(Minghui.org) The first time I read Zhuan Falun was in 1998. I was impressed with the book's content and purchased four sets of all the Falun Dafa books that were available at the time, and presented them as gifts to my parents and my two siblings.
I, however, was very busy with work and so put cultivation aside.
My father was ill in early 2010, and I went back to my hometown to see my family. I was surprised to see the positive changes in my sister. She had become a diligent practitioner ever since receiving Zhuan Falun from me in 1998. I was especially impressed by the Falun Dafa information booklets she'd been helping make. In my mind, my sister was a simple housewife in the countryside, yet the booklets she made were so beautiful and professionally done.
With my sister's encouragement, I started to read Zhuan Falun again.
Starting to Cultivate
My son turned one year old in the winter of 2010. Eager to return to work, I asked my sister if she could help me with taking care of him. She was busy with her Falun Dafa projects at home, but still she came to help me.
She took care of my son during the day. Then after he went to sleep, we studied the Fa together.
My sister told me about everything that had happened to Falun Dafa and Dafa practitioners over the past ten years.
I became a cultivator, and as a Falun Dafa practitioner we not only have to be good and considerate, we also have to help Master clarify the truth to people.
As Dafa is being slandered and Dafa practitioners are being persecuted for their faith, it is our responsibility to speak up for Falun Dafa and assist Master during the Fa rectification.
I was able to let go of my attachment to my career and money, the two things that had stopped me from starting on my cultivation journey before.
My sister stayed with me for two weeks. But before she left she gave me some stamps that I could use to stamp phrases about Falun Dafa on paper money.
I stamped countless bills and when buying things, the bills helped me to talk to people about Falun Dafa.
When I went to visit my sister, the sight of her and other practitioners making Falun Dafa brochures was really moving. Every brochure was made with such care. I became emotional just holding one.
My son had started preschool by that time, and I started printing copies of the Minghui Weekly at home that I'd downloaded from the Minghui website. I delivered them to over 1,000 apartments in my community on my way to and from my son's school.
Surveillance cameras are everywhere in my city, but with Master's protection I have always remained safe.
Learning to Deal with Difficult Situations
I often took my son to my hometown during the summer vacation.
The quality of his summer homework frustrated me. I got so upset one time that I spanked him. My sister tried to talk to him as well, hoping that he could put more effort into his work. His handwriting was appalling for a fourth grader, and I started to get angry.
My sister pulled me aside and said that yelling and spanking wouldn't help. She suggested that we should look to see if there were any problems within ourselves that we should fix. She reminded me that nothing is coincidental in cultivation.
My sister said that she did not react as a true practitioner. Instead of following Dafa's principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, Forbearance, she reacted with human emotions.
My attachments to my son were many. The earlier he finished his homework, the less time I would have to spend on it. I wanted him to be a good student, and later a successful adult. He is only ten years old. It's only normal for children his age to prefer to play than do homework.
I was no longer upset once I'd reasoned out the matter in my mind.
Placing a small table between them, my sister and my son sat crossed legged facing each other. “Let's do homework together,” she said to him.
My sister showed him her half-finished hand copy of Zhuan Falun. Her handwriting was so neat that my son thought that it was printed by a machine.
Picking up her pen, my sister started to copy out Hong Yin V. She began with the title, then the subtitle, and so on. Every line had to be just like it was in the book. From watching her, I realized that I often do sloppy work, and yet I expect perfection from my son. After a while we had all forgotten about my son's homework.
My sister went to the kitchen to prepare lunch a while later, and I went on to do other chores around the house. Imitating my sister, my son sat with both legs crossed, and started to copy Hong Yin V.
He showed me his work about half an hour later. His handwriting was much improved, and quite impressive. I complemented him.
He said that he felt good about himself when he writes neatly. He put the pen down, and while keeping his legs crossed, he said, “You can leave. I want to think about what have I done wrong.”
When I told my sister what had just happened, she said: “You see! We used ordinary people's ways to teach him. Everyone got upset and he didn't change. We found our own attachments, and he changed for the better on his own. We have to thank Master for that.”
My son told me that he would continue doing his homework sitting with his legs crossed. Fifteen minutes later, he finished his English homework. It would have taken him over an hour in the past to finish it.
He then went out to play. My sister and I watched from afar and smiled.
