How I Transformed Myself

(Minghui.org) There is a saying in China, “It’s easy to change rivers and mountains, but hard to change a person’s nature.” However, since I started practicing Falun Dafa, my nature has completely changed.

Since childhood, I was self-centered. I looked down on others. I later got a severe liver disease and was confined to bed for almost five years. My mother took care of me. All my family members were very concerned, and this just made me more self-centered.

All I thought about was how I could be more comfortable. I never thought about others. I took a nap every day at noon. All my family members had to leave home at that time. Otherwise, a very small sound would keep me from falling asleep. Sometimes, I still couldn’t fall asleep by 4 p.m., but my mother had to return home to cook. She did everything very quietly in order not to disturb me but even so, I often complained to her for making noise.

I began to practice Falun Dafa in 1995, and soon became completely healthy. I learned from Fa study that a person’s original nature is kind, and the selfish ego is not the real me. I then tried hard to change myself. But due to all my habitual thoughts and behaviors, I even didn’t know how to begin to think about others.

Over time, I gained a deeper understanding of thinking about others. I remember one time after I studied Zhuan Falun, I suddenly had an inspiration and felt that I had to put others before myself. Gradually, through cultivation, l could feel more compassion for people. The more I studied the Fa, the more considerate I was. I realized I was developing compassion.

When I saw big stones or pieces of broken glass on the road, I often picked them up. I stopped complaining about people and began to tolerate them more. One time, when I was riding my electric bicycle, a pedestrian called a taxi, and the taxi suddenly pulled in front of me. I immediately braked but fell down off my bicycle. I was so angry that I rushed over and grabbed the collar of the driver. The driver was so frightened that his face turned pale. At that moment, I remembered that I’m a Dafa practitioner and should be tolerant of others. I immediately let go, turned around, picked up my bicycle, and left. The driver was caught off guard and just stood there, not knowing what to think.

After I got married, my environment changed greatly. I previously relied on my parents for everything, but now I became more responsible. I wasn’t used to this, but I tried to change myself through cultivation. When I went shopping with my wife, I helped her carry the heavy things. When I cooked, I thought about what my wife and son liked. When I had conflicts with others, I could look inward and didn’t always complain. All my relatives, classmates, and friends of my wife thought I was a “model husband.” Actually, I was able to achieve this through cultivation.

A classmate of my wife married a classmate of mine. At their party, they all talked about the great changes in me. They said I was a new person compared to before.

I run a store and always tried to put my customers’ needs first. I helped them select items that were best for them, not those which made the most money. One time, a rich customer bought an item but soon afterward, it broke due to improper maintenance. He didn’t care about and just bought a new one. I explained how to use the item properly and even went to a website to check on a few things. I eventually found the problem and instructed him how to solve it. From then on, he trusted me so much that he only came to my store when he needed to buy this item.

It is not easy to do business in China, since it is an environment of intrigues. What you face is not only the deception between peers, the difficulties made by troublesome customers, corrupt governmental officials, but also the misconduct of suppliers. As Dafa practitioners, we should be good people regardless of the environment.

There was one factory I purchased products from, but then found there were quality issues after I resold them to customers. Although the products could still be used after a simple repair, I thought the customers were spending too much for an inferior product.

I then contacted the factory and asked for replacement parts. However, due to negligence, what they sent did not match the products at all. So I had to request that they re-send the parts. The factory was very far away, and it took a long time to go back and forth. When I received the correct parts, I recalled all the products and assigned a repairman to replace all the problematic parts, which took a few more days. I spent a lot of extra time, energy, and money on this deal. Although a lot of people didn’t understand why I did this, it made me feel more at ease and free of guilt. I felt it was the right thing to do.

I treat my employees with trust. I’m never overcritical with them and never extend their work hours for no reason. I provide carefully prepared meals, as well as cold drinks in the summer and hot soup in winter. In return, they treat me with respect.During my business career, all my customers, peers, and suppliers have made good comments about me. Many of them know I became a good person through cultivating Falun Dafa. Many people understand the truth and realize that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is wrong to persecute such a group of good people like me. Some have quit the CCP and chosen a better future for themselves.

Looking back at my 26 years of cultivating, I have experienced a lot of happiness. I also experienced a lot of hardship, especially after the CCP launched its persecution against Falun Dafa in 1999. However, compared to what I gained from cultivation practice, those hardships mean nothing.

During this time, I have cultivated a high moral character, have become physically healthy, mentally peaceful, and more noble. I have also developed sincere, trusting relationships with others. Aren’t all of these the things people really want?

I am grateful to Falun Dafa! I am grateful to our great and benevolent Master! Cultivating Falun Dafa is the most noble choice I’ve made during my entire life!