(Minghui.org) Most practitioners from our village started practicing Falun Dafa in 1996. However, some of them deviated in their personal and Fa-rectification cultivation. Over the last few years eight practitioners developed illness symptoms and passed away. This had a negative impact on the people in our area and brought obstacles for us to further clarify the truth and save them.
A diligent practitioner is plagued with sickness karma
Recently, two more practitioners were persecuted by the old forces, which was manifested in the form of sickness karma. One of them was a female practitioner in her 50s. She had a very forceful character and would explode at the least provocation. In other aspects such as clarifying the truth to save sentient beings, however, she has done really well, especially in talking to people in person. She talked to nearly everyone she met in everyday life about the truth of Falun Gong. Among all the practitioners in our village, she has played a very important role. However, she has also been suffering from sickness karma over the past few years.
At first, her back got sore and painful. This went on for a long time, but the other practitioners didn't pay much attention to her. In mid December 2012, her back pain suddenly became intense, and she lost quite a lot of weight. It even became difficult for her to walk 30 or 40 meters to the practice site. She was in great pain and asked fellow practitioners, “Please send forth righteous thoughts for me, I can't bear it anymore. I don't want people to have a negative opinion about Dafa because of me.”
Fellow practitioners encouraged her to have righteous thoughts and also sent righteous thoughts for her. However, some of the practitioners who sent righteous thoughts for her had a human mindset about her situation and spoke behind her back. Some said, “She always hurts others, and she doesn't look within. If she doesn't change her character, our righteous thoughts will only change things on the surface level. How would that work?” Others said, "We need to be responsible for her and we have to let her realize her own problems; if she changes herself in time, we can disintegrate the persecution." Thus a lot of complaints and criticism were all sent towards her. It was just as Master said:
“Do you realize that with all that being sent out, all around the world it formed into a sticky, glue-like substance, and it took just a very few evil beings to be able to interfere with you.” (“Dafa Disciples Must Study the Fa - Fa Teaching Given at the 2011 Washington DC Metro Area Fa Conference”)
Two days later, the practitioner's sickness karma seemed to become even more serious. Her hands and feet swelled, she had a fever and couldn't eat. Although fellow practitioners sent righteous thoughts near her, she lost consciousness because of the fever. We all were anxious and worried for her.
Her family took her to the hospital, and the doctor said she was having severe diabetes complications, she had a serious lack of blood, had pleural effusion, and her kidneys were swollen and filled with blood clots. According to the doctor, she could die at any moment. At the time, she was short of breath, had bloody urine, and a high fever. The doctors performed some emergency procedures and suggested she go to Beijing to have an operation to remove her kidneys. The practitioner rejected the doctor's proposal and went home.
After she went home, she had to stay in bed and couldn't turn over without help. For several days she didn't have a bowel movement and she sweat a lot.
Every practitioner in our village became concerned about her situation. We couldn't afford to lose more practitioners and we couldn't cause more losses for Dafa. Besides sending righteous thoughts for her, encouraging her to have righteous thoughts herself, and asking Master for help, what else could we do?
We felt that her suffering this persecution by the old forces was the same as persecuting us as a group. The situation was so urgent that we couldn't wait!
Our coordinator contacted all the practitioners from nearby villages, and we shared our understandings on this matter. We watched the video of Master teaching the Fa to Australian practitioners three times. Each practitioner enlightened to a new understanding.
Recognizing our own shortcomings
During the sharing, the coordinator said, “Shouldn't we fundamentally change our human notions? When we help practitioners who are in a physical tribulation, what is our starting point? On the surface, it seems like we are busy helping her, visiting her, and sending forth righteous thoughts for her (of course, that's what we should do), but, actually, in our minds, we had the subconscious thought of helping the practitioner find her problems and improve by herself.”
Other practitioners came to the realization: Such things have happened frequently here, not only the practitioner in tribulation needs help, but there must be something for every one of us in our one-body to cultivate. What Master wants is for everyone to look within. Otherwise, what we get is only the expansion of our attachment of seeking the outcome.
In the past, several practitioners regrettably passed away, taking with them our fault-finding and complaints. We really need to learn from these lessons and shouldn't let it happen again. We need to change this bad thing into a good thing to make up for the losses caused to saving sentient beings.
But how do we change our notions? We realized that we needed to rectify every single thought we have, completely negating the old forces' arrangement. We need to change our notion of “helping the practitioner pass the tribulation” into “the practitioner who is in tribulation is helping us to cultivate,” and truly switch from “helping others” to “cultivating ourselves and getting rid of our own human thinking.”
It's already very difficult for the practitioners who are suffering sickness karma. We should not place any more pressure on them and should not add more negative substances to their field. Whether their righteous thoughts are strong or not, whether they haven't done well in any particular aspect, we need to change our notions and only look at their strengths. We need to really form one body and not let the old forces to take advantage of any of our gaps.
Master doesn't recognize the old force arrangements, so neither should we. Our fellow practitioners are responsible for saving sentient beings, and this is what Master wants. We will never give up.
The result was that every participating practitioner changed his or her mindset and eliminated their human thinking, such as complaints, jealousy toward her, not being concerned, attachment to comfort, etc. Everybody stopped looking outward.
In the past when this practitioner lost her temper with us, most practitioners were irritated. Although they tolerated it on the surface, in their hearts they were indignant. They also believed that was the opportunity the fellow practitioner gave them to improve their xinxing, so was that actually a strong ego?
Master said:
“Exactly because you people have those attachments, there exist factors that hit on your attachments; and exactly because those attachments of yours are stirred up, you get irritated; when all of you have those attachments, the situation where everyone is irritated by the person who hit on their attachments comes about.” (“Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference”)
We all realized that it wasn't the fellow practitioner who didn't do well, it was we as a group who stubbornly clung to our human thoughts that didn't want to be touched, and Master used the fellow practitioner to help us get rid of our human thoughts.
Changing our thinking
After this sharing, practitioners all stopped talking about who is right or who is wrong. We all quietly looked within and sent strong and pure righteous thoughts: "Completely eliminate all the evil factors that are persecuting our fellow practitioner in the form of sickness karma, and eliminate all the interfering factors that control the fellow practitioner causing her to lose her temper."
When we saw her again, one coordinator said to her with tears in his eyes: “You are just so great. You are bearing the pain in the form of sickness karma. You're not only cultivating yourself, but more importantly, you helped us all find our own shortcomings and you helped every one of us, and helped us as one body. Thank you so much!”
Going from blaming this practitioner to appreciating her, what a great change we experienced! The practitioner in tribulation felt it. She was very excited. As soon as we changed ourselves, she recovered very quickly. Just a few days later, she could get out of bed and cook meals, and then she came to our group Fa study daily. Now she is out saving sentient beings again.
When we as one body changed, she also changed. She became more compassionate and peaceful. We also saw a traditional lady's gentleness and grace in her. We know this is encouragement from Master. We all want to express our appreciation to Master for helping us on this issue. We also want to thank our coordinating fellow practitioners for their efforts.
The above is some sharing from our study group. We welcome practitioners pointing out anything improper.
