[Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day] The Beacon That Lights Up My Path Home

(Minghui.org) One year after I took up Falun Dafa 26 years ago, the many ailments that I struggled with disappeared. Master Li (founder of Falun Dafa) cleansed my body and uplifted my mind.

At that time, I was in my late 40s. I remember one coworker asked me how I kept my skin luminous and radiant. Another coworker commented that I was always full of energy. I knew this was all given by Falun Dafa, as I’ve had a sallow complexion since my younger years and it was only after I began practicing Dafa that I looked much younger. 

When reading Zhuan Falun, the main teaching of Falun Dafa, I could not understand it in the beginning. After some time, I realized the principles were very profound. Dafa is like a clear stream of spring water that washes away the layers of dust on my soul. It’s a key that unlocks the aspiration in the bottom of my heart to return to my original self. I understand what life is all about. In the midst of darkness, Dafa lights up my path home. 

Uphold Integrity

In Zhuan Falun, Master talked about the relationship between loss and gain. That is, doing bad deeds accrues karma and doing good deeds yields virtue. One’s financial and social status are determined by what he or she did in past lives. One would never truly gain anything that doesn’t belong to them.

I used to work as a senior executive at a large enterprise that has manufacturing and marketing divisions. Many of my colleagues took advantage of the company’s resources for their personal use. Living by Dafa’s principles, I was strict with myself and would not do it. My office had a landline and the company also equipped me with a cellphone. But I always used my personal cell phone for private matters. Every month, my company phone usage was always the lowest. 

In today’s China, receiving gifts, bribery, free meals, and kickbacks are the norm. I cannot do that since I am a Dafa practitioner. To help others understand this, I often explained to them the principles I learned from Dafa. At the same time, I try my best to help people without compromising my principles.

Consider Others at Work

My responsibilities at work required me to pay attention to every detail. Otherwise, it may affect production scheduling and revenue. Instead of just sitting in my office waiting for updates like other managers did, I often went to different functions to solve problems in real-time. The work efficiency was greatly increased this way. 

Due to a large number of employees and scattered work units, we had four cafeterias. To ensure the food quality, I often worked with other logistics managers to improve the menu and maintain nutritional balance. In addition, we tried to provide a variety of options and broad price ranges to accommodate different needs. 

To reduce costs, I assigned an officer to verify food prices in local markets. Furthermore, I often went to the kitchen and prepared vegetables with cooks to understand the details. I also joined employees for lunch at cafeterias to collect feedback. At that time, our cafeterias were well known in our area for high quality and low price.

Before taking up Dafa, I always gave hard orders to my subordinates and criticized them if I wasn’t satisfied with their work. But learning from Dafa’s principles, I tried to get rid of this Chinese Communist Party (CCP) culture and communicate with them in a gentle tone. 

We had a new kindergarten director and she always seemed to be in a bad mood. I did not know what happened, so I often went there to check things out. I talked with kindergarten teachers and stayed around when kids ate. During various celebrations, I designed and made performance costumes for the kids. This cut down costs and solved a big problem for the director. When the opportunity permits, I explained to the teachers how wonderful Falun Dafa is and sometimes read Dafa books with them. Some of them started to practice and have been diligent practitioners since then. 

After the kindergarten director read Zhuan Falun, she sincerely said to me, “You always looked very serious during company meetings. I had no idea that you are such a great person.”

Once I met a retired employee and he said, “You have changed. You now look gentle and nice.” Other people also said the same. One cook said to me they used to call me We Zetian (a female empress in Tang Dynasty known for her toughness). I know it was Master Li who improved me from Wu Zetian to someone who is easygoing. 

The company president is demanding and people call him a workaholic. Knowing that I was very dedicated at work, he was thankful for me to solve any problems so that he could focus on the big picture. He trusted me very much and supports Dafa. After the CCP began to persecute Falun Dafa in 1999, he never gave me a hard time. 

Given my position in the company, I protected other Dafa practitioners from being targeted. The company president and other officials were also happy about it as it lifted much pressure from them. In a leadership meeting, the president once pointed out that “Falun Dafa practitioners are good people.” During a banquet, he toasted to me and said, “Best wishes for you to reach consummation in Dafa cultivation.”

During those years, no matter how great the pressure at work, I always tried my best to get the work done and everything was smooth when I was in the office. When I met a senior executive after retirement, he said to me, “After you left, we had to split your workload between several people. What you did is really great.”

Family Matters

After I retired, my son got married and had a child. I changed from being a company executive to become a stay-at-home grandma. It was very tiring. Without Falun Dafa, I would not have been able to do all this. 

Due to the propaganda spread by the CCP to slander Dafa, my daughter-in-law Ying was nervous before marrying my son, worrying I might kill her baby one day. Her grandmother knew about Dafa and comforted her that everything would be fine. I also played Master Li’s lectures to Ying. After listening to the lecture, she said to me, “I did not know Dafa requires one to be such a good person. Not sure if I can do it.”

Living together, it’s inevitable that I had conflicts with my daughter-in-law. When that happened, I would look within, identify where I had done wrong, and sincerely apologize to her. She saw the goodness of Dafa and developed solid trust in me. 

Ying’s mother had a hot temper and would not let anyone take advantage of her. People in the neighborhood all knew she liked to fight with others. From Dafa's teachings, I know that as long as we Dafa practitioners let go of the attachment to material interest and treat other people well, things would be fine. I hardly had any conflicts with Ying’s mother. 

When she was hospitalized due to illness, I urged her to recite the auspicious phrases “Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” She accepted the advice and also agreed to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. 

Ying’s parents are very capable. They have several acres of land with a decent income. But they lived a frugal life. I often told Ying to buy things for her parents. Since her father often works in the mountains, he needs an electric tricycle, but he would not buy it thinking it was too expensive. I asked Ying to buy one for him and I would pay for it. I also told Ying not to ask her parents for money since they worked so hard and she also has a brother who might need his parents’ support to buy a house to get married. 

Ying’s parents were very moved and sometimes praised me to others. “My son-in-law’s parents are great. They are Falun Dafa practitioners.”

Before taking up Dafa, I used to have many conflicts with my brother and his wife. We did not visit each other for many years. From Dafa’s teachings, I knew this was due to a karmic relationship and I decided to do better. I visited them with a gift and treated them well. Both my brother and his wife were happy. In the past 20-plus years, we have got along well with each other. Their family of five learned the truth about Dafa and all renounced their memberships in the CCP. 

My husband passed away over 20 years ago. But his family and I have maintained a good relationship. My nephew came to visit me every year. They all respected me and praised me as a practitioner. 

I also help neighbors out. One of them said I am a kind and generous person. One neighbor had a poor memory. So she always kept a spare key at my place so that she could use it whenever needed. I gave another neighbor a decoration with the words “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” She likes it very much and said, “It always makes me happy and comfortable. Were I to move, I would bring it with me.” 

I am thankful that Master Li and Falun Dafa have saved me, giving me good health and guidance on my spiritual path. That is why I could get along well with others and help them. I hope more people will learn about Dafa and benefit from it like I do.