(Minghui.org) Soon after my daughter started elementary school last September, it was Teacher’s Day. Many parents gave the teachers expensive gifts or at least 1,000 yuan in cash. Under the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) rule, morals are declining, corruption is rampant, and bribery has permeated every sector of society—even the once-sacred field of education.
Some parents said, “If we don’t give the teachers gifts they won’t treat our children well.” Others said, “I just want peace of mind. Otherwise, what if the teachers treat my child poorly?”
As a Falun Dafa practitioner, how could I be part of this unhealthy social trend? I should act righteously and uphold goodness. I always taught my child to follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance, and I hoped she would grow up to be an honest, kind, and tolerant person.
I did not give the teachers money. My child’s teachers were responsible and very caring towards the children. Every holiday, my daughter made her teachers greeting cards. If her teacher was unwell, my daughter gave her flowers. These were all gestures from her own heart.
As a practitioner, I know that not bribing teachers is for their own good, since people have to exchange their precious virtue for ill-gotten gains.
My daughter was born prematurely, so she was behind in terms of intellectual and physical development compared to other children her age. She struggled to adjust to the new environment when she started school. Her teachers told me she could not focus during class; sometimes she fell asleep or fidgeted. Some parents complained to me that she frequently got into fights with their children.
I knew my daughter had a hard time understanding when others spoke, and she had trouble expressing herself. She sometimes rambled incoherently, or if asked something, she simply said she didn’t know. When she got into a conflict with another child, the other party could tell their side of the story, while my child couldn’t say much. So it was assumed that my child was at fault.
As a practitioner, whenever I encountered this kind of issue, I considered it from the other parents’ perspective. I showed understanding towards them and sincerely apologized. I patiently explained to my daughter how to handle the situation. I explained the difference between right and wrong, detailing what she could do at school and what she should avoid.
When some parents said my daughter took their children’s things, I bought two of the items and asked her to give them to them. I told her that she should not take other people’s things. If another child took her bread, milk, or fruit, I gave her double portions to take next time and share with that child.
Once, my daughter had a conflict with a child from a different class. I was told that she hit this other child in the restroom. According to the other girl’s version of events, she wanted to clean something, but my daughter would not let her pass. When asked to move aside, my daughter refused. This led to the conflict, and apparently my daughter hit the other girl.
Encouraged by her head teacher, my daughter had already apologized to the other child. The head teacher then asked me to apologize to the girl’s parents in person after school.
On the way to school, I was thinking about how to deal with the other parent’s anger and what I should do. Even though it was my daughter’s problem on the surface, as a cultivator, I knew this might be related to my attachments.
My child got into conflicts with other children, and I received multiple complaints from teachers and other parents. I wondered what my attachment was. I thought about it while riding the bus and walking to the school, and found several of my attachments. I was very competitive; whenever I argued with my husband, I had to win. I also had a desire to save face; I was attached to fame and I enjoyed it when others praised me. I often felt it was unfair and became jealous when others received opportunities or rewards that I didn’t, especially when I worked hard while they seemed to put in much less effort.
While I was looking within, the teacher sent me a message informing me that the other parent said we did not need to meet after all. I realized I had identified my attachments.
Early one morning in March last year, my husband had severe pain in his abdomen. It was so bad that he couldn’t bear it and he kept groaning. He thought it would go away, so he just endured it. As it was very early, the rest of us were still in bed.
When our daughter and I got up around 6 a.m., my husband was still in terrible pain. He’d had acute appendicitis before, but the pain then was intermittent. This time, the pain was constant, so he decided to go to the hospital for a check-up.
Seeing his suffering, I asked him to say “Falun Dafa is good, Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” My husband believes Dafa is good because one of my relatives made a remarkable recovery after practicing Falun Dafa. So he began to silently say the phrases. I called a taxi so we could take him to the hospital. When we first got in the taxi, he was still groaning, but everything was quiet during the latter part of the trip. By the time we arrived at the hospital, the pain had stopped.
Since we were already there, my husband decided to get everything checked out anyway. We went to the emergency room and he had a CT scan. Two hours later, the doctor told us that a small stone from his right kidney had got stuck in the ureter, causing the intense pain. However, it had somehow passed out on its own.
After we got home, my husband said, “It was amazing! Everything felt fine when we were almost at the hospital. It felt like a wake-up call. Thank you for reminding me to recite those phrases. They are amazing!”
Several months have passed, and he has not had any further issues.