(Minghui.org) I started practicing Dafa in 1995. What touched me most was the happiness I felt when I let go of personal gains and became selfless. After removing the attachment, I felt extremely relaxed, as if a weight had been lifted off my chest. I would like to tell you about some of my experiences.
I’m 85 and I’ve lived alone since my husband passed away in 1995. In 2002, I moved to the city where my oldest son worked. I continued living alone and rented different places.
In 2009, I rented an old one-bedroom unit in the staff dormitory of a local middle school. The house only had a few pieces of old furniture, including a refrigerator, washer and water heater. The monthly rent was 500 yuan. Although I originally signed a one-year lease, I lived there for eight years. I did not cause any trouble for the landlord. I also had the water heater and oven exhaust fan replaced at my own expense. I even added some new furniture.
I took the initiative to clean the corridors and stairs, and thus the other residents liked me. I told them and my landlord the facts about Falun Dafa and helped most of them quit the Chinese Communist Party. Since my neighbors knew I was a practitioner, it was very safe for me and other practitioners to make truth clarification materials there.
In 2013, housing prices skyrocketed and rents also increased—but the landlord did not raise my rent. I took the initiative to pay him 700 yuan per month, which really touched him. The neighbors praised me, “You’re a good person. It’s good of you to pay the landlord more. Only Falun Dafa practitioners would do this.” I smiled and said, “Yes. Only after practicing Dafa could I do this.”
I moved again in 2017, due to some safety concerns about making truth clarification materials. Before I left, I thoroughly cleaned the house. I could have sold my furniture to make some money, but I left it all for the landlord, knowing the house would be much easier to rent if it was fully furnished.
I said goodbye to each of my neighbors and asked them to say, “Falun Dafa is good and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” My next door neighbor said she was sad to see me leave. Several neighbors gave me their phone numbers and asked me to stay in touch.
My husband was three years old when his father died. Ten years later, his mother remarried a man with four children and they had a daughter. In late 1960, my husband’s stepfather and mother were transferred to Sichuan for work and but only took their youngest daughter with them. During those years, my youngest sister-in-law was the only one around to take care of her parents. The other children grew up and had their own families. They only visited their parents once every few years.
In 2013, both my parents-in-law became ill and died. They had a two-bedroom house in their names. Shortly after my mother-in-law passed away, my father-in-law’s four children started to claim their inheritance rights to the property. They forced my youngest sister-in-law to sell the house. They had the house valued and collected their share before they would agree to sign the sales agreement.
My husband passed away in 1995, so my three children also had a legal right to the property. Since we never took care of his parents, I felt we were not in a position to claim the inheritance rights like ordinary people. I discussed this with my three sons and they all agreed to voluntarily give up their rights. My sister-in-law was moved by our decision. When the house was sold, my sister-in-law gave my youngest son 20,000 yuan.
In this materialist society, money is everything, and everyone pursues looks out after their interests. Only Dafa practitioners take money lightly.
My youngest son is a very honest person, and has been supportive of my cultivation practice. He suffered from polio when he was a child which left him partly disabled. He was ambitious as an adult and expanded his business to make more money.
In 2022, his business lost a lot of money. He was also defrauded 300,000 yuan that he borrowed for the business. He was forced to sell his house and car, but the proceeds were not enough to repay the debts. His credit card debt was unpaid and the bank threatened to take him to court.
With no other choice, my youngest son asked his two brothers, my other two sons, to help him. They were able to come up with 300,000 yuan without their wives knowing. When my second daughter-in-law found out, the couple started to quarrel.
I found out about these things from my third daughter-in-law. I was confused, knowing my youngest son had money to buy a house and car. His daughter graduated from college and was working. His wife had a regular job. Although his business didn’t make a lot of money, he should have had no problem making ends meet. I never thought that he would be in so much debt.
I felt bad for my son, but knew that nothing happens by accident. Master said, “Everyone has his or her own fate” (Lecture Five, Zhuan Falun). Although a practitioner should get rid of the attachment of sentiment, I could not ignore my own son’s needs.
I told my two older sons that I would take care of the remaining debts, which were more than 200,000 yuan. I did not want to have a family feud over this matter. I paid off the debts owed to three banks. I then negotiated to pay off the other debts owed to individuals over time. So far, all of his debts have been paid off.
I was only able to do all this because I practice Falun Dafa.