(Minghui.org) Since childhood, Yang Zhongxun was known as a simple and honest person. A relative once shook her head and sighed, “He’s too honest. How can he survive in this society?” Yang did not argue, but thought, “Being a good person is what’s most important. If someone wants to take advantage of me, so be it.”
Yang was routinely bullied as a child and this continued after he became an adult. He always dismissed it and took it lightly. But one incident in 2006 dragged him into an abyss – he was so miserable that he almost took his own life. At that critical moment, however, he read a book that dramatically improved the situation.
Heavy Debt
Yang was 36 at the time. “I felt so hopeless that I didn’t want to live anymore,” he recalled. “I hope no one experiences this – it’s too miserable.”
One of Yang’s wife’s relatives signed a check at a casino under Yang’s name. With the interest accumulating from underground banks, Yang was burdened with a huge debt of tens of millions of New Taiwan dollars (hundreds of thousands of US dollars). His modest life was disrupted, and he could not eat or sleep due to the stress of the heavy debt.
The bank not only phoned him, but also threatened the lives of his wife and daughter. One time people from the casino took him to a cliff to threaten him; afterwards he immediately went to his wife and child to make sure they were safe. “I collapsed and decided to kill myself by burning charcoal (and dying from carbon monoxide poisoning).”
Yang says he was looked after by the divine. Shortly after he lit the charcoal, an Emergency Medical Service (EMS) vehicle passed by the place; it was the brigade Yang volunteered for as a firefighter. “I immediately put out the fire; otherwise it would be too embarrassing since they all know me.” Yang’s mother also called, and hearing her concerned voice stopped his bad thoughts. “Since the divine did not allow me to die, there must have been a reason for me to live,” he thought.
Buddha in a Dream
Facing abusive debt collection from the casino and the underground bank, Yang tried to explain that he did not sign the check. But they did not listen and insisted it was his signature and he had to pay for it. Every day Yang went to the temple to pray. He felt a divine being would help him. “This thought sustained me through the darkest days. One day I could not endure anymore and I opened the book Zhuan Falun (Falun Dafa’s main teachings).”
A friend gave Yang Zhuan Falun years ago and told him the book is very precious and should not be placed just anywhere. Yang kept the book in a safe place but did not open it. When he finally opened the book, however, he was moved to tears by what he saw.
Yang used to have a vivid dream, “In the dream, I went into an ancient house made of wood. It was a nice and quiet place. On the wall, I also saw a Buddha. When I opened Zhuan Falun, I was surprised to see the Buddha’s image in my dream was the same as the portrait of Master Li (founder of Falun Dafa) in the book.”
Yang wept as he read the book. Every word and sentence in the book was clear, and went into his mind. Finally Yang understood why his father-in-law always treated him badly and why he suffered so much in this life. The complaint and resentment that accumulated throughout the years began to dissolve.
A Mindset of Gratitude
When his mother-in-law came for a visit, Yang had already let go of his resentment and called her “mom” when he invited her in. His wife was surprised.
“The pain that the heavy debt brought us was beyond words, so my wife never forgave her parents. She felt they harmed us like this,” Yang recalled.
His wife and their friends always felt Yang was unfortunate. But after he began practicing Falun Dafa, he changed completely. He told his wife, “It’s true that your parents did something very bad to me. But I probably did something even worse to them in a previous lifetime. I’m fortunate to find Falun Dafa in this lifetime,” Yang explained. “After all your parents brought you into this world and gave you this human body so that you can practice Falun Dafa. Shouldn’t we be thankful?”
His calm mindset also helped Yang with a lawsuit. Because one client did not pay him according to the contract, Yang took the case to court. But the client did not give in and assigned two lawyers to handle the case. In the beginning, Yang vowed to get the money back. After he began practicing Falun Dafa, however, Yang asked the court to withdraw the case.
Surprised by the request, the judge asked what happened. Yang said he read the book Zhuan Falun and understood many things. He then shared his thoughts. In the beginning, the judge had a bad attitude towards Yang, but his opinion changed after he heard this.
“Your Health Is Much Better Than When You Were a Soldier”
Yang worked all day, and then went out with clients in the evening drinking and smoking. So he usually returned home at 4 or 5 o’clock in the morning. Even though he was in his 30s, he had hypertension, hyperglycemia, and hyperlipidemia. One day his daughter wept and said, “I’m a smoking cessation ambassador at school, but my dad smokes every day.”
Not long after he began practicing, Yang read the following words from Master Li,
“I advise everyone that if you truly want to cultivate you should quit smoking from now on, and it is guaranteed that you can quit. In the field of this class, no one thinks of smoking a cigarette. If you want to quit, it is guaranteed that you can do it. When you smoke a cigarette again, it will not taste right. If you read this lecture in the book, it will also have this effect.” (Lecture Seven, Zhuan Falun)
But Yang was not convinced and bought one more pack of cigarettes. To his surprise, the smell was more than he could tolerate. “As a plumber and electrician, I’ve been inside septic tanks but they are not as smelly as cigarette smoke. It is really the worst smell in the world!” he said.
Yang quit smoking and drinking. Doing the five sets of Falun Dafa exercises made him feel energetic and refreshed. His daughter said, “It’s amazing that you used to take so many pills but now you don’t need them. Your health is much better than when you were a soldier.”
Protected by Master Li
In addition to working as a plumber and electrician, Yang also volunteered as a firefighter for many years. When disasters came, he joined others to save lives and encountered many life-threatening situations. He said he could feel Master helping him and protecting him.
One time Yang and the other firefighters had to do a mountain rescue. When they drove the victim to a hospital, a heavy fog blanketed the mountain road and visibility was poor. Yang noticed a light on the right hand side and told the driver to steer that way. “The driver later thanked me because if I hadn’t said that, our vehicle would have slid off the road and into the valley below,” Yang explained. “Things like this happened many times. I am always so grateful that Master saved me.”
He drove his child to school on a motorcycle. Another motorcycle hit him hard and Yang’s arm was broken. Although the other driver offered to repair the motorcycle, he was terrified by Yang’s injury and left.
Yang did not pursue that person and instead remembered what Master said,
“We have said that good or bad comes from a person’s initial thought, and the thought at that moment can bring about different consequences.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
Yang just went to a martial arts center and asked someone to help bandage his arm before he went to work. Seeing the protruding bones flattened later that day, his wife was impressed and said, “Falun Dafa is really amazing!”
She also began to practice. In the past she had a bad temper and often beat or yelled at the children. Now gentle and considerate, she is a different person. Yang said his wife’s positive changes due to Dafa are even more dramatic than his. She treats Yang’s parents very well – even better than Yang does. She looks within to constantly improve herself, and treats others much better.
“Before she practiced, if a child accidentally dropped something on the floor, my wife slapped him before saying anything. Now she gently asks the child if they are okay. Surprised by these changes, my three children feel Falun Dafa is great and they’ve begun practicing.”
Yang said it was unfortunate that he was frustrated and hopeless due to the heavy debt. But now he feels positive, because every part of his life is uplifted. He is thankful and says he and his family are blessed in Falun Dafa. Their happiness is something money cannot buy.
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