(Minghui.org) Master’s recent article, “A Wake-Up Call,” was published on the Minghui website on June 6, 2024. I read it three times. The first time I read it, I thought it was directed at Falun Dafa practitioners outside China and did not apply to practitioners in China. The second time I read it, I felt my initial view wasn’t correct. When I reread it I realized it was written for practitioners around the world.
I was shocked by Master’s words. I’ve practiced Falun Dafa for 27 years and I’m considered a veteran practitioner. However, I now realize just how little compassion I have cultivated over the years.
I’m kind to non-practitioners that I have a good relationship with or strangers, in order to save them. But I have no compassion at all for people I don’t like or that I feel harmed my family.
Six years ago, my son’s marriage fell apart, and I believed that it was all because of his mother-in-law, who wanted her daughter to marry a rich man at any cost—even if it meant that her daughter and child left my son and didn’t receive child support from him. When we refused to agree, she fought with us and even went to the police station to report that I practice Falun Dafa, have Falun Dafa books and materials in the house, and that I teach my grandson to do the Falun Dafa exercises. My family and I hated and resented her for doing this.
A year passed, and my grandson said he missed us and wanted to see us. Unable to go against the child’s wishes, she brought the boy for a visit. We bought him clothes and toys and prepared a feast. We also gave him 2,000 yuan.
A year later, on the second day of the Lunar New Year, she brought our grandson for a visit so he could give us New Year’s greetings. We again treated them with great hospitality, mainly for the sake of the boy. We also invited them to stay overnight and gave our grandson 2,000 yuan as a New Year’s gift, which is the custom in China. But she thought the amount was too little and she wasn’t happy.
We started to believe the only reason she brought our grandson to visit us was to get money from us, so we distanced ourselves from her.
During the school summer vacation last year, she brought our grandson to visit us. We were very happy to see the child, who was now much taller. Again, we gave him money and said a lot of complimentary words to thank my son’s former mother-in-law for taking care of the boy, even though we didn’t really mean it.
During the winter vacation, she brought our grandson to see us again, but this time, before we even had a chance to talk to him, she announced that she had called a taxi and they were leaving. We didn’t understand what she was up to, so we gave our grandson 500 yuan and said our goodbyes.
She brought the boy to visit us many times over the years, and for his sake, we treated them very well each time they visited and always gave him money and other things. I never had any compassion for her—instead my resentment towards her deepened.
From Master’s Fa (teachings) we know that one’s life was arranged by gods and is played out step by step over time. We cannot control our own destiny, let alone anyone else’s. I blamed his mother-in-law for breaking up my son’s marriage. But was that really the case? She’s only an ordinary person, and she can’t possibly change another person’s fate. If I kept thinking that way, wouldn’t I have a deviated way of thinking that goes against the Fa’s principles?
Still, I couldn’t let go of my anger and resentment toward her, even though I realized I was wrong. I felt ashamed because I did not following Master’s teachings about compassion and hadn’t cultivated my xinxing.
What should I do to be worthy of the sacred title of a “Dafa disciple?” I must follow Master’s teachings—the beacon guiding us on the path toward godhood and the foundation for us to enter the new universe. All genuine Falun Dafa practitioners must follow Master’s teachings.
Whether one wants to cultivate and sincerely cultivates depends on oneself. I’ve now realized that my cultivation would be fake if I followed my way of doing things when I’m fully aware of the Fa principles Master taught us. Genuine cultivation means one must follow the Fa principles in one’s daily life.
I felt I hadn’t genuinely cultivated myself over the years, and I was unworthy of Master’s compassionate salvation and the expectations of the sentient beings eagerly waiting to be saved. I was even less worthy of the sacred title of “Dafa disciple.”
As Dafa practitioners, we have a predestined relationship with all those we encounter in life and we must save them. Then, isn’t my son’s ex-mother-in-law also a being who has an affinity with Falun Dafa, and who deserves to be saved? Shouldn’t I regard her with compassion and loving kindness? She’s taking good care of our grandson and should be given credit for her time and effort. She brings our grandson to visit us so that he still has a connection with us, as his grandparents. Their visits also bring us so much pleasure and happiness. Even though she’s an everyday person, she’s doing something good for all of us. I’m a Dafa practitioner; shouldn’t I be kind to her?
After I realized my shortcomings I silently told Master: It’s high time I genuinely cultivated myself. I’m determined to follow your teachings.
On July 22 this year, my son’s ex-mother-in-law called me, and said she wanted to bring our grandson for a visit the next day. I bought a lot of treats for them. When they arrived, I treated them nicely from the bottom of my heart.
Our grandson has grown, and he’s now taller than me. When my son, who works out of town, had a video chat with his son, I told him, “Your mother-in-law has taken such good care of your son. Would you like to say a few words to her?” My son said yes and called her “Mom” when he talked with her. She was really happy and encouraged my son to work hard for the family. Everyone was happy.
I told my son’s ex-mother-in-law, “We are very grateful to you and your daughter for taking such good care of our grandson. You have both worked very hard, especially you. We haven’t done anything these years, but you still bring our grandson to visit us as his grandparents. I also admire you for your kindness. I’m pleased that our grandson has such a nice grandmother like you.” She listened with a smile on her face.
After we took a photo with our grandson, I told his grandmother, “Let’s take a picture together.” Seeing that she was a bit embarrassed, I said, “The boy is my grandson, and your grandson, too. The two of us are still good sisters.” She was delighted to hear what I said, and we took a nice photo together. She looked even happier than I did. As we said goodbye, she invited me to visit her house.
Seeing the change in me, my daughter also changed her negative view about my son’s former mother-in-law and said, “My big aunt (referring to the ex-mother-in-law) has done so much by taking care of my nephew. We should be grateful and treat her nicely. My younger brother’s marriage had some good times, but when that affinity was over, we should let it go, and we shouldn’t hold any resentment against his ex-wife or her mother.”
After the ex-mother-in-law left, I had none of the upsetting thoughts I used to have. Instead, I felt very calm. I felt I had begun to genuinely cultivate myself and was conducting myself according to the Fa’s principles. I let go of my previous human notions and attachments. It was such a wonderful feeling. Thank you, Master, for your compassionate guidance and salvation.
When I did the exercises the following morning, I felt very calm, very comfortable, as if I was sitting inside an eggshell just as Master described in Zhuan Falun. I hadn’t experienced that feeling before.
Through this incident, I realized that when I let go of my impure thoughts, kind thoughts arose, and only kind thoughts and love can truly give rise to compassion. To have kind thoughts, we must first let go of our human notions and attachments. Only then can we reach a state of tranquility and emptiness and our hearts be filled with compassion.
I now have a deeper understanding of what Master wrote in his poem,
“... The mind empties and kind thoughts arise ...”(“Entering a Sacred State of Mind,” Hong Yin III)
Master’s article bridged the seemingly insurmountable gap between my son’s former mother-in-law and me. With the compassion that Master bestowed on me, I was able to turn an enemy into a friend and take a new step forward in cultivation.
Thank you, Master, for your compassionate guidance and salvation.