Cultivating “Ren”

(Minghui.org) I would like to share some of my recent thoughts on cultivating “Ren” (Forbearance).

I am 81 years old, and I began cultivating Dafa in 1995. I suffered from many diseases before I started cultivating, and cannot remember any good days. Within two months of practicing Dafa, the scabies on my calves and the scaly skin disease (ichthyosis) on my legs disappeared. I also recovered from my headaches, stomachaches, and tachycardia. I was no longer bothered by any diseases. Dafa gave me a healthy body!

Dafa also changed my character. I used to be a very strong-willed woman who always had the final say at home. After years of studying the Fa and cultivating my xinxing, I followed Master’s teachings, and used the standards of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance to conduct myself. When encountering problems, I worked hard on “Ren” and improving my xinxing.

For example, I once bought an item of clothing for myself. When my daughter-in-law saw it, she said, “You already have a lot of clothes to wear. Why are you buying more?” My first thought was, “I did not complain about you not buying any clothing for me. How can you criticize me when I buy clothing for myself?” I soon remembered that I was a cultivator and knew she was helping me to improve my xinxing. I immediately smiled and said, “Thank you!” She looked at me and didn’t say anything for quite a while.

What was even more incredible was one time when I boiled water to drink, my daughter-in-law criticized me, “Why do you drink so much water?” When I talked during a meal, my son yelled at me, “Don’t talk while eating!” When I was cooking one time, my son said, “Your cooking is inedible!” My son and daughter-in-law were unhappy about almost everything I did, including mopping the floor, washing dishes, grocery shopping, cutting vegetables, and so on. They criticized everything I did and would often make things difficult for me. I was useless in their eyes.

Cultivating “Ren” Is Really Not Easy!

Whenever they criticized me, I reminded myself that I was a cultivator, and I remembered Master’s Fa, which said to look inward upon encountering problems. This thought helped me calm down. When I thought about these things afterward, they were really nothing. If I had not practiced Dafa, I would have felt that they had gone too far. Especially for someone like me who had a strong personality, there would be no way I would let them off easily. However, after I started cultivating Dafa, I learned to look inward, and what seemed likely to create family issues would disappear. Dafa is truly wonderful! It not only gave me good health, but also gave me a new life and a harmonious family.

While I worked on cultivating “Ren,” I came to understand it was also my chance to eliminate human sentiments toward my son. I used to worry about him, afraid that he would not eat well, sleep well, or get too tired. As a cultivator, I knew I should eliminate this attachment. Everything is arranged by Master, and they are all good things!

I once returned to my older son’s home from visiting my younger son. When I entered the house, my older son asked me kindly, “Have you eaten?” I said I had. Soon after, he suddenly got angry at me for no reason, and criticized me, “You old fool, why did you go out in such a bad weather? If anything happens to you, I won’t take care of you!”

At the moment, I remembered what Master said:

“As practitioners, you will suddenly come across conflicts.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)

I said nothing and I was still in good spirits.

I thought, from my son’s point of view, he had good intentions for me, and he was worried that I might fall in bad weather. If I was not cultivating Dafa, I would have definitely gotten angry if my children were disrespectful. As a cultivator, I knew these were all karmic ties. Therefore, not only should I not complain, I should also appreciate them for helping me to raise my xinxing. Where else could I get such good opportunities to cultivate myself?

Given Master’s compassionate guidance, I continue cultivating. In the future I will try my best to do the three things well, save more sentient beings, fulfill my historical vows, complete my cultivation, and follow Master to my true home!