Letting Go of Attachments, Taking Things Naturally

(Minghui.org) As Falun Dafa practitioners, nothing occurs by chance; we can always learn and gain enlightenment from our experiences. I gradually came to understand many Fa teachings in this manner.

Improvement After Cultivating My Character

My work environment is highly competitive. We are required to meet daily performance targets and submit weekly summaries. If your name is highlighted in red, it indicates that you have not completed your tasks. You will be required to submit a brief report to your manager explaining how you plan to address the shortfall. Additionally, there are monthly meetings, and if your performance is consistently poor, your manager will single you out and pressure you to improve.

This atmosphere often made me feel discontent, and at times, I was so depressed that I confided in my mother. Whenever I felt discouraged, my mother said, “When you improve yourself in cultivation, things will be different.”

I remembered what my mother said, gradually stopped complaining, and focused on my cultivation. Even during the short time I spent putting on makeup in the morning, I listened to Master Li’s lectures. After that, things began to go smoothly at work, just as I had expected. Performance targets were no longer a distant goal, and the pressure I had once felt gradually dissipated.

Cultivate Without Intention

However, as time passed, I found myself in a new predicament. When I diligently completed my daily exercises, I felt delighted, as though I had a sense of security, and I was confident that things would go well at work the following day.

On the other hand, if I slacked off in my practice, I became anxious and restless, believing that the next day would be filled with trouble, I wouldn’t meet my performance targets, and my manager might reprimand me. I felt as if my blessings were gone. Each day, I became increasingly apprehensive.

Gradually, my attachments grew stronger. If, despite my efforts to accomplish the three things a cultivator should do daily, life continued to present twists, turns, and setbacks, I fell into deep self-doubt. I was cultivating myself well, so what was the problem? This confusion persisted for a long time, and as the days passed, the question remained unanswered.

When Conditions Become Challenging

At my workplace, coworkers compete for customers. With high performance targets, a large number of employees, and limited resources, each customer is extremely valuable, like a token that determines victory or defeat, and countless eyes are fixed on it.

I didn’t want to compete with my coworkers for clients. As a cultivator, one should maintain a mindset of non-competition and non-aggression. However, reality often pushes people to the brink of conflict—if I didn’t compete, I might fail to complete my tasks; if I failed to complete my tasks, I could be fired. This dilemma gradually led me to consider resigning.

I later talked with a fellow practitioner, who said, “You shouldn’t work there in the first place. That’s not a place for a Dafa disciple. How can we compete with everyday people for customers?” Her words influenced me and unknowingly increased my desire to quit my job.

Causes Lie Within Our Cultivation

When I later shared my thoughts with my mother, I told her that I really couldn’t continue to do that job. It was too difficult, and living with this daily pressure was exhausting. The problem seemed unsolvable. However, Master used my mother’s words to enlighten me.

After listening to me, my mother calmly replied, “Since it’s the path Master has arranged for you, how could you be unable to continue?”

Although seemingly ordinary, her words resonated with me. I began to reflect on myself: this job, from the interview to the start of work, had progressed smoothly, almost too smoothly to be coincidental—it felt as if it had been planned in advance. Isn’t this precisely what Master had prepared for me?

I calmed down, looked within, and identified many shortcomings that I had ignored for a long time. I had treated cultivation as child’s play. I wasn’t cultivating for the sake of cultivation but to smooth my work performance and to obtain blessings.

When faced with losses, I might say it wasn’t mine in the first place, but I was merely saying that to comfort myself rather than truly letting go and accepting the situation.

I believe Master placed me there for a reason. How can I improve without facing challenges? How can I eliminate karma without suffering? I began to ponder if I could do my job well without striving or competing.

If the progress of the task depends on competition, and if I withdraw to avoid competing, it would only put the manager in a difficult position, as she also has goals to meet. If she cannot meet her targets because of me, that would not be good. From a cultivator’s perspective, this is not being kind; from the viewpoint of ordinary people, it represents a dereliction of duty.

Enlightened and Improved

Master told us:

“Some people think that they face great hardships when they do spiritual practice, but those hardships aren’t actually that great. The more you think that the hardship is great, the larger it actually becomes, and the smaller you become. If you pay it no heed and don’t take it to heart, thinking, “As long as the green mountains remain, there will always be firewood to burn. With Master and the Way by my side, what is there to fear? I’ll just forget about it!” As soon as you let things go, you’ll find that the hardship shrinks and you grow, you will be able to overcome it with ease, and the hardship will become but a trifle—it’s guaranteed that things will go like that.” (Lecture Given at the Conference in Sydney)

Master’s teaching struck me like a bolt of lightning, clearing my mind and bringing clarity to my heart. I let go of all my thoughts and concerns, and I remembered at all times that I was a practitioner.

I used to feel sad when I couldn’t meet my sales targets. However, I realized that if I met my goals by snatching customers from others, then behind those sales figures lay their sadness. Such an “achievement” is ultimately not truly good. I think that if someone has to bear sadness, let it be me. At least I know I’m on the right path.

When coworkers took my customers, I didn’t show my dissatisfaction. Instead, I responded with a smile and graciously stepped aside. Whenever I see coworkers who have not met their performance targets, I am willing to transfer my customers to them and even credit the sales to them. However, I haven’t experienced any losses as a result.

In the past, I often had to work hard to sell two or three items, but now, most of the customers who approach me tend to buy far more than they did before, sometimes even twice as much. As a result, even though I don’t have many customers, I still meet my sales targets.

As I made this quiet transformation, most of my coworkers also underwent subtle changes. Without needing to say a word, we seemed to reach an unspoken understanding—there was less competition and more understanding, less calculation, and more support. We began to yield to one another in our work, and the high-strung nerves gradually relaxed, creating a gentle atmosphere. We also developed closer relationships.

There was one coworker no one liked to work with. She consistently disregarded others’ feelings and attracted all the customers, making her the top seller every month. However, something happened I never expected: she started sharing her customers and even put the products she sold under my name twice.

We move people with kindness and compassion, helping them to recognize what makes us unique. Only in this way can we truly awaken them and guide them to salvation. May all Dafa disciples during this period of Fa-rectification fulfill their missions alongside Master and walk toward glory.