(Minghui.org) I work in the medical field and have been practicing Falun Dafa for over a decade. I grew from a child who felt blessed to obtain the Fa into a young woman full of passion to help those suffering in this world. As a Dafa practitioner, I now often quietly reflect on my shortcomings based on the teachings of Dafa.
In this process, I’ve observed that people around me are slowly changing and truly sense the power of Dafa.
My Husband Changes
Conflicts at home were intense when I first began to practice Dafa. Given the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) propaganda that slandered the practice relentlessly, my husband refused to listen or believe anything that had to do with Dafa. Obviously, the state of my cultivation played a part in this.
Nearly every night my husband would drag me out of bed and reprimand me. I was under a lot of pressure at the time, but I refused to back down and didn’t consider his feelings. I tried to explain the facts to him but he refused to listen and threw away any Dafa information I gave him. I continued to do what a Dafa practitioner was required to do but never thought about cultivating compassion.
As I matured in cultivation, I began to realize that I needed to pay attention to other people’s feelings since practitioners don’t pursue anything for themselves but simply want to save others. Only when we are sincere can we move people’s hearts. As I started to do that, I observed that my husband was changing.
When my daughter was preparing for her university entrance exams, my husband was worried about her results. He asked me, “As someone who practices a cultivation way, what do you think are the attachments we should let go of?” I was surprised! My husband used to be an atheist and believed Darwin’s theory of evolution that humans came from monkeys. But he had started to read religious things and even offered dumplings to deities during the Chinese New Year. He even said to others, “No one is more villainous than the CCP.”
He used to throw a tantrum whenever I spoke about cultivation and pushed my legs down whenever I sat in the lotus position. Now I can meditate in the morning for one hour, and he quietly sits next to me. He used to throw away anything related to Dafa that he saw lying around at home. Now I can listen to the taped lectures at home. Of course, it will be a while before he can truly understand what Dafa is all about, but I saw that, as I improved in cultivation, those around me started to change in a positive direction.
My Daughter Changes
As children get older, they often refuse to listen to adults who badger them. Even if we are just trying to correct their bad habits, they refuse to listen. If you nag them for eating sweets and playing games on their mobile phone all they time, they will complain that you are bothering them. I realized that my daughter’s behavior was for me to cultivate.
Dafa teaches us to look within, so I regarded my daughter’s behavior as a mirror of my shortcomings: I too am attached to food. I loved to eat sweet, sour, and spicy things. Isn’t that an attachment, too? After I paid attention to getting rid of this attachment, I noticed that my daughter ate fewer sweets. When I am tired, I too pick up my mobile phone and start to look at videos, and before I know it, two hours have gone by. I began to cut down on the time I spent on my phone and my daughter put down her phone and asked me to go on walks with her. It was an opportunity for her to share her thoughts with me.
Children are mirrors for their parents, so whenever I see anything wrong with my daughter, my first thought is to look at myself. Often, without me having to say anything, my daughter changed her ways, too. As long as I cultivate solidly, it is much better than nagging my daughter.
My Sister’s Transformation
My sister is a Christian, and for many years we never stopped arguing over our faith. She lives in our hometown and I don’t, so we only see each other once a year. Whenever I went home, I clarified the facts of Falun Dafa to her.
She always refused to listen and even recited the Bible to me. She often said what I practiced was fake and could not be trusted. Because the Bible mentioned the appearance of false saints, she believed there is only one God and that all others are false, not righteous. Every time, I could not help arguing with her and the children would say, “Do we have to listen to you two arguing again?”
Neither of us could convince the other. I knew I was wrong and could not save her. I could not improve in my cultivation, either. Gradually, I paid attention to curbing my desire to gain the upper hand in our arguments. I stopped being irritated when she said things I didn’t want to hear. I then discovered that my sister had heard what I said and even agreed with me!
We stopped fighting and even reached a consensus on certain issues such as that atheism is sinful and Satan is slandering God and destroying people. When I let go of the pursuit of proving myself right, I stopped being eager to change others. I was able to explain the teachings of Dafa and the people around me changed.
My Coworker’s Transformation
Nowadays, corruption in the medical field in China has become the norm. After I became a practitioner, I stopped accepting bribes. Gradually, coworkers in my department stopped accepting gifts and free dinners. More and more, my manager tries to promote ethics at work. I recommended my coworker when the workplace was selecting a department head even though I was more senior. My coworker became the head, and after I told him the facts about the persecution, he was not asked to become a Party member. Things are getting better at work and many patients trust us.
From the changes in those around me, I understood why Master often tells us as practitioners that we have to validate the Fa. Our actions clarify the truth and show how wonderful Dafa is. It can change individuals, families, society, and even humanity. For ourselves, for others, and for our mission, cultivating ourselves well is top priority.
(Selected submission in celebration of World Falun Dafa Day on Minghui.org)
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