(Clearwisdom.net) I started practicing Falun Gong in 1996. After the persecution began in 1999, I was arrested and detained only because I taught practitioners how to use the computer and surf the Internet. After I was released from the detention center, I was unreasonably fired from my workplace. My husband and I then established our own company by making our own products to sell.
Neither my husband or I had ever started a business before, so we encountered many difficulties since we had to take care of both production and sales. At the beginning, we didn't have much in the way of funds, so we lived frugally and always worried about being taken advantage of. Although many of my attachments were eliminated after I began practicing Falun Gong, I still had attachments to fame and self-interest. No matter how I kept reminding myself that money wasn't important and that I should take it lightly, sometimes I still couldn't control myself when problems arose. The quality of our products was inconsistent. I knew that we needed to have good quality products if we wanted to be successful in marketing. We tried many different ways to improve, but to no avail. Sometimes I thought to myself, “Am I too attached? I have spent so much time on it—should I continue doing it?”
Teacher said:
“So in other words, whichever field you might be in, when you are able to improve your skills, that is a reflection of your having continually risen in realm. And people can see that you are a good person and someone who cultivates his or her heart and mind. From the vantage point of human beings, you are becoming a good person. As a result of studying the Fa and cultivating your inner self, you do better and better, and gods give you the wisdom you deserve and give you inspiration so that you can come to realize a lot of things while you study, create better things, improve your technique, and reach beyond. Think about it, in human society, this can be done in any legitimate occupation, can't it? While you do well at work, you are cultivating yourselves--can't you improve that way? (“Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles”)
I am a practitioner and everything happens for a reason. I should comply with Dafa's requirements at work and in other aspects of my life. No matter where I am, I should be strict with myself and meet the Fa's requirement. One’s cultivation status will manifest in the workplace. I then thought to myself, “Since I have chosen to do it, I should do it well. I should rectify myself while doing this job and in ordinary society. It is not because the job isn't right for me, it is about having the right attitude about it.” I began to be strict with myself and looked inward whenever conflicts occurred. Miraculously, the quality of the products got better and better. Whenever there were issues with our product, I would look inward. As soon as I let go of my attachments to fame, self-interest and fighting, the problem was resolved immediately.
Once, I asked two employees to package our product for shipping. Although the packaging could have been done by one person, I wanted to speed things up and let another person learn how to package. However, they both slacked off—when one worked, the other rested. As a result, they didn't finish the packaging even after a long time. I was very unhappy and reprimanded them without asking why it took them so long. Although they didn't say anything then, they later told me that I was difficult to get along with. In fact, I realized that I shouldn't have scolded them, that I should have kindly pointed out their mistake. Although they were in a lower position, I should still have respected them. After reading an experience sharing article on the Clearwisdom website, “Recalling Teacher’s Compassion,” I realized that Teacher is always compassionate, respectful, and kind to others. However, when I chastised my employees, it was because I was narrow-minded and was afraid that they would not do their job. With this bad notion, the negative factors in other dimensions took advantage of my loophole. Therefore, the problem would occur again. I wasn't conducting myself as a practitioner if I couldn't pass the test.
After this incident, I started treating others with kindness and patience whenever problems arose. As a result, the relationship between my employees and I improved and the work environment became congenial. Whenever there are problems with the quality of the products, we try to solve them together instead of blaming each other. Even when my husband and I aren't in the office, everyone does his or her job responsibly. We no longer needed to check on employee attendance, who isn't or isn't doing their job, and who is trying to cut corners. The quality of the products improved as my xinxing improved.
One incident that occurred was a big test to my attachment of fame and self-interest. We hired someone who seemed kind and taught him the operations of our company. After being with us for two years and learning our whole operation, including sales channels and customer information, he suddenly left. He then opened his own company selling the same products. In addition, he paid some of our employees to try to steal information from us. This really affected our production and sales. I felt sad and angry at the same time. I had trusted him and never expected him to do that to us. Every day, all I could think about was hiring a lawyer and suing him. He boldly told us, “I will carry it to the end, even if I die.” All of my attachments to fame, self-interest, and fighting surfaced. It is true that cultivation does not count unless it moves your heart.
I later realized that I was a practitioner and I was saving sentient beings. However, what I was doing and thinking about was not suitable for a practitioner. With such strong attachments to fame, self-interest, and fighting, how could I assist Teacher in rectifying the Fa and saving sentient beings? The way I handled the problem didn't conform to Dafa's requirement. As a result, I allowed the evil to take advantage of my loopholes and stop me from saving sentient beings. If I didn't change, I was worse than an everyday person. I had to let go of my attachments. Teacher’s words made me clearheaded. Teacher said:
“In cultivation practice, there may be two scenarios when dealing with specific conflicts or when others treat you badly. One is that you might have treated this person badly in your previous life. You feel in your heart that it is unfair, 'How can this person treat me like this?' Then why did you treat this person that way in the past? You might claim that you actually did not know it at that time, and this life has nothing to do with the other life. That does not work. There is another issue. In conflicts, the issue of transforming karma is involved. Therefore, in dealing with specific conflicts we should be forgiving instead of acting like ordinary people.” (Zhuan Falun)
Wasn't what I was going through because I was repaying a debt I owed to transform my karma and improve my xinxing? It may have seemed to be a bad thing, but, in fact, it was a good thing. I then told my husband, “We shouldn't waste our time and energy fighting with him anymore. If something is yours, you will not lose it. If something is not yours, you will not have it even if you fight for it. If his company is successful, that means we owe him. If that's not the case, no matter how hard he tries, his company will not be successful. But we cannot continue fighting with him. We may generate karma.” Although my husband doesn't practice Falun Gong, he has read Zhuan Falun. He then gradually let go of this incident. Now we no longer worry about it. After letting go the attachments, my body became very light. I know that the bad substance in other dimensions was eliminated and my xinxing improved.
