(Minghui.org) I have been practicing Falun Dafa for over six months alongside my mother who is a veteran practitioner.
When I was in middle school, I read Zhuan Falun with my mother, took part in group Fa study and exercises, and promoted the practice. I remember I could meditate in the full lotus position and recite “On Dafa Lunyu” from memory. Because I did not put the teachings into practice and did not really appreciate and value cultivation, I allowed myself to be duped and swayed by the “self-immolation” lies perpetuated against Dafa by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). I gave up practicing. Later when I was at a university, I picked up the practice again. I often carried an MP3 player with me to listen to Master Li's (Dafa’s founder) lectures. I also read the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. My character gradually improved. I clarified the facts to my dorm roommates and was very happy for them when they withdrew from the CCP organizations.
I slacked off in cultivation again after my internship. I then got married. My time was taken up with work and family, and cultivation was pushed from my mind. That was until my marriage turned sour. It was a wake-up call for me and made me determined not to waste my life anymore.
By all appearances, I am very blessed to have a good education, a solid career with good prospects, my parents’ love, and an adorable son. Talking about my son, I named him Lian Zi because he was a gift from Dafa. Before having him, I was unable to conceive for five years. Despite having severe bleeding in the third month of my pregnancy, the baby was healthy and unharmed. But as I became disillusioned with my marriage, my old outlook on life shattered.
I had already stopped studying the Fa for many years, but merciful Master had not given up on me. When my mother learned what had happened to my marriage, she was initially very angry. No one had thought my husband was a good match for me, from his family background to his looks and career. My parents were against our marriage at first and only went along with it because I insisted.
When I told my mother about my marital woes, I said if we were not cultivators, our family would have taken it up with my husband’s family and demanded they take a certain action, but we should know better as practitioners. I went on to tell her about the signs Master Li had shown me. My mother calmed down.
My approach at the time was to change myself. Instead of retaliating, I treated my husband even better and forgave him. But his behavior did not improve, which led me to conclude that our time together was truly over. In the end, we parted ways amicably. During that time his attitude toward Dafa completely turned around. By buying into all of the malicious propaganda about Dafa, he initially denigrated Dafa and forbade my son from learning Dafa. Gradually, he became willing to read truth clarification information, and he eventually signed a solemn declaration apologizing to Master. It was wonderful that he was able to acknowledge Dafa and it thus gave him a better future.
Around the same time, I changed jobs. The in-fighting at work and the excessively-long hours caused my health to spiral downward. I had a painful lump on my breast which appeared to be breast cancer. Having no faith at all in modern medicine, I chose to do the Falun Dafa exercises instead. In no time at all, the tumor popped and the scar healed.
There's a saying: “Once the scar is healed, one forgets about the pain.” I returned to my previous stressful lifestyle, and my health deteriorated again. I was afflicted with all sorts of ailments, such as hair loss, insomnia, agitation, irregular periods, back pain, leg pain, joint pain, and neck and shoulder pain. I tried covering up all of my problems because I was too proud. I was mentally and physically exhausted while maintaining the facade of being a high achiever.
I decided Falun Dafa was the only way out for me. After persisting with the exercises in the mornings for some time, I felt like a changed person. I also finally put the suffering from my poor health and the torment of my broken marriage behind me.
Although I knew deeply that my son Lian Zi was a gift from Dafa and was destined to be a Dafa disciple, I didn't really help him cultivate. He had suffered from severe asthma for quite a few years. When the symptoms first started, I had hoped that he would grow out of it, but the symptoms became a lot worse last year and his asthma attacks became monthly occurrences.
Whenever Lian Zi had an asthma attack, you could hear this weird noise from his throat as he struggled to take a breath. His face went pale from straining and he looked as though he was about to pass out. These acute severe attacks usually occurred during the day or early in the morning. When it happened, he could only bawl his eyes out and would break out in a sweat. His breathing would become so labored that he could not speak or lie down. He was in and out of the hospital, and the attacks could only be alleviated by steroid injections, and oxygen or steam therapy. We could manage the symptoms but were unable to find a cure. I was really stressed watching my child suffer while fully aware of the side effects of the medications they had to use on him.
I realized later that only our merciful Master and Falun Dafa could help Lian Zi. My mother and I proceeded to study Zhuan Falun and Hong Yin with him. We memorized Lunyu and sent forth righteous thoughts. Lian Zi was still learning a lot of the words for the first time. In a matter of a few weeks, Lian Zi did not have to go to the hospital anymore. He was cured and his breathing became normal. He was finally freed from the shackles of asthma, thanks to our merciful Master who removed the sickness karma for him.
Lian Zi’s celestial eye is opened, and he can often see twinkling Faluns (law wheels). He can now sit in full lotus, and recite “Lunyu” and some Hong Yin poems. He loves singing Dafa songs and listens to the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party and The Specter of Communism Is Ruling Our World at bedtime.
Lian Zi also has his tests in cultivation. He was once slapped 14 times on the face by a playmate but remained unmoved because he knew that it was a test for him. Since then his complexion changed for the better. This playmate asked my mother if Lian Zi was right. He wanted to know why Lian Zi kept smiling when he was slapped. A practitioner nearby said Lian Zi was given virtue by his playmate.
I used to work in a public hospital, and it was almost standard practice for everyone to receive extra income under the table. I did not see anything wrong with that before practicing Dafa, but now I know that’s definitely not the right thing to do because I had taken something that did not belong to me and had lost my precious virtue in return.
Fortunately, Master arranged for me to get a job in a private hospital. Away from the toxic environment of the public hospital, I was determined to do the right thing and take home only the wages I was entitled to. It worked out that my work hours were not as demanding, thus leaving me more time for cultivation. Copying the Fa, doing the five sets of exercises, sending forth righteous thoughts, clarifying the truth, and doing what Master asks of us, step by step, I got back on track with my cultivation.
In a dream I saw a tall tree, reaching all the way into the sky, laden with durian fruit. I shared this with my mother. She reckoned Master was pointing out that I still have not let go of my feelings for my ex-husband. The words “durian” and “reluctance to let go” are homophones in Chinese. Later the same day, as I mentally went through some of the times my ex-husband and I shared together, I discovered my old feelings were gone and I wasn’t touched by them anymore. I passed this test without incident! But letting go of attachments is never easy. I was reminded of my ex-husband again in a dream a few days ago. I took it as a cue from Master that we have to work hard all the time at getting rid of attachments, and with the Fa in our hearts, we needn’t shy away from difficulty.
When my work unit had a three-bedroom, two living room, and two toilet house available to allocate to employees, I was the most suitable candidate in terms of seniority in title to get the master bedroom suite. But as a Dafa practitioner, I should not worry about my gain first. I suggested that the allocations be based on age rather than seniority in the title. In the end, two elderly employees chose to forgo their rights and offered the master bedroom to me. I believe from the day I started cultivation, everything that occurs in my life is arranged by Master and he only gives us the best. I always keep these words in mind from Master:
“getting things naturally without trying to get them.” (Lecture Given at the Conference in Sydney)
As I was writing this, my mother started hand-copying the Fa again. She said it helps her tame her demon nature and her impatience. I am relatively new to Falun Dafa, but I have no doubt at all that this is the way that will lead to my heavenly home. Going forward, I will do my best to put Master's teachings into practice, and cultivate well alongside my son and mother by learning and supporting each other in our cultivation journeys. We will hopefully be shining beacons of the beauty of Dafa to those around us.