(Minghui.org) I began to practice Falun Dafa in 2004. Before that, I was a heavy smoker, played Mahjong excessively, and did not care about my family. After that, I became a better person.
I Quit Smoking and Gambling
Before I started to cultivate, it seemed I was smoking every moment of the day. I often smoked as many as five packs a day. My teeth were discolored from it. My wife once tried to help me cut back by taking them from me and giving me one cigarette every 15 minutes. I couldn't stand it and quickly took them back. I told my friends I wanted to quit smoking, but they did not believe me.
I also had a gambling addiction. When I was not working, I gambled my money away playing Mahjong. I was always late for work, sometimes I did not show up at all, or paid a co-worker to do my work. I even asked HR to put me down for manual labor that would give me more free time for Mahjong.
Every Chinese New Year’s Eve, I was always the first one to arrive at the Mahjong room after dinner. Sometimes I would play for three days straight and then sleep for an entire day. I did this again and again.
One of my colleagues came to see me regularly to clarify the truth about Falun Dafa. Sometimes he would come when I was playing Mahjong. I was irritated even though I believed everything he said. I noticed how Dafa had changed him. I would protect his Dafa books and a portrait of Master Li for him when the police arrested him for being a practitioner.
I began to have constant diarrhea and worried that this could lead to a more serious illness. I read the Falun Dafa book my colleague left me and began to learn the exercises. I noticed when I first picked up Zhuan Falun, the main book of Dafa, that my urge to smoke stopped. Even the smell of cigarette smoke from next door made me sick. So I completely stopped smoking. Falun Dafa is wonderful.
Then I stopped gambling. I started to study the Fa teachings and do the exercises every day after work. I started to work hard at my job and I was awarded Best Employee for the year. I also got promoted to a small leadership role at work.
Improving My Relationship with My Parents
Before I started cultivating, I did not like my parents and did nothing to take care of them.
My grandma took care of me out in the country when I was young. My parents brought me home when I had to start elementary school. The children in the city laughed at my accent and my clothes. I had two siblings, and it seemed I was always punished the most and given the least to eat. When I got married, my parents did not offer to help me, and my hatred grew. One year, my mother was hospitalized for 40 days and I did not visit her even once.
Master has taught me to be compassionate to everyone, including my own parents. I tried to put myself in their shoes and care for them as much as possible. As they got older, they had trouble doing things for themselves. I bought things for them and told them the truth about Dafa as I helped them. Naturally, I became the go-to person.
My mother said, “If we ever can't take care of ourselves anymore, you are the one we want to stay with.”
My Marriage Improves
During my first marriage, I was always gambling and fighting with my wife. I did not spend any time with her. We divorced and I married again. We gambled together and ended up having to sell our house because of gambling debts. We fought all the time and were on the brink of divorce.
After I began to practice, my wife did, too. We moved into a new apartment, away from those who gambled, and cultivated together. I would drop her off and pick her up from work. We would look within when we had a conflict. One day when I got off work, I overheard our neighbors say, “The couple next door are the best. They never fight.”
Dafa has made me a better person. I know that I have Master to thank for everything I have. Master saved me. Without Master, I would not be who I am today.
