(Minghui.org) A few days ago, I took a 20 minute nap. Since it was hot, I took off my shirt and turned on the electric fan. After a while, I thought that a cold wind and no blanket could cause stomach pain, so I covered myself with a blanket. After the nap, I felt stomach pain. A few hours later, the pain worsened and I wondered why this happened.
Notions Turn Into Obstacles in Cultivation
Upon calmly looking inward, I realized that I had an everyday people's notion that taking a nap without a blanket would cause a cold and stomach pain. An everyday person might call this common sense, but a cultivator should not have such a thought.
As soon as I found this reason, I sent forth righteous thoughts to disintegrate the notion, which I had formed over many years, and the pain stopped.
I have been cultivating for 20 years. But when I do not pay attention everyday people's notions sometimes still cause troubles and tribulations.
There are many similar notions in people's minds. While growing up in everyday society we obtain a lot of scientific knowledge and common sense thoughts, which in turn form many notions. Some of these melt into our minds and are believed to protect us from injury. They have become so natural that we are not even aware that they are everyday notions.
But these notions are obstacles in our cultivation. They control our speech and behavior, and prevent us from striving forward diligently. They block us from getting out of humanness, and can cause tribulations.
I, along with many practitioners, have all kinds of notions, such as which food is healthy and which is not, certain pains indicate such and such illness, what a normal blood pressure is, what a normal blood sugar level is, and so on.
Some practitioners fail to disintegrate these notions, so they get stuck in sickness karma for a long time. I know that some practitioners around me have checked into the hospital secretly several times, and some have bought many medicines or so called “therapeutic food.”
Of course, I am not saying that one cannot cultivate if he checks into a hospital or takes medicine. Cultivation is not easy, and everyone has their own difficulties, such as young practitioners' addictions to video games, and practitioners' attachments to fame, money, and lust.
Illusion of Sickness Karma
For elderly practitioners, the notion of sickness takes hold more often than other attachments. I hope that my sharing will awaken practitioners who harbor these notions, and help them eliminate them and break through their tribulations. But we first need to see through the illusion of sickness karma.
Many years ago, a practitioner said to an older practitioner who was suffering from an illness, “It is an illusion. Deny it.” The older practitioner argued, “Illusion? It is so painful, and you are saying it is an illusion?”
This remark was difficult to argue against. These pains and the symptoms feel so “real,” so how can we say they are illusions?
An incident like this happened to me a few days ago, and made me see the issue more clearly. An everyday person may have stomach pain after taking a nap without a blanket, and needs to take medicine or see a doctor. After the person pays back the karma, the pain will disappear. So for an everyday person, it is a real sickness.
But we are cultivators. At the surface, the causes and symptoms are the same as the symptoms that everyday people have. But it is not a coincidence. We came down with an illness, because we need to change our notions, and we need to eliminate our attachments. The symptoms appear to allow us to improve and should not create a loophole.
If we treat ourselves as cultivators, look inward, change our notions, eliminate attachments, and see the problems with righteous thoughts, the symptoms will disappear immediately.
Treating Oneself as a Cultivator
The Minghui website publishes many articles on the subject of sickness karma. Some of the articles mention that practitioners are given physical examinations before being taken to a labor camp. They asked Master to give them the illusion of hypertension so they would not be accepted by the labor camp. The doctors consequently diagnosed them with very high blood pressure. An everyday person would die from such high blood pressure, so the labor camp refused to accept them.
Some practitioners have also developed terminal diseases in the prison, and appeared to be close to death. The prison had to release them. They returned to good health a few days after being released. Are those sicknesses? Can these situations be explained with modern medicine?
Therefore, aren't these sicknesses actually illusions? For cultivators who have clear understanding of the issue, these are illusions. But practitioners who have unchanged notions about this issue may not agree, because the pain feels so real at those moments.
Master has addressed this issue in Zhuan Falun. If a practitioner cannot treat himself as a cultivator and cannot follow Master's teaching, he has reverted to being an everyday person.
A notion of diseases that has developed for a long time in one's mind will connect the surface level pains to the medical “knowledge.” It is thought to be an illness due to the associated illness symptoms.
At that moment, one will not only feel physical pain, but also have psychological worries and anxiety. Master said:
“Mentally overcoming tribulations is the key to truly improving one’s level.” (Zhuan Falun)
Creating Loopholes
Some practitioners know a lot about medicine. Although they are not doctors, they accumulated medical knowledge before stepping on the cultivation path. Thus, when they feel some pain, they connect that pain to a given illness. They have difficulty looking inward, and find the cause in their xinxing. They then use their medical knowledge and look for solutions.
The stronger the notions the more effectual the loophole, resulting in interference. Family members and friends will advise a doctors visit. A hospital visit will confirm the assumed illness and prove it through tests.
Some practitioners always tell their family members and friends when they feel uncomfortable. Would they tell you to read the Fa, look inward, and eliminate the interference? They care about you and respect you, but they will advise you to take medicine or see a doctor. Wouldn't this cause you unnecessary trouble and burdens?
If you don't look inward or follow Master's teachings, but instead tell your family members about it, doesn't this show that you are treating the symptoms as illness? Aren't you treating yourself as an everyday person who needs others' care?
Actually, the discomfort will disappear if you improve your xinxing. The symptoms may last for a long time and even get worse if you do not have a correct understanding of the issue and always treat yourself as an everyday person.
Master said,
“As a practitioner, if you always think that it is an illness, you are actually asking for it. If you ask for an illness, it will come inside your body.” (Zhuan Falun)
If you treat yourself as a cultivator, look inward, and find the real cause in your xinxing, the tribulation will immediately disappear. All of the illusive interference targets our human notions and attachments. The same symptom will certainly be an illness for an everyday person, but not for a cultivator. If you have notions, and treat yourself as an everyday people, the symptom will last for a long time, and the illusion may even become a real tribulation.
Power of Fa Solves All Problems
I am not saying that some practitioners do not cultivate well. I know many practitioners who have done well in many respects since July 20, but they have not changed their notions concerning sickness karma. When they talk to other practitioners, they say that they should deny it, but they treat the symptoms as illnesses in their hearts. They thus cannot make breakthroughs when such tribulations come, and they have to use solutions of everyday people. I think that the key is to change the notions that have developed in humans for a long time.
I have another suggestion for practitioners who have difficulties in this aspect, “Face the symptom, and send forth righteous thoughts to target the notions and fears behind it. The notions are actually substances. Once you disintegrate the evil behind the notions, you will see the difference.”
I understand that many practitioners have been suffering from sickness karma for a long time, which can weaken one's confidence. I understand how difficult it is.
Practitioners must be strong, no matter how difficult it is. You need to encourage yourself. Don't treat yourself as a patient. You are a Dafa practitioner.
If you can look inward during big tribulations, and walk forward believing in Master and the Fa, you will succeed in your mission and will earn the praise of those relying on you for salvation.
You must be strong, and not become afraid because of tribulations. You are not fighting alone. Master and the Fa will be there to support and help you. You must think of Master when you are in tribulations. When you think of Master and the Fa, the power of the Fa will solve all your problems. You can rely on Master and Dafa.
Category: Improving Oneself
