(Minghui.org) In the experience-sharing article, “Let Go of Acquired Notions and Truly Cultivating Myself”, the practitioner wrote: “Even in the face of demonic interference, one must be grateful to Master. A cultivator should not only thank Master when he feels happy, for example when he becomes healthy, has a happy family or is successful in his career. But if you suffer, have nothing, are homeless, and face many difficulties, you should still thank our venerable Master.”
I agree that we practitioners should not only be thankful to those who are kind to us, but we should also be grateful when we experience obstacles, or when others aren’t good to us. We should thank those who enable us to “...have gained four ways in one shot” (“Zhuan Falun”). We should thank those who humiliate us, and make us lose reputation, personal gain, etc. These difficulties in our lives help us eliminate our attachments, purify our bodies and minds, and help us assimilate to our true nature.
Master’s Arrangement Is the Best
I helped a media project check its accounts and handle some other matters. I did this for six months in 2021. During my prior company’s layoffs, I was forced to resign because of my frequent requests to take time off. I had two months to look for a new job before leaving the company. After spending lots of time gathering information, preparing resumes, and going to many interviews, I didn’t receive any offers. My family was anxious. But I was confident that Master had the best arrangement for me. I should be able to find a job as long as I don’t go wrong in my cultivation and cause loopholes for the old forces to persecute me.
I found a job in three months, one month after leaving my old job. At first, I thought the job hunting during the last month was to help me cultivate and eliminate my impatience. However, the timing allowed me to meet the requirements for some Social Security reemployment funds, so I received about $8,000, enough to pay for my child’s tutoring fees for the college entrance examination. I realized that Master’s arrangement was all-around and I gained multiple ways in one shot.
COVID was spreading and the economy was depressed. However, my new salary was increased by 20%, the same pay level as a supervisory position in my previous company.
Remove Jealousy and Thank Those Who Created Conflicts for Me
In my new position, I improved my work, organized business processes, and created supplemental instructions. After the management praised my efforts, I started to encounter workplace bullying from a small clique that took advantage of, and bullied others. Most people avoided arguing with them and some even resigned.
Coworkers sometimes resent the accountants. While handling accounts and reimbursement per the rules, the accounting staff is criticized for being slow or causing delays. One member of the bullying group began to provoke people from other departments to attack me due to the differences in their understanding of the reimbursement process. This woman made trouble for me about once every two months by sending complaint emails to the department heads, which cost me a lot of time and energy as I dealt with each incident. Once she even pointed at me and shouted in front of coworkers: “You are the most troublesome!” I reminded myself that I’m a practitioner, and didn’t argue with her. But I was so angry that my mind went blank. Afterwards, I couldn’t sleep well and felt depressed.
A practitioner should look within during conflicts because the other party’s behavior reveals our cultivation shortcomings. I knew she was jealous of the management’s appreciation of me, so I must look into my jealousy. I found that I disdained her and thought that she was ignorant, messed around, and was stupid. I didn’t realize I was jealous, but through this incident I understood that looking down on others is a symptom of jealousy.
I had an unbalanced feeling towards this small group which didn’t do a good job and made trouble for others, so I ended up cleaning up their messes. My unbalanced mind was also a manifestation of jealousy. By looking inward I discovered that whenever I looked down on her, she acted up. I realized the root cause of the conflicts was triggered by me.
I began to focus on my cultivation in order to identify and eliminate my jealousy. I improved every time she made trouble so my disdain for her gradually weakened, but I couldn’t seem to remove everything. I asked Master: “Master, I still have no compassion for her. How can I cultivate compassion for her?”
The next day, she suddenly took off her mask. She had been wearing a mask during the COVID outbreak so I saw her face for the first time. Her face was very thin. Her mouth was open and she looked like a skeleton. I suddenly felt pity for her. She did bad things and lost virtue.
Her bad intentions provided me with the opportunity to cultivate myself and improve. Why should I resent her? From that day on, I had no opinion of her. Whether she said something bad about me or criticized me, I couldn’t hear her clearly because her words sounded like buzzing in my ears. I felt I overcame this obstacle.
I also realized that it wasn’t accidental for me to meet her and encounter these troubles. I thought about the causal relationship of the debts I might owe her from a previous life and the factors that the old forces could have used to persecute me.
As a practitioner, I learned to appreciate it when others treated me badly and provided me with opportunities to improve. I’m grateful to Master for his compassionate care. Ordinary people who encounter these troubles may become depressed and have difficulty handling it.
I’m sorry that it took me a year to wake up, improve from the conflicts and remove my jealousy. I feel extremely fortunate to be a cultivator and receive our Master’s care and blessing. Thank you, Master!
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Category: Improving Oneself
