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My Job as a Tailor Provides Opportunities to Clarify the Truth

November 01, 2006 |   By Li Zheng, a Falun Dafa practitioner from Dalian City, Liaoning Province

(Clearwisdom.net) This is my first time writing an article and I hope to share my story with fellow practitioners and improve together.

I have worked as a tailor for more than twenty years. After undergoing countless hardships in life, it is Dafa that saved me and led me back onto the path of returning to one's true self. I have lived according to Master Li and Dafa's requirements by improving myself constantly. I know that only by better cultivating myself can I do the three things well and save sentient beings.

In the past, I did only alterations and turned down other sewing and patching jobs. However, in order to do the three things well, I now happily accept all kinds of sewing tasks since everyone who walks into my door has a predestined relationship with me and is to be saved.

One morning, an older couple arrived, saying that they have a one-year-old granddaughter who is returning from Canada, and they wanted me to make them a belly cover for the baby (this is a traditional Chinese piece of clothing for babies that only covers the baby's front, like an apron). After visiting many stores, they could not find anyone who would do this for them. When they asked if I was willing to do it, I agreed immediately and began working on it with my scissors. At this time, the woman asked, "Why don't you wear glasses?" I replied earnestly that I am a cultivator. This sentence touched the woman deeply, and she told me that she has a statue of a Bodhisattva at home. She asked if I could sew a horizontal "eight" stitch (a Chinese custom) on the belly cover, hoping that that the child would have good fortune in the future, and I agreed as well.

The woman sat beside me happily and I immediately sat in lotus position to demonstrate the magnificence of Dafa. She was amazed and said, "Falun Dafa is good!" She said that she would definitely tell her granddaughter about the story behind her belly cover and have her bring it back to Canada. Then she offered to pay me more money, but I said, "What's agreed upon is agreed upon. You only have to pay me what we agreed on earlier."

Being able to clarify the truth simply by making a belly cover, I was able to feel the magnificence of Dafa. I was also enlightened to the fact that as long as we are using our hearts to do the three things well, Master will be there to help us. As Master has taught us, "Cultivation is up to you, gong is up to the master."

You might ask, why did I write this story? I had decided previously that I would quit my job after October 1 and return home to rest and study the Fa, etc. However, due to a myriad of reasons, I was not able to finally do it. I re-read Master's article, "Practicing Cultivation After Retirement." Master taught us,

"As a matter of fact, cultivation practice is about cultivating one's heart and mind. The complex environment of the workplace, in particular, provides a good opportunity for you to improve your xinxing. Once retired, won't you lose the best environment for practicing cultivation? What will you cultivate without any troubles? How can you improve yourself?"

As a result, I decided that my plans to quit were wrong and I eliminated this thought. This place where I am working is a wonderful location for saving sentient beings. Due to the nature of my work, I am able to come into contact with a lot of people. I have to put down the attachments to myself and eliminate my attachment to fear, for everything is in non-action. I must use the convenience of my work to complete my prehistoric vow. There is only one sentence in my heart: Firmly believe in Master, firmly believe in Dafa, follow Master in validating the Fa and return home.

The above is a brief sharing of mine. Please feel free to point out any inadequacies.