(Clearwisdom.net) A relative of mine in his 40s used to have many bad habits. He was a hooligan in the village. He bullied and terrorized villagers and even cursed and beat up his parents. He drifted through life, doing nothing but eating, drinking, gambling, and leading a life of debauchery. His wife eventually divorced him when she had had enough. When he had spent all of his money, he sold his home. When he had spent all of that money, he went to live with his parents.
His older sister had no control or influence over him, so she begged me to talk with her brother. I decided to give it a try, but I didn't have high hopes. One day I paid him a visit. I told him, "It's time for a change. What will you do if you continue to drift through life?" He replied, "I don't have any hope. Whatever will happen to me will happen." I said, "You have done so many terrible things. You will face karmic retribution one day. If you don't believe me, you are welcome to read the Falun Gong books." He seemed to pay attention to what I had to say. In the end, he asked to read the books.
I brought him the Falun Gong books and truth-clarification materials. He actually started to read them quietly. Evidently he understood what he read because he purged himself of all of his bad habits. He even quit drinking and smoking. He is now a changed man.
During the 2008 Chinese New Year, his mother asked a village store to put the 30 yuan for the fireworks on her credit because she didn't have enough money. When he heard about it, he went to pay the store owner. He gave the owner 100 yuan, but the owner gave him 80 yuan in change by mistake. He didn't check his change before he put it in his pocket. When he found the 10 extra yuan after he returned home, he went back to the store to give the extra change back. He told the owner, "You have given me the wrong change." Knowing the man's reputation as a hooligan, the owner dared not offend him, so he said, "I must not have given you enough change. I will correct the mistake." But the former hooligan told the storekeeper, "No, you gave me 10 yuan too much. I am returning the money to you." All the customers in the store were impressed with his transformation.
After the Chinese New Year, he told me, "If I had started practicing Falun Gong earlier, I would not have wasted the years away. It's time for me to find a job. I must not drift through life any longer."
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Category: Improving Oneself
