(Minghui.org) My mother began practicing Falun Dafa in 1996, and suggested I read the book Zhuan Falun. I was deeply moved by the teachings, and many questions I had were answered. I decided to begin practicing Falun Dafa.
My Tribulation
A mutual friend introduced me to my future wife. We were married in 1999 and had our daughter. That year, the CCP (Chinese Communist Party) began persecuting Falun Dafa. Our cultivation environment was destroyed.
Many practitioners went to Beijing to speak up for Dafa, including my mother and sister. They were repeatedly persecuted, and they both died as a result. I was also sentenced to prison in 2008.
My wife had an affair while I was in prison. She asked me for a divorce. She brought the draft agreement and two judges to the prison. Even though she had an affair, I was sued as the party “at fault.” I was shocked, but did my best to remain calm. I gave my consent after a brief consultation with the judges.
My ex-wife wanted to sell our house and divide the money. My parents had bought the house before we married. My ex-wife and I did not pay anything even though my name was on the deed. I was fine with selling the house, but I was afraid that my parents would be upset. I tried to reason with her, “It is fine that you don’t care about me. But I cannot ignore my parents’ and our daughter’s feelings. I don’t care about the other assets, but my parents bought the house and I cannot sell it.” My ex came prepared. She wanted me to pay her half of the price of the house after I was released from prison, as part of the divorce agreement.
I felt our daughter would get a good education if she was under the care of a practitioner, so I asked the judge for custody of my child. The judge said that because I was in prison, the custody had to be given to my ex. Furthermore, I needed to pay alimony until my daughter reached 18.
I wept on the way back to my cell. I had been tortured and almost died several times, but I never shed tears. We had been married for ten years. Now, my wife was so cold and determined. I truly felt at that moment that qing (emotion, sentimentality) is not something a cultivator should have. I knew it was time for me to give up the attachment to qing.
The guard in charge of my cell witnessed the whole divorce process. He was concerned about me and asked if I was okay. I told him calmly, “There was no use trying to force anything. There was nothing to be sorry for. My wife and the man she had an affair with were together and she was pregnant. They could not get married if I did not sign the divorce papers. If they continued their affair it would only cause them to create more karma for themselves. How would they repay it later?” The guard’s expression changed after I told him this. He was moved by a practitioner’s unselfishness and kindness.
My life was extremely difficult after I was released from prison. I needed to study the Fa, do the exercises and reflect on what happened. But I was broke and needed to work. A practitioner helped me find a job. The monthly pay was 1,500 yuan, only 1/3 of my salary before I was imprisoned. But it solved my immediate problem of needing money.
Cultivators do not spend much. Aside from the 500-yuan alimony I had to pay each month, the most difficult part was making the house payments to my ex. I relied on my relatives’ help and paid her in installments. It was very stressful.
This situation went on for eighteen months. Fellow practitioners shared their thoughts with me: Practitioners need to put down the attachment to self interest, but we cannot go along with the old forces’ economic persecution. They said that I should not have agreed to pay my ex-wife for the house; it was a secondary persecution against me. I enlightened slowly that it was also a persecution against my ex-wife. It latched onto her attachment to money and generated karma for her. I understood that I had to stop going along with this situation.
Once I corrected my thoughts based on the Fa, things changed.
Benevolently Resolving a Bad Situation
My daughter lived with my former wife’s mother since she was two. Both my and my ex-wife’s alimony payment were paid to the grandma. I paid 500 yuan a month, and my ex paid 300. But she did not always pay on time; sometimes she did not pay at all. She and her mother often fought over this.
My former mother-in-law came with my daughter to my house and complained that she was not getting money from her daughter. She said that she had to beg for it each month. She wanted us to pay it all in one payment for the year: She wanted me to pay 5,000, and my ex 3,000. I felt bad and said, “Don’t worry. I will pay you if she does not. I will pay you ten thousand yuan for the year. From now on, I will stop giving your daughter money for the house, and I will pay the whole alimony. The house was bought before we married. She did not own it. Now she won’t even pay the alimony. I have no reason to pay her the house payment.”
I paid my daughter’s tuition from primary school until she graduated from college. The boarding and tuition for college was several ten thousand yuan a year.
I taught my daughter how to behave and acted as a role model for her based on traditional culture and orthodox concepts. I didn’t force things on her, but encouraged her to make the right choice. She was good; I did not need to worry about her. She was hired by a Fortune 500 company right after she graduated. She benefited from Dafa despite the current pandemic, bad economy and low moral standards in China.
The grandparents took great care of my daughter, and I was very grateful. I visited them every week, with presents or money. I never missed any holidays. I often took them out to dinner. I also took care of anything they needed to be fixed and I ran errands for them.
My daughter’s grandparents’ health declined and they took medicine. The grandpa retired early because of his illnesses. He was frequently hospitalized, especially before he passed away. I visited him and brought him food he liked and money. When he died, I helped arrange his funeral.
After the grandpa passed away, my daughter went out of town for study and work, and the grandma was very lonely. I visited her every week and chatted with her.
The grandparents praised me to their friends and relatives. They told me one day, “We don’t have sons. You are our son from now on.” Their friends and relatives all praised me. In reality, I do not care about other people’s opinion of me. But my kind behavior showed people how wonderful Falun Dafa is. Their good opinion of me led them to have a good opinion of Dafa, which saved them.
My ex-wife’s sister and her entire family quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Her husband was a Party member and worked at a government enterprise. Their son also quit the CCP and its youth orgnizations. His academic performance was mediocre, but he did very well on the college entrance examination and was admitted to an excellent university.
I had no more resentment towards my ex-wife when I saw her again. I felt she was pitiful. Thinking back to when we were still married, I realized that I did not consider her feelings and was not caring enough. From the standpoint of a cultivator, I should thank her. The divorce tribulation showed me how to be tolerant and understanding.
I had dinner with my ex-wife and her family, and we chatted. I never remarried after the divorce, and she suggested I look for a wife. I just smiled. How could an ordinary person know what a cultivator feels is important?
My income increased after I stopped going along with the economic persecution against me. I don’t spend money casually even though I have savings. Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa, said that Dafa has limited resources. What I have was given by Dafa and should be used to save people. My capability to fulfill my mission in this world improved after my finances did.
The seemingly impassable tribulations were replaced by joy when I understood the situation based on the Fa. I am grateful for Master’s protection, and my faith in Master and Dafa are unshakable. I feel most fortunate to be a practitioner. The more I study the Fa and the longer I practice, the more I feel how great Master is, know the importance of my mission, and see the clear path ahead. My confidence and righteous thoughts are constantly strengthened.
I also want to thank my fellow practitioners for their help. I will strive forward diligently with them and we will advance in our cultivation together.
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