(Clearwisdom.net) My mother started practicing Falun Gong in 1996, two years after I graduated from college. I soon noticed that she looked better physically and was more energetic. She was also more cheerful and open-minded. Curiosity then led me to look at the Falun Gong books that she was reading. It is stated in the book Zhuan Falun that the speed of light varies in different space-times of the universe. Hence, a light year in one area of the universe may not be the same distance in another area of the universe. The book also makes the point that the way the Earth moves around the sun is similar to an electron moving around an atomic nucleus. This statement impressed me, because it never occurred to me that the Earth could be considered a particle. I recall that my father told me that a true scientist should forget about what they think they know before starting a new experiment. They will then be open to new findings and dare to question the understandings of the past. One cannot move forward by holding on to old ways of thinking. The book also states that mind and matter are one and the same. From this, I came to understand the changes that had occurred in my mother. It was her improvement in the spiritual realm that led to a positive change in her physical being.

The many principles revealed in Zhuan Falun indicate that this is not a book about health and fitness. It is a book with profound inner meaning for cultivation. Although various scientific disciplines are mentioned, I think the main focus is to tell us how to be good people and that there are benefits to keeping a high moral standard. When a person is convinced by this, they are more likely to give up their old ways and follow the principle of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I started practicing Falun Gong in May 1998 and experienced positive changes in my mind and body.

Don't be concerned about personal benefits--we won't lose what is ours

My mother-in-law was originally from the countryside, and came to live in the city through marriage. However, due to the communist system, she was still considered an "outsider" when it came to the benefits she was entitled to. This meant that when my husband was a child, he did not have enough food to eat.

My husband has three brothers and one sister, and their mother does not allow any of them to marry another person from the countryside, as this would continue to deprive them of benefits associated with being a city person. My mother-in-law has an apartment which she gave to her eldest son when he got married. When the eldest son got an apartment of his own through his work, my mother-in-law took the apartment back and gave it to my husband when we got married. This made my sister-in-law very unhappy. In 2001, my mother-in-law wanted the apartment back so that she and her daughter could rent it out to get an income. My husband felt unhappy about this, so I told him not to be too concerned about our own welfare, as that might hurt other people. I also said that there is a karmic reason why this was happening, and reminded him that his mother had been poor most of her life, so it was natural that she would be very concerned about her property and making money.

My husband was moved by my explanation, and so we used all of our savings and bought our own apartment. It turned out that the real estate prices rose dramatically within only a few years of our buying our apartment. If we had not bought the apartment at that time, we would not have been able to afford it later. My husband's income also improved substantially, and we were soon able to buy another apartment in a very good location of the city.

Not being concerned about personal benefits is not the same as losing benefits. A person will still have what should be theirs, but they will be more at ease with themselves. Falun Dafa expects us to put the interests of others ahead of our own. If I had fought over losing the apartment, it would have generated animosity and made my husband's life very difficult within his family. By following Dafa and thinking of others, we ended up benefiting ourselves and having greater harmony at home. All these benefits came from following Dafa's principles.

Improved moral standards and harmony at home

Chinese society today lacks trust, which is true even within the family. Some of my work colleagues complain about doing a lot for their wives, but their relationship is still unstable. Other colleagues worry that their husbands might be unfaithful, and spend a lot of time checking up on them. Some even report on others' mistresses. It is indeed a mess when people lose their belief in traditional family values. They cannot find peace and harmony at home, and they don't know how to get relief from an unhappy life. Many people indulge in lust and don't care about others, yet they expect others to care about them.

These problems do not happen in my family. Dafa expects us to treat others well and care less about material gain. A husband and wife should care for and trust each other. We should control our own minds instead of falling prey to temptation.

I have been forced to be away from home for a total of five years due to the persecution. This includes the time I was illegally imprisoned. My home has been ransacked many times, but the Chinese Communist Party has not been able to break up my family, because there is mutual trust between me and my husband. Despite temptations from the outside, my husband kept his moral standard and together we overcame our tribulations. One of my husband's classmates admires us for how we have come through the difficulties. He told us at a class reunion, "What happened to you two is very inspiring. I believe the bond you have is made of steel."

My child now practices with me, and he gets up early to do the exercises. He helps me prepare breakfast and understands the difficulty in supporting a family. My husband said, "All of a sudden, our child has grown up and become appreciative of his parents." I replied, "That is because he has started practicing with me." Dafa can steer people towards compassion, benefiting ourselves and others. Dafa especially benefits our minds.