(Minghui.org)
From Feisty to Lovable
I was a person who always fought for my rights and wanted to win at everything. As a result, my personal relationships were very tense. After I became a cultivator in 1997, things changed 180 degrees.
For example, I went to work in a field with several other women. While chatting, one woman felt offended and began scolding everyone else. In the past, I would have definitely fought back. However, I remembered what Teacher said inZhuan Falun,
“...as a practitioner one should not fight back when being punched or insulted...”
I knew I must not act like an ordinary person because I was a practitioner, so I continued to talk to her like nothing had happened. She was in an emotional state and continued to scold everyone. I knew this was how an everyday person might act, and I was not angry with her. However, she decided not to talk to me for quite a while.
When her grandson got married. I congratulated her, sent her gifts, and offered to help. She was so moved that she has treated me like a friend ever since.
Before I began cultivating, my relationship with my mother-in-law was pretty tense. I did not want to talk to her and she did not want to talk to me, either. After I started to practice, I noticed the following in Zhuan Falun:
“Of course, in practicing cultivation in ordinary human society, we should respect parents and educate our children. Under all circumstances, we must be good and kind to others, not to mention to our family members. We should treat everyone in the same way. We must be good to our parents and children and be considerate of others in all respects. Such a heart is thus unselfish, and it is a heart of kindness and benevolence.”
I understand that, as a practitioner, I must follow what Teacher teaches. I changed my attitude towards my mother-in-law by looking after her and helping her in whatever ways I could. When it was time for me to prepare food, I would take it to her myself. If it was someone else's turn to prepare food, I would buy something she liked for her.
She was moved by how I treated her. One day she took my hands, looked at me with tears in her eyes, and said, “I don't have a daughter. You are my daughter.” She also told our neighbors, “Since she has practiced Falun Dafa, my daughter-in-law is a different person.”
Other relatives also commented, “It is well known that a person's character is the most difficult thing to change. However, Falun Dafa has done just that.”
An Illiterate Person Learns to Read Without Going to School
I am from a poor family and had no chance to go to school. When people asked me why I could not write my own name, I tried to tell them that I was illiterate. However, I did not know the difference between the words “illiterate” and “tramp,” because they sound similar in Chinese. When I used the wrong word, people would laugh at me.
After I began practicing Falun Dafa, I listened to Teacher's nine lectures, which answered a lot of questions about life for me. Although I could not recognize any of the characters, I bought Zhuan Falun and listened to fellow practitioners read it one paragraph at a time.
By watching carefully how they read, I gradually recognized more and more characters. By July 20, 1999, two years later, I was able to recognize almost all the characters in the book.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) initiated the persecution of Dafa practitioners at that time. The Party used all means at its disposal to deceive, frame, arrest, and torture practitioners. Because the Fa-study group I went to could not meet anymore, I lost my chance to learn more words.
Later, through the leadership of three or four practitioners in my village, another Fa-study group got started. I was fortunate to learn more words and do the exercises with them.
I feel that Teacher has been looking after me. Not only can I read everything in Zhuan Falun, but I am also able to read Minghui Weekly and other articles. In addition, I am in good health physically and mentally. Studying Falun Dafa has changed my character and my outlook on life.
I am grateful to Teacher and fellow practitioners for helping me endure all these years.
Category: Improving Oneself
