(Minghui.org) Some practitioners I know have been experiencing sickness karma and haven't seen much improvement. They have been doing the three things and put a lot of heart into truth clarification but they haven't found the reason for their sickness karma. In the past few years, a couple of fellow practitioners have passed away. The true reasons for their deaths are unclear.

Master said,

“Some of our practitioners are struggling with passing the tests of sickness karma. Don’t think that it’s necessarily something major [that causes that]. You might think that you haven’t done anything majorly wrong, and that you are very firm in your faith in the Fa. However, you shouldn’t treat the little issues you have like they are nothing. The evil will seize upon any gaps. Many practitioners have even passed away on account of little things; it really was due to something very minor. That’s because cultivation is something serious, and requires having no gaps. If for a long time you haven’t dealt with those things through cultivation, small as they may be, if you haven’t taken them seriously for a prolonged period of time, then it is a big issue. Many people have passed away on account of such things.” (Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference)

I would like to share my understanding about such “little issues” from the perspective of cultivators. We don't usually realize that we have these attachments because they accord with our own thinking and mentality. Even if we realize they are issues, we may not regard them as big issues, noticing no immediate consequence.

For example, non-practitioners put on more clothes when they feel cold. Cultivators do the same thing. There seems to be no difference. However, ordinary people put on more clothes because they think they would get a cold if they didn't. It would be a problem if cultivators think the same way. We have learned from the Fa that sickness is caused by karma. Failing to keep warm isn't the true reason behind getting a cough or cold.

We cultivators don't look for suffering purposefully, so there is no problem with keeping ourselves warm. The key is what we think and why we take action. There is a difference in the purpose even though we do the same things as ordinary people.

Another example is drinking water. Ordinary people drink water when they are thirsty and because it's healthy to stay hydrated. Some fellow practitioners always keep a bottle of water on hand, including during group Fa study. Many of us have had the same experience: When we concentrate during group Fa study, we feel our mouths are moist and we don't feel thirsty. Those who bring water might not have have the same experience. Why? Shall we search our own hearts for the answer? I'm not saying cultivators don't need water. I mean the human notion about drinking water needs to be eliminated.

Some practitioners think they will get a headache if they are exposed to cold winds. They even avoid cooling fans. Wind is simply a trigger, while the headache is caused by karma.

People build up experiences after things happen in the same sequence multiple times. It's hard to get rid of human notions once they are established. How could cultivators be afraid of the wind? Such notions will have be completely eliminated in the end. Some of them may take time and repeated tests to see if we are steadfast in our belief in Dafa.

We can find many “little issues” like these. Practitioners sometimes show strong sentiment when we chat with each other. Attachments cause karma, and karma requires suffering to dissolve.

The “little issues” mentioned above are actually the result of not treating ourselves as cultivators. Humans have many notions. It's hard for other people to see. When other people notice them, they must be pretty strong notions.

These issues may not have caused some practitioners to lose their lives, but they could cause trouble for cultivators on the last legs of their cultivation.

We have to be aware of them first before we can eliminate them. It would be hard if we don't even realize them. But I believe Master must have a way to alert us. The key is whether we want to be enlightened. So, we must be on guard with our thoughts and eliminate any thoughts not in accordance with the Fa.

New practitioners can take their time on these “little issues”. But the issues aren't little for veteran practitioners. It's a matter of treating ourselves as cultivators or not, and of our belief.

It has not been easy to walk the journey of cultivation over the past dozen years. It would be a pity if we can't reach the finish line due to these relatively minor things.

The above is my limited understanding. Please feel free to point out anything inappropriate.