(Minghui.org) We are very fortunate to be Dafa practitioners. We should cherish every precious moment that we can validate the Fa, use every opportunity to save sentient beings, and look within for shortcomings when we counter conflicts.
I am an office worker and cycle to work every day. I have many opportunities to save people with predestined relationships on the way. The following are a few such stories.
While I was cycling home one day, a dark, skinny man approached me. He was holding a bunch of little cabbages and shouted, “One yuan for a bunch.” There was only me and another man nearby. Neither of us took notice and rode past him.
He continued shouting to sell his vegetables. I realized that he must have a predestined relationship with me. I turned around and caught up with him. He handed me a bunch of little cabbages without even asking if I wanted them or not. He said it did not matter if I had no money to pay for them.
I found some loose change and paid for the cabbage. I then asked if he had heard people say Falun Dafa is good. He said no, so I explained to him that Falun Dafa teaches people to live by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
“How good it would be if people all behaved by such principles!” I said to him.
“You’re right,” he said.
I asked if he had joined any Chinese Communist Party (CCP) organizations and explained why so many people have quit these organizations. He said he had joined the Young Pioneers when he was young and happily agreed to quit using his real name.
I told him to remember the phrase “Falun Dafa is good,” and he agreed without hesitation.
I would have gone past him if I had not gone back. That bunch of little cabbages was like a prop for a movie in which everyone has a role.
I was on my way home with a colleague one day. While we were waiting for the traffic light, I saw three elderly women asking a young girl for directions to a bus terminal. Even after the girl gave them directions, they still looked baffled. I told my colleague that I would show them the way and said goodbye to her.
I left my bike in a safe place and went back to the three women. I took them across the busy road and walked them to the terminal. I also explained to them in detail which bus to take and where to get off. They kept thanking me.
“My kindness comes from practicing Falun Dafa,” I said. “You should thank my Master. Falun Dafa teaches people to be good by following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.”
They kept saying that they were very lucky to have run into a kind person like me, and they agreed that Falun Dafa is good. I could never forget the happiness and gratitude in their eyes.
They appeared to be in their 70s. From our conversation, I learned that they were out buying clothes, as what their children had bought for them was not to their taste. They seldom went shopping for clothes and were not familiar with city traffic. None of them could remember the way they came.
When I told my colleague about the encounter the next day, she said, “You have a heart of gold.”
One summer day I saw a boy about 16 or 17 at the entrance of a supermarket. He was neat-looking and had an electric bicycle. I noticed wads of plastic film tangled in his chain. He was standing in the scorching sun, not knowing what to do. Many people walked past him, and no one offered any help. Maybe they did not even know he was in trouble, as everyone seemed in a rush.
I went over and said to him, “Don’t worry. I’ll help you sort it out. Let’s first find the end of the plastic film, and we can then unwind it off the chain.”
I squatted down and soon found the end of the film. The two of us worked together and gradually untangled the plastic film. My hands got very dirty. The boy was very happy now that he could ride his bike again.
“Let me tell you something very important,” I said. “You must always remember Falun Dafa is good. I practice Falun Dafa myself.”
“I will remember, Auntie. Thank you!” the boy said gratefully.
We had no more time to talk that day, but I know he will always remember that a Dafa practitioner helped him when he was in need.
The Fan
I went to a practitioner’s home one day in late August. Two other practitioners were also there, so we decided to meditate together. The owner of the home kept her electric fan on.
I told her to switch it off, but she did not want to. I said that the reason she felt hot was because her mind was racing. She argued with me.
I said, “Master has talked about people using fans when listening to the Fa. How can you have the fan on when doing the exercises? It’s almost winter. Why would you still want to use the fan? I’ve long packed mine away.”
Reluctantly, she switched it off. Just at that moment, I felt I was wrong. I said to her, “If you think it’s hot, you can keep the fan on.” She switched it on again but kept it at the lowest speed.
Looking within, I found that although what I said sounded right on the surface, I was indeed wrong: I was imposing my own understanding on others, and my tone was aggressive. She felt it was hot, yet I showed no kindness or consideration of her health condition.
I was also trying to show off. My mindset was, “After all, I’ve packed my fan away. I don’t use an electric fan when I do the exercises, so I’m better than you, and I can endure more hardship. I’m in better health, so I’m cultivating better than you…” I saw so many attachments in myself and the mentality of exaggeration from the Communist Party culture. How could I possibly say it was almost winter when children were still on their summer vacation? Even worse, I used Master’s teaching to suppress someone else.
Other practitioners cultivate better than me in many respects, and I have often failed to be strict with myself. It’s not wrong to share our understandings with other practitioners, but it must be done with consideration and kindness. Master told us,
“I often say that if all a person wants is the well-being of others and if this is without the slightest personal motivation or personal understanding, what he says will move the listener to tears.
“While working, your tone of voice, your kind-heartedness, and your reasoning can change a person’s heart, whereas commands never could!” (“Clearheadedness” in Essentials for Further Advancement)
This small incident revealed so many of my attachments. I truly feel that I still haven’t reached the requirements of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I will learn from this lesson and cultivate myself more solidly.
A Cleaner
I often come across a cleaner on my way to work and he seems quite perceptive. One day I saw him sitting by the roadside, so I stopped and started a conversation with him. I told him a lot about Falun Dafa. He was very responsive and interacted with me from time to time.
Then he asked me suddenly, “Where do you work?” I was taken back for a moment, as I always avoid giving personal information when clarifying the facts to people.
“I don’t want to talk about this,” I replied.
I immediately realized my reply was very inappropriate, but it was too late. He said angrily, “You can't get very far...Don't you worry.” He stood up and left.
Reflecting and looking within, I could see from my thoughtless reply many attachments I still have. I made such a mistake because my main consciousness was not in control. I had also developed attachments to zealotry and showing off from my early successes in clarifying the facts to people at a market.
This event also exposed my attachment to fear. I was afraid of revealing my identity and being persecuted; I showed disrespect and differentiated between people, as I might not have replied the way I did if I were talking with someone with high social status. I felt really ashamed of my behavior and decided to rectify my mistake.
When I saw him again, I walked up to him and sincerely apologized, “I didn't tell you where I work last time, but it wasn’t because I didn’t trust you. I know you’re a good person.”
He took out a Falun Dafa pendant from his pocket and showed it to me as if telling me that he believed in Falun Dafa and understood me. We chatted a little more. He appeared happy and relaxed as if talking with a family member. In the end, he wished me good luck as we said goodbye.
A Toothache
I have always enjoyed studying the Fa with practitioner Mei. I feel focused, and we share our understandings on a similar level. I once said to her, “I've truly found a soulmate.” As soon as I said this, I felt a toothache—not very bad, just a small ache. I started looking within and realized what I said was wrong.
The relationship between Dafa practitioners is pure and sacred; it is totally different from that of “soul” among everyday people. I must pay attention to cultivating my speech. What I said had dropped our level to that of everyday people and blotted out all that our revered Master has done for us.
There was something impure in what I said as well, a bit like trying to keep in good graces with someone or building a good interpersonal relationship. Such remarks can also cause misunderstandings and division among practitioners. I feel I must study the Fa more, pay attention to the cultivation of speech, and keep my every single thought on the Fa.
There have been countless precious moments to cultivate myself over the years: moments when local practitioners and I went to remote areas to distribute truth-clarification materials, when we sent righteous thoughts in the close vicinity of prisons, and when we put up posters.
All these precious moments form our journey to validate the Fa. I feel that Master is always by our side, guiding us and protecting us. We cannot achieve anything without Master and Dafa.
Thank you, Master!
The above are only some personal understandings. Please kindly point out anything improper.