(Minghui.org) I started practicing Falun Dafa in 2009. During my years of cultivation, I changed by following the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance. Under Master’s compassionate care, my relatives have also benefited.
There is a Chinese saying, “Filial piety comes first among all good deeds.” As a Dafa practitioner, I believe that filial piety is not only about respect and care for one’s parents and elders, but also about letting them know the truth so that they can have a better future.
I would like to tell about my parents-in-law, who benefited both physically and mentally and enjoyed family harmony after they quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP).
My parents-in-law were cadres at a university in Beijing. They joined the CCP when they were young. Over the years, they were profoundly indoctrinated by the Party. They lived relatively well and were rewarded with good retirement benefits. They formed the notion that they owed their good life to the CCP.
My husband and I settled down in the south of China. My parents-in-law came every year to celebrate the New Year with us. At dinner on day, my husband said that his boss had asked him to submit an application to join the Party. My parents-in-law were excited and encouraged him. I had not been practicing Falun Dafa for long at that time, and my understanding of Dafa was relatively shallow. But after personally experiencing the beauty of Dafa, I had always wanted to find opportunities to clarify the truth to my family.
I told my husband that the CCP was the most corrupt political entity in the world, and I advised him not to join it. My husband said that he never would. My parents-in-law were unhappy, saying that my husband now only listened to me, thinking that I had hindered his career prospects.
Not long after this, my parents-in-law discovered that I was practicing Falun Dafa. I put truth-clarification materials on a car and my mother-in-law saw me. Because they believed the CCP’s slanderous propaganda they saw on TV, they had a bad opinion of me. They didn’t say anything openly, but they whispered to my husband in private, “Tell her not to cause trouble!”
I looked for opportunities to chat with my parents-in-law and tell them the truth about Dafa. My mother-in-law had a slipped disc, and I asked if her back still hurt. She said that she had seen experts in different Beijing hospitals over the years, but nothing could be done, and it still hurt on and off.
I told her, “Falun Dafa is a Buddhist cultivation way. My health has improved since I have been doing the exercises. I also recovered from chronic appendicitis, sciatica, and other ailments. You know, I slipped going down the steps last week and hit my lower back. You and Dad wanted me to go to the hospital for an X-ray. I said I was alright and got up on my own. My back is fine now. This is the magic of Dafa. Mom, why don’t you do the exercises with me?”
My parents-in-law said nothing. I didn’t think much of it and continued to tell them the truth about the self-immolation incident on Tiananmen Square, and showed them pictures of the “hidden character stone” in Guizhou Province. I told them not to believe the CCP’s propaganda and lies and that only by quitting the Party can we survive. I asked them to do it as soon as possible.
That made my father-in-law so angry that his face turned red. He held it in for a long time before finally saying, “How can you believe this?!”
I replied, “Falun Dafa is the Buddha Law, and people practice it in more than 100 countries around the world. A significant number of them have advanced degrees. Practitioners come from all walks of life.”
My mother-in-law stood up, thrust her hands in her pockets, and said, “You say the Party is no good, but China’s economy is great now. Isn’t that because of the Party? Quitting the Party means you are against the Party!” I tried to explain further, but they refused to listen and went to their room.
I felt bad that I couldn’t get my parents-in-law to understand the truth. I looked inward and found that I had not considered their situation and their ability to accept Dafa. I had focused on expressing myself and spoke fast. I had a fighting spirit and wanted to argue with them. I didn’t do it with a pure and kind heart, and I didn’t try to untie the knot in their hearts.
I did not let my parents-in-law see the goodness of a Dafa practitioner. I was ashamed and regretful and thought, “I will cultivate well and follow the requirements of Dafa, and one day my parents-in-law will see the beauty of Dafa.”
My parents-in-law went back to Beijing after the New Year. Before they left, I gave my mother-in-law a USB flash drive. She asked me what was on it. I didn’t dare tell her that it was the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party. I just said that the video on the USB was very precious.
She stuffed the USB into her suitcase and took it. I later asked if she had watched the video. She said in a slightly mocking tone of voice, “I knew what you were giving me, but I haven’t looked at it!”
My husband lost his job shortly after my parents-in-law returned to Beijing. He was at home for two years and brought in no income. We didn’t want his folks to worry, so we kept it secret from them.
My parents-in-law came to the south again to celebrate the New Year two years later. They saw that their son was always at home and did not go to work. They kept asking questions until my husband finally had to tell them the truth. It worried them. My father-in-law was anxious, and my mother-in-law’s blood pressure rose. She sighed all day long, and the atmosphere at home was gloomy.
I was responsible for all the family expenses at the time. My parents-in-law felt sorry for us and wanted to give me money. I said, “According to Chinese tradition, we should respect our elders and should not burden you. Besides, I make enough to cover our expenses, so don’t worry. Please put yout money away.” I assured them, “He [my husband] is only temporarily out of work. Let’s not blame him. We shouldn’t be anxious and should just let nature take its course.” They were very pleased to see me being so reasonable.
My mother-in-law couldn’t eat meat, but my father-in-law liked it, so I made separate dishes that each of them liked. My parents-in-law loved to eat flour-based food, but I was from the south and didn’t know how to make it. So I learned from my mother-in-law and often made dumplings, buns, pancakes, and noodles for them. They were very pleased. When my mother-in-law spoke to relatives on the phone, she kept praising me for my good cooking and saying that I was a good and filial daughter-in-law.
My mother-in-law had an allergy, and her skin easily got red and itchy. I bought her cotton clothes and plant-based toiletries as much as I could. When the weather was nice, I took the quilt to the roof of the building to get sun on it. I used my actions to validate Dafa and let them see the beauty of Dafa everywhere I could.
My parents-in-law read before they go to sleep, so I put different Minghui journals and The Ultimate Goal of Communism by their bedside. My mother-in-law read them all, and my father-in-law read some. When I had free time on weekends, I listened to Minghui’s “May 13 Essay Collection” broadcast with them. Gradually, my father-in-law started to believe the truth. He was a little deaf, so he turned up the volume and listened carefully. The touching true stories on the Minghui broadcast greatly shocked them.
I did these things quietly. My parents-in-law saw it, and their attitude toward me improved. They no longer objected to my practicing Falun Dafa, and my mother-in-law learned to meditate with me. She was able to cross her legs in the lotus position right away. I showed Zhuan Falun to her, but my father-in-law was still worried and did not dare to let her read it. Maybe it was not her fate yet, so she returned the book to me.
She said, “You have changed so much this time. You used to have a bad temper and seemed irritable when you spoke, but now you have a gentle temperament. You take care of others, and you are very sensible. It seems as if you have become a different person.” I smiled and told her that Dafa’s Master asks us to behave like this.
The Lantern Festival quickly passed, and my parents-in-law were preparing to return to Beijing. I thought I had to hurry up and clarify the truth to them. I silently asked for Master’s blessing to give me wisdom so I could tell them the facts clearly and they could truly be saved.
That night, my husband went to a party with his friends, so I went to my in-laws’ room. I said, “Dad, Mom, you are both very kind and good. It must be hard for you to see the corruption in society today. Now, under the CCP’s rule, morality has declined rapidly. Just look at the corrupt officials who have arrested in recent years—the amount of money they stole is shocking.
“Think about it: If one fish in a pond is sick, something might be wrong with the fish. If all the fish in the pond are sick, something must be wrong with the water. In the same way, China’s society is now politically corrupt. Officials in politics, the military, judiciary, medical system, and education are all corrupt. The root cause of the corruption is the CCP, which is destroying us Chinese!” My parents-in-law agreed that was indeed the case and that the political landscape was rotten to the core.
I said, “Mom, you said that your good life is a gift from the Party, but that is not true. You are living a good life because you have accumulated virtue in the past. Your pension is the result of all those years of hard work—it is not a ‘gift’ from the Party. The Party does not cultivate land or make products. It is the people who create social wealth and who feed the Party. The CCP is a vampire attached to the people.
“Over 80 million Chinese have been killed in the CCP’s political movements. Falun Dafa is the Buddha Law, but the CCP persecutes practitioners and even harvests their organs and sells them for huge profits. These crimes will be punished by God.
“You swore to fight for the Party all your life and to sacrifice for it when you joined it. That was a poisonous oath! Falun Dafa guides us to follow the principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance to be good people. Asking people to quit the CCP to ensure a better future is not engaging in politics; we do it to save people. It is to help people stay away from evil, erase the poisonous oath, and not be buried along with the CCP when heaven destroys it. Mom and Dad, you are my relatives. I hope you are both safe and have a bright future. Let me give you each a nickname, ‘Xinlian’ and ‘Mingde,’ and declare that you are withdrawing from the CCP. Is that okay?”
My mother-in-law turned to my father-in-law, who thought for a moment and then said firmly: “Let’s quit! Please do it for both of us!” My mother-in-law said that she really liked the name “Xinlian.”
I added, “According to Chinese concepts, if you respect heaven, do good deeds, and accumulate virtue, you will be protected by gods and Buddhas. Now that you have made the most correct choice, gods and Buddhas will definitely protect you and make our family harmonious and prosperous.” They both smiled and laughed.
Three months after my parents-in-law quit the CCP, my husband’s former boss recommended that he apply for a job at a Fortune 500 company. My husband was hired and became a department manager with an income twice as high as before. We called my parents-in-law to tell them the good news. They were very happy. I said, “You made the right choice, and our family is protected by gods and Buddhas. We have received great blessings.” They kept agreeing.
When the pandemic broke out in early 2020, I gave my parents-in-law a Dafa amulet and told them to recite sincerely “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good,” to protect them from the plague so they could stay safe and healthy. My parents-in-law understood.
The pandemic surged when the control measures were lifted in November 2022. Most people in the compound where my parents-in-law lived were infected, and many developed white lung. Many elderly people died, and even young people lost their lives. With Dafa’s protection, however, my parents-in-law were safe and healthy during the three years of the pandemic. I am infinitely grateful to Master for his compassion.