(Minghui.org) I’m 73 years old, and I began practicing Falun Dafa at the end of 1995. I’m an introverted person; when faced with conflicts, I would rather suffer instead of getting angry and arguing—I always avoided confrontation.
My mother-in-law had two sons and five daughters. My father-in-law had already passed away when I married her son. When my mother-in-law turned 66, my husband and I celebrated with a banquet. Afterwards, she moved in with us. This was the beginning of our family conflicts.
Because my husband was a sailor, our family was relatively better off. I was a thrifty and diligent housewife and was very careful with our money. But whenever I managed to save some rice and flour, my mother-in-law would take it, as well as the money I saved, and she gave it to her daughters. When I again saved some rice and flour, my husband’s sisters would come, and my mother-in-law would take matters into her own hands and say: “This bag of rice is for your eldest sister, this bag of flour is for your second sister!”
I was angry and thought: “You live in my home and eat my food, yet you don’t contribute anything. You’re like a rat, constantly taking things away!” And when those daughters of hers came, they looted the place—they took everything I saved. They even joked, “Mom, you’re the one in charge, but is your daughter-in-law happy about this?” I was angry, but I didn’t say anything.
My mother-in-law was obviously biased and only cared about her daughters. If my husband was more understanding, I could have confided in him about my grievances. But he has a quick temper and, whenever I tried to talk to him, he just took out his frustrations on me. I could only swallow my anger. My older sister-in-law, in order to get a larger share of the property, transferred my mother-in-law’s household registration to her home at some point, and she kept all the subsidies the government gave her. I was constantly entangled in these trivial family matters.
When I was busy at work, my feelings of frustration were manageable, but when I lay in bed at night, those problems played out in my mind like a movie, scene after scene. I tossed and turned, unable to sleep. There’s a saying, “Can’t sleep at night, can’t wake up during the day.” I was groggy and exhausted, both physically and mentally.
I sought medical help because I could not sleep and tried all sorts of traditional Chinese medicine, Western medicine, and folk remedies. I spent a lot of money and took a lot of medicine, but I still couldn’t sleep. I felt like I was stuck in a quagmire, unable to escape. I was miserable and exhausted.
In this desperate situation, with nowhere to turn for help, my life took a turn for the better. A co-worker told me about Dafa, and I began practicing at the end of 1995. I eagerly read the Fa (teachings) which helped me understand the meaning of life. Why was I constantly busy like a spinning top, yet no one cared for me or showed me any affection? It was all due to the karmic debts I accumulated throughout my past lives.
Through studying the Fa, my heart opened up, and I understood that people are on Earth to return to their true selves. In the Fa Master Li taught us the principle of how one righteous action ends up yielding multiple benefits: If I looked at how my mother-in-law and her family treated me from an ordinary person’s perspective, they were bullying and mistreating me.
But from the perspective of the righteous Fa principles, weren’t they actually helping me to improve and achieve spiritual growth? Why did I resent them? I should be grateful! My heart became bright and clear from then on, and I was no longer troubled by the gains and losses of worldly interests. Thank you, Master, for your enlightenment.
As my mind and body were continuously purified and elevated, my insomnia disappeared. I felt incredibly joyful—I was bathed in Buddha’s grace and had boundless energy at work. Master’s words melted the ice in my heart, and I no longer resented my mother-in-law and her family.
My mother-in-law lived with us until she peacefully passed away at the age of 103. When she was bedridden, I patiently and meticulously cared for her without any grudges about how she treated me in the past. It could be said that she also benefited from Dafa, because she enjoyed a peaceful, happy old age.
Here I’d like to share another miraculous event. When I first began practicing Dafa, I went to the cultural center to watch Master’s video lectures. That day, I was steaming buns at home, and there were only five minutes left before I needed to turn off the heat. Since it was time to watch the videos, I told my daughter to turn off the stove for me. But she was doing her homework and forgot about it. After a while, she heard someone calling her name. She looked around, but there was no one there. She then remembered to turn off the stove. When she opened the pot, she saw that the water had just boiled away. Isn’t that miraculous? If it hadn’t been for Master’s protection, I wouldn’t have dared to think about the consequences; it’s truly frightening to think about.
Master, I cannot express my gratitude for your constant protection in any language. I can only repay your kindness by diligently cultivating myself and doing the three things well. My only wish is to follow you closely and return to my heavenly home.
Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!
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Category: Cultivation Insights
