(Minghui.org) Driving in China is not easy, let alone driving a truck. Traffic is complicated and our trucks are often overloaded. Nonetheless, I have safely driven a truck for one million miles over the past 20-plus years without any accidents.
I am a careful person, but I know from experience that one can encounter many unexpected situations that are beyond good technical skills. As a Falun Dafa practitioner, I believe that Master Li, the founder of the practice, always protects me and for this I am very thankful.
Falun Dafa has been banned in China, but we practitioners know how good the practice is. I make good use of my time to read Dafa books, memorize and recite the teachings of Falun Dafa, and I also do the Falun Dafa exercises.
Avoiding Disasters
Since 2008, I have driven to different regions in nearby provinces. There are usually two drivers in the truck; one drives while the other rests. Plus, each of us drives once every two days. This makes my life easier to manage, and having time at home makes it more convenient to practice Falun Dafa.
Reciting the Falun Dafa teachings when driving helps me to focus and maintain a clear mind. Because trucks are often loaded beyond their capacity by the business owners, the brake system has an extra burden when driving downhill. This requires auxiliary cooling systems, including extra water, for the brakes. When my mind isn't clear, I often forget to turn off the auxiliary cooling system after going down a hill, resulting in lots of water getting wasted. When I recite Dafa teachings, however, I always remember to turn it off right after use.
I would like to share two incidents where Master Li helped me avoid potential disaster.
In order to have more time to rest, drivers usually drive a little faster. One time, after it had rained, I somehow thought about driving at normal speed, or even a little slower than usual so that I could feel more relaxed. As I was driving down a hill that evening near a village, I suddenly saw something dark in the middle of the road. It turned out that a car was stranded in the road. However, because I was driving slower than usual, I managed to maneuver around the car safely. Had I been driving at normal speed, it would have been impossible for me to redirect the truck—which was over 100 tons—and avoid an accident.
When there is little traffic on the road, drivers occasionally drive near the center line to gain more purchase when going uphill. One day, not long after I started practicing Falun Dafa, I was driving uphill after making a turn. I realized that I should not be driving so close to the center line and decided to get back on my side. After finishing the turn, I suddenly saw two trucks in the opposite lane driving towards me side by side, with one of the trucks actually in my lane. The other two drivers were as startled to see me as I was them. I kept to the side of the road, and after getting on through, I stopped at the roadside for a long time, feeling immensely fortunate to have avoided an accident. Had I stayed near the center, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
Treating Others with Kindness
For a while I worked with Liu, who accompanied drivers to handle fees and other logistical issues. He had a bad temper and often used foul language to complain about the other drivers. Sometimes he even delayed our scheduled meals. No driver liked him and some even argued with him. One time I heard him talking to his wife on the phone, cursing his own family members. From this incident I could tell what kind of person Liu was.
Most people I worked with treated me well. So I felt uneasy about getting along with Liu. But I realized that it was an opportunity to improve my mind and heart nature, so, I tried to manage my negative feelings towards him.
One day, after arriving at our destination, there was a bunk bed for the two of us. The driver usually takes the lower bunk which is more spacious and comfortable. However, since Liu is older than me, I thought about asking him whether he'd like the lower bunk. Then I thought about his bad behavior and remarks and felt that he didn't deserve it. But finally I realized that as a Falun Dafa practitioner I must be compassionate. “What if he were my elder brother?” I thought to myself, “It would be easy to decide then.”
Because I always let Liu have the lower bunk, he has treated me well. He always smiles at me, shows me respect, and says good things about me to other people. After hearing about how the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) brutally persecutes Falun Dafa practitioners for their belief, he agreed to quit the Party and its affiliated organizations. Later, he asked me for a copy of Zhuan Falun.
Helping People Learn about Dafa and the Persecution
Because of the CCP's defamatory propaganda about Falun Dafa, many people in China have been misled and do not know anything about Falun Dafa. I try to explain this to the people I meet, including drivers, loaders, business owners, gas station workers, and garage technicians. A large number of them have learned the facts this way. One time, three technicians helped repair my truck and after we talked for half an hour, all of them decided to quit the CCP organizations.
Another time when several other trucks and I stopped at a place to add water for the auxiliary brake cooling system, I chatted with the shop owner, a woman in her 50s. She renounced her membership in the communist organizations, and was pleased to repeat the phrases “Falun Dafa is good ” and “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”
After driving for a while, our convoy stopped for a meal. Another driver told me that the shop owner had called asking for the phrases I had taught her earlier, “She said those words were good, but she forgot them. Can you tell them to her again?”
I spoke with the woman over the phone, repeated the words for her, and told her more about Falun Dafa. I was very happy for her because I knew that, especially under the persecution of Falun Dafa in China, anyone who supports Falun Dafa and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance will be blessed.
