(Minghui.org) My husband and I own a store and sell daily necessities. Interacting with all kinds of people helped expose many of my human attachments.
As I continue to read the Fa I’ve been constantly tempered by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance taught by Master Li, which guides me to gradually remove my attachments to selfishness, fame and personal interest. I now strive to act openly and honorably, and always put my customers first. I feel that assimilating to Falun Dafa is truly wonderful.
Returning Lost Money
In the past, I felt lucky when I found money that other people lost, and I used it to buy food. After I began practicing Falun Dafa and studying the Fa, I learned about the principles of loss and gain, and being considerate of others. I realized how sad the person who lost the money would be. I also understood I exchanged my virtue for the money.
I occasionally found money on the floor dropped by customers—sometimes 10s yuan, and sometimes 100s. My husband and I promptly reviewed the surveillance footage and returned it to the customer the next time they came. For the customers we didn’t recognize, we waited for them to come back. If the person never returned we used the money to make truth clarification materials about Falun Dafa.
While a customer was paying, a coin fell out of her pocket and rolled under the counter. The counter was only about three or four centimeters above the floor. I crouched down but couldn’t see where it went, so I knelt on one knee, with my face almost touching the floor, and used a stick to search for it.
The customer said, “Don’t bother looking for it. It’s just a dime, not worth the effort!” But, I kept searching. When I finally found it and handed it to her, she repeatedly said, “Thank you.” I could tell she wasn’t just grateful to get the money, she was touched by my effort.
A few days later, that customer returned with a friend. She told her, “This shop owner is so kind! I dropped a dime, and she got down on her hands and knees and searched for it.”
If this incident happened in the past, I probably would have thought, “It’s just a dime. No one would pick it up if it were laying in the street. This woman is standing there while I press my face against the floor. How filthy and embarrassing!”
At that moment, I had no pride, no concern about the dirt or the small amount of money. My only focus was finding the coin—it belonged to someone else so I couldn’t keep it. Even a dime had to be returned to its rightful owner. What I found wasn’t just a coin, it was a sense of responsibility and thoughtfulness toward customers, sparing them from even the smallest loss. Master said, “But it’s cultivation—whatever happened to being “free of gaps” (wu-lou)? There are no little things.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XIII)
What I showed the woman was kindness and tolerance—an expression of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance.
My Heart Becomes Open and Sincere
My husband and I had differing views. He insisted on stocking higher-quality, durable products, while I leaned toward cheaper items. Especially when customers left because we didn’t offer lower-priced goods, it reinforced my thinking, “Look, customers are walking away because our items are too expensive. As a small business, we should stock items at every price point to meet everyone’s needs.”
Whenever I discussed this with my husband, he insisted, “Some customers are not aware, especially when it comes to plastic goods. The cheap ones are often made from recycled materials. They’re flimsy, emit unpleasant odors, and aren’t healthy. I won’t sell that kind of merchandise. The same goes for other products, if we know something is subpar, we won’t stock it.”
But my perspective was, “Some people just don’t care about these things. They just want low prices. If we don’t carry such products, they’ll leave. Isn’t that losing out on sales?”
Over the years, my husband’s approach gained recognition from many customers, who told me, “We like shopping at your place because the quality is good.” Yet the goods I stocked rarely received any positive feedback.
Master taught us to look inward when we face issues. So I asked myself, “Is my thinking right? I buy cheap and sell cheap, hoping to attract customers. I know the quality is poor but I still do it. I tell myself, “The customers chose the cheap products themselves. Whether they’re durable or not, harmful or not, is not my problem. At least the customers are happy because they spend less money. What happens later isn’t my concern. If I don’t sell these items, other shops will. The customers will buy elsewhere, and I’ll lose that income. That’s just handing business to competitors! Besides, everyone else sells this way.”
I sorted out my thoughts and compared them with the Fa. Master said,
“This characteristic, Zhen-Shan-Ren, is the criterion for measuring good and bad in the universe. What’s good or bad? It is judged by this.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
I was neither truthful, nor compassionate, nor forbearing.
Knowing well the merchandise was of poor quality, I still lured customers with low prices—this was being untruthful. Knowing some products had unpleasant odors and were harmful to people’s health, I claimed it was the customer’s own choice—this was not compassionate. Knowing such profits were ill-gotten, yet seeing other merchants selling them, I had competitive thoughts—this was not tolerant.
Master guides us to cultivate ourselves to become selfless and benefit others, yet my motives were selfish and rooted in personal gain. All I thought of was my own loss and gain—I disregarded others’ safety.
It suddenly dawned on me that what I did was wrong. I should think from the customers’ perspective, ensuring they truly receive value for their money, products that are durable, functional, and reasonably priced. We cannot simply sell whatever others sell. As cultivators, we must measure our actions by the Fa, not by the standards accepted by everyday people.
When I shifted my perspective to prioritize the customers’ viewpoint over my own interests, I discovered that my heart opened and became as vast as the ocean, capable of embracing all things. I no longer dwell on customers returning or exchanging goods, and instead I found a quiet joy in this inner calm.
Guided by Master’s teachings, I continually corrected and cultivated myself until my heart became completely open and sincere.
Articles in which cultivators share their understandings typically reflect an individual's perception at a point in time based on their cultivation state, and they are offered in the spirit of enabling mutual elevation.
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Category: Cultivation Insights
