(Clearwisdom.net) After the persecution started in 1999, my family was not supportive of my practicing Falun Dafa. I fought with my wife often because she didn't want me to continue my practice, and often make insulting remarks about me. I studied the teachings, did the exercises, and sent righteous thoughts. I couldn't do well explaining the facts about the persecution. I agonized knowing that I was falling away from the standard of being a practitioner during the Fa rectification period.
On May 13 this year, I published a calligraphy work on the Minghui website to celebrate World Falun Dafa Day. It occurred to me that I should join a Falun Dafa teachings study group (Fa-study group). I began to attend a local study group each Monday, and shared experiences with other practitioners.
Just before I first attended the study group, I told my wife rather timidly where I was going, but she didn't strongly oppose me. I left home encouraged. The energy was strong in the study group, and everyone read out loud. I no longer felt sleepy, which had always been a problem for me. While listening to other practitioners read in Mandarin, and I could only read in a dialect, I thought to myself that I wanted to read Mandarin as well. Teacher heard my wish and helped me. The second time I went to the study group, I was able to read in Mandarin. Although I couldn't speak fluently, it was already a miracle - I had never spoken in Mandarin before.
The environment changed at home. I told my wife with determination, "I will go to the study group once a week. I will not miss unless something extraordinary happens." My wife did not reply.
Once, I forgot that it was the day for the study group, yet even my wife reminded me, "This is the day of the week that you look forward to the most."
My mother-in-law was in her seventies. She couldn't move around very well and had a bad temper. Her sons and daughter-in-laws refused to take her into their homes, and sent her to a nursing home.
After I joined the study group, my wife took her mother in to live with us. I took good care of her and comforted her, and we became very close. I told her about the beauty of Falun Dafa and how Teacher taught us to be kind to others. Gradually, she developed good feelings about Dafa. Recently, she began to do the exercises with me.
Through my mother-in-law, I met a woman in her eighties in the nursing home. She was a retired teacher, and her son was a principal in a university. She had a suspicious frame of mind and always thought that someone was watching her. I gave her a keepsake to remind her of the goodness of Dafa, and told her to recite "Falun Dafa is good, Truth-Compassion-Forbearance is good" and everything would be alright. She thanked me and said that she wanted to read Dafa books. Recently, my son began to read Dafa books too. I realized that the reason my family previously disapproved of my practice was due to my own attachment. My environment at home was not friendly because I hadn't progressed diligently and did not have righteous thoughts. The main priority of being a practitioner is truly to improve our character and progress diligently.
One afternoon, seven retired colleagues of mine stopped by my house for a visit. I realized that Teacher had arranged this. I explained how Falun Dafa was practiced by people around the world, and that CCP culprits who launched and participated in the persecution had been indicted in Spain and Argentina. I played a Shen Yun Performing Arts DVD for them. Before they left, I gave them Falun Dafa information to take home. One of the colleagues who previously refused to quit the CCP urged me to give him more materials once I received them.
These stories happened within a month after I joined the study group. I couldn't believe that I had changed more in a month than in the past ten years.
Category: Improving Oneself
