My Mother-In-Law Helps Point Out My Resentment

(Minghui.org) Two things that happened recently helped me realize the seriousness of cultivation.

At the beginning of 2023, my mother had a serious illness. Because she was weak and could not stand or walk she stayed at my house for two months and I took care of her.

As soon as my mother was able to walk, she asked to go home. Although she was still very weak, she insisted I take her home. I later heard my mother-in-law was not nice to my mother while she stayed with us and always spoke harshly to her.

Because of this, my resentment toward my mother-in-law surfaced again. I stopped talking to her. When she spoke to me I answered her briefly. Everything she did was offensive to me. I thought about how she hadn’t given me a penny before I married and how she took things from public places, like spoons and towels. She said I was stupid when I bought fruit and vegetables because I did not pick out the large or attractive ones.

I did not yet practice, but I always looked down on this kind of behavior. I gradually did not want to go out with her. I felt her behavior was crude and embarrassing. I sometimes told her, “It’s wrong to steal.” But she kept doing it. When I threw away the things she took she was upset.

I asked my husband to tell his mother not to do these things, but my husband, who wasn’t practicing either then, said it was fine as long as she was happy. When he later began to practice and knew it was wrong to steal from others, he stopped her.

When I read the Fa, I couldn’t stop thinking about these incidents from the past, and it seriously affected my cultivation.

Master said,

“No one knows what kind of qigong some people practice. While practicing and swaying the body, one mutters, “Oh, my daughter-in-law doesn’t respect me. My mother-in-law is so terrible!” Some people even comment on everything—from their workplace to state affairs. There is nothing that they will not talk about, and they will be quite upset if something does not agree with their way of thinking.” (Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun)

One night during dinner, I just finished silently complaining about my mother-in-law when I suddenly bit my tongue. It kept bleeding and was very painful. I realized that I was wrong. When I looked in the mirror the next day, I couldn’t find the wound; it was amazing! I thanked Master for his compassionate hint.

I realized that I needed to give up all my attachments, especially my resentment towards my mother-in-law. The root of it was jealousy. Why was she so bitter towards my mother? My husband’s mother lived with us for 24 years, so why couldn’t she let my mother stay for two months? Why did she have to live with us and not her other two sons (my husband’s brothers)? I knew I had to eliminate all these filthy attachments; otherwise, I would be no different from ordinary people.

Practicing Tolerance

The second incident took place last month. When I came home from work, I opened the refrigerator, and it was a mess and the sink was filled with unwashed dishes. When I went to the bathroom the puppy had urinated on the floor, and it stank!

My mother-in-law was watching TV in the living room and my husband was on his cell phone. I was upset and angry with them. I forgot that I was a practitioner.

That night, I was gluing some hooks in the closet when I suddenly realized that my little finger and the ring finger of my right hand were glued together. I quickly rinsed my hand with water, and the two fingers separated, but they were covered with glue. I immediately apologized to Master, “I was wrong again; I really want to pass this test.”

The glue on my little finger and ring finger became very hard. I didn’t care and took it as a lesson to remind myself that I must pass this test. When I washed my hands the next afternoon, I was surprised to find the glue completely disappeared.

What exactly did Master want me to understand? I realized it was tolerance. I failed to be tolerant.

Master Helped Me Remove My Attachments

I was determined to pass this test, and I studied the Fa seriously. I overcame my laziness and read one lecture in Zhuan Falun each day. I began going to the local Fa study group to read with other practitioners, and compassionate Master helped me eliminate these corrupt things.

Now, I treat my mother-in-law with compassion and feel sorry for her. I also no longer complain when I do the housework. Whenever a wrong thought comes, I immediately say, “I don’t recognize you; you are an arrangement of the old forces; I only follow the path Master wants me to follow.” As for my husband, I also treat him nicely without complaining or getting angry.

One night while I was reading the Fa, my husband wanted to talk to me. In the past, I would have been impatient because he always discussed the politics in his company. This time, I asked him to help me find the location of some acupuncture points mentioned in Zhuan Falun. After he found them on the Internet, he explained the functions of these acupuncture points. I would have been very impatient in the past and said, “Just tell me where they are. What’s the point of telling me so much?” This time I quietly listened.