(Minghui.org) I teach at a university. There is a saying from Chinese traditional culture, “Scholars cannot be humiliated.” Filled with this sense of bravado, I was protective of my honor. I took my reputation seriously and was afraid of losing face in public. If anyone wronged me, I would relentlessly go after them.

Exhausted from pursuing fame and personal gain over the years, I developed diseases that could not be cured. I then heard that some people’s illnesses were resolved after practicing Falun Dafa, so I decided to give it a try. A few days after I began practicing, I felt energetic, and my health improved. Soon all my diseases disappeared, and I became healthy and happy. I am grateful for Master Li Hongzhi! (Falun Dafa’s founder) He did not ask me for a penny but gave me a second life.

More importantly, Falun Dafa teaches me to be a person who thinks of others and follows the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in my daily life. My character improved quickly, and people who knew me said I became a gentle and kind person.

Cultivating Forbearance: Staying Calm When Wronged 

I had a big test one year after I started practicing. I heard someone shouting at me from behind when I was in the cafeteria lunch line. I turned around and saw it was the faculty head, Ms. Wan.

She said angrily, “Why didn’t you inform your students about the oral training this afternoon? You have four classes, but you didn’t notify even one class! How could you forget about such a big event?” 

I said, “I didn’t know about the oral training. Nobody told me about this.” But she just became angrier: “I told you about this!”

I replied, “No, you didn’t tell me.” Ms. Wan shouted back, “I did! I did! You forgot about it, and now you deny it!”

I calmly replied, “Then tell me when and where you told me about this.”

She became silent and after pausing, she said, “I asked Ms. Li to tell you.”I replied, “Well, then, Let’s ask Ms. Li if she told me about this.”

I found Ms. Li and asked her about the training. She lowered her head and did not say anything. It was obvious she forgot to tell me.

No one dared to contradict or offend me in the past, especially when most of the staff, teachers, and school heads were present. I told myself that I was a practitioner and should not behave the same way. I remained calm. I did not get angry and did not quarrel with Ms. Wan.

I remembered what Master Li said,

“Of course, it’s fine to try to explain things with good intent; there’s nothing wrong with trying to clear things up. But if you do it with too much attachment it won’t work out.” (The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun)

Another teacher who was friends with Ms. Wan came up to intervene and told her, “She practices Falun Dafa and will not fight back.”

Whatever her intention was in saying this, the words Falun Dafa reminded me that perhaps Master was using her mouth as a hint. I knew that I was a Dafa practitioner, and I had to be tolerant.

Master Li said,

“What we teach, by contrast, is that you can change a tough situation just by compromising a little.” (The Ninth Talk, Zhuan Falun)

I knew that staying calm was not enough in this situation. I had to follow Master’s teachings and hold myself to a higher standard and be a person who thought of others. I told Ms. Wan, “Don’t worry, I will find a way to inform all the students.” I asked her what time the oral training started and the location.

Time was pressing as the training started at two o’clock. I knew some students ate lunch in their classrooms, so I ran to the classrooms first. I told them to pass on the message to their classmates. I also wrote notices on the blackboards in all the classrooms. Afterward, I went to one of the girl students’ dormitories and asked them to notify all the other girls. Then, I went to a boys’ dormitory and did the same. 

It was almost time for the training. I was tired and hungry, as I didn’t have a bite to eat or a sip of water since morning. But I didn’t complain. On the contrary, I was happy that the students could have the training as scheduled. I was also pleased that I endured the public embarrassment and calmly handled the conflict.

Cultivating Compassion: Forgiving the Driver Who Hit Me

I was riding my bike in the bike lane when a black car made a sudden sharp turn, entered the lane, and hit me.

I was knocked off my bike. When the driver got out of his car, he looked stunned. When I stood up, he came to his senses and picked up my bike.

I was not injured and didn’t feel any pain. However, my bike was a mess. The front rim was twisted to the back. The handlebars were upside down, and the chain was dragging on the ground. The driver’s car had a long, deep scratch.

The driver attempted to pull and twist my bike back without saying a word. I knew he was waiting for me to tell him what to do.

Master Li said,

“The driver hadn’t meant to hit her, even if he was wrong for speeding. It was an accident after all.” (The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun)

I told him, “Don’t be afraid. I am a Falun Dafa practitioner. I will not let you compensate me for the damage or exploit you.”

Many of the bystanders said, “The driver is fully responsible for the accident. Fortunately, she didn’t die. The driver has to give her money!”

Master said,

“But with the way people are today, even witnesses to an accident will get worked up if you don’t try to get money out of the driver.”(The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun)

The driver didn’t dare to leave. I told him, “It’s okay. You can leave. If I didn’t practice Falun Dafa, I wouldn’t have treated the accident this way today.” He looked as if he had been granted a pardon. As though he was afraid I would change my mind, he hurriedly got back into his car and sped off.

The bystanders said to me, “What is wrong with you? Why did you let him go? You should not let him go! Why didn’t you call the police? Why didn’t you go to the hospital for an examination? You didn’t even ask him to pay for your damaged bike!” 

I silently walked towards my bike, but it was damaged so badly that I couldn’t ride it. One person said, “Look at your bike. It’s now scrap. You should have asked him to buy you a new one, or at least make him fix it for you.” I replied, “The driver must have some urgent matter to deal with, so he drove too fast. He didn’t deliberately hit me.”

As I spoke, I subconsciously grabbed the handle of the bike and pushed it forward. To my surprise, the bike moved, so I walked it home. After walking for a while, I got tired and wanted to try riding on it. Amazingly, even though the bike was twisted and hard to maneuver, I managed to ride it to a repair store near my home. As soon as I got off the bike, it stopped moving and couldn’t even stand up by itself.

The mechanic looked at the bike lying on the ground and asked me how I brought it there. I said, “I rode it over here.” His eyes widened, and he exclaimed, “You rode it here?” He shook his head in disbelief. He said the bike was too severely damaged, and it was hard to say if he could fix it. He told me to come back in three days.

The mechanic said he could tell the bike had been in a bad accident, and I should have been seriously injured, if not dead. But I was not injured at all—my skin was not even scratched! Master protected me! Thank you, Master, for saving my life!

Cultivating Truthfulness: Don’t Make Empty Promises

In order to tell people about Falun Dafa and help them see through the Chinese Communist Party (CCP)’s propaganda of defaming Falun Dafa, I distributed paper currency with truth-clarification information printed on it.

I usually went to various markets and bought things from vendors so more people could see the messages printed on the money. Most of the time, the vendors asked me to come again, and I would casually say, “Sure thing! I will come tomorrow.”

At first, I didn’t take it seriously. However, it caught my attention over time, and I felt something was wrong when I kept telling the vendors that I would come back—but I didn’t. I was a practitioner who lived by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I should fulfill my promises. If I casually made promises but had no intention of keeping them, wasn’t I telling lies?

Master said,

“I’m the type of person who if he speaks must tell the truth.” (The Eighth Talk, Zhuan Falun)

I wanted to go back to the vendors if I promised to buy from them again. However, most vendors did not have a fixed stall, so it was hard to find them. I then decided to stop making promises if I didn’t plan to return.

It was hard to change this habit at first. Every time, I told myself not to make promises to any vendors. But I still told them I would come again without even giving it a thought.

I looked inward and realized that the root of this bad habit was the Chinese Communist Party culture instilled in me while growing up. So I decided to eliminate the habit by keeping my promises.

When I promised a vendor again, I told myself that I had to keep my promise by buying from her again the next day. However, she was not at the same place the next day. I then looked around for her stall and finally found her. I told her, “I promised to buy your vegetables yesterday. I didn’t want to forget about it, so I spent a long time looking for you.” She laughed, “Everyone says that. Who takes it seriously?” I replied, “I do because I’m a Falun Dafa practitioner, and practitioners don’t lie.” Since then, I have been able to keep my promises.

After practicing Falun Dafa for many years, my body feels light. I have a fair complexion, and my face is without wrinkles. People who know me say that I look 20 years younger than my age. Master has given me health and made me a better person with high morals. From the bottom of my heart, I want to tell everyone, “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!”