[Selected Opinion Articles] Countless Broken Families Healed by the Principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance

(Minghui.org) Traditional Chinese culture emphasized self-improvement and responsibility to family and society. “With a righteous mind, one would improve his character; once character is improved, harmony in the family will be achieved; this leads to a well-governed state; it in turn will result in a peaceful society,” states Da Xue (Great Learning) in a Confucian classic Li Ji (Book of Rites). 

As a mandatory component of the imperial examination, Da Xue and other classic teachings guided Chinese civilization for thousands of years and inspired people to focus on improving themselves, take good care of their family, and serve society. 

But such a tradition was totally destroyed by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) after it took power in 1949. During the Cultural Revolution and other political campaigns, the regime attacked traditional values and targeted anyone who dared to try to preserve them. Through incidents like the 1989 Tiananmen Square Massacre, the CCP further shattered intellectuals’ dream for freedom and promoted a money-first mentality instead, which quickly led to moral degeneration, family crises, and endless social problems. 

It was under these circumstances that Falun Dafa and its principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance were introduced to the public in 1992. Inspired by these teachings, Falun Dafa practitioners strive to be better citizens in the family, in the workplace, and in society. Through constantly looking within and making progress, they have been able to improve themselves and exert a positive influence on others. 

Below are some examples.

In-law Relationships

The in-law relationship can be very tense, but many Falun Dafa practitioners have been able to maintain a harmonious relationship with their parents-in-law by following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. 

One example is “I Became a Better Daughter-In-Law Through Cultivation” published in November 2021. The author’s parents-in-law treated her badly, leaving her often frustrated. “I began to feel hatred toward my in-laws. Even though I was buying things and doing the chores for the family, I felt I was treated unfairly and was unhappy every day. I felt that I had done everything I was supposed to, and I didn’t respect them anymore,” wrote the author. 

But all of this changed after she began to practice Falun Dafa. About two years ago, her parents-in-law moved in with her. “Not long after that, my mother-in-law lost the ability to take care of herself, and I needed to carry her back and forth to the bathroom 10 times a day. She later had a stroke and became paralyzed. She couldn’t eat, drink, or talk, and one side of her body was immobile. Her doctor inserted a nasogastric tube through which we gave her water and nutrients,” the author shared. 

There was no one else to take care of the author’s parents-in-law because her husband was adopted and is an only child. Both the author’s parents-in-law and their relatives praised her for taking care of the elderly couple. One of them said, “No daughters today are able to do what you’ve done for their parents. A while ago, I hired a caregiver who quit after working for just a few days.” The relative said it was very hard to find a virtuous person like the author.

The author’s mother-in-law once said, “If it weren’t for my daughter-in-law, I would be dead.” Her father-in-law also remarked, “If asked what good things I have done, I would say that I must have done something good for you in a past life to have you as my daughter-in-law in this life.”

With all these praises, the author replied, “You should thank Master Li. If I didn't cultivate Falun Dafa, I wouldn't be able do this.” Many modern people only focus on self-interest and don't care about others.

A similar situation happened in the story of “[Celebrating World Falun Dafa Day] Master Li Teaches Me To Be a Good Person”. The author, 53-year-old Xiu Xiu, bad a very difficult life. Her parents died when she was young. Her husband had many bad habits and engaged in extramarital affairs. She let go of her hatred towards her husband after she started practicing Falun Dafa. He later died a sudden death after drinking at a party. 

Even when her husband was still alive, he never took care of his own family, let alone his parents. Xiu Xiu, however, always took good care of her parents-in-law.

Her father-in-law had been bedridden for many years with no control of his bowels and bladder. He was also stubborn and the people hired to take care of him could not stay long. Because of that, Xiu Xiu had to stop her own business to look after him. “Because of his difficulty urinating, I needed to help him with it, along with having to turn him over in the bed. When he had constipation, I had to wear gloves and dig out the waste. When his sputum was stuck, I needed to take it out with a syringe. His lower jaw also became dislocated from time to time and I learned how to put it back,” wrote Xiu Xiu. “Since I fed him water and food spoon-by-spoon, my father-in-law was very moved and called me his daughter.”

When the father-in-law thanked Xiu Xiu sincerely, she replied, “Dad, you don’t need to thank me—please thank Master Li since Falun Dafa teaches me to be good person and to be considerate of others. Otherwise, I would not do this even if you paid me 10,000 yuan per month.” Even Xiu Xiu’s husband was touched. “My wife treats my father much better than I can. She is the best!” He once said in front of neighbors with a thumbs-up.

Husbands and Wives

Six practitioners in Xichang City, Sichuan Province were sentenced in December 2020 for upholding their faith. Among them was Mr. Huang Biao, who had been taking good care of his ill wife for more than 10 years. Because of that, he was well-known in the neighborhood and community. His son once said, “Without my father, my mother would have died a long time ago.” Upon hearing Huang’s story, a government official was moved to tears and even planned to nominate him for “Good Citizens in Xichang” – he later gave up because Huang was a Falun Dafa practitioner. 

Another story was documented in “Wife Arrested and Faces Prosecution for Her Faith, Bedridden Husband Struggles to Care for Himself.” Ms. Yu Aili is a resident in Changchun City, Jilin Province. “Before Ms. Yu took up Falun Gong, her husband often beat and verbally abused her. She often fought back and later divorced him,” the article said. 

After beginning to practice Falun Dafa, Ms. Yu followed the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and became considerate of others. She often visited her former mother-in-law and bought clothes and food for her. Her ex-husband later suffered a stroke and had a craniotomy. 

To look after her ex-husband, Yu remarried him even after he had become paralyzed. “Because of his physical suffering, he was in a bad mood and often lost his temper and yelled at Ms. Yu. Meanwhile, he also demanded to have different dishes for each meal. He would throw things around when he wasn’t satisfied with the food. Ms. Yu would then try to improve the meal, until he ate it,” wrote the article. 

But the police arrested Ms. Yu in July 2020 and detained her for practicing Falun Dafa, leaving her husband unattended. 

Sibling Relationships

Under the CCP’s brainwashing of brutality and hatred, even siblings could become enemies.

A practitioner in Heilongjiang Province talked about the changes in her older brother and her husband’s older brother. Influenced by the CCP culture, both men took advantage of their family members and bullied others. Although they became rich temporarily, they later experienced financial difficulty. Moreover, none of their relatives liked to interact with them. 

As a practitioner, the author treated her brother and brother-in-law with compassion. She convinced her husband to visit the two relatives from time to time. In the end, both relatives were very grateful and they also agreed to quit the CCP organizations for a better future. 

Another story was written by a company executive, who has two older sisters. After their parents passed away, the three siblings argued about the inheritance. The author soon remembered that he was a Dafa practitioner and should be considerate of others. As a result, he gave the majority of the inheritance to his two sisters, even though his parents’ will stated that he, as the only son in the family, should receive most of the inheritance. 

Upon witnessing the author’s selfless and upright actions, his sisters were moved and respected Dafa and Dafa practitioners. One of them began to practice Falun Dafa as well.

Prodigal Sons Change for the Better

The article “The Power of Compassion” talked about several examples of prodigal sons turning their lives around.

One of them was the younger brother of Xinyu, a Dafa practitioner in Guangdong Province. Her brother had lived a reckless life. “He had opened several shops but they all failed. He was addicted to gambling and accumulated many debts. He had borrowed money from all his friends and family members. In the end, no one wanted to lend him any more,” the article stated. 

Disappointed in him, their parents tried to help by getting him a job as a police assistant. However, he soon owed 198,000 yuan on a usury loan and one day he went to Xinyu in tears begging for help.

Xinyu agreed to help him pay off the debt. She also told him how Falun Dafa teaches people to be good and improve their moral standards. She also told him not to participate in the persecution as a police officer.

The brother was deeply touched and he changed after that. Their parents were also surprised to see this. “Only Falun Dafa could change his heart!” they commented.

A practitioner from Liaoning Province shared a similar story about her husband. “My husband was always belligerent. He would pick a fight with anyone, anywhere. He was expelled from school for fighting. People feared him at work because of his bad temper. After we married, we argued and often fought. I had scars all over from his beatings. I thought of divorcing him many times but was afraid. He was also an alcoholic and drank at every meal. When he got drunk, he behaved even worse. Our neighbors all avoided him, fearing trouble. My father-in-law called him a ruffian and worried about him getting into trouble all the time.”

After beginning to practice Falun Dafa, however, this practitioner acted based on the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. “I stopped resenting him and treated him and his parents with kindness. He saw what Falun Dafa had done for me. One day, one of his friends came to visit and urged him to read Falun Dafa books and do the exercises. So my husband started to practice Falun Dafa,” recalled the practitioner. 

Since then, her husband stopped drinking and smoking almost immediately. He stopped beating her and their children. He even started doing household chores and learned to think of others first. He was a changed man.

“People who knew him in the past were surprised to see the changes in him. My in-laws are so grateful to Falun Dafa for changing and saving him that they have started practicing Falun Dafa themselves,” the practitioner added. 

The stories above are just a few of the many examples of how the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance can change people for better.