Being Considerate of Others and Improving My Own Character

(Minghui.org) I am a 48-year-old Falun Dafa practitioner who began practicing Falun Dafa (also called Falun Gong) in 2003. I used to work as a computer programmer in an airline company. I suffered from chronic insomnia due to the intolerable work stress, which also led to physical and mental exhaustion. I even developed a lump in my chest.

A colleague advised me that people became sick because of karma and recommended that I read the main book of Falun Dafa, Zhuan Falun. I immediately visited the bookstore to buy the book and began learning the Falun Gong exercises at home, embarking on my cultivation path.

It has been 21 years since then. Except for some dental work and when I was giving birth, I have never visited the hospital, and the lump in my chest disappeared on its own. Cultivation made me realize the fleeting nature of fame and fortune, and only through cultivation can a person return to their true home. While I continued to work diligently, I began to recognize the real purpose of my life in this world. Thank you, compassionate Master, for this precious opportunity!

I would like to share some experiences along my cultivation path

Three-Year-Old Son Injured in Accident

In 2008, my three-year-old son was run over in a vehicle accident. I still remember the horrifying scene vividly. From the standpoint of a Dafa practitioner, I had not been paying as much attention to my son as I should. As I was at fault, I did not ask the other party for compensation.

Fortunately, my son’s hands and feet were not injured, nor did he suffer any fractures. There was only a small wound on his back. Upon returning home, we put our hands together and knelt before Master’s portrait and thanked Master for his protection. This incident occurred 16 years ago, and my son suffered no after effects from this terrible accident.

Master said,

“If a debt is owed, it must be paid. Therefore, some dangerous things may occur in the course of cultivation. When these things take place, however, you will not be scared, and neither will real danger be allowed to happen to you.” (Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun)

Moving Beyond Illness Karma to Memorize the Fa

I woke up one morning in April 2020 and discovered that my face was paralyzed. Shocked, I immediately took some time off from work and looked inwards. I discovered many bad notions, including jealousy, competitiveness, resentment and lust. Daily intense sessions of Fa study and doing the exercises, along with a firm belief in Master and Dafa, allowed me to recover within ten days.

Some time in mid-May, I began memorizing the contents of Zhuan Falun with fellow practitioners. I am now memorizing the book for the fifth time, using the method of reciting the pages over and over again without forcing the content into my memory. Persistence breeds familiarity, and I believe that every practitioner can do this without putting too much pressure on themselves. I spend 45 minutes each day memorizing and reciting the Fa with other practitioners, and the Fa often surfaces naturally throughout my daily life to guide my behavior.

Reciting the Fa restores peace and calm in my heart, and I find myself consciously looking inwards whenever I encounter problems. I hope to persevere in my Fa memorization efforts.

Getting Rid of Jealousy and Attachment to Fame

I joined a truth-clarification project full-time in March 2022. Although this is a rare opportunity, the heavy workload put me under intense pressure. One day, my supervisor transferred a fellow practitioner from my team to another group, which aggrieved me. I felt that I was working at capacity, but my supervisor intended to increase my workload. I felt this was unfair, but also understood that this mentality was wrong. I sent forth righteous thoughts, yet was unable to eliminate this feeling.

One day, when participating in group Fa study, I came across Master’s words, “A wicked person is born of jealousy. Out of selfishness and anger he complains about unfairness towards himself.” (“Realms,” Essentials for Further Advancement). I suddenly realized that my mental state was caused by jealousy, because I felt my supervisor was treating me unfairly. I realized the importance of removing this attachment quickly, or it would impede my truth-clarification efforts. 

Participating in the 2024 Shen Yun Ticket Sales

When promoting Shen Yun Creations during the Shen Yun performances, our team experienced many cultivation tribulations but still achieved outstanding sales results. We were even placed first and second in sales figures across the different performance venues in Taiwan, thanks to Master’s blessings and joint efforts from fellow practitioners.

Being Inconsiderate of Others When Requesting a Relocation

Our sales booth, which we rented for the duration of the Shen Yun performances, was in an inconspicuous location. I requested a swap in location from the front desk manager, but the other party who was operating the booth I was eyeing refused to give up their place. Despite their rejection, I continued to insist on the swap until I came to the sudden realization that I had not been considerate of the other party, selfishly caring about my own interests. This deeply-ingrained lesson taught me that we should always be considerate of others.

Being Considerate Produces Miracles

A Vietnamese practitioner asked me to help change the seats for four Shen Yun guests, who would be arriving from Vietnam to watch the Saturday performance. Our team was only responsible for promoting Shen Yun Creations, but on realizing that these faraway guests needed our help, I immediately handled their ticket issues and successfully changed their seats.

Besides expressing their gratitude, these Vietnamese guests also decided to buy eight Shen Yun Creations annual subscription cards during the intermission. Additionally, four tickets that had been given up for resale that same night were successfully sold on the spot. When we truly consider others, miracles will happen.

“Take the Card First, You Can Pay Later”

While promoting Shen Yun Creations subscriptions, we met a guest who fell in love with the content found on Shen Yun Creations but carried no cash or credit card with her at that time. Typically, such situations would be grounds to reject a sale, but I took a leap of faith and told her to take the Shen Yun annual subscription card first and transfer the money later when convenient. The guest was very moved. “Do you actually trust me?” she asked. I smiled and replied, “You came to see Shen Yun, I believe you must be a good person.” Before our evening show had even ended, this guest returned to our theater booth and paid the money for the subscription.

This small episode made me realize how trust and kindness can move people, and how practitioners should strive to display such qualities.

Building Experience in Hosting International Guests

Every year, guests from all over the world fly in to watch the Shen Yun performances. In terms of hosting foreign audiences, our team has faced many challenges. Once, a Vietnamese guest visited our country to watch a Shen Yun performance, but because her child was too young, he was unable to enter the theater with his mother. A fellow practitioner from our team volunteered to help care for the guest’s son, an act that moved the grateful guest. After the performance had concluded, she unhesitatingly purchased six Shen Yun Creations annual subscriptions. I came to realize that sincerely aiding others can result in unexpected benefits.

This year, we prepared customized introduction cards for our Vietnamese guests, which contained instructions on how to purchase Shen Yun Creations annual subscriptions and our contact information. This allowed us to provide customer service even after our guests had returned to their home country. This careful arrangement allowed our Vietnamese guests to individually purchase twelve annual subscriptions long after the performance had ended. As long as we put in the effort, Master will arrange the best results.

Cooperating and Strengthening as One Body

During this sales process, I came to realize the overwhelming effect when all parties cooperated as one body. Regardless of their roles as ticket takers, ushers, or security personnel, everyone worked towards a common goal of facilitating the show and promoting Shen Yun Creations to the audience. Our unity had a positive effect on our promotion efforts, which allowed us to achieve success in sales.

Contact All Sentient Beings, Leave No Regrets

During one performance, an elderly lady in her 80s approached our booth and told me that although she lived near the theater, she had not known of Shen Yun’s arrival. Near tears, she voiced her regret that she was unable to watch the performance. I comforted her and suggested she try to catch the other performances happening in other cities, but she lived alone and was unable to travel so far. This incident made me question whether we had done our best to find those predestined sentient beings, and whether there were more people out there waiting for salvation. I resolved to be more meticulous and attentive when promoting Shen Yun in the future, to avoid leaving anyone behind.

Epilogue

I have experienced much throughout these 21 years and have grown a lot on my cultivation path. From youth to middle-age, I have matured and become more rational. I had an ordinary person’s gratitude in the early days of my practice and I now have righteous faith in Master. I will cherish my cultivation path, study the Fa, cultivate myself well, and complete my historic mission.