Falun Dafa Minghui.org www.minghui.org PRINT

Letting Go of the Attachment to Money

March 21, 2019 |   By a Falun Dafa practitioner from Mainland China

(Minghui.org) Before I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1997, I had a strong attachment to money. After practicing Dafa, I understood the principle of “no loss, no gain” taught by Master Li (the founder of the practice) and began to let go of many attachments, including to money.

A few years ago, I rented my apartment to a young woman. When I realized that I had forgotten to return the 50-yuan deposit to her, I deducted it from her utility fee.

One time, I went to collect the rent, but she asked me to give her a couple more days since she couldn’t find her payroll card. I went over several days later, and she asked me to go to the ATM with her. However, the ATM was out of order. She said, “It’s not that I don’t want to give you the money, but I still have an errand to run.” She got on her bike and left.

If I had not practiced Dafa, I would have been upset and argued with her. As a practitioner, I knew that nothing was an accident. This was an opportunity for me to eliminate my attachment to profit. I should also be more understanding, as people may have a difficult time making enough money.

The young woman eventually gave me the rent money. I told her about Falun Dafa, and convinced her to quit the Chinese Communist Party and its youth organizations. She didn’t say much, but I sensed that she still had some misunderstanding towards Dafa.

Another time, she told me that she didn’t have enough money for rent, and she wanted to pay me every six months instead. I understood that she lived a difficult life, and agreed to it. However, after half a year, there was still trouble collecting the rent from her. She claimed that I was charging her too much for rent no matter how I explained the calculations to her. I finally asked, “How much should you pay based on your calculation?” She couldn’t tell me and angrily gave me the money.

The young woman moved out last year. While I was cleaning the apartment, I found a gold bracelet. I called her to ask if she had left anything behind. She said she had lost a gold bracelet. I said, “I found one when I was cleaning the apartment. Come over to see if it’s yours.”

She was elated and relieved when she saw the bracelet, and kept thanking me. “It's so rare to have such a nice person like you nowadays! I’ve been so worried and thought I’d never find it.”

I told her it was because Falun Dafa taught me to follow Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and to not be greedy or take advantage of others. I explained that the practice is not at all how the Chinese Communist Party says it is. She listened attentively and nodded to show that she understood. I could tell that she no longer had any misunderstanding about Dafa. She now greets me in public whenever she sees me.