(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1998. Prior to that, I had a severe case of rheumatism, along with insomnia. These ailments disappeared shortly after I read just a section of the book Zhuan Falun.
My family is a blended one. My first husband left me unexpectedly and took my son with him. A few years later, my second husband brought his son to my home. After I began practicing Falun Dafa, my husband was happy about it. He was pleased that I had become such a good person after practicing Falun Dafa.
I never wavered in cultivation, even though I was illegally detained for five years in Jinan Women’s Prison for refusing to give up my faith. I had firm belief in Master and Dafa, and always reminded myself to do my best.
In prison, we were not allowed to say, “Falun Dafa is good.” So I decided to show the goodness of the practice with my actions. In the end, the inmates and guards were very impressed with Falun Dafa and the practitioners who embodied the goodness of the practice.
One officer said he wanted to start cultivating the principles of Falun Dafa, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. He told his relatives at home about it and came back to tell me it was wonderful following these principles, and that his family was happy, and so was he.
It has been such good fortune to be able to practice Falun Dafa. Master said,
“...with one person practicing, the whole family benefits” (“Teaching the Fa at the Fa Conference in Australia”)
My non-practicing husband had no children with me. However, he waited for me for five years while I was detained in prison, and organized my son’s wedding in my absence. My son turned out to be a responsible adult who saved enough money to buy himself an apartment without relying on us. My stepson was also rewarded for learning the truth about Falun Dafa. He unexpectedly found a good job with a good income.
However, when it comes to cultivation, it is never smooth, especially when it is time to improve. Just as Master said,
“But normally when a problem arises, if it does not irritate a person psychologically, it does not count or is useless and cannot make him or her improve. “ (“Lecture Four” from Zhuan Falun)
My stepson’s wife was going to have a baby in May, and my husband wanted me to go look after her. I thought it would take too much of my time away from Dafa efforts, so I really did not want to go. I also thought my husband was being selfish and had double standards when it came to my son and his son. So I was unhappy.
I discussed this with other practitioners and gradually found my attachments. Through studying the Fa and sending forth righteous thoughts, I cleared away some bad things. Master enlightened me,
“From the day that a Dafa disciple takes up cultivation his whole life is rearranged. In other words, this life of yours is now the life of a cultivator. Nothing is by chance anymore, and nothing will happen just by chance. Everything on your life's journey is directly related to your improvement and cultivation.” (“Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles”)
Since everything happened for a reason on my path of cultivation, I cannot make my decisions based on my notions or preferences.
Master said,
“Whatever you experience during your cultivation—whether good or bad—is good, for it comes about only because you are cultivating. A cultivator cannot achieve Consummation when laden with human thoughts, laden with karmic debts, or laden with attachments. “ (“To the Chicago Fa Conference” from The Essentials of Diligent Progress, VOL. III)
Master also said,
“Cultivators look at things in just the opposite way. They see tribulations and suffering as good opportunities for improvement. [To cultivators] these are all good things, and the more there are and the faster they come, the faster the improvement. Some cultivators want to push them away and think, ‘Don't come.’ Whenever [conflicts and turmoil] come up they think that others have a problem with them and they can't stand it when others say anything negative about them. You just want to live a more pleasant life, but is that cultivation? Can you really cultivate that way? If to this day you still can't come around on this concept, then as your master, I don't know how you will ever move towards Consummation.” (“Teaching the Fa in San Francisco, 2005”)
I made up my mind to follow what Master said, taking all the inner conflicts and physical hardships as something positive, even though at times it was so hard for me to take that I had tears in my eyes. I was happy however, because I knew that I subsequently became more tolerant. Even when I had negative thoughts about my husband, I checked myself, knowing that I should not point fingers at someone else. Everyone around me was there to help me to improve, and I should be thankful.
After the daughter-in-law had a baby, my husband’s ex-wife called to ask if I would go with her to visit, as she had rides arranged. So I went with her and her boyfriend. We were comfortable with each other and chatted all the way for a few hours on the road. I knew the reason I could do this was because I had improved my xinxing.
When we got to the hospital, my stepson greeted us. He seemed to only pay attention to his mother. He chatted with his mother, but completely ignored me until later. I didn’t feel upset at all about it.
When we arrived home with my daughter-in-law and the granddaughter, I did the laundry for them. I cleaned the yard and hung out the clothing and diapers. It was very hot that summer, and I was really sweating, but I didn’t feel too bad as I knew that Master was strengthening me. I kept reminding myself that I was a Dafa practitioner and whatever I did should embody the goodness of Dafa.
The mother left after four days. As I was hand-washing the laundry, I listened to Master’s lectures. Whenever I had time, I sent righteous thoughts, did the exercises, and studied the Fa. I did not feel tired or hungry. In the process, I eliminated my resentment and attachment of seeking comfort.
I was there for eleven days. Every day I washed three big loads of laundry, including their winter clothes, which had not been washed. I washed them, dried them, and folded them. My hands had blisters as a result. But I did not feel bad, as I knew the concept of “no loss no gain,” and that Master would turn the bad things into good things for me.
My stepson bought a lot of treats for me and took me to get new clothes, because they were both very grateful for what I did. I asked them to remember the goodness of Falun Dafa and the greatness of Master Li. I told then I am who I am because of Falun Dafa.
I asked them to remember, “Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” My stepson promised. I told them I had to go back to helping people learn the truth about Falun Dafa and that I could not be there all the time for them. They understood and supported me.
I am so thankful to Master for saving me and protecting me with the great Dafa. Over the years, there were times when I did well and other times when I did not do so well. However, Master has never given up on me. I can only advance diligently in the Fa to pay back Master.
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