(Minghui.org) Practitioner A recently came to visit our region. While we talked I realized she and local practitioners were involved in high-interest loans, with the interest rate from 15% to 30%. When I mentioned that Dafa practitioners shouldn't get involved in such activities, at first she did not accept what I said and even argued. I would like to share my thoughts with fellow practitioners on this topic.
Usury (high-interest loans) is not popular in Western civilized countries. People usually look down on those who provide loans at high-interest rates. I'm not sure if what those practitioners were involved in counts as usury, but when I deal with banks they usually have 5% interest return, which is 1/3 of their lowest interest return.
China is experiencing a general economic downturn, and most business people are afraid to borrow money at such high interest rates. In fact many people who raise funds with high-interest rates are not for their own use, but to lend to others at a higher interest rate. When the funds finally roll into those who really use the money, interest rates will be much higher, so they are often used in so-called high-return, high-risk industries such as stocks and real estate, or even in swindling and other bad deeds. Falun Dafa practitioners should make sure that their money isn't being used this way, as it is indirectly harming people.
Practitioner A said that if someone has a problem or is in urgent need but cannot get a loan from banks, shouldn't I help him by lending him the money? I feel if there is interest involved, then the purpose of the loan is not to help people, but to get more benefits. It seems to me that if someone is really in financial difficulty, that it's not righteous to earn a high-interest return. It's even worse if that person is a fellow practitioner.
Some practitioners are not unaware of the situation, but are tempted by high-interest rates, and they simply do not want to face it. Moreover, many so-called high interest return investment projects in China are big scams. For example the Shenmu County lending collapse has caused many people to lose everything. Dafa practitioners' money is also one of Dafa's resources, and if we are cheated, that is a loss of Dafa's resources. If you covet a small profit, it's easy to let the old forces take advantage of the loopholes. After all, it's very difficult for the general public to verify the actual operation of those investment companies.
Practitioner A also told me that local practitioner B also wanted to participate in this high-interest loan, but it was inconvenient for her to withdraw money from the bank as she had long been searched for by authorities for her practicing Falun Dafa. So she asked practitioner C to help her withdraw the money. As a result, C was implicated and persecuted, and was forced to become homeless. I think it's very likely that the participation in such high-interest loans was one of the reasons practitioners B and C were persecuted.
Many practitioners have lost their jobs or have suffered various degrees of financial persecution because they have been persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) for so many years. Some practitioners live a hard life but still try to save money to produce truth clarification materials. Thus it's understandable that some practitioners want to earn more interest out of their savings to alleviate their financial burden.
We are cultivators, and we must walk a righteous path according to the requirements of Dafa. Even for the purpose of better helping people understand Falun Dafa and the persecution, we can't get involved in the deviated behavior of everyday people, even if it is permitted by law. In addition, we can't just want to do things and only consider the right or wrong of the thing itself while neglecting the cultivation of our mind which is the most crucial.
Master said:
“The key is a person’s mind. Our Dafa cultivation aims exactly at one’s mind—to cultivate is to cultivate the human mind. If your mind doesn’t change everything else you do means nothing. Outward acts mean nothing.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Conference in Europe”)
Master also said,
“I will use any troubles or unpleasant things you come across—even if they involve work for Dafa, or no matter how good or sacred you think they are—to eliminate your attachments and expose your demon-nature so that it can be eliminated, for your improvement is what’s most important.”“If you are able to succeed in improving yourself this way, what you do then, with a pure heart, will be the best and most sacred.” (“Further Understanding” in Essentials For Further Advancement)
In fact, if we really have pure minds, it's easy to distinguish between good or bad. It's good that practitioners earn money, but we have to be righteous and cannot use improper means to obtain it.
Master requires Dafa practitioners to be good people in all walks of life. However, some practitioner do not mind their work or business well, and always think about how to spend the least amount of effort and time to earn enough money so that they have more time to do the three things well. Some practitioners have said: “My time is very valuable and I can't use it to make money.” They are very reluctant to work a little longer, and regard it as interference, but they spend a lot of time on things that everyday people are attached to.
Some practitioners think that they have sacrificed a lot for Dafa and also awakened many people, and that their virtue must be enormous so they should easily earn money. If they are dismissed from their job or their business loses money due to lack of attention, they would think it's caused by the old forces persecution. Their thoughts are full of strong attachments. Without realizing it, they'd send forth righteous thoughts whenever a bad thing happens, instead of thinking about whether they have not done a good job and have not reached the standard of Dafa practitioners.
Above is my personal understanding. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
Category: Improving Oneself
