(Minghui.org) I was born in a rural area and I am 60 years old. Before I started to practice Falun Dafa, I strived for dominance and fought for fame and gain. I had the final say on everything in or out of the house. Practicing Falun Dafa reshaped my values and outlook on life. I became someone who can put aside self-interest and consider others first. Below, I will share my cultivation experiences with Master and fellow practitioners.
Being Indifferent to Fame and Gain
I took my two little granddaughters to cook for my father-in-law when he was still alive. During one chat, he said that he had set aside money for his funeral expenses, and 20 months of salary was to be divided into three parts: one for me, one for my brother-in-law, and one for my sister-in-law. He passed away soon after that. After the burial, neither my sister-in-law nor brother-in-law mentioned giving me my portion of the money.
I felt a little uneasy, thinking that both in-laws had two people working in their families and lived in the city, and that I am the one who struggles financially the most. My husband had died, and my son didn’t have a good job and had two children to raise. Receiving 10,000 or 20,000 yuan would certainly help.
If I didn’t cultivate Dafa, I would have argued with them and not given up a penny. But I am a practitioner and must hold myself to Dafa’s standards of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. I cannot use human principles to judge things, and I cannot fight with them over such small gains.
I thought: “They probably don’t know that my father-in-law told me about dividing the money among us. If I mentioned it to them, it might cause a conflict, leading to family discord.” Through studying the Fa, I understood the principles of loss and gain, became indifferent to fame and fortune, and viewed everything in the world lightly. I calmly let go of my desire for that money.
Now I get along well with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law. They all respect me. They invite me over for dinner and to chat every once in a while. I also take these opportunities to tell them more about Falun Dafa.
The Mother-in-law Was Moved by My Daughter’s Simple Wedding
It is customary in rural China that a girl asks the man for a bride price when getting married. Regardless of how difficult it is, the man’s family has to scrape together hundreds of thousands of yuan in order to bring the girl home.
When my daughter was about to marry, the future mother-in-law asked her how much of a bride price she required. I said to my daughter, “Mom is a Falun Dafa practitioner. Master taught us to think of others. Therefore, we can’t follow what others do. Rural people live a hard life. Where will they get so much money? Some parents borrow a large sum of money for their children to get married, but they don’t think about how they will pay it back afterwards, which has forced some parents into financial despair. This is a manifestation of moral corruption. We can’t follow what others do.” My daughter was very sensible, so she arranged to have a simple wedding.
Her mother-in-law was deeply moved and boasted to everyone that she had gotten a good daughter-in-law and a sensible fellow mother-in-law. Whenever I went to their home, I clarified the truth to them, and told them that I was able to take the bride price lightly because of Falun Dafa. I asked them to sincerely recite, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” They agreed, and quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its youth organizations.
Of course, minor frictions are inevitable. My daughter occasionally called me to complain about her in-laws. I used Dafa’s principles to guide her, telling her to be kind and to see other people’s strengths instead of focusing on their shortcomings. I told her that she needed to consider things from their perspective. She always says, “After talking to you, I feel more relieved every time.” I told her that it was the power of Falun Dafa and Master’s blessings.
Now my daughter’s family lives prosperously. My son-in-law earns over 10,000 yuan a month. My daughter works, and her parents-in-law also work. I have a lovely grandson. The whole family is harmonious and joyful.
Demonstrating the Beauty of Dafa as a Housekeeper
After my husband passed away, I lived alone and wanted to find a job as a housekeeper. One day, a car stopped next to me and the man asked, “Auntie, where is the flour mill in your village?” I pointed to it. Then he asked, “Can you find me a housekeeper?” I asked him if he thought I could do it. He answered, “Yes.” I thought to myself: “Others can’t find jobs, and a job comes to me. Perhaps Master has arranged this for me to cultivate and help clarify the truth to others.” I went to his home to discuss the details. He asked me to cook for three people and clean the house, and said I could have a three-hour lunch break. It suited me, so I agreed.
After arriving at his home, I spent the entire morning cleaning the messy kitchen, washing the utensils until spotless, and neatly arranging the bottles and jars. The woman of the house was very pleased. I spent another two days cleaning every corner of the yard, which was not within my duties. Although it was hard work, seeing everything so tidy made the owner happy, and I also felt good.
But after a while, the woman of the house started giving me more work: sewing quilts, washing clothes, brushing shoes, and cleaning the children’s dirty pants. Later, more people came to eat, sometimes more than a dozen. She asked me to make lots of buns, meat patties, and pancakes for her son and friends to take away.
It was June, when the weather was hot and muggy. There was no electric fan. I was sweating profusely, and I couldn’t help but feel a little resentful. But then I thought, “I’m a cultivator. Suffering can eliminate and transform karma, and even generate gong [cultivation energy]. Isn’t that a great thing?” Thinking this way, I felt clear-headed and stopped complaining.
One day, the man of the house bought floor tiles to pave a path in his garden. He and his nephew couldn’t get it right, constantly laying and tearing the tiles up again. The host angrily said, “This job is too difficult. Let’s find a tiler tomorrow.”
I thought, “I can do it, but it’s too tiring. My back and legs will ache afterwards.” But hiring a bricklayer would cost 700 to 800 yuan. So I said to the man, “Go find a rubber hammer and some string. I’ll do the work for you.” He was delighted and told me that he would give me an extra 200 yuan a day. It took me over three days to finish the work. The lines were straight and neat. The home owners were delighted with my work.
I seized the opportunity to clarify the truth to them. They were impressed and said, “Someone told us this before, but we didn’t believe it. After meeting you, we completely believe it. You’re such a good person.”
I responded, “It is because I cultivate Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and my Master taught me to be a good person and do my job conscientiously. You should thank Master and Falun Dafa.”
The woman shouted, “Falun Dafa is good!”
When it came time to plant vegetables, I volunteered to help them plant the vegetables, as well as water and fertilize them, and build trellises. My employers’ friends and family came to pick the bounty at harvest time. The man of the house said, “This is all thanks to our Falun Dafa sister!” and expressed his gratitude to me.
I helped them with many other tasks, but never asked for a penny more in payment.
The man of the house said to me one morning, “I sat in the yard in the moonlight last night. Looking at the small pond you built for us, which was so nicely done, I felt an indescribable admiration and respect for you. I looked up at the stars and sighed deeply: ‘Dear God! Sister is such a kind person, demanding perfection in everything she does. Why don’t you give her a perfect home?’”
His eyes and words revealed his sympathy and respect for me. I said to him, “Thank you. Actually, my body and soul are bathed in Falun Dafa every day. I feel extremely happy and joyful!”
Hearing this, he said loudly, from his heart, “Falun Dafa is so good!”
Enduring Fatigue, Dirty Jobs, and Treating the Elderly Kindly
Later, I moved to work for a wealthy family. The grandfather was a police station chief. His three sons all worked at the Transportation Bureau. At that time, the grandmother who lived there had just been discharged from the hospital. My job was to cook and clean the house, while the three sons took turns to come and care for their mother.
Just three days after I started, the pandemic hit, and the city was locked down. None of the sons could come home, so I had to take care of the grandmother alone. Every day I washed her hair and feet, cleaned her face and body, wiped her mouth (which was often filled with mucus), helped her sit up, and fed her a liquid diet.
She choked and vomited, coughed, and gasped when she drank water. I had to carry her to a chair for urination and defecation, leaving me sweating profusely, but I never complained. Deeply moved, the grandmother said to me, “I need to take pictures to show my sons how you look after me.”
I replied, “I practice Falun Dafa. My Master teaches us to be good wherever we are and to consider others. As long as you’re happy, that’s all that matters.” She told me that she was drawn to me the moment I showed up at her home. I replied, “This is our predestined affinity.”
I took this opportunity to tell her to sincerely recite, “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” She truly believed it and asked her sister to do the same. I also played Master’s audio lectures for her.
Gradually, she stopped choking when she drank water, and stopped coughing. She asked to use diapers. I had the problem of feeling nauseous and wanting to vomit at the sight of feces. But facing this situation, I decided that I had to follow Dafa’s requirements, and realized that I couldn’t be bothered by that.
So, I treated the grandmother like my own parent, changing her diapers three or four times a day. Whenever she had a bowel movement, I’d put on gloves, clean her bottom with warm water, dry her, and apply powder to make her comfortable. Seeing how attentively I cared for his wife, the grandfather was so touched he always praised me.
During the process, I discovered that I no longer felt nauseous or wanted to vomit at the sight of feces. Master helped me remove the aversion to those things and to those smells! I was filled with immense gratitude.
The lockdown was finally lifted, and the grandmother’s son and daughter-in-law were able to come home. Seeing how I had cleaned the home so well, and taken such good care of their mother, they were deeply moved. To express their gratitude, they bought me new clothes. I took the opportunity to tell them about Falun Dafa. The oldest son said, “After meeting you, I realized that Falun Dafa is really not what they [the Chinese Communist regime] say in the media and on TV!”
The grandmother later passed away peacefully in her sleep. After her passing, her husband and sons repeatedly called to ask me for help. At first, I felt it was inappropriate and refused. But after repeated requests of the entire family, I stayed to take care of the grandfather.
The grandfather went out to ride his tricycle every day. I used my free time in the morning to clarify the truth. In the afternoon, I studied the Fa at another practitioner’s home, and sometimes distributed materials in the evening. When the grandfather came home at noon, if I was sending righteous thoughts, he turned down the volume on the TV and waited for me to finish. During the Chinese New Year and other holidays, when friends and family came to visit, I clarified the truth to them and helped them quit the CCP. The grandfather often encouraged them to take the truth-clarification materials. I once heard him say, “Take a look. It will only do you good.”
Now, at 84, the grandfather still has a rosy complexion and is full of energy. He goes out every day and is in better health than his peers.
I was once reported by someone for clarifying the truth. The grandfather’s second son protected me. That kind act brought him blessings. His wife finally got pregnant and gave birth to a lovely boy after having tried for two years. Truly, a single thought supporting Dafa brings heavenly blessings.
Conclusion
In my years as a housekeeper and caregiver, I always held myself to Dafa’s standards of Truthfulness, Compassion and Forbearance. Doing so helped people see the beauty of Dafa through me. I know that my every word and action validates the Fa and dispels the CCP’s lies, so I must hold myself to high standards. I am able to do this because Dafa has reshaped my outlook on life, transforming me from a selfish, self-centered person into one of high moral integrity who considers others in all situations. This is the mighty virtue of Dafa!
Thank you, Master, for saving me.
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