(Minghui.org) Practicing Falun Dafa dissolved my 20 year-grudge against my father, which also had a powerful effect on him. My father was determined to devote his entire life to the Communist Party; now he has renounced his membership.
1. How It Began
My parents divorced when I was little. I lived with my father and stepmother. My stepmother later gave birth to two boys.
I went to see my biological mother after I got married. My mother broke down with emotion upon seeing me again. She held my hands and told me why she and my father divorced. I thus learned that the divorce was mainly my father's fault.
After their divorce my mother lived alone. Back then, those who were divorced were often shunned. My mother swallowed the bitter pill of a life alone. Now she saw her son get married and start a career. She told me about the miserable life she had during the past 10-plus years. After learning what my mother suffered, a stream of hatred towards my father rose from my heart. I decided to take revenge for my mother and bring her justice.
I wrote a letter of complaint and mailed it to the Chinese Communist Party's (CCP) Province Committee. But the Party Committee sent the complaint letter to my father. My father was enraged upon reading the letter. He called me and asked me to come over. Once I stepped in the door, my father and my two teenage brothers surrounded me, tied me up, and beat me up. While beating me, my father asked me why I did this. I told him I wanted to avenge my mother. From then on, we didn't visit each other, not even once in 20 years. I didn't allow my son to see his grandfather.
2. Discovering Falun Dafa
At the end of 1995, a colleague told me that there was a Falun Dafa lecture video being shown in the auditorium, that it was very good and many were going to watch. So I went, too.
I was deeply convinced at once by Master Li's broad Fa teaching. I got myself the book Zhuan Falun that day. At home, I told my wife how good the lecture was. The next day my wife went too. From then on, we both began cultivation in Falun Dafa. That unforgettable day was December 9, 1995.
I was shocked and amazed by the teachings. I continued watching Master's nine-day lecture series three more times and was determined to cultivate Dafa and return to my true self.
3. Dissolving the Resentment
Master told us:
“So to put it another way, you have to care about character cultivation, cultivate by the nature of the universe—to be True, Good, and Endure—and get rid of those ordinary people’s desires, those character flaws, and those thoughts about doing bad things. As long as your level of awareness goes up even just a little bit, those bad things of yours are shed some at the same time.” (“The First Talk” in Zhuan Falun)
Looking back at the longstanding resentment between my parents and me, I then understood them from the perspective of Dafa. I felt that my 20 years of resentment toward my father dissolved instantly. I told my wife: “I want to see my father.” My wife couldn’t believe it.
I took one week off work. I called my father before leaving, and I could tell he was frightened. After 20 years, I finally knocked on my father's door. My father and step-mother opened the door with fear and trepidation. They saw their son smiling at them and greeting them. They were pleasantly surprised and speechless.
I said to them with a smile: “Dad, Mom, I came back to apologize to you. I began practicing Dafa. It is extremely righteous and good. I now understand many truths about life and why our family suffered so much. All these things were not random, and so were my biological mother's hardships. I not only apologize to you today, but also hope you will learn Falun Dafa.” I started to introduce Falun Dafa to them right away.
My father said, “How could there be such a good thing? I do not believe it!” I said: “Dad, whether you believe it or not, I only have one week to stay. I'll teach you the exercises and study the Fa with you. After a week, if you feel it is good, you continue, and if not, I'll leave. How is that?” That year my father was 85 years old.
My parents then sat down with me and started to study the Fa. I shared with them my own understanding of cultivation and other practitioners' miraculous experiences. My stepmother said: “How powerful this practice is! Son, these teachings changed you so much. Master Li is great! It is just marvelous!”
After doing the exercises for a few days, my father said happily: “I couldn't fall asleep before. Now I can fall asleep once I lie down, and I sleep well and comfortably. This practice is very good. I will practice Falun Gong from now on.”
That was at the beginning of 1996. My father and stepmother started cultivation. Many relatives of my stepmother also took up the practice eventually.
4. My Father, a Retired High Ranking Official, Quit the Party
My father once was a militant person, and he had a bad temper. He smoked and drank alcohol. He had high blood pressure and coronary heart disease. The doctor told him not to smoke or drink. My stepmother also advised him not to smoke or drink. My father never listened, and drank alcohol at every meal.
One day not long after he began cultivation, he started having a meal without drinking. My stepmother mentioned it and said: “Why does the liquor not smell fragrant?” She said: “That is right. No fragrance. Master is helping you quit drinking alcohol!” My father said, “I have no desire to drink. It is marvelous! This practice is really good. I quit drinking without struggling.” Later, my father also unwittingly quit smoking.
My father was a retired high ranking official, and he needed to have periodic physical exams. After starting cultivation, he didn't get a physical exam in half-a-year. The doctor came to pick him up for a physical exam. The results showed that his blood pressure, blood lipids, and other items were all normal. The doctor said: “What have you been doing?” My stepmother said, “Practicing Falun Gong.” From then on, my father never went to see the doctor. My parents often went to a nearby exercise site to do the exercises. After the communist regime started the persecution in 1999, my father continued to do the exercises at home.
In 2005, when the Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party came out, I started urging people to withdraw from the Party. I went to my hometown to persuade old friends to quit the CCP and its affiliated organizations. Once my father heard it, he said right away: “Quit, quit. I have abandoned the CCP. How can I not withdraw from it?” My father has remained steadfast in his belief in Master and Dafa.
