Australia: How Practicing Falun Dafa Has Helped Me Become a Better Person

(Minghui.org) I am a Falun Dafa practitioner who was born in the 1990s. I obtained the Fa when I was four years old by following my parents onto the path of cultivation. But due to a heavy workload at school, I started to slack off in my cultivation. About two and a half years ago, at the end of 2018, I returned to cultivation and wanted to share some of my experiences and how I have benefited from Dafa.

Walking a Righteous Path with the Fa in My Heart

At the age of 16, I studied abroad by myself in Australia. I was a tomboy and did not like hanging out with girls since they were only interested in buying name brands and cosmetics. I hung out with boys, and it seemed like I had more in common with them.

I would watch movies, play basketball, play billiards, and go out for dinner with several of my guy friends. I was too naive at the time and many of the boys wanted me to be their girlfriend. I would turn them down, but sometimes I was unable to resist their smooth talk and agreed to be their girlfriend. Perhaps I was simply longing for someone to take care of me in a foreign country. During those years, none of my relationships lasted long. We would break up after a few weeks.

While in a relationship, my boyfriends would make many inappropriate requests and would use the excuse that these “requests” were normal in a relationship. Fortunately, I had been immersed in Dafa from a young age and knew that these “requests” were wrong. I’d never agree to them and knew that engaging in sexual behavior before marriage was wrong. The consequences would be unimaginable if I had done the wrong thing. I would have been committing a huge sin.

I told my mother about my experiences with my boyfriends after I entered the workforce. My mother sighed and said, “Your father was very worried that you might be taken advantage of when you decided to study abroad. However, I firmly believed that you knew how to distinguish good from bad because you’ve cultivated in Dafa since you were young. Master also compassionately protected you so you wouldn’t go awry.”

Indeed! If I hadn’t practice Falun Dafa, I would probably have been deluded in the big dye vat of ordinary human society. Thank you, Master! Thank you, Dafa!

Convincing My Husband to Be a Better Person

I met my husband while we were studying at university. I found out that he had stored many bottles of body washes and shampoos in his house and even bragged about how he had taken them from the hotels where he worked. At that time, I did not say anything.

Gradually, I realized that he also took toilet paper, garbage bags, and even bedsheets from the hotel. I came to my senses and remembered a section of Master’s Fa in Zhuan Falun. Master talked about how practitioners used to take home towels from the textile factory. I had been in disbelief when I read this section of the Fa in the past and found it quite unbelievable that people would do such things! It occurred to me that what my husband was doing was the same as what Master had mentioned in Zhuan Falun.

When I asked him why he took things home, he told me that the garbage bags used in the hotels were bigger and more durable. I asked, “How can you steal things?” He insisted that he was not stealing and was only taking things because he deserved them by working at the hotel.

Master said,

“When someone is doing a wrong deed, he will not believe it if you point out to him that he is doing a wrong deed. That person indeed will not believe that he is doing something wrong. Some people evaluate themselves with the declined moral standard. Because the criteria for assessment have changed, they consider themselves better than others.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)

My husband is an ordinary person and so he only viewed problems from the perspective of his personal interest. I knew that he was losing virtue and his behavior was also a manifestation of the moral decline in society. I advised him not to take those things anymore, and he became very unhappy with me. He was very upset and refused to listen to me. I felt sad and anxious, knowing that this issue was also my responsibility. I could not sit back and do nothing while he was accruing karma.

I asked him if he would let his coworkers do the same thing if he were the hotel manager. I told him about karmic retribution and the principle of “no loss, no gain” from Master’s Fa. I also told him that one accrues karma for committing bad deeds and the karma will manifest in the form of sicknesses and pain.

After encouraging him many times, he finally agreed not to take things from the hotel anymore. He also agreed to return the bedsheets. I was truly happy for him.

Looking Inward and Getting Along with My Husband

My husband is hot-tempered and his temper became even worse after we got married.

My parents adored me when I was growing up and never treated me badly. So when my husband yelled at me, I would often be in tears and regretted being married to him. At times I even thought of filing for divorce.

I returned to cultivation after quitting my job. I was sincere and wanted to cultivate from the bottom of my heart. I no longer did the exercises under my mother’s supervision. When my husband lost his temper again, I regarded myself as a practitioner and tried my best to adhere to the principles of Dafa, to be tolerant and not get angry.

My husband and I decided to get something to drink while we were driving. I headed into the rest stop and bought a cola slushie instead of a regular cola. My husband was very angry about the slushie and told me that he did not want to drink it. He reprimanded me for getting it and told me that I should have asked him what he wanted. I told him that I could buy another drink, and he bluntly told me that he did not want one and that we would be late for our appointment.

I apologized and told him that I should have asked what he wanted to drink. He was very angry and began cursing at me. He even wanted to throw the drink away when we passed a garbage can.

If I hadn’t cultivated Falun Dafa, we would have either quarreled or I would have burst into tears. I was quite angry and thought about how he had tried the cola slushie before and liked it, and how I had offered to purchase another drink for him. How could he tell me not to buy any? I became quite agitated!

These negative thoughts kept coming to my mind, so I thought about how I was a cultivator and shouldn’t fight back when I was being beaten or sworn at.

Master said,

“Who’s Right, Who’s Wrong

As a cultivatorOne always looks for one’s own faults’Tis the Way to get rid of attachments most effectivelyThere’s no way to skip ordeals, big or small[During a conflict, if you can remember:]“He’s right,And I’m wrong,”What’s to dispute?"(Hong Yin III)

I started to look inward and enlightened that I did not consider my husband or ask for his opinion. I was at fault. This also exposed my attachment of selfishness, and so I knew I should regard this as an opportunity to upgrade myself. I did not have tears for feeling wronged, and I apologized to my husband once again and my husband also started to calm down.

Many situations like this have occurred. I have tried my best to adhere to the standards of a cultivator, and at times when I do well, my husband will not get angry so easily. We have become more harmonious, and it is like what Master said.

Master said,

“The Buddha School teaches self-salvation and salvation of all sentient beings. One does not only cultivate oneself, but also offers salvation to all sentient beings. Others can benefit as well, and you can unintentionally rectify other people’s bodies, heal their illnesses, and so on.“ (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)

Being Truthful and Going Against the Current

My husband works for a courier service. I wanted to send a package one time, so my husband told me he would take care of it. I thought that would be quite convenient at that time. However, later I realized that my husband did not follow the normal procedures to send my package. At times, there were overweight packages and customers did not have enough stamps, or the stamps got rubbed off during transit, so my husband would go to his firm to get stamps. Sometimes, he would not put the stamps on a package and save them for his own use.

I told my husband this wasn’t right and he didn’t seem to be happy about that. He told me that everyone from his firm did the same thing and the company didn’t seem to care either. Though the company did not suffer any loss, these stamps were actually paid for by customers and it wasn’t right to use their money to pay for our own packages.

I knew that I was a cultivator and needed to abide by a higher standard by following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. I shouldn’t take advantage of others and follow what everyone else is doing. I need to be truthful. I started going to the post office and bought my own postage stamps whenever I needed to send a package. Though my husband did not understand me, I felt more at ease.

I once bought a big container of expensive pesticide. The company mistakenly sent me two containers. After I received the second container, I contacted the company and sent the extra one back. The company expressed its gratitude. I felt that this was what I was supposed to do. I should not pocket money how everyone else does now in ordinary society. I cultivate Falun Dafa and know that Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is the sole criterion for discerning good and bad. Though today’s moral values are rapidly declining, I should not follow along and lower my standards as well.

My Tailbone Injury

I was very active when I was young and one time while I was flipping around at home, I injured my tailbone. It didn’t hurt that much at that time, so I did not tell my parents. However, in the years to come, my tailbone would hurt occasionally. My tailbone would hurt a lot when I stood up after sitting for a long time. I would be like an elderly person who needs assistance to stand up. There was something protruding near my tailbone, and I would often be unable to fall asleep laying on my back.

Though my tailbone hadn’t hurt for many years, I still did an X-ray to have a look at my tailbone when I was pregnant. The X-ray showed that my tailbone was bent horizontally, with one side protruding outward towards my skin and the other side facing inward. The doctor was shocked and said, “Oh my! This looks very painful!” He showed the X-ray to his colleagues and seemed like they had never seen anything like it.

I asked if I still could give birth naturally. The doctor told me that if I was lucky, my tailbone would be straightened when the baby’s head pushes out. On the other hand, my tailbone could be broken again and I could have to rest in bed for eight weeks. The doctor advised me that he could lower the risk if I had a cesarean section. I told the doctors that I would consider my options and get back to them.

After returning home, I thought about a section of Master’s lectures.

Master said,

“True cultivators have no illnesses,...” (“Explaining the Fa for Falun Dafa Assistants in Changchun,” Explaining the Content of Falun Dafa)

Master has purified our bodies and eliminated all of the black substances.

Master said,

“If you cannot relinquish the attachment or concern for illness, we cannot do anything and will be unable to help you.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)

When the doctor asked how I wanted to give birth, I said without a doubt: I want a natural birth.

I completely forgot about my tailbone when I was in labor. The doctor came into the room while I was breastfeeding and said, “You are sitting up! Is your tailbone okay?” I suddenly realized what he was talking about and said that I was fine. Though my tailbone was still protruding, I felt fine. Some new mothers with a normal tailbone might sometimes feel pain in their tailbone after giving birth. It was a miracle that I did not feel any pain. I have experienced the miracles and wonders of Dafa.

Above are some of my personal experiences. Although they may seem very ordinary, these are all true things. If I weren’t fortunate enough to obtain the Fa, I might have been deluded by family conflicts, personal gain, lust, or physical discomfort. However, I have obtained Dafa and the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion Forbearance. By assimilating to these principles, I am able to live a smooth life and obtain spiritual happiness.