(Minghui.org) Since Falun Dafa (also known as Falun Gong) was first introduced to Russia in 1998, thousands of Russians from all walks of life have benefited from the ancient Chinese cultivation practice. We present here the stories of three young practitioners.
Young Husband and Wife: Falun Gong brings us harmonious marriage. (written by Lyudmila)
My husband Andrei and I both practice Falun Gong. Our neighbors often praise us as being a great couple. But in fact, we often had intensive conflicts, especially right after we got married. Yet in every conflict, we tried to see our own shortcomings. When we have the wish of improving ourselves and doing better, the wisdom of Falun Gong always brings us harmony.
Lyudmila (long hair in yellow T-shirt) at a Falun Gong event.
Families are special, and where the deeply hidden rocks in one's heart are exposed. In the psychology courses I took in college, I learned that family conflicts are different at different stages of marriage, and many family conflicts are related to the social crisis. However, the psychology courses never address how to solve the family conflicts.
The teachings of Falun Gong give me a standard to measure my behaviors, using the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. From Falun Gong, I learned that I should first change myself when a conflict arises. This is the also the most important traditional value that our family life should rely on.
I lived with my parents before I got married. When I had conflicts with them, I always secluded myself. When I closed my door, I closed myself. Back then, I had sufficient reasons to believe that my behaviors were correct.
After I started practicing Falun Gong, I started looking for my own faults—what I did wrong. I keep looking until I find the deeply hidden selfishness which makes me deviate from righteousness.
Another example of how looking inward helps was when I had toothache and I looked inside for my own problems. I found that I wasn't paying enough attention to my speech. I often expressed anger and complained about others. I also often liked to give empty speeches and criticize others.
Our Master, the founder of Falun Gong, always teaches us to speak with compassion. Once I found this shortcoming in myself, I started to pay attention to what I said and how I said it. I always thought I was a nice person, but I now measure myself against the teachings of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and realize that there are many areas where I need to improve, including the way I think and the thoughts that lead to anger.
My husband Andrei said he has also changed a lot in the last four years of married life.
He said, “At the beginning, I often had quarrels with my wife over things that were very trivial. I even thought about divorce. Sometimes I was jealous of my wife, and thought that one day she would leave me. The anger and jealousy ate me up, which made me tell her one day, ‘If you are going to leave me, then leave me now.’”
“More than once I kicked her out of the house because of anger. Luckily, cultivating Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance opened my eyes, and calmed down my angry heart. I now always try to stay calm when dealing with conflicts. Following the teachings of Falun Dafa, our family life has become increasingly stable and peaceful.”
We now have a son. He does exercises with us, and am teaching him Chinese using Zhuan Falun(the main book of Falun Gong) as the textbook. I hope he will also live by the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and take them as guidance for his life.
Yulia Makes Me Want to Improve Myself(written by Irene)
I would never describe a friend or family member this way, until I met Yulia when I was 18. Yulia is the most compassionate person in the world.
Yulia (right) and Irene (left), both are students at Pavlov College in Voroneshi, Russia
I met Yulia at Pavlov College when we were sophomores. I don't quite remember how we became friends, but I do remember the first impression she gave me—she was such a sincere and compassionate girl. She likes to help others.
She once told me that she practices Falun Gong, and told me what Falun Gong is. At the beginning, I didn't pay much attention. “Everybody has their own interests and hobbies,” I said to myself.
But as we became closer, I started to realize that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, the main teaching of Falun Gong, was not just an empty slogan to her. All of her outstanding character, which makes me respect her, come from her practice of Falun Dafa. Hanging out with such a sunny and nice person makes me want to improve myself.
Before I met Yulia, I didn't see my own shortcomings. I didn't care much about my family members, and I didn't cherish them. Now, recalling my attitudes towards them back then, I feel ashamed of myself. I used to yell at my parents, but I now watch my behavior.
I want Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance to be the motto of my life. I wish there were more nice people, and would like to proudly say that I am one of them.
Related article in Chinese:http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2016/11/20/朋友眼中的尤莉亚（图）-337926.html
Category: Persecution
