(Clearwisdom.net)
I am a sales person for the Toronto Chinese Epoch Times advertising department. I have been for over a year now. Ever since I was young, I knew only how to buy things. I had no idea how to sell anything to others. Today I am able to do this, selling advertising. Looking back at what I have gone through on my cultivation path, as a disciple, I feel Master's compassion and that He watches over me. I also believe that Master has painstakingly arranged my cultivation path. In early June 2010, protected by Master, I avoided a highway traffic accident on the way to meet with a client. I am deeply grateful for Master's infinite grace and can only strive to cultivate myself well in order to repay Master's kindness.
I would like to share below some of my personal cultivation understandings. Fellow practitioners, please kindly correct me if there is anything inappropriate. Thank you!
1. Miraculous Car Accident
On a recent Wednesday morning, I visited several of my clients. In the afternoon, another practitioner and I went to see a different client, a Chinese advertising client. At around 1:00 p.m. I was driving the speed limit in the rightmost lane along a local freeway. Suddenly a school utility vehicle on my left tried to avoid a large truck from cutting in and crashed into my left door. The collision made my car swerve to the right. As I straightened the front of my car, another car hit me from behind. The practitioner sitting on the passenger side gave a shout. My car did a 180 degree turn and ended up speeding along the four-lane highway in the opposite direction. I saw cars in all four lanes rushing toward me.....
When she realized the danger we were in, the practitioner beside me closed her eyes, covered her head with her hands and shouted. At first I did not know what she was shouting. I was hoping she would tell me what to do because I was already at a loss and did not know how to control the steering wheel. When I realized that she was shouting "Falun Dafa is good!" my mind became calm; for a split second it was as if the air was frozen. Then I discovered that I wasn't controlling the steering wheel. My car moved against traffic in the opposite direction, other cars flew past.
I drove along the first lane in the opposite direction avoiding two small cars. A big truck in the second lane dashed toward me. When the cars were about to crash into my car, in that instant they all bypassed. Thus my car drove past the second lane, third lane, fourth lane, and finally cruised into the center emergency zone. I suddenly could stop the car. Hence there we were, parked in the emergency zone on the highway, facing in the opposite direction.
The practitioner next to me stopped shouting. She opened her eyes and stopped covering her ears. Seeing that the car had stopped, she cried out excitedly, "Thank you Master!" She covered her face and sobbed. I quickly told her, "Let's see what we should do now. We are parked in the opposite direction on the highway. How should we go back?"
A few minutes later, a tow truck arrived. The driver carefully opened our door and asked, "Are you all right?" I replied, "We are fine, still alive." He asked in surprise, "How did you end up in the emergency median?" I answered, "We were hit by other cars." He examined the front of my car and found that it was not damaged at all and it was not necessary to tow the car. He told us to call the police. A few minutes later the police arrived. They were also very surprised and asked, "How did you manage to drive onto the median? " When he mobilized other police cars to seal off the road so that we could turn around and drive in the correct direction, another police officer said with his eyes wide open, "It is amazing that these ladies are all right! The car is fine, too!"
Soon, the police located the school utility vehicle that hit us. Those in that vehicle saw that we were all right and were astonished, too. They kept apologizing to us with both hands clasped in front of their chest.
In our hearts we kept expressing our thanks to Master! When we returned to the office, both of us stood in front of Master's portrait and respectfully thanked Master, our faces covered in tears. We rescheduled our appointment to meet with the client that evening. We were determined to continue with righteous thoughts and righteous actions. Only by doing better can we repay Master's grace!
2. Walking Well on the Path Arranged by Master
I began Falun Dafa cultivation at the end of 2002. In 2003 I was fortunate to become a community reporter for the Toronto edition of the newspaper. In the process of helping me in my reporting work, my husband (who is also a practitioner) became a reporter, too. He subsequently did better than I and became an editor. With the expansion of operations, the newspaper needed a full time reporter. I thought we could manage financially with what I earned from my normal job. After discussing it, my husband said as long as I am careful with how I spend our money, we would definitely be able to cope. Hence I resolved to be frugal. We decided that my husband would quit his job and become a full time reporter. The company I worked for was soon after hit by the economic crisis and shut down. At that time I was very happy to be out of a job because it meant that I could work full time for the newspaper as well. Thus I began my journey on the path of selling advertising.
Back then, I was only thinking of what Master said,
"The media outlet run by Dafa disciples will definitely become mainstream media. (Applause) Not only will it become mainstream media, but in the future it will be the world's biggest media outlet."
("Teaching the Fa at the Meeting with Asia Pacific students")
I believed that being a sales person for the newspaper is the best job in the world. As I am not the one managing the household budget, I did not worry about whether we had enough money to pay for our daily expenses. I thought if neither one of us had any income, and if worse came to worst, we could sell our car or our house and cope for a time. Now, a year later, I did not have to sell my car or our house. Not only that; last week I got a new car.
When I started to work for the newspaper, those who persisted in working full time in the advertising sales department had been through hardships. They had been in the position for more than three years. These practitioners were basically focused on the advertising market for Westerners. They tried their best to help me when they saw that I was the only one selling ads to Chinese customers, but their help did not seem to be effective. I persisted in taking on the Chinese market for six months. In April this year, just when I thought I was never going to succeed, a practitioner who had sales experience in China came to Toronto. Motivated by her, we formed a Chinese sales team and had a major breakthrough with the Chinese advertising market. The six of us worked together, and within three months I was able to reach the goal of supporting myself financially.
We came to understand Master's words,
"...when things are managed better and better, you will become an enterprise that has completely normal operations, you will be able to support the paper yourselves, and you will be able to provide for those who are involved. This is fully achievable. In previous years I referred to this as "a goal." Now I would say that it's something doable." ("Fa Teaching given at the Epoch Times Meeting")
Just as we were doing very well, the car accident happened as a test for us. The practitioner who was sitting beside me when the accident happened is the coordinator for our Chinese sales team. When the car stopped, the first thing she said was, "Thank you Master!" The second thing she said was, "The evil forces are frightened. This shows that we have done the right thing."
3. Cultivating Well to Repay Master's Grace
Our Chinese advertising sales team made huge progress within three months of its establishment. Our objective is to rescue people. The process of selling ads to the Chinese community is a process of truth clarification. We enlightened that when we cooperate well together as a team our power cannot be suppressed.
I shared the story of the car accident at our local group study. Many practitioners shared their understandings on the Fa. Their feedback has given me a lot of encouragement.
One said, "There is a saying: 'Good fortune will come in the wake of a narrow escape from death.' Master protects us practitioners, and that is our great blessing. The two of you have passed the test with righteous thoughts, so you definitely will succeed in the Chinese advertising market. Meanwhile, nothing happens by chance. You must look closely within, cultivate well and not leave any loopholes for the evil to exploit."
Every time I go through a xinxing test I remind myself: Master has protected me so that I can offer more people salvation and improve myself in cultivation, instead of allowing me to continue to hold on to my attachments.
I am involved in many projects and am impatient by nature. I am the type of person described by: "As soon as others say something, they explode,..." ("Teaching the Fa in Canada, 2006")
Hence conflicts and friction happen in the course of my work. Practitioners are tactful when giving me suggestions, for fear I might "explode." A practitioner once said to me, "Your temperament is the opposite of your husband's. He is gentle, patient, even-tempered ...." I would respond by thinking about what the opposite of these are, and then I would try my best to look within. Another practitioner even said perceptively, "I really envy your husband for having you as his wife, because it enables him to cultivate to a high level." Sometimes I am very touched when I think of the painstaking efforts by practitioners to help me improve.
Once a practitioner and I went to meet a real estate agent. After the meeting, the practitioner made kind suggestions about my posture and about the way I speak. Without waiting for her to finish, I said loudly, "Are you finished? Do you think you are right? You have just arrived from China and don't know anything. Everything you have just said is Party culture." I reproached her again for what she just said. Admirably, the practitioner did not argue back and finally said, "Perhaps the Party culture has greatly and deeply influenced me. I must go back and earnestly read the book 'Dissolving the Party Culture'." Thinking of this later, I felt ashamed.
The next day I went to meet another client with a different practitioner. This time we successfully signed a sales contract. After the meeting I expected the practitioner to compliment me. Instead, like the previous practitioner, she also commented that I did not do well in certain areas; there were certain words I should not have said. At first I felt that I was unfairly treated, but I did not accuse her of being influenced by Party culture. But in my mind I regarded her as a new practitioner and refused to admit that I was wrong. I stated, "The contract is already signed. Why do you still have so many observations?" But I was touched by this practitioner's sincere regard for my welfare and promised, "I will change." She patted me on my shoulder and said, "Good for you; you must not make the same mistake again next time. Everyone has difficulties to overcome. We must work hard." This practitioner is a few years younger than I, and yet she treated me like a compassionate mother who is dealing with her child. Her words genuinely touched me.
4. Believing in Master and the Fa When Facing Tribulations
It was often the case that when I encountered difficulties or setbacks in my sales job, the appeal of a regular job would come to me. Once during a conflict with a practitioner, I felt that I could no longer continue to work for the newspaper and the company I had previously worked at for more than 10 years offered me a job. They notified me at 9:00 a.m. and wanted an answer by 10:00 a.m. If I accepted the offer, I would have to start work at 2:00 p.m. I had only one hour to decide whether I was going to stay or leave the newspaper. I asked my husband. He answered without thinking, "It is better that you stay in the work environment created by Dafa disciples."
I happily returned to the newspaper office and boastfully told everyone about my experience of giving up an everyday person's job, hoping they would praise me for my choice. One then said, "That is nothing. Every one of us has been through a similar experience. Some have even gone through several tests like this. It seems that your mind is not steady; that's why an everyday person's job has come along to test you." I told myself I must have a steady mind and persevere on the path of selling ads to the Chinese community. Since then, indeed, I did not have any more job offers.
I had the most appointments with clients during the month of June. Following the car accident, my daughter who works at the TV station in New York heard about my accident. She said over the phone, "If it were not for Master's protection, I would not see my mother again. You should be careful when driving." A few days after the accident, each time I drove on the highway, I got a bit frightened and would jump at the slightest movement. I knew that I had to get rid of my fear. I continued to drive the same car to meet with clients. I got rid of my fear and was able to make appointments with clients one after another, and I was able to close deals one after another. This June the newspaper sales team broke our past record. I also earned the most commissions since I began the job.
A client heard about my car accident and cried when I told him that we shouted, "Falun Dafa is good". He later asked me for a copy of Zhuan Falun. He stopped his advertisements in two other Chinese language newspapers and only placed ads with ours. He signed a six-month advertising contract and paid upfront.
An older practitioner told me that her 92-year-old sister, who lives in Qingdao, China, quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) when she heard about my miraculous car accident. She had previously refused to quit, regardless of what her sister told her.
5. Improving My Xinxing and Treating Practitioners Compassionately
There are times when one of us might dislike another practitioner or show a preference to work with certain practitioners. This leads to conflicts when we are working together. I once asked a practitioner, "Why is it that when that practitioner sees you she smiles like a flower, but when she sees me her face is bitter?" The practitioner answered, "Perhaps it is because you have given her a lot of hardships in a previous life, but I gave her many flowers in a past life." Although it sounds like a joke, I know that Master is giving me hints. When I understood this relationship I would try my best to be like a flower to every practitioner.
Our small sales team is constantly adjusting and we learn to work better together during the process. Now, whenever we have a client, no matter how large or small the deal is, or how far away, we partner up to meet with them. Even if it is a $30 classified ad, we will still dress professionally and carry a laptop when meeting with the client.
While coordinating other projects in the past, I had become egotistic and accustomed to directing others. After the car accident I told myself, "Everything is given by Master; hence there is nothing I should hold onto."
However, it is not so easy when facing a test. Once when a practitioner who had always been nice to me was talking on the phone, I noticed some points he did not clearly explain, and I wanted to take over the phone call and explain it on his behalf. He did not hand me the phone but instead said sternly in front of everyone after the telephone conversation ended, "Do you realize what you just did was rude?" I was about to explain why I had done so, but another practitioner also criticized me for having interrupted others' conversations on various occasions. I could feel my temper rising, and I thought to myself: all of you are ganging up to fight me. I controlled my temper and did not say a word. I know that Master was giving me this opportunity to increase my capacity to forbear and eliminate the bad things.
Later on both practitioners telephoned to apologize, saying they shouldn't have treated me like that. Inwardly I was touched, but I said out loud, "I haven't passed the test yet; can't you give me more time to calm down?" They laughed. The next day we worked together as if nothing had happened.
6. Cherish the Best Job in the World
If you ask practitioners who work in the advertising department why we have decided to sell ads for the newspaper, I believe they will tell you, "Because this is the best job in the world." The advantages of being a sales person for the newspaper are endless. We have to get in touch with many people on a daily basis and make many phone calls. Being in touch with people gives us the opportunity to offer them salvation. We study the Fa and do the exercises together. In the morning we read Zhuan Falun in English, and after work we study Zhuan Falun in Chinese. Also, if we take part in Dafa activities, we don't need to apply for a leave. The chief editor and manager would be the first to take a leave. If we are involved in other Dafa projects, we are not criticized; at most we will be reminded to balance our priorities. If we want to participate in selling tickets for a Shen Yun show, just let the department manager know, and we can leave at any time. Later on I discovered that whenever I did well selling Shen Yun show tickets, I would also do well selling ads. I would also do well in other projects.
Furthermore, when introducing the newspaper to clients, it is also a good opportunity to introduce Shen Yun and recommend they buy show tickets. I can likewise speak about the quitting the CCP movement introduced by The Epoch Times and help them quit the CCP and it affiliated organizations. Closing a deal helps create profit for the newspaper, and at the same time I can make a living for myself.
Lastly, I would like to share Master's words from "Fa Teaching Given at the Epoch Times Meeting" with everyone,
"Pay no heed to what stage this now is or at what point the persecution will end. Just focus on the task at hand. Were it really to end now, you would all have regrets. As long as things have not been finished, as long as the Fa's rectification of the human world hasn't arrived, you should all just focus on the task at hand. And as you go about saving people, do whatever you should do, and do your utmost to see that what you do goes better and better. Doing so, who this will perfect will be none other than you--the disciples of Dafa."
