Greetings, Master.
Greetings, fellow practitioners.
師父好！
各位同修好！
Today, I would like to share some of my cultivation experience in coordinating the Qld Epoch Times.
今天，我想跟大家交流一些我在協調昆士蘭大紀元方面的修炼心得和体悟。
1. Joining the newspaper and cultivating as a salesperson
一、加入報社 在當推銷員中修煉
I joined the Epoch Times in Queensland in 2011. I had just graduated and finished a Law Degree, and the expectation was that I would become a solicitor. But rather than look for a job in the legal industry – I chose to spend my time in the Epoch Times office trying my hand at making phone calls and generating sales. I guess at the time I had a deep-seated urge to make money for the media and was actually quite keen to be part of the ‘engine room’ of the Epoch Times – despite the fact it was a far cry from the glamour of the legal profession.
我於2011年加入昆士蘭大紀元，那時我剛從法律學士專業畢業，那時的期望是我成為一名律師。然而，我並沒有在法律業尋找工作，而是將時間都花在大紀元辦公室裡：打電話、拉廣告。那時我覺得有一種深深的渴望：為媒體掙錢！而且非常願意成為大紀元 “引擎室”– 推銷部的一員，即使這些和法律界的那些冠冕堂皇毫不相幹。
My first foray into sales was tough. There was no formal training available except for an old sales manual from a previous project. Further, the company was still very much in its infancy in terms of human resources, financial support and management. It was something we would have to build along the way. Although this wasn’t ideal, I understood at the time that this was an opportunity given by Master for us to build our mighty virtue.
我剛成為推銷員的那段時間比較艱難。沒有任何正規的培訓，只有一本從以前的一個項目中留下的推銷手冊。而且當時的公司還在運營嬰兒期，無論在人員方面、財務方面，還是管理方面都是如此。很多事情我們還須逐步摸索。儘管一切都不是很理想，但我認識到，那是師父給我們建立威德的機會。
Many times while selling, I’d frequently be frustrated over why deals didn’t close or keep second-guessing myself over whether I was doing the right thing. It was especially difficult when outside visiting businesses asking for advertising. Many times I’d feel completely hopeless and would question if I had made the right decision being in the media. I frequently reminded myself of this phrase from Master:
在做推銷的過程中，很多次我都感覺很挫敗：為什麼廣告就是拉不成？！甚至懷疑自己：我幹這行到底對不對？尤其是當其他公司、企業讓我們在他們那裡做廣告的時候，那種感覺尤其難受煎熬。我多次感到絕望，甚至問自己留在媒體中真的是正確的決定嗎？我經常用師父的法提醒自己：
“Did you know that in order to save you the Buddha once begged for food among everyday people?” – （”True Cultivation” Essentials for Further Advancement）
“你們知道嗎？佛為度你們曾經在常人中要飯…” (“真修”《 精進要旨》)
In hindsight, this period of time is something I cherish dearly. Not only did I go through the process of building a Fa-validation media from the ground up, every rejection and difficulty I encountered doing sales was part of the tempering process for me. At the same time, I had opportunities to remove many attachments.
過後想想，我非常珍惜這段時間。不僅是因為我經歷了白手起家，建立起一個證實法的媒體的那段過程，而且在拉廣告中的每一次被拒絕、每一次挫折都是對自己的磨煉。同時我也有機會去掉自己的很多執著。
One incident in particular occurred in 2011. Not long after I joined the sales team, another practitioner also joined. She was a veteran salesperson who had a very direct attitude. Although in the beginning she struggled, in just a few months she had generated a huge amount of advertising for the paper. I was very unused to her personality and was sometimes averse to it.
尤其在2011年發生的一件事，讓我感受深刻。那時，我剛加入大紀元推銷團隊不久，另一位同修也加入進來。她是一位身經百戰的推銷老手，並且性子很直。雖然開始時她經歷了很多困難與挫折，但在短短的幾個月她就拉進了很多廣告。我非常不習慣她的個性，有時候還產生抵觸情緒。
The sales environment is perfect for removing attachments, such as competitiveness and jealousy. I remember even when I was going to school, I always had deep-seated jealousy towards fellow students who did better than me. Instead of being happy for other people, I would find excuses to explain why the person was doing so well. I would also tell myself that I couldn’t do as well because of external factors that were beyond my control.
搞推銷的環境是一個很好的去除執著心的環境，比如爭鬥心、妒忌心。我記得自己在上學的時候，就對那些比我強的同學懷有很深的嫉妒。我會找各種理由去解釋為什麼那個人會做的那麼好，而不是替他人高興。我也會告訴自己我沒做到那麼好是因為外界客觀因素，而那些都不是我能掌控的。
In one particular month, this practitioner made a staggering amount of sales and I was left with a strong, burning feeling inside.
在某一個月裡，這位同修拉到了價值可觀的廣告，我感到自己內心已經燃燒起一種強烈的感覺。
I soon recognised that I was extremely jealous and asked Master to help me remove this attachment. It’s hard to describe the feeling of breaking through. It was like something getting surgically extracted from me. The day after – I felt like there was a gaping hole in my body. It must have been a very deep-seated part of my being.
很快，我發現這是極端的嫉妒心，並且請求師父加持我，去掉這個執著。突破的過程真是難以言表，就好像什麼東西像做手術一樣從我的身體裡被摘除了。第二天，我感覺我的身上有一個大洞，那個執著過去在我體內一定紮根很深。
My experience of selling advertising successfully involved constantly breaking through layers upon layers of notions. To reach out to bigger and more profitable businesses, we have to keep improving in our cultivation and our skills and tactics. My understanding is, as we keep progressing forward, Master will arrange for us to reach sentient beings in various sectors.
我推銷廣告的業績總是伴隨著不斷突破層層觀念。我覺得要接觸到更大更有經濟利潤的商業公司，我們也必須從修煉、技術和策略上提高自己。我悟到，隨著我們不斷的向前挺進，師父會安排我們接觸到不同領域的眾生。
For example, in order to win business, we may need to invite a client to lunch, sometimes a phone call or email conversation can get a deal done, and in other cases, we need to be persistent and keep following up with the client until they advertise (sometimes this process can take years). Clarifying the truth is always important. We should be determined in saving sentient beings and never give up, Master said:
例如，為了贏得商家，我們可能需要邀請客戶共進午餐，有時一通電話、一封郵件就可以成功拉到一個廣告，但是有時我們則需要持續不斷的跟進，直到廣告被成功拉到（有時可能會花上幾年的時間）。講真相永遠是非常重要的。在救度眾生方面我們需要決心，絕不放棄。師父曾說過：
“You have to get personally involved, cultivate, and go and put things into action. Working hard is part of your cultivation. You need to think of ways to find the people that you are meant to save. All of these are things that Dafa disciples should do.” (20th Anniversary Fa Teaching)
“得你自己親身去做、去修、去實踐，辛苦是你修煉的一部份，你要想辦法找到你該救的人。這都是大法弟子應該做的。” (《二十年講法》)
Sometimes I’d have strong notions of fear and complacency, and would avoid doing hard work or following up a client. Sometimes I wouldn’t spend time organising myself better. These seem like minor things… but I feel I’ve missed many opportunities on account of my attachments and hindered Master’s arrangements.
有時我有非常強烈的怕心和自滿心，很怕做一些很辛苦的工作或跟進某些客戶。有時我不會花時間把自己要做的事情安排的更好。這些事情看起來微不足道……但我感到我失去了很多去執著的機會，也阻礙了師父的安排。
My understanding is how effective we are at saving sentient beings depends on how willing we are to let go of self. I need to assimilate completely to the requirements of the Epoch Times and Fa-Rectification – become a being of the Fa.
我悟到，救度眾生的效率取決於我們放下自我的程度。我需要完全符合大紀元和正法時期的要求，要成為大法中的一個生命。
2. Learning to be a coordinator at the Epoch Times
二、在大紀元中，學習當好協調人
In 2013, I was promoted to become the CEO. I was 26. I knew very clearly that I didn’t have all the experience or management skills to run a company. But what I knew I had youth, potential and the heart to do this task well.
2013年，我升職成為CEO，那時我26歲。我非常清楚的知道我沒有運營一個公司所需的豐富經驗和管理技術。但是我知道我擁有的是年輕、潛力和一顆做好這個工作的心。
When I came into the role, I said to myself that I would never place myself on a ‘pedestal’ and would maintain a humble attitude towards fellow practitioners. I remembered a sharing from another practitioner who said coordinators should be like the ocean – vast and positioned at the lowest level so that all the rivers and streams can flow into it. I have tried my best to abide by this and to maintain an open mind when interacting with practitioners.
當我承擔起這個角色的時候，我對自己說：不要有任何架子，要永遠以一種謙卑的態度對待所有的同修。我記得有一位同修的交流說：協調人就應該像大海那樣廣闊，總是把自己擺在最低的位置，這樣才能讓所有的河流融匯進來，所謂“海納百川，有容乃大。”我經常提醒自己要這樣做，並對同修的交流、互動保持一種開放的態度。
At the same time, as the CEO, I have authority and discretion to make major decisions for the company and to direct practitioners. The responsibility is huge. From my understanding, it doesn’t just involve financial implications on an ordinary level; it affects the direction of the media and could affect the cultivation state of practitioners involved. Master has outlined his expectations of coordinators many times:
同時，作為一名CEO，我有權為公司做重出要的決定，並要很好的帶領同修，責任是非常重大的。我悟到，這不僅包含著常人中要承擔的經濟責任，而且也影響著一個媒體的走向，也可能影響到參與其中的同修的修煉狀態。師父也多次重申過他對協調人的期望。師父說：
“Master has entrusted so many Dafa disciples to you, and expects you to lead them well. So it is something you must do, and it is your responsibility. If you don’t do it well, it’s directly related to your cultivation.” – (Fa Teaching at the 2013 Greater New York Fa Conference – Questions and Answers)
“師父把這麼多大法弟子交給你，叫你把他們帶好，那是你必須得做的，這是責任。做不好，是與自己修煉有直接關係的。”(《二零一三年大紐約地區法會講法》)
Only through studying the Fa regularly and maintaining a good cultivation state can a coordinator carry out his/her duties with wisdom. This is especially important when dealing with Party Culture in the media.
一個協調人，只有經常學法，保持良好的修煉狀態，才能智慧的履行好自己的職責。這在克服媒體工作中的黨文化尤其重要。
When it came to learning the many different skills of being the CEO – I’ve felt Master always guiding me and giving me opportunities to learn.
在學習如何當好CEO方面，我感到師父總是在指導我，給我學習的機會。
One example is reading books, articles and watching videos on various topics relevant to our media, including sales, advertising, marketing and business management. All the material I needed was barely a click or a phone call away. It was really like what Master said:
比如說，看有關方面的各種書籍、文章和錄像，包括推銷、廣告、市場和商業管理等等，所有這些我需要的資料，只需點擊一下相關網頁，或打個電話就解決了。正如師父說的：
“Actually, with whatever Dafa disciples do, if you put a bit of heart into it you’ll get twice the results with half the effort. If you ask me, it’s a question of heart.” – Fa Teaching on World Falun Dafa Day
“其實大法弟子無論做什麼，用一點心就事半功倍。你要叫我看，我說就是個用心問題。”(《世界法輪大法日講法》)
I find whenever our body experiences an incident – whether positive or negative – this is a precious opportunity to improve the company and for me to gain valuable experience.
我發現每當我們這個整體出現什麽情況，不論是正面的還是負面的，都是一個提高公司質量的機會，都是我汲取寶貴經驗的機會。
For example, we recently had issues with our accounts receivable and found a lot of advertising was not being paid on time. Rather than blame the salespeople or accounts person – this was actually an opportunity for us to improve as a body and work on running the company even better. We quickly created a more comprehensive system to chase up accounts, including the relevant letters, notices and a timeframe to work from.
例如，最近我們出現了財政方面的問題，不少商家的廣告費沒有按時支付。我沒有去埋怨推銷員或財會人員，而是想到這其實是個我們整體提高的機會，使我們能更好的經營好我們的公司。我們迅速建立了一個更具有綜合性的機制，跟進帳務，包括寫相關信件、通知，以及建立時間框架。
I feel that almost daily there are new opportunities for our body to improve and cultivate. It is like the example Master mentioned in Zhuan Falun:
我感到幾乎每天都有整體提高和修煉的機會。就像師父在《轉法輪》中舉的例子：
"If a bottle filled with dirty things is sealed tightly and thrown into water, it will sink all the way to the bottom. You pour out some of its dirty contents. The more you empty the bottle, the higher it will float in the water. If it is emptied entirely, it will float on the surface completely." (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
“一個瓶子裏裝滿了臟東西，把它的蓋擰得很緊，扔到水裏，它也要一沈到底。你把裏面的臟東西倒出去，倒得越多，它會浮起來越高；完全倒出去，它就完全浮上來了。”
Our body will float upwards until we reach the top. Although my personal cultivation is important – my main concern now is the cultivation state of the whole body. In this regard, I’ve found only through consistent group Fa study and sharing can the body improve together and be more effective at reaching out to sentient beings.
我堅信我們的整體一定會浮上來。盡管我的個人修煉很重要，此時我更關心我們整體的修煉狀態。我發現只有通過不斷學法、交流，才能使整體一起升華，才能更有效的救度眾生。
3. Overcoming a major test
三、克服一大難關
One of our biggest tests came in June this year. It started in January when I jokingly made a comment regarding our company’s cash reserves. At that time, we had paid a sum of money for a promotional stall at an expo. I said in jest to my mother: “It’s more exciting if the money dips.” The following months many of our advertisers were not paying on time and our cash reserves steadily declined. When we reached June, a bigger test was awaiting us.
去年我們遇到了一個最大的難關，是從一月份開始的。當時我就我們的現金儲蓄開了個玩笑。那時，我們付了一筆錢，在一個博覽會上設立了一個攤位。我開玩笑的跟媽媽說：“如果能進錢，就更來勁了。”接下來的幾個月，很多廣告客戶沒有按時付帳，我們的現金儲蓄減少了。到了六月份，一個更大的關在等著我們。
One of the former directors of the paper, who used to be a very diligent practitioner, had encountered major tribulations and was no longer involved. Over the many years he worked at the paper, he contributed much financial and material support. Further, the Epoch Times was renting a property of his to use as the office. It was at this critical moment when the Old Forces exploited the gaps in our body.
一位曾經非常精進的前任主管遇到很大的磨難，並退出去了。他在報社工作過多年，並提供了很大的經濟和物質方面的援助。大紀元時報也在租用他的物業作為辦公室。就在這關鍵時刻，舊勢力利用了我們整體間的間隔。
Over the course of a month, all the former practitioner’s previous financial and material contributions were removed from the paper for one reason or another. Our lease also expired at the end of June and we were soon notified that we had to find another office. A key staff member also said she was considering leaving the paper because of living pressures at home. While this was all happening, we had to keep the operations of the newspaper running and continue finding new advertisers. To top it all off, our company had just enough cash to keep operating for another two weeks… the path ahead of us was very narrow and we had to navigate it very carefully.
在一個月中，這位同修以前向報社提供的所有經濟和物質方面的援助全部拿走了，我們的租憑到六月底就到期了，我們也被告知必須另找辦公地點。一位主要成員也說，因家庭壓力，她在考慮離開報社。與此同時，我們還得繼續維持報社的運轉，繼續尋找新的廣告客戶。更嚴重的是，我們報社的現金只夠維持兩個星期了。我們面前的路非常狹窄，必須非常認真的把握好方向。
For weeks it was difficult to see hope and how we would get through this. One day while sharing about this incident with my mother, she reminded me of the errant comment I made earlier in the year. For years she had told me to cultivate my speech. I never took her seriously. This time, I learned my lesson and immediately apologised to Master for my mistake. Interestingly, the day after, a major advertising deal we were working on closed.
那幾個星期中，我很難看到希望，不知如何闖過此關。一天，我跟媽媽交流眼前的困境，她提醒我年初開的錯誤玩笑。多年來媽媽一直提醒我要修口，但我從來都沒當回事。這次，我汲取了教訓，並馬上向師父檢討了自己的錯誤。第二天，一筆很大的廣告生意落實了。
I recognised the Old Forces were exploiting a gap in our body and were persecuting us through financial means. Being such an influential paper in society, the Old Forces would like nothing more than to see our company collapse. Despite the difficulties, I understood that we needed to endure and keep pushing forward. We couldn’t fall apart as we were responsible for many sentient beings in Queensland.
我認識到，舊勢力在利用我們整體中的間隔，並通過經濟手段迫害我們。大紀元報對社會有重大影響，舊勢力最想看到我們垮臺。盡管困難重重，我悟到我們要承受住，並向前推進。我們不會倒下，因為我們肩負著救度廣大昆省眾生的職責。
I looked at the bank balance every day and watched the funds go up and down. I was even reluctant to read emails from the bookkeeper as it made my heart race. One day, my mother said to me: “What’s there to worry about? Let it go, Master is looking after us.” I thought about it and decided she did have a point and as long as we were righteous Master wouldn’t let anything bad happen to us.
那時我每天都看帳務，看資金增加了還是減少了。有時我都不想去看簿記員發來的email，因為看到就會心跳。有一天，我媽媽對我說：“有什麽可擔心的？師父在看護著我們呢。”我想了想，覺得媽媽說的對。只要我們走的正，師父不會讓那些不好的東西幹擾我們。
For the next few weeks, we kept working hard to push through. One by one we resolved all the issues. We found a very suitable premise to use as an office – practitioners worked together to contribute second-hand furniture, desks, a fridge and all sorts of equipment. We resolved the financial issues for our staff member, continued to get advertisers and slowly but surely got the company finances back into a healthier situation.
接下來的幾個星期，我們一起努力突破難關，所有的難題一個個解決了。我們找到了非常合適的辦公場所，同修們也幫助提供二手家具，包括寫字臺，一個冰箱和各種設備。我們也解決了員工的經濟問題，繼續找到新廣告客戶，慢慢的，我們報社的財政也恢復到比較好的狀況。
The incident re-emphasised the importance of my role as a coordinator and that I should take my role seriously, and not do anything that may jeopardise our body. At the same time, it highlighted to me just how ruthless the Old Forces can be if we do not walk the path Master arranges – the Old Forces are waiting to disrupt and try to take everything away from us.
這次事件，也使我進一步認識到作為協調人的重要職責，我一定要認真對待我的職責，不做任何可能有損於整體的事。同時，我也更清楚的看到，如果我們不按照師父安排的路走正，舊勢力會是多麽殘酷無情。它們隨時伺機搗亂，試圖奪走我們取得的成績。
In recent lectures, Master has highlighted that our media needs to continue improving. Going forward, I feel it’s important to no longer treat the newspaper like a ‘flyer’ or a ‘practice site’. I will work hard to coordinate better and keep improving the business.
師父在近期講法中強調，我們的媒體需要繼續改進。往前走，我認識到，我們再也不能把報紙視為“傳單”或“煉功點”。我一定會繼續努力，把協調工作做得更好，不斷完善我們的報社經營。
I think what has held us back has been our inability to break through our own notions. If we can do this, then this will have a greater effect saving sentient beings. Master said:
我感到拖我們後腿的是我們還沒能突破自己的觀念。如果能做到這點，就會在救度眾生中起到更大的作用。師父說：
“If the media company that you run could really be well-established in mainstream society and truly become a global media company, think about it, wouldn’t it have a tremendous impact in exposing the evil and guiding mankind in a positive direction? And how powerful would it be in saving sentient beings?” – Fa Teaching at the 2013 Greater New York Fa Conference
“如果你們辦的媒體真正的立足於主流社會，真的成了全世界的媒體公司，大家想想，揭露邪惡，把人類引導向正面，那起的作用有多大？那救度眾生的力度該有多大？” (《二零一三年大紐約地區法會講法》)
The above is my understanding at my current level.
以上是我在目前層次的一點心得體悟。
Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
有不對的地方，請同修慈悲指正。
Thank you, Compassionate Master.
Thank you, fellow practitioners.
謝謝師父。
謝謝同修。