(Minghui.org) I am 77 years old and a retired worker. I have been practicing Falun Dafa for over 20 years. I pay attention to the little things to ensure that I let go of the attachment to financial gain.
Returning a 40-Yuan Overpayment
When I planned to replace several electrical appliances in 2017, I found someone who collected and recycled used products. We agreed on 40 yuan for my used TV and microwave oven.
He followed me home to pick them up. When he gave me the cash, I said that it would be fine to put it on the coffee table, as I was busy moving things around. Then he left.
When I picked up the money later, I noticed that there were four bills: three of them were 10-yuan bills, and one was a 50-yuan bill. So the total was 80 yuan. I guessed that the man must have thought he gave me four 10-yuan bills.
I wondered, “Where can I find this man? He must have to work hard to earn a living. Forty yuan might be a big loss for him. I am a Falun Dafa practitioner. Master Li teaches us to be good people and think of others before ourselves. I must find this man and return the extra 40 yuan to him.”
I walked through the streets to look for him every day, but I could not find him for over a month. One morning I was eating breakfast in a small restaurant when I heard a man calling out for used products. I looked up and saw that it was the man who had overpaid me. I called to him right away and said that the money he gave me was not right.
He was not happy at first, thinking that I was going to ask him for more money. The owner of the restaurant said to him, “He is not asking for more money; he is returning money to you.” The man then listened to my explanation.
I showed him the four bills he had given me. I said, “We agreed on 40 yuan. I am a Falun Dafa practitioner. Master Li teaches us to be good people. The extra 40 yuan is yours. You must have to work hard to earn a living.”
He was touched. I told him to remember, “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”
The bystanders were also touched. One commented on how hard it must have been to look for this person for over a month in order to return his 40 yuan.
Returning a Package Wrongly Delivered to Me
In the summer of 2017, I bought an electric oven after watching product promotions on TV. The company promised to send a frying pan as a gift for ordering right away. I received the package a few days later and was satisfied with the oven, but I noticed the frying pan was not included. I made a phone call and was told it would be mailed to me.
When I received the gift package, I saw there was an additional box of pans and knives imported from Germany, which were worth around 2,000 yuan ($288). That was not my gift, so I thought that the delivery person must have made a mistake. Because I am a Falun Dafa practitioner, I did not want the additional box.
I called the company and told them what had happened, and the delivery person came to pick the box up a few days later. He said, “Thank you so much. I would have to pay for it myself otherwise. You are a good man.” I told him to remember, “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”
Paying for What the Cashiers Didn’t Charge Me
I went grocery shopping in 2017. There were many people there that day, and the cashier was extra busy. When I went home and checked the receipt, I noticed the cashier did not charge me for the oil I’d bought.
I returned to the shop right away, explained to customer service what had happened, and paid for the oil. The manager was touched and said, “There are few people like you nowadays.”
I told him that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner and that we think of others first. I also told him about the persecution and let him know that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) staged the Tiananmen self-immolation to frame Falun Dafa. He warmly greeted me when I met him later.
Before the 2018 Chinese New Year, I went to a supermarket and bought quite a few small items. When I checked the receipt at home, I noticed that the cashier did not count right and had undercharged me.
I went to customer service the next day, explained what had happened, and paid the difference. The person-in-charge said, “You are really great!” I told him I was a Falun Dafa practitioner and lived by Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
That made him nervous, and he said in whisper, “Doesn’t the government say you are not allowed to practice it?”
Smiling, I said, “What have you seen today? Falun Dafa practitioners are good people, not like they are portrayed on the TV propaganda. Please remember, ‘Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’”
He smiled, and the onlookers were moved, too. One said that having a faith made people more honest.
Master said, “...it’s cultivation—whatever happened to being “free of gaps” (wu-lou)? There are no little things.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference”)
For more than 20 years, I have been paying attention to the little things to ensure that I let go of my attachments to fame and self-interest and to be a better person.
Category: Improving Oneself
