(Minghui.org) I have two small MP3 players that I use to play recordings of Master Li’s lectures, the Falun Dafa exercise music, articles on Minghui radio, and so on. They worked well for several years.
I take care of my mother-in-law every other day. When I was returning from her home in July, it rained heavily. One of the small MP3’s was in a cloth bag in my bike’s front basket. My raincoat was not large enough to cover the basket, and so when I got home, the bag was completely soaked. I took out the MP3 and wiped it with a tissue. When I turned it on, it didn’t work. The numbers on the display were flashing, and it made strange sounds.
I knew it was my fault. Why didn’t I put it in my backpack? This was really disrespectful to Master, and I deeply regretted my carelessness. I said to the MP3, “It’s my fault for not taking good care of you and letting you get wet. I’m so sorry.” I removed the battery and placed the MP3 on the windowsill to dry.
A few days later, I reinstalled the battery, but it still didn’t work. I let it dry for a few more days, and though the numbers stopped flickering and it worked for a little bit, it soon malfunctioned again. I let it dry out more.
During this period, I used the second MP3 to play the Dafa exercise music. One morning while doing the exercises, this MP3 suddenly made two cracking sounds and then shut off. Its screen went dark and it would not make a sound. Now both MP3s were broken.
I called my son, who works in another city, and asked him to buy an MP3 online for me. It arrived a few days later and I eagerly opened it. However, it was defective on arrival—its screen was blank, and even after I charged it, it didn’t work. I felt dejected. What was going on? Was there something I did wrong, or was there still hope for the two broken MP3s? I couldn’t figure it out.
I looked inward and realized that it was due to my xinxing issues. Over the years, I often had conflicts with my sisters-in-law when I went to my mother-in-law’s home. I always felt they were picking fights with me, making baseless accusations, and bullying me. One day, the older sister-in-law said, “A pack of pork rinds is missing from the fridge. I don’t know who ate it.”
I told her it wasn’t me. She replied sarcastically, “Right! Then let’s say a rat ate it!” She implied that I was the culprit. But I didn’t touch it. Even though I didn’t say anything at the time, I was furious inside. After she left, I cursed her in the kitchen, totally failing to maintain my xinxing. After I returned home the next day I vented my anger to my husband on the phone.
When I recalled my behavior and compared myself to Master’s teachings, I felt deeply ashamed. Although I didn’t argue and seemed to endure her criticism, I didn’t truly endure it in my heart, and I even cursed her behind her back. This was not something a cultivator should do and my cultivation state was far from adequate.
Through studying Master’s teachings and looking inward, I found many attachments: competitive mentality, unwillingness to be criticized, feelings of grievance, resentment, and arrogance. I realized that these tribulations caused by my sisters-in-laws were opportunities arranged by Master to help me improve. Instead of resenting them, I should have been grateful to them. How could I hold grudges against them? From that moment on, I was determined to treat them with the great kindness and forbearance of a cultivator, free of resentment.
As for my two MP3s, I recalled practitioners’ articles about the spiritual nature of all things and how objects could be restored by clarifying the truth to them and reciting “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.”
So, I spoke to the speakers, “Please listen to me. First, I sincerely apologize. It was my fault for not taking good care of you. This was disrespectful to Master and the Fa. You came into my life because of our predestined relationship with Dafa. Please remember, ‘Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.’ You will receive blessings and you must resume working. Do not let your journey end here. Let us assimilate to Dafa, fulfill our mission, and return home with Master. Please recover quickly!”
The next morning, I turned on one of the MP3s, and it lit up and played normally! I then tried the other one, and it also worked perfectly. I was overjoyed, and thanked Master from the bottom of my heart.
Views expressed in this article represent the author's own opinions or understandings. All content published on this website are copyrighted by Minghui.org. Minghui will produce compilations of its online content regularly and on special occasions.
Category: Improving Oneself
