(Minghui.org) I am a registered senior cost engineer. I started practicing Falun Dafa in September 1997 and have been cultivating for over twenty years. I’d like to share with you some of my experiences, so as to validate Dafa.
I found a job at a state-run construction and installation company. My work was doing budgeting and settlement. It required attention to detail, and the workload was heavy. I had to work a lot of overtime, but my salary was low. I often complained and had resentment in my heart. I once quarreled with my manager over my salary.
After I started to practice Falun Dafa, I began following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and tried to be a good person.
Master Li Hongzhi said:
“...Since learning Falun Dafa these workers have been putting in extra hours and working conscientiously and with a lot of heart. They don’t quibble over the work they’re assigned to do, and aren’t just thinking about themselves....” (The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
I followed Master’s instructions and no longer complained about or competed for personal interest. I often worked until midnight. My colleagues knew that I was working extra hours when they saw the light on in my office. When it was time to make a bid, I often stayed up two or three nights doing the budgeting, analysis, auditing, printing, and other prep work for the final bidding. I then went to the venue directly and dozed off in the car.
There was another Falun Dafa practitioner in my company. He was in charge of purchasing construction materials, which was a “fat cat job” as people said. Everyone longed for this job. The practitioner never accepted any kickbacks, which are a normal practice nowadays in China. The managers of our company relied on him very much because the materials he purchased were good quality at reasonable prices, and he was well informed about his job. He had been in the position for over 20 years when he retired. The director of our company didn’t want to hand over this job to another person and asked him to come back for the same job.
Our colleagues saw our performance and said that Falun Dafa practitioners were amazing. Our general manager was touched, and praised us in a staff meeting. He said, “If all of our staff members were like Falun Dafa practitioners, it would be much easier for me to manage the company, and our company would be run much better.”
I worked hard and did a great job after I started practicing Falun Dafa. I was promoted to be an on-site project manager. Many people considered this a “fat cat job” where I could get kickbacks. But since I followed Falun Dafa’s principles, I didn’t take any kickbacks. My colleagues thought I was stupid.
But Master’s Fa was in my mind:
“Often what is considered good or desirable in this world is seen as bad at higher planes. Most people think that the more that you gain materially in life through trying, the better. But in the eyes of higher beings above, you are worse off for it. In what sense? Your material abundance may come at other people’s expense, and not all be rightfully yours; and it might only make you more attached to worldly things like status and wealth. And all of this would be at the expense of your virtue.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
How could everyday people differentiate “stupid” or “wise”? Ordinary people fulfill personal interests by using little tricks, and as such, go against the characteristic of the universe. We practitioners only want virtue.
Master also said:
“I also want to tell you that your nature in the past was actually based on egotism and selfishness. From now on, whatever you do, you should consider others first, so as to attain the righteous Enlightenment of selflessness and altruism.” (“Non-Omission in Buddha-Nature,” Essentials for Further Advancement)
When I became the project manager, I always considered other people first. The team leader at the construction sites wanted to contract the labor cost. Considering his hard work and difficulty in managing the sites, I gave him a reasonable budget and didn’t let him bear other costs such as entertainment. In the end, he earned much more than me. He felt uneasy and offered me kickbacks, which I refused. He said that Falun Dafa practitioners were good people. I also took good care of on-site staff members. Everyone liked working with me.
As a project manager, I was also in charge of purchasing and had frequent contact with the suppliers. Though I bargained with them about the product prices, I didn’t accept any kickbacks or free meals. I made sure that I paid their invoices when the construction was finished. So they made friends with me and have kept in touch. They admire Falun Dafa practitioners.
One time our company had to purchase a big batch of cables for a new construction project. I approached the supplier who had worked with us a few times. I lowered his quotes, but wouldn’t be able to pay him until we had the funds. Simultaneously, the construction company was also getting quotes for this project and approached that supplier. They offered the supplier better prices and terms. But the supplier decided to work with me instead, because he “would rather sign a contract with a Falun Dafa practitioner.”
I set up a construction cost consulting company with my friends, specializing in budgeting, settlement, settlement audit, and cost assessment.
Because of the huge costs involved in this industry, corruption is rampant. But I remembered Master’s Fa and didn’t accept any gifts or cash that clients tried to give me. I also tried to be fair with the cost settlement, and got along well with them.
One client named Yang came from the south of my province and contracted a project in our city. Our company was in charge of his project’s budgeting, design adjustments, settlement, and cost auditing. He tried to approach me many times without success. He finally managed to get my home address and visited me. He congratulated my son for entering the university and gave 10,000 yuan as a gift. I told him that I practiced Falun Dafa and don’t accept any gifts. He still insisted giving it to me and finally he left the gift bag and ran away. I was not able to find him and temporarily kept the money.
The next year during the Moon Festival, he met with me and tried to give me cash cards. I returned the cards along with the 10,000 in cash to him. He was very touched and said, “I have been in the construction industry for many years and have never met such good people as Falun Dafa practitioners. You are fair, just, and unselfish.”
I once audited a municipal road project. The construction company submitted a budget of over 200 million yuan. Lee was the person in charge. He was under high pressure because he had a tight schedule and their bidding had some errors. The project settlement was not favorable to them, and their company risked taking a loss. Lee was anxious. An auditor who is an everyday person would take advantage of this situation to extort a lot of money from Lee. As a Falun Dafa practitioner, I would not do this.
During the cost review process, Lee tried to invite me to dinner on multiple occasions, but I refused. He complained to me about this project many times. I told him that as a Falun Dafa practitioner, I would handle it fairly. There were big problems with their settlement book and contract, which might lead to a huge loss. He asked for my help and promised to give me benefits. I told him that I would follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and would not accept any benefits nor put any pressure on him.
I consulted experts, lawyers, and wrote reports to the leaders one level above, and successfully solved the problems. Lee’s company didn’t incur any losses. He was very thankful and brought tens of thousands of yuan to me, which I refused to accept. He insisted on giving it to me. We pushed the money back and forth for a while. He nearly cried and said, “I have been in the construction industry for several decades. Corruption is everywhere. I have never seen anyone like you. Only you Falun Dafa practitioners don’t accept money. I will definitely make friends with you.”
Under my influence, my staff works hard and no one accepts any gifts or kickbacks from clients. Our company has a good reputation in our local area.
Because I followed the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and have been fair and righteous, my clients were impressed. One of the clients was planning to set up an international school. He asked me to do the construction budget, settlement, the control of costs, and investment for him. Another client appreciated my honesty and good character. He asked us to look after the construction costs of all their investment projects after he became a board member of an investment company.
Falun Dafa also opens my wisdom. I became an expert in my industry and enjoy a good reputation. My colleagues in the industry respect me, and the municipal and county audit bureaus and finance bureaus hire me as a specialist to audit their projects as big as a hundred million yuan. One section chief said that they were happy to put their projects in the hands of Falun Dafa practitioners.
Falun Dafa makes me healthy, mentally and physically. Master has given me a new life. I have achieved success in my job, maintained a peaceful mind, and my character has elevated. Thank you, Master, for your saving grace!