(Clearwisdom.net) One day during Fa study, I was deeply touched by a paragraph of Master's Fa. Master said,
"If two yangs meet they fight; it doesn't work if two yins meet, either. Yin and yang just supplement and complement each other, and are interdependent in their coexistence like this."
"According to the theory of yin and yang, females should be gentle and not strong. Males are yang and strong, while females are yin and gentle. When strength and gentleness are put together, it's sure to be really harmonious." ("Teaching the Fa at a New York Meeting," March 22, 1997)
Master has lectured on this aspect many times, but I had not paid much attention to this Fa. So it seemed that I had come to understand, for the first time, how to be a human and how to be a woman. Without even meeting this basic requirement, how could I return to my true self? I then saw the shortcomings of my personality, including my wanting to be a "strong woman," which was reflected in my having an excess of yang (strength) and lack of gentleness, that is, imbalance between yin and yang. It was exactly this imbalance that had resulted in my illnesses and family disharmony. This was in parallel with the abnormal cosmic phenomenon of the inversion of yin and yang. I read this paragraph of the Fa to my husband, and he was surprised and said, "How come your Master still talks about these things!" I responded affirmatively, telling him that Master has taught us the Fa from the low to the high regarding how to be humans, how to be men or women, how to be good persons, as well as how to be ones who are cultivating ourselves to go back to our true selves, and that the Fa has created the living environments and living styles for the lives of different realms. I mentioned to my husband that regarding the conflict we had had earlier that day, it was because I had a competitive mentality, and I did not behave like a woman. He immediately answered that it was his fault.
After that day, I have followed the Fa principles to rectify my mind and behavior. When my husband comes home late, I bring him a cup of warm water. When I talk, I do not interrupt others, neither do I talk loudly. I even do not talk when I eat. I try to not do those things that show myself off. Except for the things that are related to Dafa, I let my husband make decisions on all family matters. It has been ten years now and we have lived a harmonious life. My husband said that I have changed. I also see positive changes in him. Our family members and friends all feel happy for us.
There was one incident that is worthy of mention, which was a challenging issue that we had not resolved over the nearly thirty years of our marriage. My husband's feet smelled bad, but he did not have the habit of washing his feet before going to bed. When we moved to a new apartment, his feet made the whole room smell bad; furthermore, he left footprints clearly on the floor. I managed to hold my anger, as I thought that this was the time to make a complete change, and I knew that the one who should change first was not him, but me. So before he went to sleep, I brought a basin of warm water for him to wash his feet. He was surprised the first time. The next day, he expressed his appreciation. On the third day, he said that I did not need to prepare water for him, as he would do it by himself. Ever since then, he has developed the habit of washing his feet. It is really so, that gentleness has brought harmony between gentleness and strength.
June 8, 2009
