(Minghui.org) I lived a bitter life before I practiced Falun Dafa. My first husband often severely beat me. I took very good care of him and was always concerned about his welfare. I assumed all household responsibilities and looked after our two sons while holding down a job. There was never a time when I could go to bed before midnight.
I often lamented I had bad luck and the gods were unfair. I couldn’t understand why I would be bullied. I felt stifled and depressed. I developed multiple illnesses. No Western medicine, Chinese herb, or qigong practice could offer me a cure. I was thrown into a sea of misery. When would all this end? In desperation, I divorced my husband.
Eventually, I remarried. My second husband was likewise ill tempered, with a foul mouth, and he would beat me when he felt I offended him.
One time I asked him a question regarding the beneficiary to our house.
He stared at me and responded, “I’m leaving the house to my son!”
When I said a few words in dispute, I was beaten so badly my earrings were ripped off my ears.
His ex-wife, whom I didn’t even know at the time, called to give me a good scolding because she was worried the house would be left to me.
All my in-laws were very provocative, nit-picking, and fault-finding. I could do nothing but swallow my bellyful of bitterness. The indescribable mental pain and anguish I had to bear alone were manifested in my physical body already burdened with many illnesses.
It was when I was in this state of extreme exhaustion physically, mentally, and spiritually that I obtained Dafa. In two months, my physical ailments disappeared and my spirits returned. My views about the world changed. Falun Dafa filled me with hope.
I vaguely understood this Falun Dafa was not merely a qigong for healthy bodies. There’s definitely a hidden agenda within. And so, I did my exercises and studied the Fa diligently every day, walking the path of returning to my original self, and building a strong foundation for my future work in assisting Master to rectify the Fa and save sentient beings.
Tribulations from My Husband and Daughter-in-Law
Several years ago, on the morning before my daughter-in-law was to give birth to my grandchild, I brought home some breakfast. My daughter-in-law threw the food on the floor in a fit of anger.
She screamed, “Is there any nourishment in the food you brought? I’m about to give your family a grandchild. Don’t you know a pregnant woman needs nourishment?”
My daughter-in-law often spoke to me with great disrespect. When my son tried to reason with her, she would begin her tirade, targeting me. Her parents would join in to berate me.
One time, my daughter-in-law brought her parents to drop in at my office. She had her sister and brother-in-law with her who were visiting. They were all there to back her up while she sobbed and yelled and demanded financial support for my unborn grandchild.
I have never mentioned this to my husband. I was afraid his bad temper would make the situation worse. So, I bore everything alone and in silence. I reminded myself I’m a practitioner. I never spoke up, but buried my great resentment deep in my heart.
When my grandchild was one year old, my son’s father-in-law was in the hospital having surgery. My husband forbade me to go to the hospital. When I tried to insist with an explanation, my husband gave me a beating.
I believe practitioners should not divorce, so I thought I would just move out, look for a place to live, support myself with my own income, and be free to do anything and go anywhere I desired.
With eyes red and swollen with crying, I started looking for a place to stay. I ran into an older practitioner who reasoned with me according to the Fa principles and recommended that I go home, study the Fa, and look inward.
I began to calm down. I was grateful to the older practitioner. I knew what I needed to do as a genuine Falun Dafa cultivator.
So, with my mind made up, I knocked on the door to my house, and said to my husband, “Please don’t be angry. It’s all my fault.”
My husband was shocked. All of a sudden, he flopped to the floor on his knees, grabbed my hands, and said, “I was wrong. You’re too good. From now on, I’ll never lay a finger on you again.”
And he has kept his promise to this day.
From studying the Fa, I came to realize that all that I was going through in this life, all injustices, all pain and suffering, had the appearance that I was the victim of bullies but were actually the result of what I needed to pay back for the bad things I had done in my past lives.
Dafa gave me wisdom. From the section on “Transformation of Karma” in Zhuan Falun, I understood the Fa principle on gaining in four ways when people create conflicts for us so that we really should be thankful to them.
Using Righteous Thoughts and Actions to Awaken Family
When I understood the Fa principles, I felt light and at ease. I made up my mind to put the principles into action.
I decided I would start small. I would look inward for every little thing. I would dig up all my hidden attachments and get rid of them.
I had a strong dislike toward my stepson and one day I bad-mouthed him. The following day, my jaw was swollen. I couldn’t eat, I couldn’t speak, and I was in a lot of pain.
I realized that it came from my failure to cultivate my speech. I resented my stepson. I never treated him with affection. I always looked for his faults. I shared that realization with my husband. I then sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate my bad behavior and negative feelings.
That afternoon, my swelling subsided.
One time, I saw a handsome man. I glanced at him repeatedly, with longing. I was aware that it was not the proper behavior of a practitioner. I realized my behavior stemmed from my always regarding my husband with low esteem.
I spent two days sending forth righteous thoughts, determined to right my wayward desire. I then apologized to my husband.
One time, my stepson borrowed a large sum of money from me but was reluctant to pay me back. My husband was not happy.
I said to him, “Our child has financial difficulty. We should help him out freely without thought of repayment, and feel happy when his trouble is resolved. It could be that it’s a debt we owed him.”
It took me a long time before I was able to rid myself of my attachment to self-interest.
I treat everyone the same way. People around me began to see my changes under the guidance of Dafa. They learned to appreciate that Falun Dafa is good, and that Dafa practitioners are good.
My Family’s Attitude Made a 180-Degree Turn
My daughter-in-law’s car once ran into another car. The other driver angrily demanded, “Do you know how to drive a car?”
My daughter-in-law retorted, “Do you know how to speak the human language?”
At once, she realized she made a mistake.
She said to her two-year old son, “According to your grandma’s standards, I did wrong.”
My number two son bought some batteries and discovered he was given excess change. He couldn’t remember which was the merchant who sold him the batteries, so he donated the money for a good cause.
Sometimes, my children would buy me things but when I want to pay them, they would tell me to use the money toward making truth-clarification materials to awaken people.
My oldest grandson also takes out his pocket money voluntarily for Dafa use. He persuaded his maternal grandparents to renounce the CCP and all its affiliated organizations. He taught his classmates to say, “Falun Dafa is good! Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good!”
My non-practitioner family members also volunteer to offer incense to Master when they come for visits.
My entire family made a 180-degree change toward Dafa, and in turn, Dafa has dissolved our interpersonal conflicts.
My husband constantly tells people, “My wife is the kindest person on earth.”
He takes over our household chores to give me ample time to work on Dafa projects. He never objects to my doing the three things but supports me the best way he can.
When I make mistakes, my children will say, “Isn’t this for you to raise your xinxing (mind/heart nature)?”
I continue to make strict requirements for myself. Dafa changed me and changed my family. My family is blessed with peace and tranquility.
My number one son’s wife owns a store. She plays Dafa music in her store and shares truth-clarification materials with her employees. Sometimes she even helps me with Dafa projects. Master bestows on her and her family many blessings.
Even my ex-husband renounced the CCP and its affiliates. Master also bestows on him blessings.
Overcoming Conflicts During the New Year
Our family members got together to celebrate the past New Year. We were having a good time until the toilet became clogged and couldn’t be unclogged. My husband blamed it on my mother and said a few uncomplimentary words.
My children were upset and started a row with my husband. The verbal argument progressed to a physical fight. My heart failed to be unmoved, so I joined in and scolded my husband.
Our New Year celebration ended in disaster.
The next morning, my sons called to say their families had a heart-to-heart talk after looking inward, “We were wrong. We should have remembered our stepdad’s good points. All these years, he’s supported you despite pressure. He’s taken over your household chores and helped you in your work in helping people understand Dafa. He’s always treated us as his own children. We were too quick tempered.”
I also looked inward and uncovered my many attachments.
We all communicated and apologized to each other, and harmony was resumed.
After that, my husband went to try to work on the toilet again, and it became easily unclogged.
On the 15th day after the New Year, my children and their families visited us to offer a formal apology to my husband in person, and all were forgiven. We are one big happy family once again.
I thank Master from the bottom of my heart. Our family has learned to cherish every moment arranged by Master so we can elevate our xinxing.
I will strive to be more diligent in my cultivation practice, to use righteous thoughts to handle every situation, to truly let go of my self so that I can always maintain a compassionate state of mind.
Thank you all. Please point out anything inappropriate.
