(Minghui.org) My mother resolutely started practicing Falun Dafa in 1999, just as the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began the persecution of the practice. A year later, I also started practicing Falun Dafa.
Family Life Improves
My mother changed from arrogant and resentful to easy-going after beginning cultivation practice in Falun Dafa. One day I heard her say, “Your father has a lot of issues and most of them began because of me. It is my fault.” I was shocked by her words because my mother never apologized. Her dissatisfaction with my father started before I was born.
Ever since I can remember, my father has always compromised and mother has always dominated the marriage. I grew up in their quarrels. I remember when I was in elementary school, I would rather go to my classmates’ home to finish homework. In my family, there was no encouragement, only verbal abuse. I not only didn’t have self-confidence but also felt inferior.
After my mother became easy-going, the whole family became more harmonious. My family finally enjoyed laughter, and gradually my self-confidence increased.
My father had experienced persecution from the CCP since he was a child. His home was ransacked and properties confiscated He was starved and threatened in all kinds of ways. Now, again facing the red terror of the CCP’s persecution of good people, my father became brave enough to face the village cadres who harassed us daily. When several thugs tried to illegally detain my mother, my father stood up to protect her. Facing a group of village cadres who harassed us, my father defended my mother’s faith. He said, “There is nothing wrong with being a good person. If my wife did not practice Dafa, my family would fall apart.” Indeed, because my mother’s temper improved, my family was in harmony and my father was happy. Even my father’s long-time stomachaches disappeared.
I also started Falun Dafa cultivation practice when I started high school in 2000. It was the year when the persecution of Falun Dafa was most fierce. Under the red terror, once timid, I now felt strong and no longer afraid. Facing the illegal detention of my mother, I was not afraid; facing the village and township cadres controlled by the CCP, I was not afraid; I faced them with integrity and supported my mother.
During the three years I was in high school, I was relaxed and happy. After graduation, I chose to major in art and attended a university in my province without any difficulty. Prior to practicing Falun Dafa I would never have imagined going to a university. During my high school years, the CCP persecution of Falun Dafa was so brutal. However, my family had a wonderful life because of cultivating in Falun Dafa.
Losing My Way in Cultivation Practice
My college life was calm and quiet. However, away from my family, away from the Fa-study and practice environment, I gradually lost direction.
I met my current husband online. Although my husband did not practice, he was a good person. Even though my mother objected, she didn’t stop us from getting married. Because of this marriage, I almost lost Dafa. Moreover, I didn’t understand Dafa deeply. I only enjoyed the happiness at the beginning and did not realize the seriousness of Dafa cultivation.
Driven by emotions, my diligence in cultivation practice waned to the extent that I almost gave it up. I lived with my husband’s family for several years after marriage and felt quite lost. Without Dafa’s guidance, my moral values slipped down quite low. I gradually learned different tricks to outwit or even intrigue against my mother-in-law. I was full of complaints and struggled with life. I found it difficult to live in a family that did not understand the principles of Falun Dafa. It was a confusing and painful time. My mother was angry and anxious about my situation but was mostly disappointed in me.
In those days that I was not practicing, I was facing in-laws’ quarrels all day long and felt helpless. Faced with my husband’s gambling and frivolous nature, I had no solution but to struggle in pain. My husband and I quarreled and fought. Life was difficult and hopeless. Sometimes I even thought of divorce. However, there was still a little bit of Dafa in my heart, telling me that divorce was wrong. I was struggling in pain and didn’t know what to do.
There were Falun Dafa practitioners in the kindergarten school where I worked. Through interaction with them, I gradually realized that I had been stuck in a quagmire for a long time. It took me ten years to get back on my cultivation path. It has been very difficult to get rid of various bad attachments such as selfishness, jealousy, complaining, and so on. Only Falun Dafa could reshape my life.
Return to Dafa Blesses My Family
After returning to Falun Dafa cultivation practice, I abandoned my prejudice toward my mother-in-law and put myself in her shoes. I no longer complained about how bad she was. Rather, I thought how difficult her life was – my father-in-law had a bad temper and constantly scolded and beat her. She was not in good health and suffered from depression. Nowadays my mother-in-law comes to my house several times a day and talks to me about everything. When she was unhappy, I cheered her up with words she could understand. I tried my best to help her relax and reduce her burden.
When I sincerely treated her well, she felt it. That is probably the reason that she said she didn’t have a good husband or children, but she had a good daughter-in-law. I knew she meant it. My mother-in-law also tried her best to take care of me and my two children. When she was in a good mood, she sent us hot home-made meals. Whenever she had money, she would spend it on my kids without hesitation. I felt a harmony not experienced before.
While I was raising my cultivation level, my relationship with my husband also improved. When he was out working hard, I took good care of his daily life. When he and his parents had conflicts my father-in-law often scolded him and did not support him financially. His peers are all supported by their parents. Thus, we have to live in a rental house with poor conditions. I often use Dafa principles to enlighten him. Parents and children have different causal relationships. It is not a bad thing for us to suffer more, parental health is our blessing... slowly, he also felt the power of Dafa’s compassion.
My husband had a car accident. That driver was drunk and fully responsible for this accident. When negotiating compensation, I told my husband, “We can’t take advantage of others. Let’s just fix our car. Don’t try to make money from this. ” He listened to me and resolved the dispute smoothly. Later, a friend asked, “Is your accident really resolved so quickly? Why don’t you drag it out for a longer time? He is fully responsible for this accident. He is fortunate to have met a good person like you.” The husband said quietly, “My wife said that it was enough to deal with this quickly, so as to not make trouble for the driver.”
I know the power of Dafa is guiding my husband’s heart. If we did what his friend suggested, the matter would not have been settled in a way that was good for all concerned.
