(Minghui.org) I grew up in the countryside in a family watching my parents fight a lot. My mother was the director of the village committee of the Women’s Federation when I was very young. She later became the village branch secretary of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). She worked for the Party for more than 20 years.
My mother was bad-tempered, and heavily influenced by the CCP. She insisted on having the final say in everything, no matter whether it was at home or outside. If anyone had a different opinion, she immediately scolded them. She handled everything the way the CCP guided her to, and took the mindset of struggle and being ruthless to the extreme; I could not see a shadow of a gentle, traditional Chinese woman in her. Sometimes when she fought with my father, she’d grab a kitchen knife and chase him out of the house. Throughout my childhood, there was rarely any peace at home, and I experienced tremendous mental suffering. When I was 19, I even thought of committing suicide.
On the second day of the Chinese New Year 1997, I started practicing Falun Dafa. My life changed. I was no longer negative; instead I was immersed in joy every day. I treated everyone with the kindness that I achieved through cultivating in Dafa, and I experienced many amazing incidences.
My wife was diagnosed with intestinal adhesions in the summer of 2009 and was hospitalized. The doctor said that she needed immediate surgery. I was running a business at the time and had to get up early every morning to purchase and deliver goods; my time was very tight.
I very much hoped that my mother would help me take care of my wife. However, the day before my wife’s surgery, my mother told me that she was going on a trip the next day, to Yunnan, Shanghai and other places and she would be gone for twelve days. I thought, “I really wish you could stay and help me instead of going on the trip.” A trace of resentment crossed my mind. I immediately remembered that I was a practitioner, and I should consider others first and I should not hold resentment. I told my mother calmly, “Okay Mother, you go. I will take care of the family.”
My wife had surgery the next day and my mother went on her trip. I don’t know how I passed the days with my wife hospitalized. My mother-in-law stayed with my wife during the day; I could only stay with her when I had time. I went to the market at 4 a.m. every morning to run the business and stayed there until about 10 a.m. Then I had to deliver goods. After I finished delivering, I went to the hospital around noon to take care of my wife. I also had to take my daughter to school and pick her up. In the evening, I stayed at the hospital to take care of my wife. After she fell asleep, I read the Fa. It was a very difficult time.
One day after my father passed away in 2019, my mother, my sister, and I chatted together. My mother told my sister, “I’ve done some things that I felt sorry for. Especially when I went on a trip when your sister-in-law had surgery. I felt very bad afterwards.” I was moved to tears.
My mother asked my sister, “Do you know what your brother said at the time? Your brother told me peacefully, ‘Mother, just go on your trip.’ I really admired your brother.” I told them, “If I didn’t practice Falun Dafa, I would not have been so calm. Dafa helped me discard my resentment and hatred. Mother, we should all thank Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa.”
In my memory, my mother never apologized to anyone. Dafa melted the ice in my heart, helped me to think of others, and let other people witness the beauty of Dafa.
My wife and I have been married for more than 20 years. We did not have much in common and no matter what I said, she always said the opposite. Thus, I was always silent at home. For a long time we were in a state of cold war; we often ignored each other for two weeks or even a month at a time.
As I kept cultivating, I found that in the depths of my mind, I longed for a marriage where the husband and wife loved each other and the wife was virtuous and gentle. But in the real world my married life had nothing to do with what I wanted.
Master said,
“Let me tell you, every person in the entire world was at one point part of my family (applause), including the worst people, or else they would have no chance to be a human being during this time.” (Teachings Given on Lantern Festival Day, 2003)
After I read this, I changed my mind. From despising my wife and arguing with her, to later controlling myself not to argue with her even in conflicts – although I still felt somewhat angry, I can now let it go without feeling disturbed. It was really a process of cultivating my mind. I can really treat my wife as a pitiful being without any resentment.
Last year, my father-in-law accidentally hit one of his big toes with a hammer at work. When my wife told me what happened, I immediately drove to his workplace and took him to the hospital. Then I carried him into the hospital with my brother-in-law and my wife following us. That day, I was so busy from morning until three or four p.m. that I had no time to eat.
After his injuries were treated, I told my wife, “Let’s have your father stay at our house. It is easier for us to take care of him.” My wife has two siblings. My father-in-law ended up staying in our house for 26 days. During that time, I bought him his favorite food, bathed him, and chatted with him. I took good care of him. My wife witnessed everything that I did and after he left, she said, “You are awesome!”
Looking back on my cultivation path of more than 20 years, I understand that a practitioner must read the Fa well and that internalizing the Fa teachings is critical for us to cultivate from ordinary human beings to divine beings. Except for taking care of my business and my family, I spend almost all my time doing the three things. I read the Fa, do the exercises, and send righteous thoughts every day and I use every spare moment to talk to people about Falun Dafa so they can know how good it is and understand that the CCP, which persecutes Dafa, is bad. I talk to people face-to-face and on the Internet. Some months I helped at least 70-80 people quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations even though I was busy with other coordination work, and in some months I’ve helped as many as 300 people quit the CCP.
Cultivation is not easy. I have been busy every day for a long time and sometimes I sleep very little. However, when I remember that many people are waiting to be saved, I know that all the difficulties I’ve experienced are well worth it. Some practitioners say, “I hope Master will smile at what I’ve accomplished.” Master will be happy for us if we cultivate well and save more lives. I know that I still have many ordinary notions, such as a competitive mentality, a show-off mentality, lust, and so on. I will discard them through my cultivation in Dafa. Master, I will cultivate more diligently!