China Fahui | Small Issues Are Cultivation Opportunities

(Minghui.org) Greetings, Master! Greetings, fellow practitioners!

During this 23rd China Fahui on Minghui, I would like to share some of my experiences of how seemingly trivial issues offered me cultivation opportunities.

Moving Beyond My Mentality of Being Clean and Trouble-Free

I lived in a rental house in a compound shared by several families. We all used a single communal restroom which had no automatic flush mechanism, so we had to use a basin to fetch water to flush the toilet. My room faced the restroom, which was about four meters away. One neighbor was a father, and his son was from the countryside. The son, Lele, was a man in his thirties. He never flushed the toilet after using it.

During the sweltering summer, the foul smell was unbearable. I reminded Lele several times to flush the toilet, but he simply smiled and said, “Sorry!” before sauntering off. Left with no other choice, I had to fetch water and flush it each time he used it. Lele spent his entire day at home, and made countless trips to the toilet. And each time, I found myself having to flush it. Over time, a deep sense of resentment and dissatisfaction began to fester within me.

One day, I saw Lele walk out of the bathroom, and I wanted to call him back to flush the toilet. I opened my mouth a few times, but I stopped. I managed to stay quiet, but inside I was in complete turmoil. Filled with resentment, I grabbed a basin, filled it with water, and flushed the toilet. Yet, once I returned to my room, I quickly calmed down. Could it really be a mere coincidence that I encountered such an annoying situation? Wasn’t the situation meant to expose my attachments?

I began to look within, and I discovered many hidden human attachments.

Master said:

“A wicked person is born of jealousy.      Out of selfishness and anger he complains about unfairness towards himself.A benevolent person always has a heart of compassion.      With no discontentment or hatred, he takes hardship as joy.An enlightened person has no attachments at all.      He quietly observes the people of the world deluded by illusions.”(“Realms,” Essentials for Further Advancement)

Wasn’t my resentment toward Lele actually a manifestation of jealousy? Resentment is the opposite of compassion, and disliking this or that is being selfish. I am a practitioner, and only by assimilating to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance can I enter the new universe.

I must follow Dafa’s standard. No matter how trivial the matter, I should not look outward to find faults in others. Instead, I should use the shortcomings I see in them as a mirror to reflect on myself.

Once I find my attachments, I should eliminate them. I should assimilate to Dafa and no longer expand the things inside me that aren’t good.

I need to expand the capacity of my heart, learn to be tolerant, and cultivate compassion. As soon as I had this thought, every trace of resentment vanished in an instant. When Lele came out of the bathroom again, with a completely clear and untroubled mind, I filled a basin with water and went to flush the toilet.

Nothing we encounter in our cultivation is accidental. Everything was arranged by Master for us to improve. When I truly look within, I can find the attachments I need to eliminate, and my xinxing improves. Then the matter no longer has any reason to exist, and even if it persists, it would no longer stir my heart.

When I Changed, So Did My Uncle and Aunt

I grew up in a large family, and life at home was difficult. When I was young, my parents sent me to live with my uncle and aunt in the north. My uncle treated me with the same affection as he would his own daughter. My aunt, however, had a very domineering personality. Her word was law in the household. If things didn’t go exactly as she wished, she would fly into a rage, and she frequently quarreled with my uncle. My aunt ordered me to do a great deal of housework. I had to constantly gauge her mood, which left me feeling deeply insecure.

When I was in my teens, my parents brought me back home. My uncle continued to show me great care. During my college years, he contributed even more toward my tuition than my own father did. I’ve always remembered my uncle’s kindness.

Last winter, my uncle and aunt asked me to head north immediately, as my uncle had been diagnosed with throat cancer and urgently needed surgery. They asked me to come and look after him. I felt quite conflicted upon hearing this. If I went north, it would be difficult to return anytime soon, which would interfere with my cultivation. Yet, if I didn’t go, my conscience would not be at ease. I thought that I should not be selfish and I should put others first, so I quit my job and went to my uncle’s place.

My aunt and I accompanied my uncle to the hospital for medical examinations, after which he underwent surgery. I went to the hospital every day to look after him. My uncle and aunt relied on me for almost everything, and they were very pleased with me. After my uncle was discharged, I continued taking care of both of them. My aunt went out every day to dance or play mahjong, leaving the responsibility of caring for my uncle and managing the household chores entirely to me.

My aunt often shouted at me as soon as she got home, so I stayed constantly busy. I also noticed that at mealtimes, she would slide the serving dishes toward my uncle and herself, as if she was afraid that I might eat too much. These may seem like small matters, but they left me feeling uncomfortable. She sometimes even used that same stern, harsh tone she used when she spoke to me when I was a child.

Through cultivation, the sense of inferiority I had developed as a child gradually faded away. I told myself, “I’m nearly sixty now. How could I possibly still go around trying to gauge your moods, the way I did when I was a kid?” Although I didn’t argue with my aunt, my displeasure sometimes showed on my face.

One day, my cousin came over to fix some appliances. He suggested to my aunt that they place a magnet on the electricity meter to stop it from recording usage, which would save a good amount of money. Hearing this, I advised my aunt against it, explaining the principle of “no loss, no gain.” This made my aunt angry, and she told me to stay out of it. I couldn’t help but argue back a little.

I realized afterwards that I was not acting like a cultivator, and I was mired in the conventional logic of ordinary people, arguing over who was right and who was wrong. In fact, it would have sufficed to simply state my position clearly, and I should not have had a fighting mentality like my aunt’s. Her attitude toward me that day was no accident, either. Wasn’t Master using this to expose certain attachments of mine? This was a good opportunity for me to improve. But I didn’t do well.

I repeatedly looked within after this incident, and found many attachments including resentment, fighting mentality, inability to take criticism, fear of losing face, and looking down on others. So I dug within deeper and deeper. After layers and layers of attachments, I eventually realized that I did not feel the same genuine, heartfelt kindness for my aunt as I did for my uncle. My attitude toward her was defined more by politeness and the formal respect due an elder. I realized I was in the wrong.

“Auntie, I’m sorry,” I apologized to my aunt. “I was too blunt, and I shouldn’t have talked back to you. Please don’t be angry. I’ll do better in the future.”

“You’ve already done a wonderful job,” my aunt smiled and said gently. “You’re taking care of the two of us. What more could I possibly ask for?”

Every day, besides taking care of my uncle’s needs, I also played the recordings of Master’s lectures, and videos such as “Journey Through Storms and Hardships” and “Now and For the Future.” My aunt suffered from various health conditions, and I often told my uncle and aunt that saying “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good” would improve their health. They happily agreed.

I also changed. I began genuinely caring about them and considering their interests in everything I did. My uncle genuinely believed in Dafa so he recovered quickly. At the New Year, he respectfully stood in front of Master’s portrait and thanked him.

Ever since I let go of my resentment toward my aunt, she became much nicer and more polite when she spoke to me. When I tailored some clothes to better fit her, she kept praising me for being so clever and skilled. My uncle was so happy to see my aunt and I chatting and laughing together. During meals, my aunt would urge me to eat more, claiming that I needed to take good care of myself and I was far too thin. She cared for me just like a mother would. Nothing like this had ever happened before.

My aunt returned from playing mahjong while I was listening to a recording of Master’s lectures. She sat quietly next to me and listened. With a smile, she remarked, “This concept of ‘forbearance’—it’s so incredibly difficult! You might be able to do it, but I certainly couldn’t.”

Another day, my aunt saw I was doing the exercises. She walked over and said with a smile, “I’d like to learn the Falun Dafa exercises. Could you please teach me?” I didn’t expect she would want me to show her how to practice, but I was very happy and I taught my aunt the five exercises.

Although my uncle and aunt haven’t started practicing, their heartening transformation was deeply gratifying. I know that all these wonderful changes stem from the grace bestowed by Master.

I will continue to assimilate to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, cultivate diligently, do the three things well, and follow Master to return to my true home!

Thank you, Master! Thank you, fellow practitioners!

(Selected submission for the 23rd China Fa Conference on Minghui.org)