August 23, 2013 | By Minghui correspondent Huang Yusheng from Taiwan
(Minghui.org)
Due to an unhappy marriage, Ms. Lin once lived a life of disappointment and despair. However, she has enjoyed happiness since she began practicing Falun Gong eight years ago. What brought such a drastic change to her life?
Ms. Lin (left) and her sister attended a Falun Dafa Experience-Sharing conference in New York in 2006
Ms. Lin (front row, right) and daughter (front row, left) participate in a quitting the CCP parade in Kaohsiung, Taiwan
Alcoholic Husband and an Unhappy Family Life
Mr. Lin used to drink a lot, and he was often unable to control himself after getting drunk. Yelling and throwing things around at midnight, he turned the house upside down in a drunken rage. Ms. Lin always had to clean up afterward. He once threw rocks at some windows, breaking them. Another time, he laid on some railroad tracks threatening to kill himself. Ms. Lin lived under great stress because of such repeated occurrences, and she was especially cautious to avoid making her husband unhappy when he was drunk.
Because of the increased paranoia in her life, Ms. Lin increased the dosage of her stomach medicine. Her headaches also became more severe, and she was often unable to fall asleep at night. Because of depression, she once thought about ending her life. As a result, she often had a bad temper toward her child. There was no happiness to be found in her family life.
Because of her husband’s behavior, Ms. Lin also developed a bad attitude toward her parents-in-law. She constantly complained about her life, but complaining did not help.
A New Beginning
When Ms. Lin felt most helpless, her older sister gave her a copy of the book Zhuan Falun. She also showed Ms. Lin the Falun Gong exercises. At that time, Mr. Lin was in rehab, and Ms. Lin was managing their restaurant by herself. She was about at the end of her rope.
But then she read Zhuan Falun. She was especially impressed by the following statement from Lecture Four:
“One is that you might have treated this person badly in your previous life. You feel in your heart that it is unfair, ‘How can this person treat me like this?’ Then why did you treat this person that way in the past? You might claim that you actually did not know it at that time, and this life has nothing to do with the other life. That does not work.”
Ms. Lin thus came to better understanding of how karmic relationships influence life, and she wanted a new beginning.
Ms. Lin took up the practice of Falun Gong without hesitation. Her mind and body improved as she steadily studied the Fa and did the exercises. As her body was being purified by the practice, she spit up phlegm for nearly an entire month. Also, the buzzing sound in her ears that had bothered her for so long suddenly stopped. Her headaches disappeared, and she no longer needed the stomach medicine. In addition, Ms. Lin let go of the fear she held toward her husband. Every aspect of her life significantly improved.
Changing the Exterior by Cultivating the Interior
Due to the unstable condition of Ms. Lin’s husband, the restaurant business fell apart. Her landlord’s building was later foreclosed, and she had to stop the business altogether. All investments and equipment were lost with no reimbursement. Ms. Lin was disappointed and upset. It wasn’t until she read the “Loss and Gain” section in Zhuan Falun that she stopped agonizing over it.
Ms. Lin went to work at her sister’s workplace. This not only allowed her to practice Falun Gong with her sister, but also improved her financial wellbeing. The business gradually gained more customers, and the pressure of paying her mortgage was reduced.
Ms. Lin says that she has been following the principles of Zhuan Falun since she first read the book. Many things that she used to agonize over no longer affected her much. It also helped that her sister encouraged her and shared understandings of the Fa teachings with her.
Through studying more and looking within, Ms. Lin realized she did not have the forbearance, let alone the compassion, required to handle her husband’s drunken behavior. Teacher Li Hongzhi requires students to look within and improve theirxinxing, but Ms. Lin realized that she had not been doing so. In Lecture Four ofZhuan Falun , Teacher Li said,
“We have said, however, that as a practitioner one should not fight back when being punched or insulted.”
She decided to follow this teaching better and treat everyone compassionately.
In this way, she let go of all her complaints toward her husband and mother-in-law. The relationships improved, and her husband also changed. He started drinking less, and his attitude towards her grew more positive. As the family became harmonious, Ms. Lin’s life was filled with joy, and she was very grateful for Master Li’s teachings.
In the beginning, her husband did not agree with her practicing Falun Gong, and he didn’t allow her to keep any Falun Gong books in the living room. When he heard Ms. Lin doing the exercises or listening to Fa lectures, he turned off the stereo. He even prevented her from going to the morning exercise sessions by flattening her car’s tires. But Ms. Lin did not give up. She simply rode her bike instead.
One day when her husband came back from a business trip, Ms. Lin was on the phone calling citizens in China to clarify the truth about the persecution of Falun Gong. She first thought about ending the phone call and going upstairs with the materials. Then, remembering the benefits she’d received from the practice, and how rescuing Chinese people from the CCP’s deception was upright, she changed her mind and continued with the call. Surprisingly, her husband greeted her with a smile and even sat by her to listen.
Ms. Lin’s husband has now quit drinking and supports her practice. He even encourages her to make more phone calls to rescue more people.
Following Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance at Home and in the Workplace
The practice of Falun Gong not only saved Ms. Lin’s marriage, but it also improved every other aspect of her life. Her mother-in-law now frequently praises her in front of others. After she and her sister started telling others about Falun Gong, their 82-year-old mother began to practice. Many of her relatives and friends watched some Shen Yun performances, and came to fully oppose the persecution.
When Ms. Lin’s daughter first entered high school, her relationship with her mother was tense. After beginning to study the Fa, do the exercises, and join other Falun Gong activities, she changed. Her school teacher said she had become more mature, and that she prioritized her classwork well. She was later admitted to a renowned university. Ms. Lin says that practicing Falun Gong helps children become positively self-motivated, and allows parents to put away their worries.
By following the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in her workplace, Ms. Lin always does her job well, and readily helps her coworkers. Her customers are often impressed by her diligence, and even when she goes to the bank, cashiers comment on how kind and easygoing she is. When asked what her secret is, Ms. Lin says proudly, “It’s because I am a Falun Gong practitioner.”
