(Minghui.org) My father once cooperated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and opened the door for them when they harassed me. Now, at 80 years, he refuses to open the door and defends me. I thought I would never see this transformation.
I have an older brother, and we both thought that our father only cared about himself and that we kids were just a passing amusement. Only Falun Dafa has the power to change this kind of rigid personality.
My father is thin and weak now. He was previously combative, opinionated and obstinate. I felt that these personality traits came from the negative influence by the CCP.
My father attended the ceremony in Beijing celebrating the first publication of Zhuan Falun and listened respectfully to Master Li's (the founder) teachings. He went up to the podium to see Master up close and thought Master looked only 30 years old. I started practicing Falun Dafa a few months later, but my father did not pursue this path.
Several practitioners my father knew, including my mother, passed away after 1998, which caused my father to have some negative thoughts about Dafa. After the CCP set into motion a full-scale media campaign to vilify and attack Falun Dafa, my father cooperated with the police officers when they came to harass me.
“Dad, you know all about Falun Dafa,” said my brother. “And one of your family members is being persecuted. Why can't you tell right from wrong?”
My father supported the CCP on the surface, yet he attributed society's moral decline to it. On the other hand, he was also critical of Falun Dafa, yet he said, “Falun Dafa practitioners are good people. I dare to guarantee this!”
Falun Dafa Protected My Father
I believe that Falun Dafa has saved my father's life many times. He was hit by a van and thrown three to four meters, yet had no injuries. He fainted by the side of the road in the middle of winter, lay unconscious for over 10 minutes, and then got up and went home. He was fine. He fell flat on his face another time and then just got up.
“Even at my age,” said my brother, “If I had such falls, it would be terrible. But Dad is really old and frail, and yet he was fine. This is most extraordinary. I think he is blessed because someone in the family practices Falun Dafa.”
A Changing Attitude
I let go of layers of attachments to fame and gain in the process of clarifying the truth to my father, and I finally became more compassionate.
My father defended the CCP when he was healthy. I knew I could not be attached to changing his attitude, but I was afraid that he would become ill if he continued to defend the CCP. I realized that I needed to adjust my thinking and let go of sentimentality. I could not let my attachments interfere with his understanding the truth.
When my father was unwell, listless and unable to make a sound, I knew it was because he had protected the CCP. So, I said to him, “You can't throw away your good fortune and pay for the CCP's bad deeds. You can't shoulder that burden.”
I felt that my father was able to listen to and absorb the truth about Falun Dafa and the CCP at that time. He became healthy and energetic, and he went out for a stroll an hour after talking with me.
However, my father wavered between understanding and doubting Falun Dafa because of interference from society.
I began to wonder if he would ever change. I knew that my attachment to sentimentality was arranged by negative elements. I needed to let go of it and concentrate on helping him change his mind. My father seemed to sense my change in attitude. I was polite and respectful and sometimes took the initiative to talk about aspects of justice.
My brother told me that I must not give up on him. I was shocked. I felt as if Master was speaking through my brother and that I needed to treat all sentient beings with compassion.
Afterwards, I just presented the facts to him and let him draw his own conclusion. I no longer made critical comments. He gradually changed and developed a positive understanding of Dafa. I suggested that he sincerely recite every day, “Falun Dafa is good" and "Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” He gained a deeper understanding of what this meant. I helped my father understand the Falun Dafa principles. He developed a true understanding of cultivation and the form of cultivation, and he let go of the resentment that he had accumulated over many years.
By August 2016, my father no longer needed me to remind him to recite these sentences. He said in a careful but matter-of-fact tone, “I am sleeping much better. Perhaps it's because of the honey I'm eating.”
I laughed, “You've been taking honey for dozens of years without any effect. Why don't you admit it's from reciting those words?”
He smiled pleasantly and said, “I diligently recite them every day.”
My father's neurasthenia (a form of depression) was a great concern and caused him a lot of anxiety. He suffered from it for over 50 years and tried many folk remedies and sought treatment at the hospital many times, to no avail. Thus, his improvement was a testament to the miraculous effects of Dafa.
I did not expect to have such an amicable relationship with my father. In the process, I came to understand a little more of what Master says about the power of compassion.
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