Falun Dafa Helps Me to Let Go of Self-Pity and Find Joy in Overcoming Tribulations

(Minghui.org) I am 66 years old and immigrated to the United States in 2016. I started practicing Falun Dafa, also known as Falun Gong, in 1995. During the past 26 years of cultivation, I have gone through many ups and downs, but thanks to the protection of compassionate Master (founder of Falun Dafa), I have been able to remain steadfast in my faith and continue my journey to return to my original true self.

Becoming a Dafa Practitioner

My mother underwent a gastrectomy in 1995. After the surgery, she was told that she had only six months to live. A few months later, she began to practice Dafa. In less than a year, she completely recovered. Although she was illiterate, she learned how to read Zhuan Falun, the main book of Falun Dafa. Witnessing the miracle of Dafa, all six of us siblings except one also took up the practice.

My childhood was full of hardships. My whole family had barely enough food. I dug wild vegetables whenever I could. I picked up chicken droppings and pig manure, and handed them over to the production team for labor vouchers, when the people’s commune system was still in place.

Because of poverty and poor sanitary conditions, I suffered from stomach pain and malaria all year round. We had no money for medical treatment, and could only cook wild grass root soup to relieve the pain. 

Afraid of being poor again, I studied hard in school and worked hard day and night after graduation. Hard work and lack of rest took a heavy toll on my health. I developed various diseases, including cerebral ischemia, myocardial ischemia, hypoglycemia, and lumbar muscle strain. Many times I was unable to walk up the stairs even though I was young.

After practicing Falun Dafa, I regained health. I always felt my body being enveloped by energy, which made me feel very comfortable. 

Upheaval of the Family

I had an enviable family after I got married. My son and daughter were smart and lovely. However, when the children desperately needed guidance in their rebellious teenage years, my husband had an affair and divorced me. That same year, the state-owned company I worked for had a reform and turned all employees into contractors. All of the guaranteed perks from the government were gone, and I could not even get paid in full on time as my pay was tied to the company profit, which fluctuated from time to time. 

Both of my children lived with me after my divorce and my ex-husband often failed to provide timely child support. I then moved into a house near my children’s school. The cement walls and floors were barren. The doors and windows were not painted, and the stair railings not yet installed. My children felt uncomfortable there and asked me from time to time if I could renovate the house. Due to the pressure to raise the children and the pain from the broken marriage, I became depressed and even thought of committing suicide. I often lamented at the unfairness as I had to suffer so much. 

It was Dafa that gave me the courage to persevere through thick and thin. From studying the Fa, I understood the meaning of life and the relationship between loss and gain. I realized that suffering in life was caused by karma. I no longer regarded the hardships as unfair. I always reminded myself to behave well and teach my children to live by the principles of “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.” 

Every morning, I got up at 4 a.m. to do the Dafa exercises and prepare breakfast for my children, and then went to work after they left for school. I came back home during the lunch break to make lunch and delivered it to my children at school. I also picked them up after school. Every night, I made the best use of the limited free time to study the Fa and print truth-clarification materials for nearby practitioners. 

Although I was extremely busy and only had a few hours of sleep every day, I was at ease because the Fa was with me all the time.

I often took my children to the library to read books and participate in some after-school activities no matter how busy I was. I never demanded them to have high test scores, as long as they studied hard and took the exams seriously. I always read their test reports and wrote a few words to the teachers on the test paper. The teachers were impressed by my approach. When they knew that I was a Dafa practitioner, they said that it would be great if every parent cooperated with the teachers’ efforts like a Falun Dafa practitioner did.

Helping My Son Overcome Addiction to Video Games

It is not always smooth sailing on the path of cultivation. A conflict can unexpectedly arise. When it comes, we should look within unconditionally to see where we had not done well. The story about my son is an example.

My son became obsessed with video games. He did not come home straight after school, and had often missed dinner. Sometimes I had to go to the game house to take him home. I grounded him from time to time and asked him to think over his bad behavior. I also made him write self-reflections, but strict disciplines would last only several days before he went back to the video games again. 

I tried all possible measures, but nothing worked. My heart was broken for my son! While struggling with punitive measures, all of a sudden I remembered Master’s teachings, “You should educate children with reason so that you can really teach them well.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun).

Master also said,

“While working, your tone of voice, your kindheartedness, and your reasoning can change a person’s heart, whereas commands never could!” (“Clearheadedness,” Essentials for Further Advancement)

I realized that I did not follow the standard of Dafa. Instead of teaching my son rationally, I suppressed and punished him. 

I encouraged my son to study the Fa with me. I taught him to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance and to be good both in moral integrity and ability. I thought about his addiction problem from his perspective, and realized that my son would not be able to completely kick off the addiction all at once. I let him make a plan, and I supervised the implementation. He planned to cut down the video games from every day to once a week, and then slowly to once a month. I asked him to control himself and fight off temptation from the outside world. Gradually, his addiction faded away and he finally got rid of his addiction.

My Daughter Blessed for Her Righteous Thoughts

I treated my two children according to the standards for cultivators, and they could feel the power and beauty of Dafa and began to cultivate at young ages. 

After the Chinese Communist Party began to persecute Dafa in 1999, I was arrested and detained multiple times. On January 13, 2000, dozen of police officers broke in and ransacked my home. Facing so many evil persons in the room, my son trembled in the corner and did not dare to make a sound. My daughter silently hid Master’s portrait in her school bag. 

During the two weeks I was detained, my daughter carried the portrait to and from school every day. She didn’t take it out from her schoolbag until I was released. During my detention, my relatives, friends, workplace leaders, and colleagues frequently pressed my daughter to write to me and persuade me to renounce my faith. My daughter finally wrote me a letter, in which she told me not to worry about her and her brother, but to persevere in my faith. She said that she would study hard and get admitted to the best university.

Master has mercifully protected my children and gave them wisdom. Not only did my daughter get admitted to one of the best universities, she also had the best scores in the city’s college entrance examination. That could only happen once in a blue moon in our school district. 

When a parent referred to my daughter as a quintessential model for her child, the child said that my daughter had outstanding grades because I was a practitioner. I was really happy for this child, who knew the facts. I was also grateful for those who have positively spread Dafa.

Later, my son was also admitted to an excellent university. Master has given us such a blessing! My gratitude to Master could not be described in words.

Being Kind to My Ex-husband

After the divorce, I was full of resentment towards my ex-husband at first. I blamed him for the pain he caused to me. As I cultivated more, I understood more the importance of improving xinxing and began to sympathize with him. I felt peaceful and joyful after I overcame the hardships. I let go of my attachment of sentiment and treated him rationally and peacefully. I hoped that he would also have a safe and happy life in the future. 

I always told myself to be tolerant, no matter how much I was wronged. I never criticized my ex-husband in front of my children. I tried to keep a good image of him for the children. I always reminded my children to bring some gifts for their father every time they went to visit him. 

Master has purified my mind and enlightened my wisdom, helping me go through many hardships in life and not being angry because of the pain. I have experienced the happiness of letting go of attachment and elevating my realm. 

Now, my daughter and her husband have two children. Everyone in her family practices Dafa. I’m grateful to Master for guiding my family on the cultivation path.