The Importance of a Practitioner’s Demeanor

(Minghui.org) I was born in the 1980s and started to practice Falun Dafa with my mother when I was 10 years old. That was 19 years ago.

Master Gave Me Wisdom

I quit my job in a large, state-owned design institute in 2014 and accepted a design position in a company owned by Japanese nationals. I was given a two-week project deadline.

Everything was new to me – Excel software, new design software, etc. Making it even worse, all of it was in Japanese. I also had to write my report in Japanese. On top of all that, I lacked the expertise for the project. The pressure mounted, and I was in a predicament.

My first thought was to give up and go home. I tried to suppress this thought. To calm down, I went for a walk and was able to relax. All of a sudden I knew how to write some parts of the report.

I went back to the office and began to work. When I got stuck again, I went out for another walk and again found a solution. This went on for some time. Each time I rectified myself, I found a solution, or a colleague passed by and told me how to solve the problem. I met the deadline and submitted an 80-page report in Japanese on time.

Whenever I remember that first project, I feel Master's compassion. Master gave me wisdom and guided me through the ordeals. I would not have been able to complete the assignment without Master’s guidance.

The project manager told my boss that I completed the job as if I had done the work many times before.

Recently, I asked for a sample report from our headquarters in Japan. To my surprise, they sent the first report I had done. All my colleagues were amused. I was astounded, too, and very thankful to Master.

Nothing Is Coincidental

At this organization, new employees are given technically easy tasks. Only after being trained in Japan for a year are they given advanced design jobs. However, my area was assigned a lot of design tasks, many of which required advanced knowledge. Because people in our branch lacked high-level skills, I was assigned an advanced design job.

Master said:

“Let me tell you that throughout the development of human society, not a single occurrence is coincidental.” (Lecture at the First Conference in North America)

I thought this opportunity might be the path Master had arranged for me.

I usually completed a task much faster than my colleagues and could easily solve the problems that came across my desk. Thus, my designs were usually the first ones to be presented for review. Overall, the quality of my work was judged to be excellent.

In the end, when a new design was assigned to us, headquarters would ask me to create a sample report for the other employees, who then used it as the model for their report.

Attachment of Competitiveness

My project manager, Ms. Lau, said she found a mistake in one of my designs in 2014. After evaluating what she said, I disagreed with her. However, she insisted that I was wrong and was agitated when I did not admit it. This was my competitiveness, and I had to get rid of it.

Master said:

“Don't argue when people argue with youCultivation is looking within for the causeWanting to explain just feeds the attachmentBreadth of mind, unattached, brings true insight”(“Don't Argue” from Hong Yin III)

When I looked at my design again, I still did not find any mistake. Yet, my project manager kept pointing to the same problem. I did not argue with her this time, because Master's Fa was in my mind. Yet, I could not change the design because doing so would cause problems.

I thought that I should harmonize my work environment as well, because any difficult occurrence was good for my cultivation. Everyday people watched me, because my every action and thought represented Falun Dafa.

When Ms. Lau found the same problem on the final version, she blew up. I was not moved and calmly explained to her why I was right. In the end, she agreed with me.

Minding Minor Details

As more and more of my colleagues found out that I practiced Falun Dafa, I realized that my workplace was also an environment for me to cultivate. If I did not do well, I would cause damage to Dafa.

I used to come to work late and leave early when I worked in the state-owned enterprise. I tried to get rid of my bad habits and worked extra hours if needed.

One day I chatted with a colleague about a popular movie. She asked me why I still watched movies if I was a cultivator. I was embarrassed and felt uncomfortable. Yes, how could I still have an attachment to watching movies?

Everything Is Arranged for My Cultivation

Once I was told on a Monday to complete four design projects by Friday. Success was barely possible unless I worked extra hours every night. I was also asked to review another large project and present a final version by Thursday. It seemed impossible to complete all that work, and I was in a predicament.

My head ached, and I wondered how to proceed. I put aside everything and cleared my mind. Then, I cleared out the substances causing fear and the wish to complain. I looked within. When I let go of my fear and complaints, I suddenly understood what I had to do to complete the review of the large project on time.

When evaluating the design, I found many mistakes the original designers had made. It was time-consuming to correct the mistakes. Anger and resentment arose. I had to put aside my work again and calm down. I recited poems from Hong Yin and remembered what Master said:

“That's how Gods think. Also, if there's something lacking in it they'll unconditionally and quietly supplement it to make things more complete and perfect.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia, U.S.A.” from Teaching the Fa at the Conference II)

I felt lighthearted, and the substances that were bothering me disappeared. The work went quickly. Every time a complaint or a resentment arose, I negated it. Within three days, I had reviewed four project reports that totaled 6,500 pages!

However, I did not have time to complete the four design projects by the Friday deadline: that was truly impossible. What should I do? My heart was not moved. I decided to follow Master's arrangement. On Friday morning I was told that I could have one more week to complete the four jobs, because changes had to be made. The problem had disappeared.

Master said:

“A Dafa disciple can cultivate regardless of his position—be it serving as president or a common person. You can be a good person in any trade or profession, and currently each is providing Dafa disciples with a setting in which to cultivate.”(“Fa Teaching Given at the 2015 New York Fa Conference”)

We can cultivate ourselves anywhere and at any time, be it in the workplace, in society, or at home. At every moment we are validating the Fa by how we behave. At the same time, Dafa can give us wisdom.

I was strict with myself in this foreign company, because I wanted to show my colleagues what a Falun Dafa practitioner was like.