(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa at the end of 1996, and I’m now 54 years old. I went from being an ordinary person full of karma to a cultivator who continually assimilates to the characteristics of the universe—Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I may never know Master’s painstaking efforts for me. From the bottom of my heart, I am grateful to Master and Falun Dafa.
Before I began cultivating, my relationship with my sister-in-law (my husband’s younger brother’s wife) was tense. There were no real conflicts, but there was a competitive mindset over minor benefits that Chinese people developed due to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) culture. My mother-in-law liked me, but did not like my sister-in-law. I had a daughter, and my sister-in-law had a son. My mother-in-law particularly doted on her grandson, but she also treated my daughter well. My husband complained that my mother-in-law favored the second son’s family (my husband was the oldest son). My husband’s parents complained that he was inconsiderate. The family was often unhappy.
After I began practicing Falun Dafa, I understood the principles of being a good person, and I no longer argued over household matters or about who was right or wrong. I no longer cared when my mother-in-law gave the second son’s family money. When she complained to me that my sister-in-law was inconsiderate, I stopped gossiping about her and others. When she praised her grandson in front of the whole family, I was happy for her. When my sister-in-law didn’t do much housework, I fulfilled my own duties, and I did not compare myself to her. In this way, the family gradually became harmonious.
One incident that happened when my child was about three remains fresh in my memory—my sister-in-law’s bathroom and ours were very small and unheated. My husband’s parents’ house was in better condition, so in winter we both went there on weekends to bathe. One Saturday morning around 9 a.m., I arrived at my mother-in-law’s house. When I went to the bathroom to turn on the water heater, I found it was already switched on. I asked my mother-in-law who was preparing to bathe. She said my sister-in-law called, asking her to heat the water and saying she would arrive soon. My mother-in-law said, “The water is heated. You and the child should go ahead and bathe.” I said, “No, let them use the bathtub first.”
My mother-in-law urged me, “They’re never early. You two hurry up and bathe, then turn the water heater back on.” I thought she was right—the second son’s family always arrived around 11 a.m. So I quickly took my daughter into the bathroom. I had just wet her hair and applied shampoo when I heard my sister-in-law come in and ask who was in the bathroom. My mother-in-law told her it was us. I quickly shampooed my daughter’s hair, rinsed it briefly, dressed her, and we came out of the bathroom. I smiled at my sister-in-law and said, “I didn’t expect you to come early today. The child only washed her hair, taking just three or four minutes. You can bathe now. There is still plenty of hot water.” My sister-in-law was angry. She ignored me and went into her own room. I remained unmoved and began helping my mother-in-law wash the vegetables.
Two days later, my sister-in-law called and said, “I need to apologize to you. Last Saturday morning, my husband and I had an argument at home. When we got to our in-laws’ house, I was still angry, so I didn’t want to talk to anyone. Please don’t be upset with me.” I said, “It’s fine. I should have called you first to ask when you would arrive before we used the bathtub. I was inconsiderate.” She said, “Please believe me—the reason I didn’t want to talk that morning was that we had an argument and I felt upset. It wasn’t directed at you or the child.” I said I believed her.
She excitedly said, “It’s so wonderful that you follow a cultivation practice [referring to Falun Dafa]. Xiaoqiang [her husband] said that only our sister-in-law has such a good character. Anyone else would have fought with me.”
I said, “As you know, I used to be quite selfish, and I insisted on doing things my way—I had no regard for others’ feelings. Our Master teaches us to be kind to others and to consider others first in everything we do. Practicing Dafa changed me. My sister-in-law agreed. From then on, she was very respectful toward me, and we got along well.
Later, the couple divorced due to deep-seated resentment. When the husband left the marriage, he had nothing, while my sister-in-law acquired two new apartments. My in-laws were so upset that their high blood pressure and heart disease flared up. When they saw me, they complained about my sister-in-law. My sister-in-law also called me to express her grievances. As a cultivator, I didn’t speak ill of anyone. Using the principles of being a good person that I understood from Dafa, I advised them not to become enemies just because the marriage failed, and to try to minimize their conflicts for the sake of their child.
Gradually, their conflicts occurred less often. They still got together with their son, enabling him to grow smoothly into adulthood. My in-laws, my younger brother-in-law, and his wife were very grateful to me.
I said they should thank Dafa, “It was Dafa that taught us to consider Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance when encountering difficulties and conflicts, to understand each other kindly, to not speculate maliciously about others, and not hold grudges.” They all nodded in agreement.
Because of the persecution, my husband and I were forced to divorce. He took the two new apartments in the city center—each with three bedrooms, two living rooms, and two bathrooms. I continued living in an old apartment built by my work unit in the 1980s that didn’t have an elevator. I lost about 700,000 to 800,000 yuan in property.
I had just returned from a labor camp. Buying the new apartments depleted the family’s savings, and I had to raise my child alone. Many people felt indignant on my behalf. My in-laws felt they had wronged me and said, “Our family encountering you is a blessing.”
I said, “If I didn’t practice Falun Dafa, I definitely would not have agreed to this property division. I have a respectable job with an income that is at least as high as your son’s. Moreover, I conduct myself honorably and have done nothing to wrong your family. Why should I suffer economic losses?
“Because I practice Falun Dafa, I understand how evil the CCP is. It uses lies and violence to incite hatred, making you disrespect Dafa and thus commit wrongdoing to achieve its goal of destroying people. Because I was sent to a labor camp, the family’s reputation and finances suffered losses, and you also endured much suffering and worry. You didn’t understand the true situation, and you blamed me. But please understand that all this suffering was caused by the CCP’s persecution of good people, and in the near future, wrongs will certainly be righted, because karmic retribution for good and evil deeds is a heavenly principle. Divorce is painful for both parties, but I still act according to Dafa’s standards. This is the real reason why I willingly accept this loss.” After I said this, the family was silent.
When my daughter returned from a family dinner at her grandmother’s house, she told me, “At the dinner table today, Grandma said the person she admires most is you. Dad said you’re a very kind person. The aunts and uncles all said you’re their role model.” After hearing this, I was filled with emotion and silently thanked Master, “Master, I will definitely make you proud. I know that when people praise me, they are praising Dafa.”
The entire family eventually withdrew from the CCP, the Youth League, and the Young Pioneers.
Category: Improving Oneself
