My Elderly Father Helps Me Cultivate

(Minghui.org) My father is 92 years old and is an easy-going man. When he was young, he worked hard and helped others, and everyone admired him.

There are five children in my family, and initially, my parents lived with my oldest brother and his family. My mother had a stroke and died in 2017 so my father, who was 85 at the time, came to live with my family. My mother’s death affected him greatly so my husband and I comforted him and told him, “You can live here as long as you want. We’ll take good care of you.”

As a Dafa practitioner, I’m considerate of him. He’s not picky about food and never complains if the meal is late. He is such a good father.

I gave my father a Falun Dafa amulet, and he cherished it very much. I also told him to sincerely recite “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” every day, so that he could have good health and be blessed, and he was. My father’s white hair turned black, which seemed miraculous to my relatives. Once, my father was knocked into a ditch by a primary school student riding a bicycle, and his only injury was a big cut on his hand. He had three stitches at the hospital, went home, and recovered after a few days.

After the COVID pandemic lockdown, my father’s health worsened, and he now uses a cane. I had to spend more time taking care of him. His memory worsened—he forgot to flush the toilet and turn off the faucet, and made a mess when he ate. He randomly urinated and spit out food. I patiently cleaned him and the mess he made.

My father liked to bang his cane on things to make a lot of noise. I wanted to be considerate of my neighbors, so I asked him not to bang his cane or he would disturb others. He understood, but soon forgot. I became impatient and forgot I was a Dafa practitioner. I got angry when he kept doing it and told him loudly not to keep banging his cane, but he didn’t stop.

I thought about why this happened: Was it a test of my character? What did I do wrong? I looked inward and found I still had many attachments like jealousy, resentment, personal interest, fear of trouble, irritability, etc. When the noise my father made annoyed me, I was being selfish—I did not look at things from his perspective. He was always alone, my three brothers barely came to visit him, and my sister and I often studied the Fa and went out to clarify the truth. My father felt lonely and wanted something to do, so he messed around to kill time. I realized that he was here to help me with my cultivation. He was helping me discover my attachments so I could improve. It was a good thing—instead of complaining I should thank him.

Master said:

“To be able to regard anyone and everyone with compassion, to have love for all people, really isn’t something the average person can achieve. Harder still is to have a sense of compassion toward all living things in everything you do. But that is something practitioners of Dafa have to be able to do! Spiritual development is a process, and so what I described might not be doable at the moment for those who are newer to the practice; but with time, as you develop further in your spiritual practice, you must manage to do that. Veterans of the practice need to do this now. This is something dictated by your historic mission, and it is something that every Dafa practitioner who aspires to spiritual greatness must achieve in their practice!” (“A Wake-Up Call”)

Master’s Fa awakened me. I should take good care of my father with compassion, kindness, and love, to validate Dafa with my actions.

In August 2024, my oldest daughter’s family held a graduation banquet for my oldest grandson. My sister (also a practitioner) and I decided to use the opportunity to clarify the truth to the guests. Before the banquet, my father seemed to catch a cold and had a fever. I sent forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference; I will never allow the old forces to use my father to interfere with our saving people. At the same time, I told my father to sincerely recite “'Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” He did and soon recovered. He was already in his 90s, but recovered so quickly without going to the hospital or getting any injections. It was amazing!

I saw my nieces at the banquet. Both of them already knew the truth about Falun Dafa and had quit the CCP. One of my nieces said her husband loved to read the truth clarification materials I gave them. He was blessed as a result: he got a steady job with a good salary. She praised me in front of more than 20 people and said, “My aunt is the best. She takes such good care of my grandfather, so he stays in good health.” She respects what I do.

I’ll work hard to cultivate myself, be diligent, do the three things well, save sentient beings, fulfill my vows, and follow Master to return to my heavenly home.

This is my understanding at my level, please kindly point out anything inappropriate.