(Minghui.org) I am a high school teacher in China. I started practicing Falun Gong in January 1998. One month later, the rhinitis, bronchitis, and neurogenic headache that had tortured me for years were healed.
More importantly, Falun Gong has taught me the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. By applying these principles to my daily life, I strive to be humble and kind to all people. I would like to share two examples of how these principles influence my interactions on a day-to-day basis.
Once, a boy at school struck my son in the head, breaking the skin. The teacher called me. When I got to the office, I saw an inch-long cut on my son's head, and it was still bleeding. All the teachers suggested that I call the parents of the troublemaker and demand that they take my son to the hospital. I stayed calm and comforted them: “It's not a big deal. My son is fine, and we can just handle it here. No need to go to the hospital.”
The mother of the other boy came to the school. Worried about being held financially responsible for the problem, she argued with the teacher, insisting that it was not her kid's fault. I said to her, “Don't worry. We can just go to the clinic nearby. No need to spend money at the main hospital.” Although the teachers insisted on going to the hospital, we still went to the local clinic and I paid for everything.
The mother was surprised, and felt bad. She insisted on buying some snacks for my son. I said to her, “Don't worry. Your boy didn't do it on purpose. Go ahead and comfort him. Don't scare him. See, he is still crying.”
She thanked me. I told her, “I am a Falun Gong practitioner. Our Master tells us to think of the needs of others and to be kind to others. That is why I handled this incident this way. Don't believe the propaganda by the government that slanders Falun Gong. Falun Gong is great.”
Later, the father of the boy bought a whole bunch of gifts, and waited for me at the entrance of my subdivision. I asked him, “Hasn't your wife told you that I am a Falun Gong practitioner?” He said, “Yes she has. But we had to buy something to express our appreciation.”
I said, “Since you know that I am a Falun Gong practitioner, you should know that I won't take the gift. Why don't you return it, or give the snacks to your son.”
Actually, the boy's parents were both unemployed and the family was under financial difficulty. All the more reason for me not to take anything from them.
Nowadays in China, there are countless classes to tutor students outside of school. Many school teachers also make money from private tutoring. The fee is usually 100 yuan per hour (about $17 U.S. Dollars). I have tutored numerous students, and helped them greatly improve their grades, but I've never charged a penny. Some parents want to treat me to dinner, but I always politely refuse their offer.
Those parents are very touched. Many of them have said, “A good teacher like you is really hard to find.”
The atmosphere in China is such that nowadays most people go after money and will do anything as long as they can make some money. It sounds crazy that someone would do something for free. Some people think that I'm silly not to charge. However, when I tell them about the teachings of Falun Gong, they understand. More importantly, they also change their negative attitude towards Falun Gong.
Once, I helped a child for a month. His grades improved quickly. At the end of the month, he passed an important entrance exam and got into a good high school.
His mother asked me at the final session how much she owed me. I told her that she owed me nothing. She was surprised. She thought I was just pretending to be nice, so asked again how much I charge per hour. I said, “I really don't want any money. I practice Falun Gong. Our Master teaches us to consider others. Your son had difficulty with his schoolwork. As a teacher, I would like to help him. This is nothing, and it's not something to put a price tag on.”
The boy's mother said, “Is there any free tutoring in today's society?” I then told her a lot about Falun Gong's teachings, and exposed the lies that the government has made up to slander Falun Gong. In the end, she said that she understood and she thanked me. I told her, “If you really want to express appreciation, please post what I've told you on your social media sites so that your friends will know what Falun Gong really is.” She said that she would definitely do so.
After her son started at the new school, his mom invited me to a nice restaurant, but I again politely declined.
I am just an average Falun Gong practitioner. Among practitioners, this kind of behavior is not uncommon.