I Have Learned to Consider Others in Falun Dafa Cultivation

(Minghui.org) Before my retirement, I taught at a tertiary institution. Practicing Falun Dafa has helped me to overcome selfishness and to cultivate the ability to consider others first. Through this process, I strive to become a selfless, altruistic, and upright enlightened being throughout my cultivation journey.

I would like to share some cultivation experiences.

Letting Go of Fame and Gain in My Profession

Professional title evaluation is always taken as extremely important for academics. With a senior title, everything comes with it. In such evaluations, achievements in research play a very important role, so most academics put more time and effort into research than classroom teaching. I used to do the same.

However, after I took up the practice of Falun Dafa, I began to understand that in cultivation, I must start with being a good person and measure good and bad by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.

I realized that paying too much attention to fame and gain instead of teaching my students was both selfish and unkind. So, I focused on classroom teaching and prepared each lesson with great care. Additionally, I also paid attention to the moral education of my students and subtly guided them by the same principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance—even after the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began the nationwide persecution of Falun Gong in July 1999.

Master opened up my wisdom. My mind became clearer, and my teaching performance improved rapidly, which brought me the “Excellence in Teaching Award” every year. I was very popular with students, including those from other institutions who came to my lectures because of my reputation.

In the hope of reducing the number of students who transfer majors or drop out, our institute asked me to move my lessons for second-year students to first-year students. It worked, and students who had planned to transfer majors or drop out changed their minds. Inspired by my teaching, they decided to continue.

In 2001, I was suspended from teaching for two years as a punishment for going to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong. However, the head of our institute reinstated me a year later, stating, “She’s the one who could keep the new students enrolled.”

A previous deputy head of a university with a major in Arts was sent by the Ministry of Education to evaluate me, and commented on my teaching: “I’ve never seen such a good teacher, with such rich teaching content, neat logic, uplifting, and full of fun.”

At a ceremony welcoming new students, the MC introduced me three times, prompting enthusiastic applause. Leaders and dignitaries in the front row turned around to look at me, and the new students all stood up to catch a glimpse. Two students even removed balloons and flowers from the stage decorations and presented them to me. I was quite touched and repeatedly stood to acknowledge their kindness.

After retiring, I was re-employed by the institute for ten years. According to policy, re-employed staff were not included in students’ evaluation. However, my name was entered in the system, and I ended up ranking first at the institute.

Teaching and research complement each other. Issues found in teaching can be resolved through research, and research can, in turn, improve teaching performance. Thus, while focusing on teaching, I consistently included research.

Once, in a senior position evaluation, the head of our institute said at the general evaluation meeting, “Teachers in our institute who practice Falun Gong are all key backbones and model teachers. They won’t be affected in professional title evaluation.” In our institute, no Dafa practitioners were penalized in promotions due to our faith.

Defusing Potential Disaster with Forbearance

One evening, around midnight, I heard someone calling out my husband’s name in an abusive way: “You’re so disgusting! If our city cannot deal with you, I’ll go sue you at the provincial level.”

I was alone at home that night. I saw two older men in front of the building, one tall and one short. The short one was really angry and kept swearing while the tall man tried to pull him away. I thought, “This man is so angry. It won’t be good for his health.”

I rushed downstairs and apologized to him, “I don’t know how my husband offended you. I would like to apologize to you.”

“My daughter is pregnant!” he yelled.

Hearing that, I was shocked and concerned.

“It’s a girl. He told my son-in-law to get rid of the baby. How can he be so stupid as to favor boys over girls?” the short man continued.

Somewhat relieved, I said, “Yes, it’s wrong for him to do so.”

He told me he was armed with a knife and patted his pocket, which appeared to have a kitchen knife in it.

Just then, a taxi arrived, and the tall man and I helped the other man get in. I felt grateful to Master for helping me out of this rather difficult situation.

Later, his son-in-law apologized and said the older man suffered from mental illness and had just been discharged from the hospital. It’s true that his daughter was pregnant, but the baby's sex was unknown. The older man was very irrational.

Because I am a Dafa practitioner, I treat people with kindness and refused to take offense at the man’s abuse or worry about possible damage to our reputation, and the incident ended quietly.

If I had argued with him, making him even angrier, he might have resorted to using the knife. Since he had mental issues, he would not have been held responsible for his conduct. I cannot imagine what could have happened if I had responded like people would have.

Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance are virtuous and wise principles that helped me resolve a very dangerous situation with kindness and understanding.

Faith in Master Helped Us in a Big Tribulation

A major security breach occurred at my son’s workplace, and a number of people were sentenced to prison. My son was in charge of the first stage of the project, and the head of his department, and the section head, who was sentenced to prison, was in charge of the second stage of the project.

As soon as the leak was discovered, the head of the department, in order to keep himself safe, repeatedly coerced and encouraged my son to admit that he had leaked the information. The head of the department also reported to his superiors that my son was responsible for the leak.

My son denied the accusations and asked the leadership to further investigate the case. In today’s China, cases of injustice and wrongful convictions are everywhere. My son and I were both indeed facing a major tribulation.

I felt rather anxious during the four months of investigation, fearing that another huge tribulation might be on its way. I understand that nothing is accidental in cultivation and all is about repaying karmic debts. Still, I could not help feeling worried. When I found it too hard to bear, I begged Master to help dissolve the disaster.

Indeed, from the filing of the case to its conclusion, the police carried out criminal detentions and questioned many people, but my son and those working with him were never impacted.

However, after the case was closed, my son’s immediate superior still insisted that my son was responsible for the leak, claiming she had read the case file. Again, I became concerned about my son’s future and asked a friend of mine to check the testimonies of those involved in the case. I was told later that they all said the leak happened in the second stage of the project, which had no connection to my son or his colleagues.

As it turned out, my son’s immediate superior wanted to promote another section head to be Deputy Division Head, a position for which my son was also a possible candidate. She wanted to use the leak case against my son. However, her accusation came to nothing because my son didn’t compete for the position.

Meanwhile, his immediate superior was trying to get a promotion, but was reported to have done something that violated the law and was being investigated by the provincial discipline inspection commission. My son was asked to cooperate with the investigation.

I understood from the Fa principles that on the surface, it seemed that my son’s immediate superior tried to promote her own trusted person by defaming my son. Still, in fact, it could be that Master used the opportunity to transform my karma so that I could improve in cultivation.

I explained my understanding of the Fa principles to my son and reminded him not to be angry or seek revenge against his superior, who framed him earlier. My son agreed with me. He spoke truthfully and did not take advantage of the situation to strike back.

Saving Those Who Interfered in My Marriage with Kindness

My husband was a department-level official and had many affairs. While I was being persecuted for my faith in Falun Dafa, he wanted a divorce so he could remarry. But then he was diagnosed with cancer and was told he had only three months to live.

I conducted myself by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and took very good care of him. I accompanied him to Beijing, Shanghai, and other places for medical treatment from top doctors. I didn’t bother my son out of consideration for his studies, or my husband’s colleagues, so that their own lives would not be affected.

For convenience, I also learned to give injections and how to operate the chemotherapy machine, how to prepare medicine, connect IV drip bottles, do massage, and decoct Chinese herbal medicine.

I understood my husband’s anxiety and despair, tolerated his unreasonable behavior, and eventually, he was deeply touched by my kindness and understood that Dafa offers people good health, peace, kindness, and hope, and that the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is responsible for all the troubles and hardships in China. He quit the CCP and made a solemn declaration, which also touched his family members and relatives, among them, more than 20 have also quit the CCP organizations.

Before my husband passed away, he told me, “Thanks to your kindness, I have lived four more years. You’re even kinder to me than my own mother.” In my heart, I knew that my cultivation in Dafa benefited him as well and that Master had extended his life to give him a chance to learn the truth and be saved.

I felt no jealousy or hatred toward the women who had affairs with my husband. When I bumped into the few that I knew, I did not get angry or say anything hurtful. Instead, I used the opportunity to clarify the truth to them about Falun Dafa and helped them quit the CCP organizations.

In all my years of teaching, no matter how tired I was, I never turned down any lectures. During one summer vacation, I taught for three days in three cities. I used all those opportunities to expose the evil of the CCP and clarify the facts about Falun Dafa. More than 4,000 students attended my lectures each year.

I have been cultivating Dafa for almost 29 years, and the more I cultivate, the more I feel the immense profundity of Dafa. I have become calmer, more peaceful, and full of hope. At the same time, I have also seen my shortcomings more clearly.

For example, when I reminded my son not to harbor any hatred or resentment for his superior, I didn’t feel grateful to her for giving me the opportunity to improve my character. I still have attachments to jealousy, showing off, complaining, and seeking comfort, among others.

I’m still a long way from the standards for a selfless, altruistic, and righteous enlightened being, but I will make more effort and be more diligent in cultivation to catch up.