(Clearwisdom.net) When I read the "Practitioners Exchanging Insights and Improving Holistically" section of "Minghui Weekly", I used to only pay attention to the "Practitioners Exchanging Insights" part and ignored "Improving Holistically." I only cared about my personal improvement, wanting to improve by reading practitioners' understandings of the Fa at different levels, and gaining inspiration by fellow practitioners' righteous thoughts and actions. I almost paid no attention to holistic improvement. I felt at ease and justified to ask for these benefits without doing much effort. I felt very guilty after realizing this, and so I am sharing some of my experiences in validating Dafa with my fellow practitioners.
I'm a sales clerk. I contact many people every day, and the environment is complex too. I know that every environment embeds elements for a Dafa practitioner to validate Dafa and conduct personal cultivation so as to improve. So I remind myself to be a practitioner at every moment, and that I represent the image of Falun Dafa. I have removed many attachments amidst personal gain and conflicts among people. Because of my behavior as a practitioner at work, my achievements were very outstanding. I was awarded as the Advanced Individual and Model Worker in my workplace year after year, and later on awarded as the Model Worker at the city level and as Top Class Model Worker at the headquarters of my company.
In 2003, a newspaper reporter was going to write about my deeds. I talked about some of my accomplishments and good deeds to him. I tried to validate Dafa, but because of the mentality of fear, I couldn't tell him at the interview openly and nobly that I did these because I practiced cultivation in Falun Dafa. I only indirectly talked about some principles of conducting oneself. After the reporter finished the article, the top-ranking supervisor at my workplace was not satisfied, saying he didn't write fully about me, and that even he could write better than him. He demanded a better reporter to redo it.
For a practitioner, there is no coincidence. I realized there must have been something for me to cultivate in this incident. The article wasn't good enough, because I hadn't done enough. Validating Dafa is Dafa practitioners' duty, my behavior at work is because of the obligations of cultivating in Dafa. I should validate Dafa openly and nobly, otherwise it's Fa-plagiarizing behavior. But as soon as I wanted to tell the reporter that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner, a big wave of human thoughts based on selfishness and egotism surged. It was a big tribulation for me, and I was swaying between human thoughts and a cultivator's thoughts. One moment I was thinking about "me," the next moment I wanted to validate Dafa. In the end, the thoughts of a cultivator defeated my human thoughts.
I talked with the reporter for a whole afternoon. Instance by instance I talked about how I was considerate to others and how I treated the customers nicely. The reporter was deeply touched. He asked, "Where did your compassion come from?" I told him, "It comes from Falun Gong. I started reading Zhuan Falun as early as in 1998. I am conducting myself following the three words, 'Truthfulness, Compassion and Tolerance.' My work behavior is attributed to my cultivation practice in Falun Dafa." The reporter was shocked. After quite a while he said to himself, "It is so!"
Later on, the top-ranking supervisor asked me to share my work experience and understandings in front of all the employees at a conference. I knew in my heart that this was an opportunity to save sentient beings, but I still felt it difficult. In view of one practitioner in my workplace being sentenced to forced labor by the wicked party for clarifying the truth secretly, what would await me for doing it openly at a conference? A big wave of human thoughts surged, and each one of them was selfish and egotistic, despite over 2,000 lives waiting there to be saved. A fellow practitioner helped me position the priority right, "Dafa, sentient beings and yourself, which one is the most important for you?" My fellow practitioner's words awakened me. I questioned myself, "You are a Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple. Your duty and mission is to save sentient beings. Can you save sentient beings by putting your personal benefits on top of Dafa and sentient beings?" Because I had positioned the basic point right, in a moment I was granted wisdom, and I even had the idea of how to do my speech. All my thoughts of selfishness, fear, and worry disappeared like mist and smoke.
Standing in front of the lectern on the stage that day, looking down at the crowd, I thought, "Let me treat them as the sentient beings in my paradise." At that moment compassion arose in my heart, and my facial expression became peaceful naturally. I calmly took the microphone in hand, like what Teacher does, I talked without a script. Instance by instance, I talked tirelessly about how I treated customers with compassion and was considerate to others at every moment. I knew Teacher was strengthening me. In the end I came to the main subject. I said if there were more people having the sense of spiritual obligation in our business, then with a lot of sincerity and kindness, there will be more stories of honesty and trust in this field. If there are more people in this world believing in "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance," and conducting themselves according to these principles, then this world of ours will become a world of good people, there will be no deceit, fights or hatred.
By now the tranquil conference site immediately began to stir. I heard people talking about, "Truthfulness-Compassion-Tolerance. Isn't it Falun Gong she's talking about?" I looked at them smiling. I ended my speech in the discussion like this. Then, an extremely warm wave applause burst throughout the conference site. A management official walked up to me. She held my hand tightly and said, "I've heard many of your speeches. This one is the best." I burst into tears. I was crying for happiness, happy for the sentient beings' thought of compassion! Later on I heard my co-workers secretly talking about admiring Falun Gong's insight and courage.
In fact, my worry turned out to be unnecessary. My job was not affected by my validating Dafa. On the contrary, I earned more awards later on. I realized that, because Falun Dafa practitioners have validated Dafa, the mighty virtue of Dafa practitioners can reappear in the human world. In the year end, I was awarded as the one and only Top Class Model Worker among almost 2,000 employees in my company. In the award ceremony, my co-workers gave me a warm round of applause. Looking down at their smiling faces, I cried. I knew they would have a beautiful future for treating Dafa and a Dafa practitioner well.Honestly, I have never wanted to be a Model Worker or an Advanced Individual. I was very calm in the face of such great recognition . If my behavior at work has played the role of validating Dafa and saving sentient beings, it is because the mighty Buddha Fa has empowered the practitioner. It is the Buddha Fa's inner meanings and mighty power that have indeed played the role. I deeply understand that it is Falun Dafa that is saving sentient beings; Falun Buddha Fa is rectifying the heaven and earth; and our Compassionate and Venerable Master is guiding the voyage.
May 27, 2006
