Escaping the Quagmire and Walking the Final Stretch Well

(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master. Greetings, fellow practitioners. I would like to share my recent cultivation experiences with you.

Society in China is rife with intrigue, and the government is plagued with rampant corruption. I followed Dafa’s teachings, worked hard at my job, treated people kindly, did not take advantage of anyone, and I did not compete for personal gain. My colleagues and acquaintances gradually realized that I was cut from a different cloth and were receptive when I later clarified the truth to them.

After I moved to Japan, I realized that my work style and mindset needed to change, even though I continued working in civil engineering. Back in China, I enjoyed relatively relaxed deadlines with plenty of free time. In Japan, however, the pace of work was incredibly fast. I had to submit completed designs every day during peak periods, and this speed was the norm at my company. Having to frequently work overtime, along with my colleagues’ rigorous work ethics, made it difficult for me. I was accustomed to napping at noon and leaving work on time.

This drastic change in my work environment, coupled with my inability to speak Japanese, came as a complete shock. After calming down and reflecting within however, I realized that this new environment was arranged by Master so I could cultivate my mind and eliminate my attachments. The extremely negative work environment in mainland China meant that any morally upright action I took was sufficient to showcase my abilities as a cultivator. Yet in Japan’s normal society, even strangers on the street treat each other politely. I had to improve my character in order to show others that I could do my work well and accept the truth behind the persecution [of Falun Dafa].

During a lunch break when I was reading the Japanese version of Zhuan Falun my boss asked what I was reading. I took the opportunity to introduce Falun Dafa to him, and he browsed through the book. He later often advised me, “Working is just like cultivation, where cultivation comes before practice. Don’t rush into it, understand the principles and maintain a positive attitude first before starting any job.”

I used to rush through my work, but no matter how much I did, I made little progress. The work environment in Japan exposed the entrenched Party culture within myself, and I worked hard to eliminate it.

Walking Out of the Quagmire

I avoided confronting a longstanding flaw, the feeling that no matter how hard I tried, I could not change my situation. The old forces used this gap to erode my righteous faith and undermine my confidence, and made me give up on myself. A layer of gray clouded my vision for a long time, and this lingering feeling of depression and negativity refused to go away.

One day when I was reading the Fa, Master’s teachings suddenly penetrated my mind and broke through my fog.

Master said:

“For someone with a lot of the black substance, however, there is an additional procedure. It is like a product that a factory makes: Others all come with ready-made material, while this person comes with raw material that needs to be processed. It has to go through this process. Therefore, he must first suffer hardships and eliminate karma, so as to transform it into the white substance, forming this substance of de. Only then can he develop high-level gong. But such a person usually does not have good inborn enlightenment quality. If you ask him to suffer more, he will believe it less and it will be harder for him to endure it. Therefore, it is difficult for someone with a lot of the black substance to cultivate.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)

I always thought this statement just meant it would be hard for people with a lot of black substance to cultivate. But I suddenly realized it meant that people with a lot of black substance possess a lot of raw materials. As long as they were willing to endure hardship, they would have the opportunity to increase their gong. They had a chance to do well, and this understanding of Master’s teachings dissipated the lingering haze in my heart.

I thought it was important to let fellow practitioners know that I was feeling guilty over my wrong deeds and was sincerely self-reflecting. Only then could I atone for my past mistakes. However, this Fa principle made me realize that returning to my original, pure state was the truest way to atone for my mistakes. Instead of wallowing in regret, I needed to cultivate well and make amends. I began to progress again in cultivation, and a smile returned to my face.

I always wondered what “emotion” referred to. After searching inward, I initially attributed it to the “emotion I felt for fellow practitioners,” but found myself still caught up in problems. I hadn’t found the root cause, so I continued searching and discovered a deeper layer of attachment to “affection for my family.” After letting go of this attachment, I felt a sense of improvement, even though I felt that my flaws hadn’t been eliminated and could be exploited by the old forces. Unable to identify the reason behind my problem, I continued to sink deeper until further cultivation revealed the attachment to lust at a deeper layer. This was unanticipated, and although this was the most recent cause I discovered, it may not be the ultimate root cause. I will continue to examine myself to prevent the old forces from exploiting any more loopholes.

New Job, New Tribulations

I became a freelancer last spring, which led to an unexpected opportunity in a new career field. My wife and I are members of the Tian Guo Marching Band, and I usually take care of our instruments. Because the back of her flute is hard to reach, I wanted to take it apart for cleaning. However, I had no experience and I was worried I wouldn’t be able to reassemble it, or I might unintentionally alter her instrument’s tone. My wife would be upset if I broke her flute.

This thought kept resurfacing. I reasoned that even if I broke it, I could buy her a new one. So, I took her flute apart. When my wife came home, she was shocked to find our table covered in flute parts. I reassured her, and fortunately we were able to successfully reassemble the instrument. After my wife tried out her cleaned flute and gave her approval, I embarked on my musical instrument repair career. Starting from the sale of my first flute, I slowly worked my way up. Looking back, perhaps none of this was coincidental. Although I love this new field, I’m a novice and the difficulties make any progress challenging. Despite the temptation to give up, I persevere.

A professional flute repairer works nearby, and I had the good fortune to observe him while he worked on my wife’s flute. He often made interesting remarks, like, “Balance these components well and they will be happy.” Certainly, all objects are alive, and repairing them restores them from an incorrect state to optimal condition. When these instruments are happy they can produce beautiful music. Furthermore, saving an instrument destined to be discarded should make it happy. Giving it a new lease on life is also fulfilling for the restorer. In contrast to the scientific principles I needed for my previous work, this new job had a greater spiritual aspect.

There are negative sides to everything, of course. When repairing a flute, my hammer might create an unwanted dent. Sometimes I accidentally break a spring or I’m unable to remove a stuck screw. When things do not go well I break out in a cold sweat because these instruments are expensive and I can’t sell them if they are damaged. Whenever I encounter difficulties, I look inward. After discovering the gaps in my character, I quickly arrive at a solution.

Selling the restored musical instruments also poses significant challenges. I once sold a flute that I was confident about its condition, and hoped to get a good price. I managed to get a good price, but problems soon occurred. The customer complained about her inability to produce a note and asked me to find a solution. Used instruments are generally non-refundable and non-exchangeable, as clearly stated by product disclaimers. But after some thought, I realized that nothing happens by chance, and as a practitioner, I should consider others first. I offered the customer a full refund, but she angrily declared, “I spent over a month selecting this flute. I bought it because it was a perfect fit, and I trusted you. If you are suggesting a refund you should also compensate me for my time and effort.” Using the product description as an excuse, she demanded that I cover the cost of returning the instrument to the factory for repairs.

It’s difficult to determine an instrument’s issue. The malfunction of a single note could also be due to technical issues on the customer’s part. Returning the instrument to the factory costs more than sending it to a regular repair shop, but as the problem could have stemmed from my work, and given that practitioners do not run into issues by chance, I decided to solve the issue for her. I paid the customer the factory repair fee and covered the miscellaneous expenses.

I thought the matter was resolved, but she told me that if she wasn’t satisfied after the repair, she would demand a complete overhaul. While I waited for her to reply I calmed down and looked inward. I discovered that I was being selfish, did not listen to others, and was stubborn.

After the repairs were completed, the customer played the instrument. The sound improved but she wasn’t satisfied. She wanted to return the instrument for a complete overhaul. I felt that this was an unreasonable request. We already paid tens of thousands of yen for the repairs, and an overhaul would cost over 200,000 yen, exceeding the value of the instrument itself. I would be giving the instrument away for nothing. I tried to negotiate a refund and bring the matter to an end. But the customer was not satisfied, blamed me, and insisted I pay for an overhaul. She threatened to demand compensation for emotional distress, accused me of violating the civil code, and also demanded many other things.

At this point, I recalled Master’s words in Zhuan Falun, under the section on “Jealousy”:

“A cultivator should follow the course of nature. If something is yours, you will not lose it. If something is not yours, you will not have it even if you fight for it.” (Lecture Seven, Zhuan Falun)

Perhaps I owed this customer in a past lifetime, and it was only right to pay her back. Yet my wife’s distress left me undecided on how to handle it.

Looking inward, I realized I hadn’t eliminated my desire for profit. The earlier issue involved a smaller amount of money so it failed to completely expose my attachment. I knew this was a test, so I repaid the client as she requested and the matter was finally settled. The heaviness in my heart instantly vanished. However, another client then demanded compensation from me. After handling the second claim, I calmed down and examined myself.

Looking inward, I discovered pride laying beneath my desire for personal gain. Swallowing my anger was harder than paying the money. Some people even told me not to be a coward and back down so easily. I knew my actions were not triggered by cowardice, but I had to let go of my pride. Digging deeper, I discovered beyond my pride lay a deeper attachment, my love for my wife, which manifested in two ways: a reluctance to see her suffering and fear of her reaction. This triggered my desire to take easy measures instead of confronting my attachments. I stopped avoiding my attachments and worked to eliminate them.

I have been repairing musical instruments for a year and a half. I earn barely enough to make ends meet, and the nature of the job makes it prone to unexpected situations. Furthermore, the music industry in Japan is very mature. With demanding customers, it’s difficult to stay afloat. Whenever things get tough and I feel like giving up, miracles occur, with the road ahead lit brightly again.

Perhaps this seemingly chance encounter is a path arranged by Master. Even though it is narrow, this is a path that leads to success. I have recently fallen into a positive cycle and my skills have improved. Solutions to problems now come more easily, as though I’m receiving unexpected inspiration. I am grateful to Master for always being by my side, and can only repay Master’s kindness by cultivating diligently.

Conclusion

I cultivated with my parents as a child, then in my workplace as an adult, and now in a completely new environment. Master has repeatedly pulled me out of troubling situations and helped me make progress. As I approach forty years old, I am determined to shoulder my responsibilities, seize the limited time left to fulfill my vows, and return home with Master.

(Selected article presented at the 2025 Japan Fa Conference)