How Falun Dafa Changed the Factory Where I Worked

(Minghui.org) On my way to work for the evening shift in December 1995, I ran into an acquaintance who asked me to deliver a book to one of my co-workers. Since my job was to maintain and repair equipment, after I took over that night, I checked the equipment in the workshop to ensure that everything was operating normally. Afterward, I had nothing else to do.

I like to read, so I asked my co-worker to lend me the book to read before I gave it to her. “No problem,” she said. “It’s actually for my father. I won’t be going home for a while as I live somewhere else, so you read it first.”

I opened the package and saw a copy of Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Dafa, inside. I wondered what the book was about. When I started to look at it, I found I couldn’t let it go—it discussed a lot of things that couldn’t be found in other books.

I learned that we humans all fell from high levels, because we didn’t meet the standards of high levels, that we fell down level by level and finally reached the level of ordinary people. I learned that the principles of this universe are “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance” and that the practice of Falun Dafa can help cure diseases and keep one fit, as well as allow one to cultivate to a high level, freeing oneself from the pain of birth, old age, illness, and death. Returning to one’s original nature, I learned, is the real purpose of being a human being.

I was amazed. I didn’t read fast, because I didn’t want to miss a word. I read it twice that week, but it seemed I couldn’t remember all of it—it was so broad and profound. I really wanted to have my own copy of Zhuan Falun so I could read it whenever I wanted. I found the person who’d asked me to deliver the book and asked her to buy me a copy. She agreed. It was only later that I found out that her mother was an assistant and had gone to one of Master’s nine-day lecture series.

Our factory was a state-owned enterprise with more than 1,000 employees. In March 1996, our factory labor union organized qigong enthusiasts to learn Falun Dafa. I registered and participated. After the nine-day class, our thinking underwent tremendous changes. We practiced the exercises together in the morning and studied the Fa together in the evening, We discussed what we had read and shared our experiences after studying. We compared what we understood to see where we did not do well and needed to improve. Many of us recognized behaviors that did not comply with the Fa, and we gradually improved. We all quit some of our bad habits, such as smoking, drinking, chewing betel nuts, playing cards, and gambling. We also recovered rather quickly from our health problems.

At that time, more and more people in our factory started to study the Falun Dafa teachings, which gave them a good spiritual outlook. People saw that those who learned Falun Dafa improved their xinxing and their moral standards quickly. Falun Dafa was like a clear spring, washing away the dirt in people’s hearts. Some of them returned the things they’d taken home from the factory. They used to be idle at work, but now they were never late and never left early. At that time, Falun Dafa was the most talked about topic in the factory. Husbands and wives lived together in harmony. Whoever suffered from ailments recovered after practicing Falun Dafa, and the relationships between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law improved.

At that time, every apartment in our residential building had electric meters installed, and many people fiddled with the meters to save on their electricity bills. That meant that when the meter reader checked the meter at the end of the month, he found that some showed that no electricity had been used and some with large families showed only a little use—all kinds of issues crept up. Some people openly said: “Stealing electricity isn’t bad, everyone does it. If I don’t, I’ll lose money.” It was an open secret. The factory administration knew about it, but they didn’t do anything about it. Sometimes they pretended to check it out, but in the end nothing changed.

As for me, I followed the trend, tampered with the electric meter, and paid a few yuan a month. But I did try to save electricity, so I felt that I was better than others. However, after the Fa lectures, I couldn’t sleep for several nights—I felt guilty. I felt that I didn’t meet the standard of a practitioner and had done wrong. After discussing it together, we practitioners decided that we should do better. So some of us went to the administrative department and asked to pay our electricity bills and correct the electric meters. As for me, I was too embarrassed to pay what I owed, but I restored the meter to normal, and I no longer stole electricity.

That was something else that preyed on my mind. I was an electrician and I wanted my own personal multimeter. At that time, no one wanted to buy one with their own money and looked for ways to keep the public meter. I was going to retire so I also wanted to get a multimeter for my own convenience.

On a weekend, I took home the multimeter shared by my group to use. I was supposed to bring it back the following Monday, but when I got to work on Monday, many personal tool cabinets had been pried open. In fact, tool cabinets were often pried and tools were often stolen. We reported it to our supervisors, but they could not solve the issue, and we were all used to it. I lost some general-use tools and copper rods. I then said that the multimeter had also been stolen. Everyone believed it, so I took the multimeter for my own.

After learning Falun Dafa, I realized that this was wrong and did not meet the standard of a practitioner. We practice Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to improve our xinxing. How much virtue would I lose and how much would my karma increase? So I decided to return the multimeter, but I was still a little embarrassed, fearing that the group would make fun of me, so I delayed for a few days.

During that time I was studying Lecture Four in Zhuan Falun when I suddenly realized why I’d kept the meter. I handed it in to the supervisor and explained what happened. Because many people in our factory were studying Falun Dafa, more people were doing good things. The supervisor said, “It’s great that you practice Falun Dafa.” He handed the multimeter back to me and said, “It’s still in your custody. I’d feel better if you kept it.”

I worked hard and had no complaints. I was always available to work after hours, night or day. I never complained although there was no overtime pay. Anyone who ran into a problem at work and could not solve it liked to call me, so when I reached retirement age, I only had three days off before the workshop director asked me back. I worked for three more years. Later, due to various reasons including poor factory management, it was necessary to reduce the number of employees, so I retired with them.

I just gave two small examples of how my moral standards improved when I first learned Falun Dafa. At that time, there were millions of Falun Dafa practitioners all over the country, and they all followed the principles Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. It is true that good and kind people like that were found all over the country. Falun Dafa is beneficial to society and does not harm anyone.