(Clearwisdom.net) One day in late August, I heard that a vice president at my company's headquarters was diagnosed with cancer. Remembering that I had not given him a clear explanation when he asked me about Falun Gong issues, I felt much regret, so I decided to go to Beijing immediately to clarify the truth to him.
After sending forth righteous thoughts, I embarked on the journey while not even having time to eat. I called a taxi and went directly to the train station. The taxi driver was a very hot-tempered young man. To get into the lanes that were convenient for him, he angrily yelled some dirty words at the drivers of two other vehicles. I smiled and asked him who had made him so angry? He looked at me once and said coldly after a long pause, "Nobody made me angry. I just get angry easily. At home, I get angry with my family members. When not home, I get angry with the people I encounter. I can't help it! Now all people are like this, and no one lets others have the upper hand. If I do not swear at him, he will swear at me. So it would be better for me to swear at him first!"
I said something along these lines, "It is true that people are now under pressure and easy to get angry. Let me tell you a story." So I started to tell the story:
"In Texas, USA., a young man's vehicle got stuck on the road out of town in a snow storm one evening. His name was Klaus. He became very worried, and a man on horseback came by. Seeing the situation, the rider started to use his horse to tow Klaus's vehicle to a small town. After that, Klaus took out a lot of money and wanted to give it to the man to express his gratitude. The man said, 'I do not need you to pay me back. But I want you to promise me that you will try your best to help others who are in difficult situations.'
"So in the days to come, Klaus offered to help many people. Each time he remembered to tell the individuals he helped the same words that that man had told him. Many years later, Klaus was stranded on an island because of a sudden flood. A brave teenager saved Klaus while the boy risked his own life. When Klaus expressed his thanks, the teenager told Klaus the same words that Klaus had told others numerous times, 'I do not need you to pay me back. But I want you to promise me ...' Hearing this, Klaus felt a warm current striking his heart, 'This chain of love, which I had helped to make happen, has been spread to many people, and it finally came back to me through that boy. Therefore, all the good deeds that I have done in my life actually have benefited me.'"
I said, "Your nature appears to be very kind. Your getting angry a moment ago was not right. Think about it. That driver originally was very happy. After you swore, that driver would be very angry. So when he encounters the next person, it is quite possible that he will vent his anger at the next person. So a chain of fighting will be going on in the streets tonight. It may return to you. No one's life is easy. We cannot help each other, and furthermore, we become enemies. So where is the happiness? If you had smiled at him and said, 'Sorry, I am wrong and you go ahead,' that person, under your influence, would be very polite to the next person he encounters. Then, a chain of smiling and love, which you have started, would be extended to every street and corner, and all the way to your family. What a happy city it would be! You would be the happiest person in the world!"
He listened to me quietly and suddenly smiled in a charmingly naive way, "Madam, you must be a teacher as you can talk so sensibly."
I smiled and said, "I am not a teacher. But my teacher has told me to be considerate of others first whenever we do things. My teacher is Master Li..." I then clarified the truth about Falun Dafa to him.
When I got out of the taxi he said, "Madam, you Dafa disciples are really good. I have never thought about it this way what it means to be a person. Out of appreciation, I will not charge you today!" I said, "No. You have worked, and you should be paid. We do not want to take advantage of others." We then made our farewells.
I arrived in the train station waiting room I sat down by a young girl. She said that she was a student at a university in Beijing on her way back to school. I asked her why no one had accompanied her to the station. She told me that her parents' health was not good, and she did not want them to come with her. I said, "You care about your parents so much. How nice you are! It would be very nice if you can help your parents become healthy again." She said that it was impossible as her parents had chronic illnesses and there was no way to help them. I told her, "My mother suffered from high blood pressure, heart disease, stomach illness, etc. in the past. I am in the drug business. I bought many imported drugs for her that did not cure her, but later, she recovered by practicing certain exercises. After she recovered, she gave her drugs to an older neighbor lady. The older lady asked her if she had recovered by taking the drugs. My mother answered that she had recovered by practicing exercises. The lady asked why my mother did not teach her the practice. My mother said, 'Jiang Zemin does not allow people to practice these exercises. Do you dare to learn the practice?' The older lady said, 'I was hospitalized, which cost me 7,000 Yuan. The doctors said that my illness was too serious and they could not cure it. I was then driven out of the hospital. Jiang Zemin can do nothing to cure my illness. I have to take care of myself. So, please teach me the exercises!' After the older lady started the practice, the partial body paralysis that she had suffered for many years was cured. Even her facial paralysis was also cured."
After my talk, the girl smiled and she asked me what practice was so good. I told her that the practice is Falun Gong. I also clarified the truth to her. In the end she said, "It sounds like I should also ask my parents to practice the exercises!"
Next morning, the person on the lower bunk bed on the train was a six-year-old girl's mother, who had just graduated from a graduate school. She appeared very proud and arrogant. So I first told a story to her little girl:
"Long ago there was a peasant's wife who was very wicked. She had done no good deeds before she died. A devil threw her into the fire. The guardian angel who was standing there remembered a good deed the peasant's wife had done. The angel said to the god, 'She pulled out a shallot from her garden and gave it to a beggar.' The god then said, 'You then take that shallot and go to the fire and extend it to her. Let her hold it and then pull her up. If the shallot breaks, she has to stay in the fire.'
The angel ran to the peasant's wife and extended the shallot to her, saying, 'Hold it and I will then pull you up.' The angel started to pull her up slowly, and there was just a very short distance to go before she completely came up. When the others in the fire saw someone pulling her up, they held her and wanted to come up with her. The woman was cruel to them. She kicked them saying, 'He was pulling me, not you. That shallot belongs to me, not you.' Just after she finished her words, the shallot broke.
So the woman dropped into the fire again. She is still there suffering. The angel could do nothing but leave her there crying."
After the story, the little girl pulled my hand, begging for more. Then I told her another story, Benevolent Lane.
In ancient times there was one particular official. One day he suddenly received a letter from his hometown. He opened it and read and learned that his family had gotten into an argument with a neighbor. The basic reason was that the wall that separated the two yards had crumbled and fallen down. To gain more space for each neighbor in rebuilding the wall, both sides fought for a single inch. The official's family had written him, asking him to intervene and urge the neighbor to give up.
Later on, the official's family received the long-looked-forward-to reply, but it was merely one stanza of a poem:
"Writing from thousands miles afar only for building the wall,
Giving away even three feet won't hurt at all.
The great wall of ten thousand miles today is yet there,
The first emperor of that time is nowhere."
His family soon understood the poem's message. Then they took the initiative to move three feet back. The neighbor was not willing to be upstaged and also gave up three feet. So, a six-foot wide lane appeared between the two yards. It allowed villagers to walk through. The villagers then named the lane "Benevolent Lane."
At this moment, the little girl's mom showed an interest and came to talk to me. She had graduated from a Medical University of the armed forces and then was assigned to an armed forces hospital. Her supervisor was a woman with no diploma or certificates and no capability but strongly jealous. The supervisor suppressed the young girl's mother in every way. Then she had to take the graduate program entrance exam tests. Now she comes back and will have to face the supervisor. She doesn't really know how to treat her to slake her hatred.
I said to her that she might as well think about it from a different perspective: The supervisor has been rushing about this many years, indeed not easy; she's even vexed when facing your threats. Have you ever thought about getting along with her honestly? Her temper is short; there must be many reasons! If you can help her in various situations, without any desire of reward and give way to her on benefits, no fighting nor force, instead, get along with her just like sisters or friends, I believe that you will get along harmoniously.
Have you ever heard of Westminster Abbey? The abbey's vault is the tomb for kings and other famous noble people. Henry III to George II and more than 20 other Kings, to Newton, Dickens, Darwin, and those several members of the Royal Air Force who died in the "Battle of Britain" in World War II, all are buried here. One of these tombstones bears the following engraving:
When I was young and free and my imagination had no limits, I dreamed of changing the world. As I grew older and wiser, I discovered the world would not change, so I shortened my sights somewhat and decided to change only my country.
But it, too, seemed immovable.
As I grew into my twilight years, in one last desperate attempt, I settled for changing only my family, those closest to me, but alas, they would have none of it.
And now, as I lie on my deathbed, I suddenly realize: If I had only changed myself first, then by example I would have changed my family.
From their inspiration and encouragement, I would then have been able to better my country, and who knows, I may have even changed the world.
Yes, we are the only ones who can change our living environments, starting by changing ourselves. Only if we ourselves pay with sincerity can we then possess friendship. When you are kind to her, nice to her from the bottom of your heart, she would feel it and appreciate your deed. People around you would thus become your friends, and you will live in a joyful environment forever! Can you imagine how nice this is?
She said happily, what you said is so good, I've never thought of problems from an opponent's angle, never thought about changing myself either. I always felt things are others' faults; I was troubled! Suddenly my heart is light and wide this moment. Now I realize that some things are not correct with me, either, and know how to deal with this later on.
After that I told her about how I dealt with conflicts in my work: once one of our rivals wrote a letter to my clients, saying that my products are so and so bad. Since these clients had acknowledged our products, they told me about the letter.
I wasn't angry then, but I made a drawing of a gaggle of flying wild geese and mailed it to him, telling him when the geese take flight, the lead goose has to do the hard work. The bird has to breach the wall of air so the geese that follow then can fly easier, soaring on the updraft. If you strike the lead goose from behind, or even all the geese that fly in front of you, then how can you survive? Can you take on the responsibility of the leader? Is it true that as the whole flock becomes stronger, the possibility of survival for each member of the flock become bigger! Only if there is enough demand for a huge cake and we make the slices small enough can each one get a share
People are just like that: We can survive only when facing hardships in our lives if we help each other; then can we survive and live better. The stars in the heavens are as multitudinous as human beings on earth, but why humans are so distant from each other, just like the stars in the firmaments? Let's work hard together, make the cake bigger, and share in the fruits of our hard works...
Then the rival said shamefacedly, "I never thought the lady would be generous like this! I was too narrow-minded!"
I kept talking. She said excited, "You did so well! I have much to learn from you!" Then I told her that I had been very selfish, often got upset over some trifles before. The reason I have become so tolerant now is because I studied Falun Gong. Then I clarified the truth of Falun Gong to her and told her about Falun Gong being persecuted. She said, "That's it! No wonder; in the armed forces one is only allowed to get on to those army websites! It's because they don't want us to know the things happening in the outside world! Now I understand!
When the train arrived at Beijing Station, it was already past 3:00 p.m. Once I got out of the station I called to greet the general manager Mr.Zhang and ask to visit with him. He said it wasn't necessary any more; he had left the hospital and was dealing with issues at work right then. He said that his home is extremely hard to find, so not to go there. I said that as long as I had an address, I'm sure that I could find it. Knowing that I intended to come, he then told me the address. He planned to drive back home at the same time.
Once I got on to the subway I suddenly thought that I should book my return ticket. I planned to return to the Beijing Railway Station to get the ticket and then go to G.M. Zhang's home. The thought just came out. I soon realized that I was so selfish: I'm here to offer salvation to people; haven't done anything yet but thought of getting back home. Isn't this thinking of things for myself on everything! Then I decided to go to his home right away.
It was quite easy to get to his home and he had been waiting for a while. He looked much leaner; darker and older as well. I pictured myself being refused by a hospital because of severe illness, then being through the kind of sufferings; then the start of the Falun Gong cultivation practice and how it restored my health. I told him stories about the many people whose health was restored through cultivation and clarified the truth of Falun Gong. He then asked how to learn it and asked me to download a copy of Zhuan Falun onto his computer. He said he would study the book, and would try to find out why all those professors at school would study it. All this time, his younger brother who lives there taking care of him had been there, quietly listening to our talks. When I was leaving he said, "Thank you so much!"
After saying "good-bye" to Mr. Zhang I felt very pleased. I sang along "Crossing over thousands of mountains and millions of rivers, I came for you over and over again, I came because of my love for you..." and boarded the subway back to the train station. Seated besides me was a country girl. I asked her if she has enrolled in school. She shook her head. I turned on my mobile phone, typed in the characters of "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance" in the text message section and asked if she knew these three characters. She said she did not know the third word, so I told her and asked her to read once again. I further typed, "Falun Dafa is wonderful" for her, and she said she knew all these words. She then read it twice and said she remembered them. I told her if she could read more, she would perform well after she got into school. She smiled and kept nodding her head. At that moment her mother called her away.
When I got to the train station, I found even the tickets for the economy class for the next five days were all sold out, because it was peak tourist season. The fare the black market ticket seller offered was 80 Yuan higher than the official price; also, it was for the train for the next one or two days. Just while I was hesitating, a very gentle young man came and asked me if I'd like to buy a ticket for the sleeper compartment of tonight's train to City A. I knew that City A was not far from my home, and also I could take the chance to visit my mother-in-law. I inquired how much more he would add to the official price of this ticket. He said, "I'm not a black market ticket broker! I won't add any extra price to it. Instead, you can pay 30 Yuan less than the face value, because this group fare ticket was booked five days ago. One of my colleagues is sick and cannot go, so I have to sell it. If I return it to the ticket office for a refund, the loss will be bigger." This was simply a ticket specially booked for me! I pleasantly paid him. A look at my watch told me there were still another three or four hours left before departure, which was enough for me to go and eat.
After the meal I returned to the square in front of the train station. Thinking that this place was where many fellow practitioners were eliminating the evil, I continuously sent forth righteous thought until I boarded the train.
There were five passengers in the sleeper compartment that night: a mother with a boy who was a third-grader student and two young male computer company employees and me. I shared with them how to be a good person, do the good deeds and be tolerant. All agreed. One of the young men mentioned that he only started to work this year; that his colleagues discriminated against the new staff; they were unfriendly with each other and that it was difficult to get along with them.
I told them a story, as follows and asked them: when a tribulation comes, which one would you like to be?
"A daughter complained to her father how miserable and helpless her life was; how much she desired to continue to live healthily, but she had already lost her direction and had been sick of struggling. Problems came one after another, which made her unable to handle at all.
The father, a chef, took the hand of his beloved daughter and walked towards the kitchen.
He boiled three pots of water. After the water was boiled, he put a parrot into the first pot, an egg in the second pot and some coffee in the third pot.
The puzzled daughter looked at the father while the father just gently held her hand and hinted to her not to talk, but quietly watch the scalding water boiling the parrot, the egg and the coffee in the pots over high heat.
After a while, the father took out the parrot and egg, put them into the bowl, filtered the coffee into a cup and asked, "Dear, what have you seen?" The daughter said, "Parrot, egg and coffee."
The father pulled the daughter closer, asked her to touch the parrot, which had been boiled in the hot water. The parrot was already soft and mushy; he asked her to pick up the egg. Pricking the egg shell, she carefully watched this boiled egg. Then, he asked the daughter to taste the coffee. The daughter drank it and smelled the heavy delightful aroma.
The daughter asked, "Dad, what does this mean?"
The father explained that faced with the same tribulation, i.e. the scalding water, the way the three items reacted were different. The thick and solid parrot turned mushy in the boiling water; the egg had been fragile while its thin and solid shell protected its liquid inside, but after being boiled, the matter inside the shell became solid; as for the powder-like coffee in the scalding hot water, it actually changed the water.
"What about you? My daughter, which one will you be?"
The father kindly touched his daughter's head who had grown to adulthood but temporarily had lost courage and said, "When tribulations come to your door, how would you react? Will you be that parrot, who looked powerful but turned to be flabby during the tribulation and lost its strength? Or will you be that egg that has a changeable heart but becomes bigoted after experiencing death, separation and hardships? Your appearance seems to remain firm as before, but had not your heart and soul become bitter, stubborn and bigoted? Or, you are like the coffee that changed the boiling water, which brought the pains, and then the water had turned into delicious coffee?
If you are like the coffee, When meeting tribulations, when things do not go according to your wishes, if you are like the coffee you'll become more outstanding and will change your external environment into a more pleasant one. Do you understand, my dear daughter? Do not let tribulations break you! Instead, let it be you who changes the hardships and turn things around you, to make them more pleasant and compassionate!"
The young man leaned against the train bed, listened joyfully and asked, wondering a bit, "Surely, it is good to be the coffee, but how?"
I said, "When we have genuinely acquired many virtues, we would naturally become the coffee with the exquisite aroma suffusing all around us. For instance, when you have trust, kindness, selflessness, tolerance and other virtues, all environments will become good because of your being good! Let me tell you a story of scorpion and love."
"Once, an Indian saw a scorpion dropping into the water and kept flipping around. He decided to help it. He tried to catch it with his finger and get it out of the water. When his hand was about to touch the scorpion, the scorpion stung him. But he still wanted to save it. He reached out his hand, again trying to pick the scorpion out of the water. The scorpion stung him again.
Someone nearby said, "It kept stinging you. Why do you still want to save it?"
The Indian said, "Stinging is the nature of a scorpion. But love is my nature. How can I give up my nature because of the scorpion's nature of stinging?" I continued, "Don't give up love. Don't give up your virtue, even if all of the people around you want to sting you."
Many people may think that the Indian is silly. That's because they have only seen one side of the matter, and have only seen the gain and loss before them. But when everybody gives up or lowers their moral standards because of other people's being mean, what will we get as return from this society that has less and less trust and warmth?
We cannot control others, but we can change ourselves. If my being kind can change ten people that I have contacted in my life, then each of these ten people affect ten more people with their kindness. Wouldn't this world become good very soon? For example, you will be one of the ten. We came to this world and should make it better. Only when we keep kindness in our hearts can we bring to ourselves the true light..."
Hearing my story, the young man on the opposite bed suddenly sat up. He was obviously excited and said, "What you said is very good! In my four-years of college, nobody told me this. Please tell me more." Then I started to talk about the truth of Falun Gong. They listened quietly, with a few questions here and there...
In the dark, the train rapidly rode towards the dawn.
We arrived at city A at daybreak. As soon as I got out of the crowded train station, an old beggar who had lost all of his teeth came to me and extended his dirty hands covered with blue veins. I put down my luggage and gave him two coins. He didn't put them away immediately. He stared at me. I suddenly felt I needed to respond to him. I asked, "Do you want to know that Falun Dafa is grand, and Truth, Compassion, and Tolerance is great?" As soon as I said this, he got down on his knees and mumbled, "Thank you, Thank you! ..." Ah, he played the role of a beggar for his entire life, just to be able to hear this here!
When I arrived at my mother-in-law's home, after some chatting I spoke of how I was hoping she would cultivate. She didn't oppose it, but didn't want to learn, either. And she told me not to waste time on her; that she didn't have the predestined relationship. I was sort of disappointed and planned to go home in the afternoon. My mother-in-law asked me to watch her home for a while and left for a haircut.
I sat in the room and read Master's first lecture in the USA. Master mentioned that many people devoted their lives to finding the Fa, and that it is very difficult to attain the Fa. Carefully looking at myself I asked, "Am I compassionate? If my own mother refused, would I give up trying? No. The Fa is extremely great! I will sure ask her to learn. But how come I am so inpatient to my mother-in-law?"
As I was thinking about this she came back. She had fallen down when she went out. She had a big blue lump on her forehead. She raised her right hand and dared not to move. Her knees were bruised and swollen and she couldn't touch the ground. I helped her to sit down and started to read the book to her. I read two chapters of Zhuan Falun in the afternoon. At first she used her left hand to fan herself. Then she switched to her right hand. She switched back and forth and suddenly said, "Wow! When did my hand get healed?" The big blue lump on her forehead was much smaller; only her legs were still somewhat swollen. She happily exclaimed, "I am healed in just half a day. This is good! Can the older lady next door be healed from her osteophytosis (bone spur)?" I said, "She will be healed if she believes it." My mother-in-law said, "Let me call her right now. You make her understand, and we will learn together from now on!"
When I left my mother-in-law's home the next day, I heard the two older ladies reading the book aloud in the room!
Recollecting Master's compassionate arrangement during this trip, I couldn't help to have tears running down my cheeks...
"Stepping over thousands of mountains and rivers, I come to you again and again. I come to you because I love you..."
Singing this happy song, I finished the three-day trip without incident.
