(Minghui.org) I vividly remember every moment on my cultivation path. No words can express my gratitude to Master. For more than 26 years, he carefully cared for, and compassionately guided me in moments of danger.
Finding Joy in Hardship
Influenced by my parents, I believed in the existence of gods. A coworker told me about Falun Dafa in the summer of 1995. I immediately thought it was good and wanted to learn it. A relative brought me a Falun Dafa book in late July 1995. He asked, “Are you afraid of enduring hardship?” I was experiencing some tribulations at that time, so I felt life was very difficult.
“I’m not afraid,” I replied. I accepted the main book of Falun Dafa, Zhuan Falun, and finished reading it in one day. I was thrilled, as this was exactly what I had been looking for!
I understood the meaning of life after reading the Fa. I no longer felt lost and depressed. I could face difficulty with a positive attitude, as I understood that tribulations were the result of my karmic debts from past lifetimes. Before I began practicing Falun Dafa, I suffered from various illnesses, including neurasthenia, low blood sugar, rheumatoid arthritis, gastrointestinal problems, and anemia.
In just one month all my ailments disappeared, and I felt lighthearted and joyful.
I often helped my mother, who lived with my sister-in-law. Although my sister-in-law treated me well, she frequently scolded my mother and criticized my two sisters in front of me. In order not to make life harder for my mother, I quietly endured it. However, one time I couldn’t bear it any longer and snapped back, “You always criticize others! Why don’t you take a look at yourself?” She was infuriated, and would not allow me to visit my mother.
In my anger, I wrote a letter to her mother, detailing many unethical and outrageous things this sister-in-law did after she married into our family. I also wrote a warning letter to my sister-in-law and delivered both letters to her mother. From then on, we deeply hated each other, and we didn’t speak for many years.
After I began practicing Falun Dafa, I reminded myself I was a cultivator and I held myself to the standards of the Fa. I learned to consider the bigger picture in the family, to think about my mother and my family, and to prioritize family harmony. I went to my sister-in-law’s mother’s workplace to apologize and then I apologized to my sister-in-law. We finally reconciled. If it weren’t for cultivation, I wouldn’t have done this.
I used to pick on my mother-in-law in front of my husband and held resentment in my heart, but after I practiced Falun Dafa, I began sincerely looking at the things she did from her perspective, trying to understand and tolerate her, which helped dissolve my resentment towards her. One day, my husband commented, “You haven’t picked on my mother in front of me for a long time.”
When my daughter was experiencing postpartum depression, I took care of her and the child by myself. I had to prepare meals for the entire family, prepare special food for the new mother, clean the house, do the laundry, give the baby a bath, and even sunbathe the baby for jaundice treatment. I was so busy that I often only had one meal a day, and I even forgot to drink enough water. I was so exhausted at night that I often fell asleep during Fa study.
I really hoped my daughter’s mother-in-law would come and help. When she did come, I was quite happy. But she only stayed for three days and then left. In the days that followed, she only visited to see her grandson. She stayed for a couple of days, and then left. My daughter and son-in-law were busy with work, so I took care of my grandson and managed the household by myself. It was exhausting, and I couldn’t do the three things well. I felt very bitter, and human notions dominated me. I developed resentment toward my son-in-law’s mother, thinking that she was selfish. She never considered contributing. Instead she frequently asked my daughter for things. She didn’t seem to care about my daughter and son-in-law’s substantial mortgage, and she thought that taking care of the child was my job. Sometimes, when things got really difficult, I quietly wept at night.
Master enlightened me, and I suddenly became clear: I am a Falun Dafa practitioner, a cultivator, and I should find joy in hardship. I should try to understand and be tolerant of my daughter’s mother-in-law, and look at things from her perspective. When I told my daughter and my husband this, they were not happy and wondered why I always took her side. I said that as a cultivator, I should follow the requirements of Dafa, be kind, and consider things from other people’s perspectives.
The Power of Kindness
As practitioners, we should hold ourselves to the standards of the Fa. Although I didn’t do well many times due to my attachments, I did cultivate kindness in practicing Dafa, and the kindness naturally manifested. When I sincerely do something for others, they can feel it.
Because I practice Falun Dafa I was arrested in October 1999, and taken to a police station. It was already very late when an officer was preparing to transfer me to a detention center. I noticed that he had a pained expression, so I asked him what was wrong. He told me he had stomachache. I asked if he was hungry, and suggested he eat something or take medicine. He felt that I genuinely cared about him, and he was moved.
I was illegally detained in a brainwashing center. There was a male practitioner there who didn’t have money to pay for his meals. When a practitioner and I heard about it, we managed to send money to him through a security personnel who later told a police officer what we did. The officer then told the people from the local neighborhood committee and the Political and Legal Affairs Committee, “So-and-so is very kind. Her family isn’t well-off, yet she still helps others.” Someone from the neighborhood committee relayed the officer’s words to me.
We went to the city government to appeal right after the persecution started on July 20, 1999. A police officer scolded us and pushed my husband to the ground. I turned around, helped my husband up, and smiled at the officer. It seemed to surprise him, and he didn’t scold or push any practitioners again.
During the persecution, many police officers were deceived and misled by the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) propaganda, and they treated practitioners harshly. However, after interacting with practitioners, they witnessed our kindness, rationality, and care toward our families, which shattered many of the misconceptions that had been instilled in them by the CCP’s lies and propaganda.
Some officers protected practitioners within the scope of their abilities, but there were others who were deeply influenced by the propaganda and continued to participate in the persecution. They are truly pitiable and unfortunate individuals.
My daughter’s mother-in-law didn’t help take care of her grandson, and the grandson didn’t have a strong bond with her. He didn’t like his grandparents and even refused to talk to them. I thought it wouldn’t be good for the child to grow up with a sense of estrangement from his grandparents. So, when they came to visit, I sincerely told the grandmother, “Now that the child is getting older and understands things, you should come to see him more often, build a relationship with him. We can’t let him feel that his grandparents don’t love him, which would make him feel distant from you.”
With tears in her eyes, she patted my shoulder and said, “I will never forget you, you have been so good to me. I never brought you anything when I came, but every time I left, you would give me some gifts to take home. You always think of me. I don’t know how to thank you.”
These are just bits and pieces of my experiences in my 26 years of cultivation. There have been many instances of spiritual elevation, the excruciating pain of letting go of attachments, deep remorse for not diligently cultivating, and unwavering faith in Dafa when facing the cruel persecution, Master’s protection in times of danger, and much more. Master and Dafa have given me so much that I cannot express in words. The only way to show my gratitude is to continue to cultivate diligently and become a true practitioner. My deepest gratitude to our great and compassionate Master!
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Category: Improving Oneself
