’s president, many people seemed more hopeful, and the atmosphere became more favorable. I began speaking with more people. Whenever I went to our booth, fellow practitioners encouraged me by saying, “Come more often. When you are here, people take flyers from you and are willing to talk with you.”

Many people stopped by the booth. While introducing Shen Yun and explaining the ticket prices and the performance, I also clarified the truth to them. I felt that many Iranians had changed. It seemed that after these events, some obstacles had been removed, and people sincerely listened to what I had to say.

Because Iran also has a rich traditional culture, it was easier to explain how the Chinese Communist Party destroyed China’s traditional culture. I talked about the beauty of China’s five thousand years of civilization, its diverse ethnic traditions, and its beautiful costumes. Some people stood at the booth for a long time and listened attentively.

One day, I handed a Shen Yun flyer to an Iranian man as he walked by. He immediately said, “No, these are the people who set themselves on fire,” referring to the CCP’s Tiananmen Square self-immolation propaganda. I realized that his mind had been deeply influenced by the Communist Party propaganda. Interestingly, he held a Ph.D. in Chinese language and spoke Chinese fluently. I invited a Chinese-speaking practitioner to speak with him.

The practitioner explained the nature of the Chinese Communist Party, including how it promotes atheism, denies the existence of karma and reincarnation, and encourages people to abandon traditional moral values. The practitioner said that as a result, people become capable of committing terrible acts, such as producing contaminated infant formula or participating in forced organ harvesting for profit. I also told him about the nine-character phrase (“Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good”) and that it could bring blessings and protection. His family was still in China waiting to obtain Canadian permanent residency, and they were not yet able to leave China.

After the practitioner finished speaking with him, I noticed that his face brightened and his eyes were shining. He looked truly happy. I felt that he understood the truth and was saved. I am deeply grateful to compassionate Master for arranging this predestined person to meet us. Every year, Shen Yun provides us with another precious opportunity to save sentient beings, and many people can truly be saved through watching a Shen Yun show.

After watching this year’s Shen Yun performance, I truly came to appreciate its magnificence. Every year it is more beautiful than the year before. It is truly beyond description, and it feels like a miracle that everything is accomplished with such speed and perfect coordination. The presence of divine beings on the stage and the beautifully designed costumes truly made me feel as if I had been taken to heaven. I especially liked the Peacock Dance, as well as the dance with the golden costumes.

This performance also brought me many cultivation insights. When I saw that the performers continued practicing until just before the performance began, I felt that every scene and every detail was a profound lesson in cultivation for me.

As a cultivator, did I truly help bring all of their efforts to fruition? No. I am not satisfied with myself, and I hope that I can cultivate diligently in the future.

Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!

(Presented at the 2026 Vancouver Fa conference)