Heed My Bitter Experiences

(Minghui.org) Morality today is rapidly sliding downward. People seek nothing but profit. Since I’m surrounded by ordinary people and communism in China, my thinking gradually warped. When I couldn’t keep up consistent Fa study, I unknowingly developed the attachment to making money. When I thought that the concept of “making money part-time, no worries for a lifetime” was right, my mind had changed. It began when the first multi-level marketing (MLM ) approach to sales started in China.

At that time, a former classmate from elementary school recommended that I attend a seminar on MLM, which is also called pyramid selling. After just one session, I was brainwashed and totally forgot that I was a Dafa practitioner. I joined the company and purchased the products I would sell even though they were expensive and beyond what I could afford.

I was tempted by the principle of multiplication of revenue offered by MLM and developed the idea that I could get something for nothing. As long as I got others to sign up, I would be paid. This deviant idea is against the traditional concept of labor. However, I was unaware of how terrible the company was at that time.

It seemed that I would have a lot of free time and still make money easily. Actually, my heart wasn't free. My heart was tied down by the money. It's normal to work eight hours a day. One's income may be lower but the job is steady and the mind is free after your shift. However, I couldn’t make any money in MLM because it is difficult to get people to sign on. So I gave up the job but didn't eliminate my attachment to self-interest.

After a while, I switched to direct selling pine pollen, which operated on a similar platform as the previous company. I couldn’t sell much with this company, either. I bought too much product from a Dafa practitioner and ended up storing it in my home for so long that it turned moldy. That practitioner was completely caught up in MLM selling and stopped cultivating.

A few years later, I joined Green Leaf direct selling and paid a 7,000-yuan membership fee. Again, I didn’t sell out the product I bought and offended a colleague who doesn't talk to me anymore. I failed again and lost a month’s salary. My friends who had similar experiences advised me to stop taking this kind of job.

There is no difference between MLM and direct sales. Sales without a financial license are called pyramid schemes, that is, MLM. They are suppressed by policy. Direct sales do have licenses and are protected by policy, so former MLM salespeople now do direct sales. For ordinary people, it is fine whether this job is part-time or full-time. However, as a Dafa practitioner, doing this job is wasting time and effort. Even worse is developing the human attachment to making back your investment.

Cultivation is not easy and what I did made it harder. Thus, I could not catch up in Dafa cultivation.

In addition, all direct selling platforms make money based on a deviated principle. In other words, it’s the opposite of “get more pay for doing more work.” I repeatedly made the same mistake, acting like an ordinary person. I didn’t learn my lesson and instead became even more deeply involved.

Last year, I even persuaded a practitioner who owns a store to join Shenhua Shoes sales. Although secondary distribution is not considered to be direct sales, I didn’t sell all the products that cost me ten thousand yuan upfront. The practitioner also complained about this.

I finally woke up, thanks to hints from Master. I immediately apologized to the practitioner and stopped selling the shoes. After this, I came to understand that, as long as I am attached to self-interest, I will suffer heavy losses and will not succeed, whether I do direct sales or secondary distribution.

Why didn’t I spend more time and effort on cultivation? My human attachments stalled my cultivation progress. I really should think about where my life originated.

There is a Chinese proverb: “Time is money, but you can't buy time with money.” But in this mundane world, I didn't put cultivation as the first priority and forgot my sacred mission.

Master said,

“Once the illusion that you cannot let go of disappears, you will realize what you have lost.” (“Practicing Cultivation After Retirement,” Essentials for Further Advancement)

Once people enter this deluded world and its secular, swirling dust, it is easy to forget one's true nature, not cherish our time, and forget the real purpose of life. As a result, the gap in cultivation grows bigger and bigger.

If you treat Master’s compassion as child's play, the evil old forces will take advantage of this loophole and take your life. The time for cultivation is nearing the end. The time that was extended by Master is for Dafa practitioners to do better and to cherish the opportunity to cultivate.

Regarding my experiences in the workplace, it is imperative for me to improve my understanding, and make rules for myself to maintain my xinxing.

First, I need to have a better understanding of myself. Second, I need to choose a good profession. Third, I need to understand people and their true nature. And, fourth, I need to stay away from bad people, because we are easily influenced by our surroundings and the company we keep.

Making rules for myself is like installing a firewall. Cultivation is very serious and rigorous and it is difficult to improve one's character. Yet, it is very easy to fall.

In the very little time left for cultivation, we should study the Fa more diligently, constantly look inward, and follow the path of cultivation.