(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa in 1998. In over 20 years of cultivation, I have witnessed how wonderful Dafa’s founder Master Li Hongzhi is, Dafa’s beauty, and countless miracles. My husband, son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter all know the truth about Dafa and support my faith. They also renounced their memberships in the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its youth organizations. We live in harmony and are immersed in Dafa's saving grace. I’d like to share a few of my experiences.
My father passed away at an early age, and my mother has lived by herself since then. She is 86 years old and in good health. For 60 years she lived in a apartment and paid her own living expenses. Then a few years ago, because the heating unit where she lived was poor, we found another apartment for her.
She still paid all her own expenses. We four siblings took turns looking after our mother. We ate with her when we were there, so she paid for our meals. With her little pension, she began to feel some financial pressure after a while. She didn’t complain to us, but resented this deep down inside. The situation went on for more than a year. With that, she began to be unhappy with all of us. She often sighed and felt that none of us treated her well.
I understood that she wanted me to step forward to solve this problem for her. But on the other hand, I thought, “I am not her son, nor her oldest child. I don’t want to handle it.” Even though I wanted to help her, I knew it wouldn’t be an easy task. My older siblings were all very attached to money; none of them would be willing to pay for their meals, and I didn’t want to offend them. So I kept ignoring our mother’s concerns to the point that she became even more unhappy with me. She often said I was mean to her and she badmouthed me terribly. When my sister told me about this, I laughed and didn’t take it to heart.
This month, it was my turn to look after my mom. My sister then said, “Mom said she couldn’t find something, and she thought you took it to your home.” This time, I didn’t say anything, but thought to myself: How could she behave like this? That’s ridiculous. I felt it was so unfair, and wanted to reason things out with her. But then I thought: I’m a Dafa practitioner, I shouldn’t be like her. She is old and sometimes muddle-headed; why would I argue with her?
A few days later, my sister-in-law told me, “Mom said you stole her wool fleece coat, then gave it to another practitioner.” Upon hearing that, I couldn’t hold my temper and my anger flared up. I said, “How come she always says things that make no sense?! Whom did I give it to? I have bought her so many clothes, why didn’t she mention that?” Then I began to argue with her, “Do you know we are a family? Why don’t you say anything good about me? You are so dumb for being old.” I also said other things that a practitioner shouldn’t say. While sitting there, tears kept rolling down her face.
After I came home, three of my teeth began to ache. I was in so much pain that my face became swollen, coupled with a fever. I then began to send forth righteous thoughts. I did this for quite a while, but it didn’t work. Then I began to reflect on myself and look inward.
Master Li said:
“If you are a practitioner, you have to change your bad traits and become a good person who strives to live by the qualities of the universe.” (The Eighth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
Master also said:
“...we should be good to others, not to mention our own families, in whatever setting we may be, and treat everyone with kindness. We should treat everyone well, which of course includes parents and children, and think of others first at all times. Your heart will not be selfish, then, but will be loving, kind, and compassionate...” (The Sixth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
Thinking back on Master’s Fa and recalling my attitude towards my mom, I complained and felt upset. How can a practitioner behave like this? Aside from not reaching a high standard and having compassion as a practitioner, my attitude was so terrible. I felt so regretful for not cultivating my character in this respect. I felt I had let Master and Dafa down.
My mom had a lot of strong qualities. She is independent and competent and used to have an excellent work performance. After my father passed away, she supported us for a few decades on her own. She sacrificed so much for us, yet I resented and blamed her. She wanted me to step forward to speak up for her. This was solely based on her trust in me. Moreover, I always had the microphone among my siblings, becasue I wanted to have the final say in everything. So my older siblings all tried to give way to me; my mom also spoiled me. However, in this matter, I not only didn’t help her, but more importantly, I hurt her emotionally. This was terrible, and it was all my fault.
As an old saying goes, “Filial piety (family devotion) is the first of all virtues.” Shouldn’t I do even better as a practitioner? I then went to make apologies in front of Master Li's portrait, then to my mom. Afterward, I took the initiative to get all the siblings together and shared my thoughts. I told them that although I’m not the oldest or a son, respecting one’s parents is a virtue of our nation. Our mom has painstakingly raised us. Now it’s our duty to pay her back. We are also parents and should set real-life examples for our children by respecting our mom.
I continued, “Our mom has to pay her rent and cover her day-to-day expenses. When we're there, it is a burden for her to pay for our meals. But if we can share in that to lessen her burden, then she’d be happier.” When I asked them if they had any feedback, they expressed agreement. After this problem was resolved, our family became harmonious again. My mom began to have a smile on her face and no longer complained about us.
I came to realize that, as a practitioner, we should also cultivate ourselves in our family environment and treat ourselves as practitioners, as opposed to doing only what we want to do. We should hold ourselves to high standards. This was something I didn’t previously accomplish. But it is something I must cultivate solidly in order to reach the higher standards required of a practitioner. I’ll strive forward towards this goal and be a true Dafa disciple.
It has been the case for my family that when one person cultivates, the whole family benefits.
My son studied medical science and worked at the county hospital. For the past few years, the hospital didn’t run well, which affected his income. So he looked for a new job with better pay. A friend who works at a road construction department referred him, so my son began to work there.
Although my son didn’t cultivate, he had a firm belief in the goodness of Dafa and supported my cultivation. He often recited the phrases, “Falun Dafa is wonderful! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is wonderful!” He hung Dafa’s accessories in his car and also carried an amulet with him every day. After he started his new job, he held himself to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. He worked diligently, and his work performance was recognized by his manager. Soon enough, he became a team leader with a decent salary, plus bonuses.
He and a colleague once went out. His colleague was a new driver, but he wanted to drive. When he was about to turn, there suddenly came a car heading right at them. When they were about to collide, my son’s car turned the other way by itself. In the end, only a headlight was broken. Both my son and his colleague were dumbfounded. Although they could have run into great danger, nothing happened. Later my son told me, “Mom, it truly worked to recite the phrases. Master took care of me. Otherwise, your son would be gone. I’ll for sure believe in Dafa!”
On May 13, 2020, when my daughter-in-law returned from out of town, she found that she’d developed a tumor in her neck. She went to the hospital and was scheduled to return the next day for hospitalization. Since my son was very busy, I had to accompany her to the hospital. At that time, the pandemic was still serious and whoever accompanied her had to take a nucleic acid test and present their I.D. Since I didn’t have those documents, the security personnel wouldn’t let me in, so my daughter-in-law had to go by herself. I told her not to be scared and that by reciting the two phrases, she’d be fine. After I repeatedly told her that, she agreed. Then I went home.
My daughter-in-law was originally scheduled to be hospitalized for one week. Unexpectedly, that same night, she called and told me that she could go home. She said excitedly, “Mom, everything went well, just like you said. I just did what you told me. It’s truly miraculous!”
My granddaughter turned 11 years old this year. During her school vacations, she always came to study the Fa and recite Hong Yin with me. In her final exams, she always got the highest marks in her class. One time, she asked, “Granny, do you know why I always got good marks? Let me tell you, as soon as I get to the exam room, I’d start reciting the two phrases. Then I realized I could answer all the questions on the exam.” I laughed upon seeing her glowing face.
For the past 20 years, my family has supported Dafa, and they have been safe and in great harmony. I'm extremely happy. I hereby would like to sincerely wish those who don’t know the truth and haven’t quit the CCP to quickly learn the truth. Only Dafa can save people and pass along blessings. Only by believing in Dafa, can one escape any calamity and stay safe during the pandemic. Please do not miss this precious opportunity!
Please kindly point out anything inappropriate in my sharing.