(Minghui.org) I am a 65-year-old Falun Dafa practitioner who started cultivating in 1998. Before my retirement, I was a government official.
On my path of cultivation, I went from not knowing how to look inward to always measuring my xinxing according to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. My family also changed from not understanding me to unconditionally supporting Dafa today.
Letting Go of Sentiment and Gaining Benevolence
After finishing his Ph.D., our son found a job and started his own family in another city, leaving my husband and me on our own to care for each other.
In October 2009, I accidentally found a woman's sanitary pad in our garbage can. When my husband came home, I told him about it and asked, “Who came to our home and left it?” My husband said I had made it up and that nobody came.
I said I was not accusing him and just wanted to know who had left it, because I had been menopausal for years.
Instead of telling me what happened, he lost his temper. His attitude hurt my self-respect and made me feel that our marriage was threatened. I even considered divorcing him.
I studied the Fa more diligently. Master said,
“If you want to practice cultivation, human sentimentality must be relinquished.”
“Therefore, as to the many attachments that come from sentimentality, we should take them lightly and eventually abandon them.” (Zhuan Falun)
Master's teaching woke me up, and I started looking inward.
After I started practicing Falun Dafa, my temper improved a lot, but I had a real problem being tolerant. Although I did more housework, my caring for my husband was not enough. It was not easy for him as my spouse. He understood there was nothing wrong with being a good person, but he always worried that I might be persecuted. Whenever I returned home late, he often met me at the community entrance or bus stop.
I am fortunate to be a cultivator under Master's guidance; I must follow Master's teaching unconditionally. Master told us,
“He’s right,And I’m wrong,”(“Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong” in Hong Yin III)
No matter what I was facing, I knew I had to do better. Once I gave up the attachment to sentiment, my anger went away and peace returned to our home.
Several months later, I discovered that the incident of a woman being at our home was a total misunderstanding. I felt bad for accusing my husband. I realized Master used this to help me let go of my emotion to improve my xinxing.
Leaving ‘Self’ Behind and Increasing Tolerance
I had a strong personality before I started practicing Falun Dafa. My husband always said our family was happy only when I was happy. I was the youngest in my family, the head of the class in school, and a leader at work.
There is nothing small in cultivation. We must eliminate any thoughts that are not compatible with Dafa by looking within. This is the only way to improve!
We moved into a new, larger apartment. The tankless hot water heater is far from the bathroom, so it takes a long time for warm water to reach the bathtub. I suggested that we keep a thermos bottle filled with hot water in the bathroom to mix with the cold. It seemed convenient and would prevent wasting water.
My husband disagreed, saying it was too much trouble and that he would rather wait for the water to get warm. However, when I left the thermos bottle in the bathroom, he started using it.
When I saw him using the hot water, I thought, “See, I was right, my way is better.” Immediately I realized that this was my human attachment. Master said,
“Most people, however, can remove and resist it with very strong thoughts from themselves (a strong Main Consciousness). With this, it indicates that this person can be saved and can distinguish good from bad. In other words, the person has good enlightenment quality. My fashen will help eliminate the most of such thought karma.” (Lecture Six in Zhuan Falun)
Master's teaching increased my tolerance. I stopped arguing and was calmer when different opinions were presented. I learned to think from other people's perspectives and became more pure and selfless. I experienced the beauty and greatness of assimilating into Dafa!
My Husband Witnesses the Miraculous Nature of Dafa
I suffered from many ailments before I began to practice Falun Dafa: I was often dizzy due to fluctuating blood pressure. My deformed legs made it difficult for me to walk. I always felt cold, even in summer. And the worst—breast hyperplasia. I took medication for that for a long time, but it was never cured. But after practicing Dafa, many of these symptoms disappeared.
However, after the persecution started, I did not cultivate as diligently. In November 2001, my breast hyperplasia got very severe. I did not study the Fa well and decided to go to the hospital. Test results showed a tumor in my left breast, and the doctor recommended surgery within a month.
Other practitioners learned of this and shared their experiences with me. I studied the Fa and did the exercises more diligently. My employer scheduled our annual check up a month later, and all my ailments had again disappeared.
It has been 15 years, and I have not taken any medication since then. I am healthy and full of energy, and we’ve saved a lot in medical expenses.
One winter afternoon in 2012, it was getting dark after our group Fa study. The road was slippery with rain, and I crashed into a tree as I ran to catch the bus. I could not move and cried, “Master, please help me. Falun Dafa is good...” in my mind before I lost consciousness.
After a while, I heard a noise. Someone said, “Don't move her, wait for the ambulance.” I opened my eyes and saw people surrounding me. I told myself I should not damage the image of Dafa and stood up.
I told everyone, “Saying 'Falun Dafa is good; Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good' saved my life.” And I started to help people withdraw from the communist party. Everyone there was in awe and witnessed the power of Dafa.
When I returned home, my husband saw the injuries to my face and asked what had happened. I did not tell him the details, but the next day my face was swollen and started scabbing. By the third day, my face was fine. An accident like that for a 60-year-old woman would more than likely have ended with broken bones and a stay in the hospital. But I only had minor injuries and recovered so quickly!
Another time, a tall metal clothing rack fell on my right arm. My arm was swollen as big as a fist. My husband said it would take a couple of weeks to heal. However, the swelling disappeared in no time. He has witnessed Dafa’s miracles many times.
My husband is an honest person. He hoped I could be healthy by cultivating, but he did not want me to get hurt. Knowing how cruel the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is, he did not support my cultivating after the persecution started.
Then, over the years, he witnessed many miracles and saw how Falun Dafa turned me and other practitioners into better people. He deeply respects Master and Dafa. Now he fully supports me. He also often reminds me to study the Fa and do the exercises.
One day I saw a poster slandering Dafa on our community bulletin board. I planned to remove it but noticed there was a monitoring camera facing the poster. I then sent forth righteous thoughts while looking for opportunities to take the poster down. When my husband came home that day and said he tore up the poster, I was happy for his righteous actions. I am thankful for Master's protection!
In July 2015, I mailed my lawsuit against Jiang Zemin to the local court and received a receipt. In mid-November, a local police station called and harassed me. I told my husband about it, and the next time the police called, he answered and told them it was a citizen's right to file a lawsuit and illegal for the police to interfere with court procedures. They never called again.
My husband is a quiet person who does not like crowds or noise. But when other practitioners come to visit me, he is always welcoming. The other practitioners trust and respect him, too. He withdrew from the CCP and its organizations 10 years ago. I hope he too can begin cultivation one day and not miss this precious opportunity.
Please point out any mistakes.
Category: Improving Oneself