(Minghui.org) I started to practice Falun Dafa in April 1994. As I study the Fa more, my understanding of the Fa’s principles deepens. I cultivate myself solidly according to the Fa’s principles, and I don’t miss any opportunity to improve my xinxing at work, like letting go of attachments to fame, personal interests, and sentimentality. It was so heartening to see the improvements I’ve made in my cultivation path. The xinxing tests I experienced rocked me to my core. I’d like to share my cultivation experiences here. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
A New Work Environment
I work in the finance department of a large state-run enterprise. Due to the re-structuring of the company, I was transferred to another department. The employees in my new department didn’t get along well. They fought with each other and had formed different cliques. They were not friendly and had conflicts with colleagues at lower levels who reported them to the senior managers. The newcomers quickly followed suit.
My colleagues who I was close with told me not to go to this department because I would be bullied. I was a bit concerned, but from the Fa perspective, I knew I shouldn’t be worried because I am a Falun Dafa practitioner. I have the Fa in my heart, so what should I be afraid of? Fear is an attachment. A complicated environment is a good thing for a practitioner.
Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa, said:
“The complex environment of the workplace, in particular, provides a good opportunity for you to improve your xinxing. Once retired, won’t you lose the best environment for practicing cultivation? What will you cultivate without any troubles? How can you improve yourself?” (“Practicing Cultivation After Retirement,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
Master arranged for us to cultivate in ordinary human society. We should never forget that we are cultivators and must walk every step well and righteously according to the Fa’s principles. We should stay calm and not be affected by negative factors or be afraid of new complicated environments. It’s important that we treat everyone around us with compassion. I was confident that the unfriendly environment would change for the better.
I started to work in the new department in early 2000 when it was reorganized. I was assigned a difficult job that no one wanted, as it oversaw some sensitive company matters. A company leader appointed the job to me because it played a key role in customer service and affected the company’s image.
The leaders knew that I practiced Falun Dafa and had good character. Several practitioners also worked at the company. The leaders knew they were good people and worked hard, and that they didn’t complain or fight for fame or personal gain. The leaders said that they would be at ease after I took over the job, so I readily accepted it.
I always reminded myself that I was a Falun Dafa practitioner and must cultivate my xinxing and behave according to Dafa’s principles. I was kind and patient with everyone regardless of their age or position. While there were different opinions, I reminded myself not to have a competitive mentality or be arrogant because of my position; I should look at things from others’ perspectives. While adhering to the principles, I should be patient and communicate with others so as to reach an agreement. I was awarded the title of “Service Star.”
I cleared the debt backlogs starting from the basics. I started with clearing the personal accounts receivable. When I first took over, I had a hard time balancing the expenses at the end of the month because they were a mess. There were large amounts lingering there for a long time. The same employee used several credit cards but didn’t hand in the receipts. The amount of money borrowed became bigger and bigger. Some were cash advances, but the employees didn’t repay what they borrowed. Some employees already left the company without settling their debts.
I knew that the backlog needed to be cleared. The longer it went on, the harder it would be to clear, due to staff changes. Putting it in order had to be done so that whoever took over after me would be able to manage things easily. I discussed my plan with the manger, who strongly supported me. I listed everyone’s borrowing details, gave them to the personal assistants or whoever handled the matters. Everyone agreed and paid back what they owed.
It took me almost a month to finish this job. I made a rule that employees must pay back their loans on time. My manager was very happy with my work and praised me highly on several occasions.
Organizing accounting documents was a big task. We had about 2,000 accounting vouchers each month, and sometimes they were not done on time. The vouchers were scattered on the desks and cabinets, and the office looked messy. After I completed all the reports at the beginning of each month, I volunteered to organize the vouchers and my colleagues admired me for doing that. Once the manger saw the well-packed documents, he asked the young employees to learn from me. Later on, other colleagues came to organize the documents with me.
My manager and colleagues respected me very much. They said that I was righteous, kind, and calm and they liked to be with me. I treated everyone equally. They liked to chat with me about their work and family life. Thanks to Falun Dafa’s principles, I become an easy-going person.
Under my influence, my department became more harmonious and relaxed. Outsiders said that my department changed a lot after my arrival, and the leaders acknowledged it. I got along well with the colleagues in our associated companies. We cooperated well and supported each other.
Letting Go of Fame and Personal Gain
Every employee is scored at the end of each year, and it determines how much their pay raise and end-of-year bonus will be. Everyone was concerned about the score. There was a big gap in the bonuses between the highest and lowest scores. Employees were evaluated by their peers, which was worth 40% and their manager score was worth 60%.
One colleague in my department was related to the manager. His work performance was just so-so and he wasn’t very capable, but he got all the benefits. Everybody thought he would score the lowest. Our section chief was in a difficult position. Due to that colleague’s family connection, I was given the lowest score by my manager. Before the score was announced, my manager apologized to me. He said that I worked hard and did a very good job and that he didn’t really want to give me the lowest score. He asked me to understand his dilemma. He would compensate me in the future when the opportunity arose. I could see that he was in a difficult position and told him not to be too concerned. Somebody needed to score the lowest, and has to deal with it. When the result was released, everyone felt sorry for me.
I knew in my heart that this was an opportunity for me to let go of my attachments to fame and personal gain. I needed to pass this test well and not waste the opportunity. I stayed calm as if nothing had happened. Then something dramatic happened. The head office was going to award seven employees who would be selected from the twenty-plus departments. Each department would vote for one employee. All my department colleagues voted for me, but I thought they were mocking me because I got the lowest score in my department.
My fear of losing face and complaining came up. I instantly recognized that these were negative thoughts and I tried to dispel them and view the issue positively. I could feel that my colleagues had nominated me sincerely. Ultimately, I was recommended to the head office for the final selection. To my surprise, out of the seven people awarded, I was the third. My colleagues congratulated me and my manager was so relieved. On the day of the awards ceremony, I received a bigger bonus than I would have from my department.
There was another incident that was arranged for me to get rid of my attachment to personal gain. My department was tasked with managing company budgets, which wasn’t a quick task, and required a lot of thought. My manager asked me to take on this task in place of other responsibilities I normally had. I agreed. When I was set to take over, a young colleague in my department came to my manager and I, saying he wanted the budgeting job. My manager said that he couldn’t give the budget job to this young colleague because his superiors wanted me to do it. Additionally, the younger colleague already had a full workload on his shoulders. He became angry. I told my manager that I didn’t mind if the younger colleague took the budget job as long as it was beneficial to the department. My manager said that he wasn’t allowed to reassign it to my colleague.
I got along well with the young colleague, but when it came to personal interest, he didn’t care about other people. He fought for it publicly. My colleagues said that he was too greedy and was always thinking about getting ahead. He didn’t stop there; he went to my manager and he ultimately got the job. His salary was increased as well.
Things don’t happen to practitioners accidentally. Wasn’t this an opportunity to remove my attachment to personal gain and competitiveness? I reminded myself that I should do things according to the Fa’s principles and not miss out on this opportunity. I was happy that I didn’t fight for my personal gain like everyday people do, and improved in my cultivation.
Due to my excellent performance at work, my manager resisted pressure from the 610 Office to persecute me. He openly said that Falun Dafa practitioners were all good people. He even made an exception and promoted me to a senior role.
The above are some of my cultivation experiences. I am still far from meeting Master’s expectations and the requirements of the Fa. I will continue to study the Fa well and cultivate diligently. I will keep improving my xinxing, do the three things well, and fulfill my mission and responsibility to save sentient beings. I will follow Master and return to my original home.
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Category: Improving Oneself
