Improving in Cultivation During My Daughter’s Job Search

(Minghui.org) Cultivators sometimes get confused when our righteous thoughts aren’t strong enough. Many of my own attachments and shortcomings were fully exposed during the process of my daughter’s job search.

Because of my job, I have contacts with many people holding high-ranking positions in first-tier cities. As my daughter’s graduation was approaching, she went on her job search. While it’s perfectly normal for a parent to get involved and give suggestions, a cultivator should understand that everyone has a destiny. Since my daughter is a Falun Dafa practitioner as well, her path of cultivation has been arranged by Master. I should not spend too much time and energy on my daughter’s job search.

However, I had a strong attachment when it came to her job search. I couldn’t help thinking about helping her find an ideal job, using my connections. I told many of my friends to keep their eyes open for her. Several of them, including those in Shanghai and Shenzhen, agreed to help. I put my high hopes in them, however, their attempts failed for a number of reasons. 

I swayed between righteous thoughts and human notions during the whole process. I had discussions with my daughter about following the natural course, and not using any connections like ordinary people. I thought, “With the cut-throat job market in today’s China, every student has worked so hard in school for so many years, hoping to land a good job eventually. If my daughter gets another person’s good job because of my interference, what can the other person do? Master has taught us the principles of the universe, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and told us to put others first. Have I followed Master’s teaching on the issue of job search?”

My daughter and I eventually gained a common understanding. We decided that she would apply for a job, and go through interviews and exams just as everyone else. We would like to walk a righteous path and follow Master’s arrangement. I felt relieved after I let go of my attachments.

However, the test wasn’t over. My daughter passed exams for positions in two good local companies. She would be interviewed soon. A friend of mine told me that interviews gave employers a lot of flexibility, though exams were relatively fair. She offered to help by using her connections. It seemed to be our dream opportunity come true, but my daughter and I didn’t get tempted. We politely declined my friend’s offer. 

After the interviews, my daughter and I remained undisturbed. We knew that if she was hired or not, it would be part of our cultivation and Master’s arrangement. She eventually received an offer from one of the two local companies and several offers from great companies located in first-tier cities.

Before I started cultivating based on the Falun Dafa principles, I used to take shortcuts and get things done through my connections. Thanks to Master’s painstaking arrangements, my daughter’s job search process gave me a perfect opportunity to let go of my selfishness and get rid of my bad habits.

Letting Go of Attachments to Fame and Fortune Concerning Job Choices

My daughter and I couldn’t decide between the good job offers in first-tier cities. These jobs would allow her to earn a good income and enjoy better living conditions. My daughter had been looking forward to working and living in a big city. It would also sound honorable in front of our family and friends for her to show her talent in a renowned company. The local company is also a great one, but our local economy and living conditions can’t match those in the first-tier cities.

My daughter has been cultivating in Dafa with me since she was young. She has never lost her cultivation environment. She did her best not to follow the crowd, even after she left home for college, but I’m worried that she might stop cultivating diligently when she works hard in another city, and might not be able to continue her cultivation at all.

How should we choose? We hesitated and couldn’t come to a decision. Both my daughter and I had our own pursuits, hoping to get hints from Master. We burned incense sticks in front of Master’s picture with questions in our minds. We said that we would follow Master’s arrangement but secretively wished that Master would arrange for her to work in a first-tier city so that we could get what we had wished for. 

However, Master didn’t give us any hint. By studying the Fa, we gradually realized that her workplace had been arranged, and these offers from different places presented us with an opportunity for cultivation. They were to see if we would put fame and fortune or cultivation environment as our priority. What else is more important for life than cultivating diligently and returning to our true origin?

My daughter and I discussed it for an entire morning. My daughter eventually said, “Mother, I understand that I have come to this world to cultivate.” Yes, since we have come to cultivate, all actions should be based on cultivation, including choices of our jobs in ordinary people’s society. We felt happy and relaxed after we realized what we were after, and came to this common understanding. We finally stopped hesitating, knew our direction, and chose the local company. 

Reflecting upon the process, we were filled with gratitude. What Master has given my daughter was not only a great job but also a great cultivation environment. The process also helped us let go of our attachments to fame and fortune, and gain a clearer understanding of the meaning of life. Now, we can surely say that we leave everything up to Master’s arrangements, because he knows what’s best for our cultivation.

Keeping Our Promises

While we were hesitating about making a final decision, my daughter had to sign interim acceptance agreements with several companies before their deadlines. One of the terms of the agreements was paying a fine if she eventually declined the offer. According to a friend who works in a company’s human resources department, most hiring companies won’t follow up for payment if graduates eventually choose not to work there. Driven by my attachment to personal interest, I originally thought it would be okay to not pay the fine. Dozens of thousands of yuan would be a lot for new graduates, but nothing for those companies. 

However, I thought it wasn’t what a cultivator should do. The ancient Chinese stressed keeping promises. “A promise is worth one thousand ounces of gold.” It’s a must-have virtue for anyone with integrity, but it has been compromised by the moral standards of modern society, given the notions of atheism and materialism. I’m embarrassed that I have almost forgotten the principles that I should follow as a cultivator. I plan to help my daughter pay the fine without hesitation as soon as she officially takes the local job offer.

Thanks to Master’s compassionate salvation and arrangements, my daughter and I have become more mature and advanced on our cultivation path. We have gained a deeper understanding of our goal in life and the meaning of cultivation.