(Minghui.org) I am a Taiwanese who has practiced Falun Dafa for 22 years. A few days ago, NTDTV headquarters sent a letter to everyone titled, “Take Fa-rectification cultivation seriously. Actively harmonize the cultivation environment.” I was deeply touched by the letter. The title of the letter spelled out what I had been thinking.
NTDTV was set up in December 2001 in New York. The Asian Branch of NTDTV was formed in Taiwan in March 2007. Practitioners produced advertising materials and visited people door-to-door to promote the TV station, telling people how to get the signal. I was one of them. During this process, I came to understand the importance of saving sentient beings.
I was appointed to be chief executive officer (CEO) of the NTDTV Asian Branch in 2001. I was nervous, and didn't have a clear direction. I don't have a higher degree, such as a master's or Ph.D., and my major was not in television media. My English was not great, yet NTDTV was an international television station. Why was I selected? Was it because I had an ability that I didn't realize or understand?
The tests for me were immense during the first two years. In an everyday people's enterprise, the CEO has the power to make all kinds of decisions, assign tasks, and set goals. But it is difficult for the CEO. When practitioners are willing to cooperate, they act as employees of the company. When they don't feel like cooperating, they could say, “Sorry, my cultivation state is not good today.”
The exercise music can sometimes be heard during working hours, because practitioners didn't finish the exercises at home and treated the TV station as an exercise site. The rules used to manage an everyday people's enterprise seem to be ignored here. An outsider sees you as the CEO, but an employee on the other hand may one day pick up the phone, yell at you, and scold you. Facing all of this exposed my shortcomings, and I also realized that there was nothing I could do. Often, by the time I hung up the phone, my eyes were filled with tears.
Master said:
“From the day that a Dafa disciple takes up cultivation his whole life is rearranged. In other words, this life of yours is now the life of a cultivator. Nothing is by chance anymore, and nothing will happen just by chance. Everything on your life's journey is directly related to your improvement and cultivation.” (Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles)
“Whatever you experience during your cultivation—whether good or bad—is good, for it comes about only because you are cultivating. A cultivator cannot achieve Consummation when laden with human thoughts, laden with karmic debts, or laden with attachments.” (“To The Chicago Fa Conference,” The Essentials for Diligent Progress, Vol. III)
I wiped away the tears and continued to work. Since nothing in cultivation happens by chance, and everything is a good thing, I couldn’t judge what happened by letting my own bias influence my thoughts. How could I repel the comments with negative thoughts? After I enlightened to this, I always responded positively to fellow practitioners who gave suggestions, criticized me, or complained about me.
I had a chance to visit the mountain in 2010. When the wind chimes on the tower rang, the sound shocked my brain and made me feel like I was in another dimension. The sacred and special feeling cannot be described. I felt that all the divine beings were welcoming me. But did I deserve it? Not really. At that moment, all the difficulties and grievances became nothing. All I could think of was to purify and improve myself, and not disappoint Master and divine beings.
NTDTV was interfered with by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) in September 2010. The TV signals were blocked for a long time. The NTD signals were interfered with for an entire day on October 1, the 60th anniversary of the CCP’sgovernance of China. The satellite company informed us that they would not renew our contract in April 2011, which meant that no one in mainland China would be able to receive our signals.
Facing this crisis, I felt tremendous pressure and had butterflies in my stomach. I became physically exhausted, and could not even climb the stairs. I knew that the problem was not rooted in my stomach, but came from the attack and persecution by evil in other dimensions. I felt that a layer of thick evil substances was attacking me. But I could not retreat and had only one thought: we must overcome it and renew the satellite contract. No matter how severe the interference was, we needed to be successful with what was expected of us.
We formed a team that included practitioners who were lawyers. We met with high-ranking government officials through different channels and told them about Falun Dafa and why we needed to renew the contract. Numerous Buddhas and divine beings supported us. At that time, almost all the practitioners in Taiwan had the same understanding, and together we sent strong righteous thoughts to eliminate the evil. It felt like a battle between righteousness and evil, and the NTDTV station was the field where we clarified the truth.
Master said:
“Clarifying the truth is the master key.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2003 Atlanta Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teaching, Vol. IV)
The process of clarifying the truth is the process for sentient beings to position themselves. We kept clarifying the truth, saving people, and sending forth righteous thoughts. Three months later, the contract was successfully renewed.
NTDTV experienced personnel changes in 2013. The president of the Epoch Times became the president of both the Epoch Times and NTDTV. The new president had a global strategic plan and changed personnel at each branch. I was informed in early 2014 that I would no longer be the CEO of the Asian branch. I felt like I had been abandoned. I had to pack up and leave and felt that everything I had done was for nothing. I was a bit lost, and even dared not face myself.
When other practitioners asked what my plan was for the next year, I didn't know what to say. A practitioner once greeted me as the CEO, and another practitioner corrected her. I felt hurt. I then suddenly realized that I hadn't let go of my sense of self and the pursuit of fame.
Master said:
“Have you paused to consider: is there really anything that you cannot let go? In the course of history you tasted honor and glory, and you endured enormous ordeals. In those long, drawn-out years of waiting, you went through everything possible all so as to arrive at the present. And by all accounts you should be able to, at the end, finish the journey well.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the NTDTV Meeting,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. IX)
It is so true. On the journey of cultivation, no matter how thrilling and vigorous our experiences, they are just some past experiences. The reason I was the CEO was probably because NTDTV needed someone to be a coordinator. Even if I had some wisdom and abilities, they were given by Master and everything was done by Master. If it wasn't for Master's arrangements, how would I have the opportunity to help Master rectify the Fa during the Fa-rectification period?
I gained a better understanding of “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Zhuan Falun, Lecture One). As a practitioner, even if my heart feels pained, I should look inward, cultivate myself, unconditionally trust Master and the Fa, and prioritize the Fa.
To my surprise, I was appointed as chair of the board in November. However I clearly felt the evils' interference from other dimensions, which tried to create barriers and conflicts between practitioners. Many people were against me being the chair, and I almost gave up. But a voice told me that it had nothing to do with my personal reputation and face – it was an arrangement with deeper meaning.
While facing conflicts, I knew that I should not avoid them. I knew I should unconditionally accept Master's arrangements. The reason that so many people were against me being the chair must have been due to something I did wrong in the past. I needed face it and take responsibility. When I made up my mind, all the opposing voices disappeared. A righteous field opened up and fellow practitioners cooperated with each other well. “Cultivating diligently and saving people” became our common goal.
Several diligent practitioners passed away due to sickness karma over the past few years. I was impacted every time, felt guilty, and my heart was in great pain. Once, while sending forth righteous thoughts, I realized that the thoughts that I felt to be righteous were actually pursuing Master's help, and contained sentimentality toward practitioners mixed with my own fear and selfishness. When viewed in another dimension, they were strong attachments and loopholes. Seeing practitioners suffering, on one hand I was afraid that they would pass away, while on the other hand I was worried that the same severe tests may happen to me some day. All of my thoughts were attachments.
We cannot see the complex reasons for practitioners' passing away, but nothing happens by chance. When I saw my selfishness, I read the Fa more intensively and started to memorize the Fa. I gained a better understanding of the seriousness of cultivation, and the significance of eliminating fundamental attachments. Only after fundamental attachments are eliminated can we have solid righteous thoughts in every single cell of our bodies.
Master said:
“That’s because how well you cultivate yourselves determines your power to save people as well as the effectiveness of your work. This is for sure.” (“2018 NTD and Epoch Times Fa Conference,” Team Yellow Translation)
Some practitioners were very busy at work, and therefore could not do the three things well. Some passed away because of sickness karma. Some quit the television station job due to conflicts. I knew that I was responsible for maintaining the cultivation environment, which was practitioners' opportunity for cultivation. I was also responsible for setting up an efficient mechanism in the company so that we could cultivate diligently together and improve as one body.
We have the precious opportunity to be Dafa disciples. In addition, we have the opportunity to work together at NTDTV. What a special predestined relationship! Every practitioner comes from a different celestial body, and we may not see each other again after we reach consummation. The conflicts come from our attachments and human notions. Jealousy and historic elements also play roles. As the coordinator, I needed to help everyone improve their understandings and cherish opportunities. When seeing two employees with opposite personalities contribute significantly to the company, but having conflicts, I saw my shortcomings. I hadn't made the environment a righteous field, so practitioners could not put down their human notions and support each other.
Meanwhile, I realized that besides sending forth righteous thoughts, looking inward is meant to eliminate the sickness interference and deny persecution by the old forces. Other practitioners often say that sickness is interference, and we need to send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate it and deny it. But in cultivation, everything is serious. If we don't truly cultivate, we will not receive any special treatment, even if we have been involved in many Dafa projects.
Master said:
“Why don't you look at yourself? The true reason lies with you yourself, and that's the only reason it can exploit your gap!” (“Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. III)
Cultivation is serious. The old forces are watching us, waiting for the chance to take advantage of our loopholes. As the chair and as a practitioner, I try my best not to support any decision that is made impulsively. Numerous divine beings are watching every thought of ours. As we are facing limited time for cultivation, we must hurry up, unconditionally look inward, eliminate human notions, and rectify ourselves, so that we can meet the criteria and requirements at different levels. This is the fundamental way to deny the old forces’ persecution.
I have experienced a lot over the past eleven years of working at NTDTV. But looking back, everything is trivial. The only honor and glory is that I am lucky to be a Dafa disciple during the Fa-rectification period, and be guided and protected by Master.
Master said:
“...the media run by our Dafa practitioners are truly rescuing humanity, and that you really are humankind’s only hope.” (“2018 NTD and Epoch Times Fa Conference”)
I feel lucky that I can persist in making contributions while working in the media, and I believe that our media will do better in clarifying the truth. At the end of the Fa-rectification period, let's solidly cultivate, and do the three things better.
(Shared at the 2018 Taiwan Experience Sharing Conference.)