(Minghui.org) I teach science at a college. I have been searching for the meaning of life for as long as I can remember. Even my research in science couldn’t resolve my confusion!
I went to visit a friend in 1997 and was introduced to Zhuan Falun. The book answered all of my questions about life, so I decided to begin my cultivation journey in Falun Dafa. Despite the many difficulties, arrests, and other forms of persecution by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), I continue to practice Dafa and firmly believe in it.
Falun Dafa gives me wisdom. I am now kind, open-minded, and considerate of others.
Helping My Son Forgive
My husband and I are both in our second marriage. Shortly after we got married in 1999, the CCP began its persecution of Falun Dafa. I was illegally detained four times, the last time being in 2001.
Each time I was detained, my son from my first marriage stayed with his stepfather. He got along well with his stepfather and his step-grandparents. Since my husband didn’t know how to cook, he and my son went to his parents’ home to eat. During my fourth detention, my in-laws became cold toward my son, who was 11 years old at the time, and told him to go stay with his real grandparents.
My son was very hurt by their words and left heartbroken. I found this out two years later, after I was released, and felt sad about the incident. As a practitioner, I knew that I needed to treat conflicts differently than ordinary people.
Master (Li Hongzhi) said:
“An everyday person’s kindness isn’t manifest in his not generating karma when acquiring food for survival, but rather, it manifests in not keeping count of others’ wrongs, not holding grudges, not getting jealous, not deliberately seeking revenge, not killing people, not taking innocent life irrationally, and not harming life intentionally.” (“Dafa Is All-Encompassing,” Essentials for Further Advancement II)
I told my son to always be kind and considerate of his step-grandparents by following Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and that they must have been under a lot of pressure since they had to take care of two other grandchildren besides him. I explained that we should be understanding, as many people can’t handle problems calmly under such circumstances.
I didn’t blame or get mad at my in-laws, but continued treating them with kindness. My behavior eventually rubbed off on my son. Although he went through a lot when I was detained, he was always kind, sociable, and confident. He later graduated from a prestigious university with a Ph.D. degree.
Helping My Husband Calm Down
My husband and I often talked over the phone when he was out of town working towards his Ph.D. One day, a book was missing from the lab, and my husband’s adviser accused him, in front of many people, of stealing it. No matter how he tried to explain that he didn’t take the book, his adviser continued to blame him. My husband became extremely angry and ran out of the lab. He said he felt like he almost had a heart attack.
After he calmed down and told me about the incident. I listened patiently and said, “It must have been very uncomfortable for you when he yelled and accused you of something you didn’t do. But you do the same thing to others too. Have you ever thought of those people's feelings? This is karmic retribution for your treating others like that in the past.”
“You should be grateful to your adviser for accepting you as his student. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have been admitted into the program. You were rejected by the other teachers due to your age, and your area of study wasn't closely related. Your adviser also once asked a teacher to make an exception for you so that you could pass the English test, despite missing that one point. You should be grateful for all of his help. How can you blame him when you have so much to repay him for?”
Before I could finish, my husband laughed and said, “Thank you! I feel better now. You can always calm me down with your advice.”
I replied that I gained the wisdom from Dafa. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have looked at the problem like this. So we should thank Master Li instead.
Despite experiencing severe persecution, I live my life to the fullest, and my heart is full of gratitude and kindness. Only Falun Dafa can create such a life!
