My Husband’s Change Reflects My Cultivation

(Minghui.org) I began practicing Falun Dafa when I was 33 and I’m now 55 years old. I didn’t have any major illness at that time, but I had some minor ones, such as gynecological issues, neuralgia, and hemorrhoids. Even though I underwent surgery, going to the bathroom every day was an ordeal. I had a clothing business. Because of my hemorrhoids I couldn’t sit, and I could only stand or lean over the counter. I had no choice but to endure it. 

In March 1999, when I first read the precious book Zhuan Falun, Master Li (the founder of Falun Dafa) took care of me. I was so excited that I threw my medicines away. I was so happy! I was illness free! More than 20 years have passed and I have not taken a single pill. This is the miracle of Falun Dafa. After reading Zhuan Falun once, I knew that this was a book that teaches us how to be good people. I decided to become a good person. I wanted to study the book and live happily.

But four months later, on July 20, 1999, the then Chinese Communist Party (CCP) leader, Jiang Zemin, jealous of Falun Dafa’s growing popularity, used his power to launch an unprecedented persecution. I read the book as usual every day and wondered why something so good was not allowed. What should I do? Some practitioners went to Beijing to petition for Falun Dafa, and I couldn’t hold back any longer. In October 2002, I went to Tiananmen Square in Beijing and shouted out my heartfelt cry: “Falun Dafa is good!” I was arrested by armed police and sent to a detention center, where I was illegally detained for 15 days. My ordeal had begun. 

My husband was usually kind and laid back, but after I was detained, he changed. He was no longer gentle and kind, and he didn’t let me read the Fa or practice the exercises. When officials from the street administration and the police station came, he told them to take me away to be “re-educated.” He hit me when he saw me doing the exercises. He would push me to the ground and punch and kick me when I did the sitting exercise. Sometimes he would slap my face or use a belt to strike me. As a result, my back was black and blue. My niece and I went to take a bath in a bathhouse and she asked what happened to my back. I said, “Your uncle beat me.” When she wept I said, “It’s fine, it doesn’t hurt, don’t cry.” However, my tears came down too.

I thought of Dafa and figured that even if my husband was a rock, my compassion should melt him. I was not angry anymore. I went to work as usual and cooked delicious food for him. However, he didn’t relent. 

Seeing that he couldn’t change me, he decided to divorce me. By then I was in pain and exhausted. 

He asked me if I wanted our child after the divorce. Our son was only ten years old at the time. I said, “I want the child. I won’t give him to you because you are an irresponsible father. I won’t divorce.” He left our home in a rage. I still wanted to be a good wife. I called him after I prepared food, but he didn’t come back. He was still angry with me. I was unmoved.

At that time, I earned a monthly salary of 300 yuan, which was not enough for my son and me to live on and I had no savings. My husband gave me 500 yuan a month. I didn’t want it and I wrote him a long letter, in which I said that it was hard for him to be alone and away from home. I asked him to take good care of himself and not worry about us, we were fine. Do not send us any money, I said, we had enough. 

All this traumatized my son. Although my heart was bitter, I did not blame my husband, nor did I hate him. I often told my son that no matter what happened between me and his father, he would always be his father. He should respect and love him. Six months later, I found out where my husband lived. I went to his place and held his hand tightly. I wept and he cried too. I said, “Let’s go home!”

After he returned home, the ice in his heart began to melt. He no longer tried to stop me from practicing. However, when he saw me doing the exercises, he still felt a little uncomfortable. I knew I had to cultivate myself well and become a better person.

My Mother-in-law Changes

My mother-in-law’s family lived in the countryside and my mother-in-law was very capable. In 2003, my father-in-law suffered a stroke and passed away. My husband and his four siblings all live in the city, and my mother-in-law farmed ten mus (about 1.6 acre) of land by herself, which was very hard. It was not easy for her to live alone, and she also suffered chronic bronchitis. Her children didn’t want her to farm, and asked her to lease the land. She refused. Every year in the spring and fall I helped her. My husband was busy and he sometimes couldn’t go with me, so I went there myself. 

Because of the CCP’s lies targeting Falun Dafa, my mother-in-law was afraid. She hated me and scolded me every time she saw me. Even though I helped her, she was not happy, and she scolded me with nasty words. I reminded myself that I was a practitioner, and I didn’t say anything. I knew that her unhappiness would be released after her scolding, and I felt better in my heart too, because otherwise she might get sick. Even though she treated me like this, I never told my husband.

When my husband came with me to visit her, she didn’t scold me. I brought everything she needed. My mother-in-law had a trachea problem and could not stand the smell of cooking. So every time we visited her I brought ready-made meals for her. 

On my husband’s birthday I told him that we must take the day off. We would go to my mother-in-law’s home to celebrate his birthday with his mother. She was very happy and so was my husband. In this way, after ten years of patient compassion, my mother-in-law gradually became nice to me, understood me, and stopped resenting me. Instead, she treasured me.

As my mother-in-law got older, she could no longer handle the farming. Besides the bronchitis, she also suffered from heart disease, and it was difficult for her to look after herself. I invited her to come to our home. I told her that I would take care of her. She said, “I have four other children, so I can’t just let you to take care of me.” I said, “Your son is willing to let you live with us, your grandson welcomes you. Is it because of me?” She said, “You are so nice, but I can’t take advantage of you.” I said, “I am a Falun Dafa practitioner. One practitioner has taken care of her father-in-law who is paralyzed in bed for nine years. Come live with us!” She was very moved. I was also taking care of my father at that time. 

She didn’t want me to get too tired, so she decided to take turns living with her children. The younger brother lived with his in-laws, and it was inconvenient for her to live there. So she took turns living with the other three siblings. When my mother-in-law was not at my home, whenever I made delicious food, I asked my husband to take some to her. She was very happy.

My family lives in a one bedroom apartment. When my mother-in-law stayed with us, we gave her the bedroom, my son slept in the living room, and my husband and I slept on the floor in the living room. My mother-in-law wanted us to sleep in the bedroom and she would sleep on the floor. I said, “I’m worried that you won’t have a good rest if you sleep on the floor.” My husband saw it and smiled. Since then, he no longer objected to my practicing Falun Dafa.

In this way, we looked after my mother-in-law for three years. In April 2017, she left us peacefully. When she was dying, she took my hand and said, “My dear daughter-in-law, you are so kind!” After eighteen years, she finally spoke from her heart. That was the peace, tranquility and selfless tolerance that Falun Dafa brings to people.

The relationship between my husband and his siblings' families is becoming more and more harmonious. On New Year’s Day last year, my brother-in-law said, “I want to give you a hug!” I said, “Sure!” I was moved to tears. It is really as Master said, “The Buddha-light illuminates everywhere and rectifies all abnormalities.” (Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun)

Thank you, compassionate and great Master, you are the one who set me on the path of returning to my true self, and it is you who guided me to change from a selfish person to one who can truly think of others. Thank you, Master!