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Cultivating One’s Heart While Working As an Architect

September 05, 2018 |   By a Falun Dafa practitioner in China

(Minghui.org) Some of my friends are very curious about Falun Dafa’s cultivation of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. They think that Falun Dafa practitioners are amazing because they remain righteous and steadfast despite the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) persecution of them. Someone asked me, “How do you cultivate in your daily life and work?” I would like to write about events that occurred in my workplace.

Cultivating My Heart While At Work

I am an architect. Not long ago, the owner of an architectural design center sought my help to design a proposal for their client. Initially, I did not want to take the job. However, after looking at the design center’s difficulties, I finally agreed to their request. Swiftly, I finished the design proposal and let the visual representation company that is designated by the design center come out with the design drawings for the building.

This job originally could have just ended here. However, no one would have expected the visual representation company’s person-in-charge to call me the next day, asking where exactly was I dissatisfied with their drawings. Puzzled, I said, “I am very satisfied.” He told me that one of the shareholders of the design center called to tell him that he was not satisfied with the drawing. However, he was not able to verbalize what he was not satisfied with. The visual representation company’s person-in-charge thought that I was the one who was not satisfied and that I did not want to tell him directly. Hearing that did not give me a very good feeling. I thought in my heart that that shareholder is not a professional and yet he still wanted to meddle in the affairs of professionals, creating misunderstandings.

While creating this design proposal, I never met with the client. Usually, all I need to do is to create a design proposal, have a quick meeting with the client and then make adjustments according to the client’s requirement. As everyone’s esthetic perception is different, the more people that join in the decision-making process, the more troublesome the matter will be. On the other hand, in past projects, the boss of the departments that I have worked with demonstrated full trust in me. Whatever decisions that were related to the professional field were all made by me.

Just then, another shareholder of the design center, under the influence of the shareholder mentioned above, also called me to say, “That’s all for that design proposal?” That meant that the design proposal is insufficient and will need additional adjustments. I replied, “I think it should still be fine. Let’s talk about it after meeting up with the client.” In my heart, I was lamenting that I was just helping out of goodwill and yet they are giving me so many issues. If they are going to continue to have comments about the design proposal, how time-consuming will it be? I resolved to not be involved in such matters in the future. No wonder so many of the professionals in this design center had left the company.

However, after I cooled down, I compared my thoughts with the requirements of Dafa and started to look within myself. Perhaps I felt unhappy about this situation because my ego had been offended. During this time, I should be putting the effort into correcting myself instead of looking at the exterior flaws to find the source of the problem. By doing the latter, I am actually allowing the negative factors and evil thoughts within me expand. The reason why I am facing such a conflict is that my capacity and benevolence is insufficient, I am not able to listen to unpleasant words and I am afraid of troubles.

Looking back, from the point of view of the shareholder, he is acting for the sake of the design center. Everybody’s perception of beauty is different so it is very normal that what I feel looks nice, may not look nice to others. As my character improved, the unhappiness and conflict also gradually disappeared.

Later, I heard that the shareholder personally directed the visual representation company to draw out another design proposal and presented both of the design proposals to the client. However, the client chose my design proposal saying that my design was very good in color, building style and plan layout.

Deep inside, I was very calm and the design center’s owner was very happy and said, “You are really great, your design proposal was well liked by the client at first sight! In the past when we created design proposals, we always needed to go through a few rounds of discussion and fine tuning with the client before it can be finalized.” That shareholder who had opinions about my design proposal also said with embarrassment, “ The drawing that you have designed was quite good. I am not a professional in this field so I am just watching the show. I do not know how to truly appreciate such design drawings.”

I was grateful for not only fulfilling my job obligations but also to cultivate while at work, constantly improving my character along the way.

The Company’s Management Acknowledges Dafa Disciples

At the initial stage of the persecution in China, I was once forced to leave the company which I was originally working in. However, I remembered Master Li's (the founder) request for us to cultivate in such a way that we conform to the way that sentient beings live. This will be beneficial for society. I told myself that no matter how crazy the CCP carries out the persecution, I must also listen to the Falun Dafa teachings and take a righteous path. With this thought, I left my original place of work. Within one month, I found another job.

The new company that I worked for was a private design firm. At that time, I told the boss that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner. At that time, the persecution was still quite intense. However, my boss said, “You just have to do your job well. We do not interfere with our employee’s personal beliefs.” The boss assigned me to be the technical manager.

After working for a few years, I was illegally sent to a forced labor camp due to my participation in saving fellow practitioners from further persecution. From the day I was arrested, it took me about a year to break free from the forced labor camp. The company I had worked for was still willing to employ me with a high salary as the top manager of the company. They acknowledged the integrity and technical abilities of Falun Dafa practitioners.

After that, I successfully passed the exams to register at a national level as a first-class architect. My colleagues were full of admiration! They noted that even though a Falun Dafa practitioner was persecuted by the CCP, he did not give up his belief and could even pass such a difficult professional exam!

All these examples of evil not being able to surpass righteousness allowed those people around me to testify to the great virtues of Falun Dafa. On the other hand, under the guidance of Dafa’s law of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance, I try to correct myself while spreading the truth about Dafa in my field of work, awakening the lives that I come upon.

The design company that I mentioned earlier also knew that I practiced Falun Dafa. That shareholder who had a different opinion from mine renounced the CCP after learning the truth about Falun Dafa. Some of the employees used software that can circumvent the Great Firewall of China to surf the web. When things are slow at work, they will use their cell phones to watch the New Tang Dynasty Television programs. Some even passed around the truth-clarification VCDs from Minghui.org.

Not long ago, this design center sought my help again as they were having troubles communicating with their client ( a university) about their design proposal. Because of that, I got to know some of the teachers from that university and I sent them Minghui periodicals. Finally, the conflict was resolved and the client commented that not only do I have a good character, but I am also diligent and organized in my work.

It is the cultivation of Falun Dafa that taught me to be tolerant and accommodating, to be kind to people, and to maintain a steadfast and serious attitude in my job. In this way, I am also putting Master’s teachings of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance into practice.

Many People Do Not Know That the “Tiananmen Self-immolation” Is a Hoax

When I was clarifying the truth, I realized that there are many people who still did not know that the “Tiananmen Self-immolation” is a hoax. Some immediately relate to politics at the mention of Falun Dafa.

I had the opportunity to meet a boss who opened many architectural design firms when I was attending the re-education class for registered architects. When I gave him the truth-clarification materials, he said that he had seen them in America. As I flipped through a Minghui periodical with him, emphasizing the suspicious points of the “Tiananmen Self-immolation” hoax, it was only then that he understood that the “self-immolation’ incident was a hoax. Realizing that, he lowered his voice and asked, “In that case, what really happened?” However, he then got a phone call and had to leave in a hurry. Before he left, he packed that Minghui periodical into his bag and took it with him.

Another time, I shared a car ride with a young architect and gave him the software that can breach China’s Great Firewall. I also showed him the New Tang Dynasty Television programs and explained the suspicious points about the “Tiananmen Self-immolation” hoax. He also suddenly realized that the “self-immolation” was a hoax and said that he would read more about it and find out what really happened.

There was also a youngster who had just graduated not long ago. He came to our department to work and I gave him a truth-clarification VCD. After watching the VCD, he returned it to me and sighed with sorrow, saying that, “How will anyone who has even just a little good feeling about the CCP be able to believe that the “self-immolation” is a hoax? Nobody will ever think that it is a hoax! This CCP is really malicious!”

I will strive to help more people to awaken to the truth.