Young Credit Officer: How I Overcame My Internal Struggle to Return a 200K Yuan Bribe

(Minghui.org) I am a credit officer who started practicing Falun Dafa in April 2019. Although I began the practice relatively late, my mother was a practitioner who had influenced me since high school. I occasionally read the Fa with her and knew that Dafa was good. But as I grew older and was working, I followed some negative societal trends and developed many bad habits.

At work, I manage billions in credit funds. In early 2018, I purchased a commercial property. A company I had a business relationship with sent me 100,000 yuan ($13, 667) as a “congratulatory gift,” which I accepted. When the Chinese New Year came weeks later, they sent me another 100,000 yuan, which I also accepted.

Even though I knew it was wrong, and felt a little uneasy about taking the money, my greed prevailed, and I quickly let go of my guilty feelings.

I began practicing Falun Dafa in early 2019. I soon quit drinking and my other bad habits. I managed to return all the money my clients had previously given me. But my character was tested when I tried to return the 200,000 yuan to that company.

As a cultivator, there was no doubt I should return the money. But how would I explain my reasons for doing so? I was stumped.

One day in 2022, I got 200,000 yuan in cash and made an appointment with the client. Her company had recently been found to have improper professional activity. If I returned the money now, I was afraid she would think I had turned her in. I thought about recording our conversation in case she denied that I had given the money back.

Both she and her assistant attended the meeting. My internal struggle about the situation caused me to be uneasy and nervous. She dominated and “educated” me that I should keep the money. I had no righteous thoughts and looked embarrassed. I didn’t know what to say and did not record her. She left without taking the money.

I couldn’t correct my mistake unless I was thinking righteously—even though I wanted to.

I asked Master Li for help. I needed to overcome the interfering factors to do the right thing.

I made another appointment with the client in September 2023. I sent righteous thoughts on the way there and kept reciting, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”

As soon as we met, I told her, “I am a person of faith, and cannot go against my faith and principles, as I would be unable to live with it on my conscience. I hereby return all the money you sent me earlier.”

The issue that bothered me for years was solved in a few sentences. To protect myself, I didn’t tell her that I practiced Dafa. I also gave up the thought of recording her. I know that as a cultivator, Master is watching over me, and the righteous gods are also protecting me, and as long as I’m doing the right thing, I won’t have any problems. I do not need to use ordinary people’s means to verify anything. The divine beings are my witnesses.

I realized that the closer our cultivation is to the end, the narrower the path becomes and the higher the requirements are. Even slight slacking off might invite interference. In this critical period, we must always keep up our righteous thinking and walk well the path Master has arranged for us.

This is my understanding at my level; please kindly point out anything that is not on the Fa.