(Clearwisdom.net) I feel that we are very fortunate to witness the spread of Dafa and even more fortunate to be selected by Master to be Dafa disciples during the Fa-rectification period. Regarding our mission and our sacred prehistoric vows, I often ask myself whether we can save more people and cultivate ourselves better.
Looking Inward to Cultivate Xinxing
I began practicing Falun Dafa in 2004, so my personal cultivation and my validation of the Fa began almost simultaneously. As a result of studying the Fa, my xinxing has gradually improved. I have come to realize that our living and working environment is also our cultivation environment, so I began paying close attention to every conflict I encountered. Whenever I lost my temper or became upset, I would carefully consider the underlying reasons.
The company I work for is a state-run business with over 300 employees. I am a sales manager with seven or eight salespeople working with me. I report directly to the general manager. I deal with many customers as well as workers in other departments, and I have experienced all kinds of conflicts.
I initially thought I could look inward and eliminate my attachments. I would tell myself that I was a practitioner and would not behave like a non-practitioner. By looking inward more and more, I gradually realized that I had strong attachments of jealousy, complacency, showing off, and proving myself. I was also unable to accept criticism.
After I had found these attachments, Master helped me to remove the bad substances little by little, and I became more compassionate. I was able to see more good points in other people and be more considerate, and the environment around me became better and better. Most of the people I work with, including my supervisor, have learned the truth about Falun Gong and have quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated organizations. Through witnessing my personal conduct, they have gained a positive understanding of Dafa. Some have even obtained copies of Zhuan Falun.
In our cultivation, I believe that as soon as we encounter a conflict, we must look inward to find our attachments. It is particularly difficult to find those that are hidden and deep. Once we find our attachments, we must send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate them. If we fail to solve the conflict in a timely fashion, we won't be able to pass the test in our cultivation and may face a harder one next time. It may also cause non-practitioners to have negative thoughts about Dafa. This is the same as ruining the lives of sentient beings. Therefore we must always remember that we are practitioners, and so when we encounter a conflict, it is not an accident. It is somehow related to our cultivation and improvement.
Clarifying the Truth to Save More People
Since I attained the Fa in 2004, I've been using every possible opportunity to clarify the truth, including distributing materials, talking to people face-to-face, and writing messages on currency.
Since I do not cook at home, I usually don't need to buy much food. But in order to circulate the truth-clarifying currency, I often buy breakfast, vegetables, or fruit for other practitioners. I choose different vendors in different locations.
I have my own car, so my company often asks me to make small purchases. My colleagues frequently ask me to buy things for them, too. So I use the truth-clarifying currency whenever I can. Sometimes I also give Shen Yun DVDs to the vendors and their customers. People always thank me when they receive them.
When I first started to use the truth-clarifying currency, I was nervous. So I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate my attachment. Now it has become much easier. I can use several hundred of these truth-clarifying bills every month. I believe it's because of Master's benevolent protection as well as the fact that the evil forces in other dimensions have been almost completely eradicated.
Several times while shopping at the supermarket, I saw people in line ahead of me using the truth-clarifying currency I had prepared. One of my colleagues once showed me a a bill with the truth-clarifying message I had written. She said, "I don't want to use it. I'll keep it in a safe place." Perhaps Master was using her words to encourage me.
I live near a college. I often walk to the campus store to buy soft drinks and food so I can have more opportunities to use the truth-clarifying currency. I also put DVDs on how to break through the Internet blockade in the small baskets attached to the bicycles outside.
I have also been clarifying the truth face-to-face. I can feel that we are fighting with the old forces to save people. At work we once had several new employees starting in other departments. Due to my oversight, I missed one new employee as I was clarifying the truth. Before I had a chance to catch her, she resigned. I truly regretted it. I realized that saving people was a serious task that should not be delayed. Perhaps our predestined relationships with some sentient beings are short, and if we fail to catch the moment, we might lose it forever.
I deal with many customers, vendors, and other business associates at work. I often invite them to a simple work lunch, and when the opportunity is right, I try to clarify the truth to them and ask them to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Sometimes I drive them to the bus station and use this opportunity to clarify the truth. Most are willing to listen to me. Some even call me from time to time, and I can sense in their voices the joy of being saved. All this is done by Master, who has led these people to me. All I did was open my mouth.
The turnover rate at my company is very high. Many times after I had a chance to clarify the truth to some people, they would quit their jobs and leave the company. Then new people would come in. I have noticed that people are generally willing and eager to be close to Dafa disciples. Perhaps it's because of the kindness they feel when they are around us. Dafa has also given us extraordinary wisdom, which has helped me to do my job well and establish a good reputation. I was assigned to provide sales training to new employees, so I had more opportunities to reach out to these sentient beings and offer them a chance to be saved. Many of them were recent college graduates who were CCP or Communist Youth League members. Whenever I saw them, I felt that I had to do so much more to save sentient beings.
When I need to develop a new project at work, I usually evaluate it in two ways: 1) Can I get to know more people through this project? 2) Can I save more people as a result? If the answer to both questions is "yes," then I would proceed. In most cases the project would wind up being profitable, and so my boss and my colleagues would be very satisfied.
The reason that Dafa disciples are in this world is to save people. Our jobs can provide us with opportunities to establish Dafa's predestined relationship with sentient beings so they can be saved. Once we understand this, we will no longer be attached to fame or personal gain.
I cherish my predestined relationships with sentient beings and treat everyone I meet as someone who has a predestined relationship with me. I clarify the truth to neighbors, mail carriers, garbage collectors, store owners, daycare providers, plumbers, electricians, and property managers. If I do not have time to speak with them face-to-face, I give them Shen Yun DVDs.
I always offer my friends and colleagues a ride in my car, and I go to different places to wash my car, eat out, or shop so I can meet more people and offer them a chance to be saved.
It has not been an easy walk on my cultivation path. Sometimes I do not do the exercises due to the interference of being sleepy, and I sometimes get angry with my child because I cannot maintain my xinxing level. I have even been unwilling to clarify the truth to people who have benefited from the CCP or hold positions within it. Yet in "Fa Teaching at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference," Master told us, "Saving people is just that, saving people, and to pick and choose would not be merciful." Compared with the Fa's requirements, I have a long way to go to become a selfless, great enlightened being.
I want to thank the Minghui website (Chinese version of Clearwisdom) for making us feel that Dafa disciples around the world are one body. This is particularly important when we feel lost, puzzled, or lonely. Many mainland practitioners have shared their valuable experiences on how to walk our cultivation path righteously in the face of persecution. Some veteran practitioners set a great example for me during the early years of my cultivation. I have also received a lot of help from practitioners I met in Beijing. They pointed out many issues in my cultivation. Let us walk every step in our cultivation well so we can fulfill our prehistoric vows.
