Putting Others Before Me in All Circumstances

(Minghui.org) I’m a schoolteacher in my 50s and have practiced Falun Dafa for over 20 years. With Master’s teachings in mind, I put others before me in all circumstances. Whether or not anyone notices, I have validated the Fa at home, at work, and in a detention center.

I moved to an old residential compound that did not have a property manager. Seeing the stairways were dirty, I often mopped them and wiped the handrails. A resident mistook me for a hired cleaner one day and told me to do a good job. I said, “Sure!” He found out later that I, too, was a resident and was embarrassed.

My daughter and I cleaned the windows in the stairway one day. My neighbor saw what we were doing and said that she couldn’t believe there were still altruistic people like us in the world. She said, “You did a great job raising your daughter!”

We weren’t allowed to leave our residential compound during the pandemic, so I volunteered to help my neighbors order groceries and made phone calls about getting government supplies. I took on the task of calculating and collecting the grocery money from each household and was kept busy. My neighbors trust me and discussed their difficulties with me.

It was raining when our order was delivered to the gate, but we weren’t allowed to go pick them up. Though my own order wouldn’t be affected, I knew the flour and paper products would be ruined and worried about my neighbors’ losses. I came up with an idea. I messaged the delivery person and told him that I would pay for some large trash bags if he would use them to cover our order. He was touched by my thoughtfulness and covered our order without charging me.

I did much more and was better at helping our neighborhood during the lockdown than the appointed official. The official thanked me and complimented me on being so capable and having a warm heart. I smiled in reply, “Do you remember how we got to know each other? It’s because I practice Falun Gong and became the focus of your job.”

She said, “Yes, indeed. What I have seen is so different from what I was told. I need to think it over carefully.”

My work as a teacher was recognized by both my school and my province, and my students repected me. After I filed a lawsuit against Jiang Zemin, the former head of the Chinese Communist Party who launched the persecution of Falun Dafa, I was demoted. Nevertheless, I did a good job in my new position, completing every assignment they gave me, including compiling textbooks, doing inventory control, and outfitting labs. My colleagues and I optimized the workflow and dramatically increased our efficiency. Even though the number of labs we were responsible for doubled, tripled, and then quadrupled, we kept up with the work and completed everything well. Teachers who led lab sessions were impressed with the changes we made and the ease of operation in our labs.

When I was held in a detention center, I tried to talk in depth with everyone there to tell them the truth about Falun Dafa. A woman who had been detained for prostitution got pretty close to me. Others had warned me to stay away from her, saying she was insidious and had reported on others, but I wasn’t concerned. I chatted with her about her past experiences and found that, under her fierce exterior, she had a simple heart. I felt compassion for her and was sincere about helping her find a righteous path to a good life. She changed a lot.

Many people have changed after talking with me a few times. They became more positive, outgoing, and confident about their future. It was the light of Falun Dafa that shined on them.

The detention center ordered a surprise security check one day, forcing us all outside. We stood, shivering in the cold, waiting to be checked, one by one, before being allowed back inside where it was warm. We let the oldest woman be first. I was the second oldest, but I told the jailer, “Let the others go first. I don’t mind being last.”

The jailer said, “You are so nice! You have always been good to people.” Actually, I had been cold until I told her to let the others go first. Master must have seen my unselfishness and kept me from being cold.

I have been cultivating myself and putting Falun Dafa principles into practice every day as an ordinary practitioner. I know that thousands upon thousands of Falun Dafa practitioners have been doing the same in every corner of the world. Our words and actions have radiated the light of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and brightened people’s hearts. Despite how maliciously Falun Dafa has been slandered and defamed, people sense its warmth and hope. Though we have no voice in mainland China and get arrested for calling for justice, we validate the Fa with our acts of compassion, a sharp contrast to the CCP.