(Minghui.org) “My teachers call me an excellent student, my classmates consider me a good friend, my parents think I am a good daughter, and my younger brother is happy to have a good sister,” said the 12-year-old girl. After a pause, she added, “All of this is because I am a little Dafa disciple.”
Despite her youth, Sunny has already been practicing Falun Dafa for 9 years. Initially she just followed her grandma and parents, but now she is able to act according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance on her own accord.
Sunny with her classmates studying a Falun Dafa book at the Toronto Minghui School in 2012
Sunny (center in front row) doing group exercises at the Toronto Minghui School in 2012
Sunny (first one on the right in the 2nd row) joined the Toronto Minghui School in 2013
Learning to Endure
“It took a long time for me learn how to do things correctly,” said Sunny.
She used to fight with her brother, who is three years younger. Whenever they fought, her mother often said to her, “How about trying to be more tolerant? After all, you are older than your brother.” At first she was not convinced, but as time passed, she realized this was one of the requirements for a practitioner. So she practiced tolerance without hesitation.
But there were situations more complicated than that one. One day when her brother came home from school, he was crying. He said one of his classmates often bullied him. Instead of blindly enduring the issue, Sunny knew that if this continued, it would not do his brother nor the other boy any good. So one day she hopped on her brother’s school bus and asked the other boy to stop bullying her brother.
“The other boy began to curse me,” Sunny said, “But I was not disturbed and calmly reminded him to be a good person and the importance of good manners.” After a while, the boy stopped and was willing to listen. Sitting next to the boy, Sunny and her brother then chatted with him. In the end, the boy apologized and became good friends with her brother again.
“What I learned from this incident was that, if we are able to tolerate and really be considerate of others, other people will change, too,” said Sunny.
Treating Others with Respect and Patience
Through practicing Falun Dafa, Sunny encountered many opportunities to improve her xinxing. Here is one example.
One of her classmates often made mistakes on her homework. Sunny wanted to help her, but the girl always appeared upset when Sunny pointed out her errors. Once she was very annoyed and said to Sunny, “If you dare to bother me again, I will throw you into a lake.” Sunny was scared and stopped. When she told her mother, her mother said, “If you really want to help her, you can still do it, but be more respectful and sincere, and she will be moved.”
The following day, Sunny apologized to the girl, “I'm sorry. I should not have interrupted you yesterday. You should figure out the right answer by yourself.” The other girl also apologized, “I am the one who should be sorry. I should not turn down your kindness.” With that, they became best friends again.
Another classmate of Sunny’s was even harder to deal with. Sometimes she was very happy and treated Sunny as her best friend. But there were also times when she got upset and agitated when Sunny asked why she was unhappy.
Sunny later learned that many things that occurred at the girl’s home made her upset, for example, her dog was sick, her parents criticized her, and so on. “I then tried to talk with her in a different way. When she was unhappy, I just comforted her without asking for details, or I just asked about it at a later time. When she was happy, I would talk with her more and share her joy.”
“This worked well and we are good friends again,” Sunny said. “I also learned how to help people in a way they liked.”
Good Manners and Good Grades
Many girls Sunny’s age wear unusual or even revealing clothing, some have bad tempers and can be heard using filthy language. Her mother often reminds her not to follow the degenerate trend. As a result, Sunny dresses more modestly than her teenage friends. Also, because of her good school grades, everyone likes her, from her teachers to her classmates.
Sunny has six teachers. She greets all of them in the morning and says goodbye to them when she leaves school for home. She likes to ask questions, and her teachers are also happy about this, because her questions help other students learn more. Sunny is always one of the top three students in her class. Last year she was third place and this year she was second place. She has also won many awards.
“My father is not a practitioner and he used to be against my practicing,” she said. After seeing her health improve and the good grades she got, he changed his mind and became supportive.
Telling Others about Falun Dafa
Knowing that Sunny is a practitioner, her teachers and friends often ask her about Falun Dafa. She has spoken to them about how the Chinese Communist Party does not allow people to believe in Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. Touched by what she says, many teachers and students say they support her belief and hope the brutal persecution will end soon.
During summer breaks, Sunny and her brother join other little Dafa disciples at the Toronto Minghui School, where they read Falun Dafa books, do the exercises, and share understandings on how to act according to the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.
Once after class, her music teacher stopped her and gave her some tips on how to improve in music. By the time she arrived at the dining hall, she found a very long line of students waiting for the microwave. “My first thought was to blame the teacher because she delayed my meal. Then I realized that the teacher was trying to help me and I should appreciate it,” said Sunny.
With these thoughts, Sunny waited at the end of the line patiently, without any negative feelings. Sunny said, “The food tasted so good. Almost the best meal I have ever eaten.”
