Businessman Lets Go of Attachments at Work

(Minghui.org) I am an executive in a company and have been practicing Falun Dafa since 1998. I have gone through various tests and stumbled on the path of cultivation. However, with Teacher’s protection and help, I was able to let go of my attachments by following the Fa. Let me share my experiences below.

The most difficult issue to handle properly is that customers who had business relationships with the company often gave me gifts. In the very beginning, I just refused to accept the gifts, but this caused confusion among my customers since gifting was an accepted practice in business circles in China.

After studying the Fa, I learned that it was important for me to explain to them that, being a Dafa practitioner, I could not accept anything that was free. When I did this, the result was very good. I also helped my customers understand the truth about Falun Dafa and the persecution it faces in China. Some even took up the practice themselves.

In the business world in China today, it is exactly as Master said,

“Nowadays, whether in a state-run company or in other enterprises in this country, interpersonal conflicts have become very unique. In other countries and throughout history, this phenomenon has never occurred. Consequently, conflicts over self-interest are shown to be particularly intense. People play mind games and compete for a tiny bit of personal gain; the thoughts they have and the tricks they use are very vicious. Even being a good person is difficult.” (Lecture Four in Zhuan Falun)

The company that I work at used to be a state-run enterprise. As the company grew, some employees tried every means possible to gain more company stock so as to own a greater share in the company. Some even tried to own the whole company.

It was difficult not to be tempted in that environment to fight for benefit and gain. However, every time the management team met to discuss plans for the company, I reminded myself that I am a Dafa cultivator; I had to let go of personal gain and consider employees’ needs first. With my help, our company’s business took the right path and our profit steadily grew.

The chairman of the company planned to retire, and I managed his responsibilities during the transition. However, he suddenly announced one day that the assistant chair, a relative and whose position was lower than mine, would replace me to oversee the general management of the company. Many people were shocked by this decision. Some believed that it was unfair to me as I had the right credentials for the position.

It would have been very difficult for many people to accept this result, and even I felt uneasy for a short while. Very quickly, however, it became clear to me that I must deal with all conflicts from the perspective of the Fa.

Teacher told us,

“We therefore believe in following the course of nature. Sometimes, you think that something should be yours, and others also tell you that it is yours. Actually, it is not. You may believe that it is yours, but in the end it is not yours. Through this, it can be seen whether you can give it up.” (Zhuan Falun, verified)

If something was not mine, I should simply accept the fact. Although I understood completely why things happened that way, I still thought about it occasionally.

I considered how I should collaborate with the new chair. Even if I changed my mindset, he might still harbor some resentment toward me, so I intentionally let go of my mentality as his former boss and sincerely told him: “My decision is that starting now, I will support the new leadership team wholeheartedly. I will collaborate with you and solve issues with you to work together as a team.”

My sincerity helped gain his trust. I was the first one to carry out new policies and plans for the company. If problems occurred, I actively worked with the team to solve them. When there was resistance, I would find the source of the problem in order to move forward. I also kindly pointed out flaws and proposed plans for improvement.

As time went by, the concerns that conflicts and disagreements would occur among the management team were forgotten. We all collaborated very well which promoted a positive working environment throughout the company. Witnessing how I let go of human attachments when I was treated unfairly, but contrarily I even took the initiative to closely work with the new leadership team, many of my coworkers began to follow suit.

Everybody in my company knew that I was a Dafa practitioner, so many commented that it was because of Dafa that I took this matter so lightly. Even the new chair gave me his thumbs up.

I often searched inside and found out that I still had desires for comfort, and sometimes I even had zealotry. Regarding the chairperson position, I still lacked many of the necessary management qualities needed: solid decision-making, a spirit of innovation, full control of the overall management of the company, and more.

The new chair had many outstanding qualities, especially in business management. Most importantly, if I were the chair, I would have become the focus of conflicts. If I didn’t satisfy personal interests, it would have been hard to mediate. If that persisted, our company would suffer.

After cultivating in Dafa for so many years, I have changed and made some progress. However, I am still not quite up to Teacher’s expectations.

Many of my colleagues have not understood the facts of Dafa. I must treasure them and make the best use of my time to do the three things well. I am determined to cultivate as though I have just begun so I can accomplish the historical vow that I made with Teacher.

This is my personal understanding. Please kindly point out anything that is not appropriate.