(Minghui.org)
The following incident occurred in November 2015: An elderly fellow practitioner called me to discuss an investment opportunity. Her friend, Huang, was managing a large amount of money for a businessman, who was also a Falun Dafa practitioner and became very rich over the years.
It was said that, out of gratitude for the benefits he received from Dafa, he gave Huang over a million dollars to establish a fund to help other practitioners, especially those who suffered from persecution or were poor.
Huang urged everyone to deposit money with her, saying she would pay interest as high as 4% a month. There was no upper limit for how much one could deposit, and the principal could be withdrawn at any time.
Huang was a retired teacher from my city. She looked kind and honest, and dressed simple and plain. The elderly practitioner kept persuading me to deposit money with Huang. Finally, I was tempted to do so. I gathered 200,000 yuan from various places and gave the money to Huang.
The elderly fellow practitioner called me in early August 2016 to come to her house. I suspected something was wrong. She said Huang had disappeared, and no one knew where she was. It is now September, and Huang is nowhere to be found. Several victims reported it to the police and requested an investigation.
I believe the root cause was that many practitioners had deviated from the principles of the Fa, which resulted in the financial losses. Based on the Fa, I looked inward and tried to find my attachments which led to this issue.
First of all, I wanted to make money and send my children to study abroad. I hoped to advance their futures through my effort. This plan was an attachment. I forgot that their futures have been prearranged and cannot be altered by me. In fact, Teacher Li pointed this out to us.
Both children had good grades, but they were not admitted to schools this year. I did not realize my attachment and continued to complain that they were not working hard.
In the past, another practitioner told me about this type of so-called high interest savings accounts. At that time, I thought it did not conform to the principles of the Fa, so I rejected it right away. However, this time I was inclined towards making 4% interest.
My attachment to seeking wealth was very ugly! Why was I tempted by this kind of fraud now? Looking inward, I still had an attachment to seeking wealth, enjoyment, and having a more a comfortable life. It is contradictory that I wanted to cultivate to a higher level, yet also pursued gains like non-practitioners do.
Secondly, I listened to people more than the Fa. I did not follow Falun Dafa’s requirements to determine right from wrong. My judgment was instead based on my personal impression and analysis of people.
I had rejected similar suggestions in the past. Why was I tempted by persuasion from the elderly practitioner? I had high regard for her because she was a good practitioner, advanced steadily, and actively did the three things. Because I admired her, my attachment to saving face arose.
I made excuses by saying that I rejected another investment opportunity from people at work who offered even higher interest. I also covered myself by explaining that my mistake was a result of trusting other practitioners. In fact, those who learned Dafa in the past were no longer practitioners if they did not follow the teachings of Teacher to cultivate themselves to strict standards.
Everything we have is given by Teacher. I regretted that I did not retain the 200,000 yuan, which are also Dafa resources. If I were to donate this amount to help validate Dafa, I would have been hesitant. However, I went through the trouble to invest so much in order to pursue the good life, give my children a better future, and so on.
Teacher said,
“Those who are attached to money seek wealth and feign their cultivation. Undermining the practice and the Fa, they waste their lifetimes instead of cultivating Buddhahood.” (“Cultivators’ Avoidances” from Essentials for Further Advancement)
I memorized the above teaching a long time ago. However, I still did not exercise good judgment in accordance with the Fa at the crucial moment. I made mistakes, created a bad reputation for Falun Dafa, and caused irreparable harm.
We contacted a few victims we knew, and surprisingly realized that many practitioners had participated and that a huge amount of money was lost. Each individual was contacted separately, so we did not know who had been involved.
Within our area, we discussed the lessons learned, calmed down to study the Fa, and shared our understandings. We looked inward to find our own attachments, rejected the old force’s arrangements, and sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference.
Moreover, the elderly practitioner recovered from the negative effects of shame, complaints, and anger. I hope that she can also diligently look inward to find the causes. She should be responsible to clarify the whole incident without hiding anything. By doing so, she will be helpful to others in resolving their problems.
This case is still under investigation. I hope that those who are involved can be diligent practitioners. Then everything should go in the right direction.
Teacher said,
“The Fa can break all attachments, the Fa can destroy all evil, the Fa can shatter all lies, and the Fa can strengthen righteous thoughts.” (“Drive Out Interference” from Essentials for Further Advancement II)
As long as we can regard the Fa as our Teacher, look inward diligently, and correct ourselves, we can minimize the loss and eliminate any excuse for persecution.
It was very painful to go through the above experiences. However, I learned from them. We must let go of our desires when dealing with gains in life, do our best to remove attachments, validate the Fa and improve ourselves as a whole body.