Understanding and Coping with the Difficulties in My Life

(Minghui.org) Three things were mentioned in Journey to the West: It’s hard to obtain a human body, one is fortunate to be born in the land of China, and it’s difficult to hear the Dharma (the Fa or guidance in the true Way). I’ve experienced all this in my life. I feel most fortunate to be a Falun Dafa practitioner. I was able to accept my difficult life and eliminate my attachments to ego and self-interest.

From Many Illnesses to Enjoying True Health

I had a tough life as a child. My mother passed away when I was five years old. My father married again after my mom died, so my brother and I were looked after by my grandmother.

I got married when I was 23. My husband’s family lived outside of the city and had little money. My company was far from my home and I had to ride a bicycle for an hour to get to work. My monthly wage was about 100 yuan. At home, I had to do many chores. I did not spend money on myself.

I was diagnosed with hepatitis B when I was only 27 and was hospitalized. My daughter had just begun attending kindergarten. I was also diagnosed with heart disease, kidney problems, lumbar spondylosis, and stomach illness.

My brother told me about Falun Dafa and gave me the book Zhuan Falun in 1997, when I was 33 years old. After I read Zhuan Falun I understood why my life was so difficult. I decided to learn the exercises—but I did not cultivate diligently, especially when I was busy. Master still took care of me and purified my body. I recovered from all my illnesses.

My husband was laid off in 2001. My wages then were only about 200 yuan per month and it was not enough to support us, so I quit my job and found work in a bathhouse. I had to live there, and I worked day and night, but I could earn two to three thousand yuan a month.

My daughter never took any classes outside of school but she was the top student in her class and enrolled in a good college in 2005. That year, my husband became ill and was bedridden. He had severe rheumatism that caused his body to hunch. He could no longer support our family but had to see doctors. Because I had to stay at the bathhouse, my mother-in-law took care of him and our daughter. I went home once a week and gave them money.

I worked hard to pay for my daughter’s college tuition. She graduated in 2009 and she did not ask for any support after that. She gave her first salary to her father. After my husband died, my daughter and I moved out of my in-law’s home. I paid off all my husband’s medical bills by doing labor work.

My daughter now has a steady job and good pay. I retired in 2014 and my monthly retirement wage was 1,750 yuan. My relatives told me to buy medical insurance, which cost 400 to 500 yuan per month. I am a Falun Dafa practitioner and I haven’t been ill for 24 years, so I did not buy medical insurance.

I am full of energy every day and I still do labor work. I study the Fa, do the exercises, and follow Master’s instruction to be a better person, besides doing my daily work. My life has been busy but filled with joy.

But there are always conflicts and bitterness in life. I would like to share how I resolved some of my tribulations.

Considering Others

Soon after I started practicing Falun Dafa, I rode my bicycle. Some kids were playing soccer. One child kicked the ball in front of my wheel and I fell off the bike. I could not move and my back was in excruciating pain. The boy who kicked the ball was my neighbor. He looked scared and kept calling my name. His mother had died and he lived with his stepmother.

Master said,

“Things will work out well if you are always compassionate and good to others, thoughtful towards people, and handle whatever situations you get into with people by first pausing to consider how well your actions will go over with the other party and whether anyone will be hurt by them. You should hold yourself to high standards and raise the bar still further as you practice.” (The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun)

At that moment I told myself, “I am okay. Don’t cause trouble for his family.” As soon as I had that thought, I could move. I stood up and walked my bicycle home. Three days later I had recovered.

I’ve lived in my apartment for 12 years. My retirement pension is just enough to cover the rent, so I have to work to pay the utilities and my basic living expenses. During the CCP virus outbreak, other people’s rents decreased substantially, but my landlord did not reduce mine. As a Dafa practitioner, I didn’t argue with him.

I take care of the apartment as if I were the owner. A few days ago, the water heater broke. I told the landlord, but he said he did not want to pay for anything and I needed to buy a new one myself. I felt very unbalanced. To others, one thousand yuan may not be a big deal, but to me it is more than one month’s pay. When I studied the Fa that night I read what Master said,

“One is that you mistreated the other person during a past life. Perhaps the situation preys on your mind, and you can’t believe someone would treat you as they are. Well, then you shouldn’t have treated them that way in the past. You might say that you didn’t know better back then and that this lifetime has nothing to do with that one. But you can’t write it off like that. Another thing is, karma is surely being reworked with any altercation you get into, so we should be magnanimous and not handle it like most people would. This should hold true at the office or wherever you work, and even if you run your own business. And the interactions you have with the general public are no different.” (The Fourth Talk, Zhuan Falun)

I understood what Master said and I no longer felt unbalanced. Everyday people do not know about past lives or predestined relationships—but we practitioners do know. Everything happens for a reason. It was my responsibility to change the heater and pay for it. After I understood this, I was very happy to do so.

I am healthy and I don’t have any debts. I have Master and Dafa. I am blessed by Falun Dafa’s immense grace.