(Minghui.org) Continued from Part 3
Editor’s note: This article reflects the author’s personal observations, and it is for practitioners’ reference only. All practitioners should take the Fa as the guiding principle.
8) Fulfilling Missions with the Mentality of Pursuit
A practitioner donated a large sum of money to a Dafa project. Before long, his business was in trouble. He came to me and talked about his situation. I said, “It's simple: your thoughts are not righteous.” I suggested that we study the Fa together. He had a hard time calming down after we read Master’s lecture. I decided to share a story with him:
A project in another city needed money. Since we must not do fundraising among practitioners, and the project's participants did not have that kind of money, the project was in limbo. I met a practitioner whose spouse was also a practitioner. Both are government employees with steady incomes. They were frugal and had saved 200,000 yuan in the bank. They both wished to donate the money to a Dafa project. Fellow practitioners in their area are relatively affluent and had no need for their money. After I told the husband about the other project, he agreed to donate the money. However, he was not totally convinced of the project, so he decided to verify it using his own contact.
In the evening, after reading Zhuan Falun with him, I gained a new understanding. Using his savings for the project was like taking down his gong column to substantiate different levels of the universe. Helping other projects to save people is also completing his cultivation. The amount of money he plans to donate could have been specified in his prehistoric pledge. After I told him about my insight, he was delighted. He returned home and began to prepare the donation. He was happy to donate the money even before he heard a confirmation. He later received a positive confirmation.
I asked the business owner, “Are you still thinking about your own mighty virtue? From a higher level, could you compare yourself with that practitioner couple? They donated their entire savings without any pursuit. When Milaraba was cultivating, he had no money for his master. But he dedicated his only resource, his body, his mouth and his mind to serve his master. His contribution was more than those of any other people. Divine beings look only at people’s heart.”
In “Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Western U.S. Fa Conference”, Master told us:
“Another point is that everything Dafa disciples are doing right now is validating the Fa, because your understandings and improvement all come from the Fa. Then as Dafa disciples, of course you should validate the Fa, that goes without saying. But everything that's done in validating the Fa is done for yourselves--not a single thing is done for me, and that includes the things I've told you to do. Since every Dafa disciple has to establish his own mighty virtue in the process of going towards Consummation--especially since you are beings forged by Dafa--you have demonstrated [your ability to do that] in validating the Fa. So all of what Dafa disciples do is magnificent. That includes what seem like the simplest things, such as handing out flyers, clarifying the truth to the world's people, sending righteous thoughts at the consulates and embassies, Dafa disciples validating the Fa in various ways to government, to society and the community, and to the media, etc.--all of it is establishing mighty virtue for yourselves, and all of it is the path that leads to the final Consummation. In other words, all the things you're doing, including the small and insignificant things, all of them are done for yourselves, and not a single thing is done for Dafa, nor is a single thing done for me, your master.”
I gave him another example. One young disciple did not buy a single frozen treat in the summer, and donated every penny he saved for printing truth-clarification materials. Another young disciple donated all his New Year's gift money to a Dafa project. Gods admire their contribution, because they gave away their entire worth. What is your entire worth? These young disciples did not ask anything in return, and they did not think about accumulating any merit or virtue. The ultimate goal in cultivation is to achieve a clean and pure heart. What kind of thoughts were in your mind before and after your donation? We all know Master’s teaching: “... gain things naturally without pursuing them.” (“Learning the Fa” in Essentials for Further Advancement) I asked if he fully understands the meaning.
He told me he truly understood now. He admitted that although he had read “The Issue of Pursuit” in Zhuan Falun many times, he did not see its relevance to his own cultivation. I shared the story of Yanzi, a famous statesman from the Spring and Autumn Era. Yanzi, the prime minister of the Kingdom of Qi, had a generous income. But his lifestyle was very simple, not too different from that of average citizens. His wife wore ordinary cotton clothes. He donated most of his income to help the poor. After a military coup, the culprit did not dare to harm him because of his great reputation.
Yanzi had only one wife, and he even turned down the King’s offer to give his daughter to him. Yanzi’s contemporary, Confucius, had only praise for him. Sima Qian, the famous Han Dynasty author of Shi Ji (Historical Records), said if Yanzi were still alive, I would be glad to work as his chauffeur.
I told the businessman that if he could contribute to Dafa the way Yanzi did 2,500 years ago, his business would see steady growth, and no one could stop it. If his heart was not righteous, then he would have many obstacles.
After he truly understood this point, some evil interference in other dimensions escaped in panic. Some others were eliminated directly. The remaining interfering factors were very weak, and he could eliminate them with his own righteous thoughts. But if he did not understand or did not change, sending forth righteous thoughts could only be counterproductive. Before he eliminates the old ones, new interference would arrive.
I could see many practitioners having similar thoughts: I contributed to Dafa, so gods ought to help me, right? I accumulated so much virtue, so why can’t I make a fortune? Some even beg Master to help: I gave such a great contribution, so why didn't Master eliminate the interference? If Master blesses me to make more money, I would donate more to Dafa. This is no longer ordinary pursuit, for he was negotiating with Master. This kind of mentality brings big trouble. He could even feel resentment. At this level, he would suffer major financial loss. Only after a practitioner fully understands the principles can he stop the loss and return to profit.
9) Without Business Skill or a Predestined Mission in Business, Some Still Jumped into the Business World
Some practitioners can barely make ends meet, but their siblings are rich. This kind of situation was common in history. In the same family, some good students did not know how to make money, but their family members were quite rich. Some practitioners refused to think this way, and they believed they were destined to make money. Some put down their special skills for Dafa projects and ventured into business. As a result, they suffered terrible losses. In fact, your rich relatives may have been arranged to contribute their money to Dafa after hearing the truth from you.
I know a couple in which one spouse was blessed with business skills and fortune. The other spouse, a practitioner, was destined to be a money loser. She grew up in a poor family and should have maintained a frugal lifestyle. Unfortunately she believed that her spouse’s money belonged to her, and she must have potential to make big money. After actively participating in her spouse’s business, they lost money. Some other practitioners not only indulge themselves in a comfortable life but also strive to provide their children with a comfortable life. The money spent on their luxurious lifestyles should have been used to save people. Strictly speaking, even their children commit crimes against Dafa. Therefore, practitioners from affluent families face a tougher balance than others. Selfish or unselfish motives are not only reflected in what people say, but their actions are the real measure.
Master told us:
“You have already made it through the hardest period. I’ll tell you, the Dafa disciples from the early period, those who formed ties of destiny with me during history, or who came here following Master—each and every one of you—if you had wanted to accomplish something in ordinary society, every one of you could have been a billionaire, every one of you could have been famous, and every one of you could have been among society’s elite. But this lifetime you came here to be a Dafa disciple, and you passed up all of those things. If you had wanted to be rich, you could have long since been rich. Don’t let your soul’s long-cherished wish be extinguished over a few petty, worldly temptations.” (“Fa Teaching on World Falun Dafa Day”)
The best way to validate the Fa is to use our existing skills and money. Few practitioners are rich. From our past experience, we ought to see if we have natural talent for business. So we should focus on completing our mission.
In overseas practitioners’ companies, someone will need to manage the business; some will work on advertisement sales. Certain skill sets are required, and not everyone can do it. You do not want to send an unqualified person, or someone who lacks people skills, to the job. It is very hard for them to overcome their obstacles.
10) Some People Were Arranged by the Old Forces to Cause Damage
Many practitioners in business have seen the following type of people: every business they touch loses money. Some originally profitable companies began to lose money after they joined. Some felt perhaps it was a coincidence or bad timing. From what I could see, that was not the case. People like this brought bad luck to the business: his karma was added to the collective karma of the company, causing financial loss. If a company follows this person’s business strategy, things get even worse.
Typically these people are good talkers, and they can shamelessly twist the facts. Some are crooks, and others are practitioners who might have been quite diligent in the past. Some have suffered severe hardship, and they can be generous donors and give away their last dollar to validate the Fa. It is hard to see them clearly. Some people do both good and bad things in the Fa-rectification, and their good performance in the past was used to justify their harmful behavior now.
These practitioners usually have obvious loopholes in their xinxing. For instance, they could be temperamental, hot tempered, attached to fame, and plan to make money using Dafa resources. They want to do big business but lack practical skills. They habitually tell lies, etc. Anyone having one of the above attachments becomes vulnerable to the old forces’ manipulation. They are good at covering up, and always find a scapegoat to blame. They often brag about their past success and how they made great contributions to Dafa. (Genuine contributors never talk about it). They try to become business partners with you, or start a new “business project” to lure investors among practitioners. Their goal is to join the business and make big money, or convince you to put money in his chosen projects.
The best way to deal with these people is to compare their behavior with Dafa principles. That allows us to keep a clear head when listening to them. Even if we are not sure about their credentials, we should at least avoid listening to their eloquent talk. If a practitioner does not have a solid understanding of Dafa, he could easily be fooled. Some practitioners even disseminated their lies, promoted their fame and helped them to recruit talent. The practitioners believed that they were telling fellow practitioners the truth, but in reality, they were creating chaos among practitioners.
Some practitioners have seen the sad result: people who believed in their lies also dropped to lower levels. Therefore, if we cannot judge people by Dafa principles because of our limitations, we should at least verify their credentials using common sense. We must never rely on human preference. Some practitioners do not trust everyday people, but they have unconditional trust for practitioners and blindly adopt their business advice without thinking. If they continue to operate this way, they could fall victim to con artists.
After financial disasters, some practitioners live in poverty for a long time. We should treat them as fellow practitioners as before. But please do not engage them in business activities anymore, not even temporary help. We should encourage them to find a job in society. Having a job certainly reduces their financial burden.
We should not casually give them money. These practitioners need to have a chance to repay their mistakes through suffering. You are doing a disservice by giving them money. Their hardship is caused by their karma. Some say these practitioners cannot find jobs in society. In reality, these people just want to rely on other practitioners, and they view this as a shortcut to avoid suffering. Some even want to get rich using Dafa resources. These are dangerous motives. As a last resort, we can help them find an entry-level job in society.
To be continued.
Category: Improving Oneself
