(Minghui.org) A Falun Dafa practitioner in my hometown in her 50s produces informational materials that document the persecution of Falun Dafa. She came down with sickness karma but overcame it with the help of other practitioners.
Sickness Karma
She fell ill a few months ago, diagnosed with a “Lupus flare up accompanied by multi-system failure,” a condition that has no cure.
She stayed in the community hospital for a few days, but as her condition deteriorated, doctors recommended she be transferred to a major hospital in Beijing.
After I heard about her situation, I went to visit her. I could barely recognize her. She was agitated and incoherent. I called her name, and she recognized my voice. We communicated with simple words.
I reminded her to negate all arrangement by the old forces and follow the cultivation path planned by Master. She nodded and told me that she wanted to go home so she could study the Fa and do the Falun Dafa exercises.
I told her daughter that her mother was not getting better, so she wanted to go home and do the Dafa exercises. Her daughter said the decision was up to her uncle, her mother's brother. I spoke to the brother and shared some examples of how some practitioners regained their health by practicing Falun Dafa.
The brother said, “She can leave the hospital since we've already spent all our money. You can help her any way you can.”
She went home the next day and her family started to prepare for her funeral. I got a phone call from her daughter and went to her home that evening. She was still feverish and incoherent.
Attachments Can Be a Two-Way Street
I discussed the situation with a few local practitioners, and they all suggested that we have a sharing on cultivation with her, let her find her attachments, get better, and continue to make materials to clarify the truth about the persecution.
This discussion showed that local practitioners heavily relied on her ability. “Her sickness karma could be caused by her own attachment,” I said, “but it could also be caused by us relying on her excessively.
“She is very weak. Don't expect too much from her as her consciousness is not clear. Master wants us to search within, so let's first look inside and eliminate our own attachments!”
Overcoming Difficulties
For various reasons, her family did not want local practitioners to come to their home, especially during the day.
This created a dilemma. I live in a nearby city, and it takes me about an hour-and-a-half to get to her house by motorbike. I agreed to take care of her and study the Fa with her during the night, while local practitioners sent righteous thoughts.
I live with my son's family. I do all the cooking and I also take care of my grandchildren before and after school. Thus, I could not leave until about eight p.m. As a woman traveling alone at night, I was scared.
I rode my electric bike on the dark country roads with my light illuminating only a few feet ahead. Cornfields lined the road, their stalks already six feet tall and ready for harvest. The stalks rustled in the wind.
Whenever my heart felt tight from fear, I would repeat, “I am a Falun Dafa practitioner, Master is with me, the Fa is with me.”
Helping a Practitioner in Need
Before we listened to Master's lectures, I gave her a sponge bath, helped her use the bathroom, and checked for bedsores. I asked her to send forth righteous thoughts and then I read Master's Fa aloud to her until dawn.
Her fever came down a week later, but she still could not eat. I was exhausted after one week, so I begged Master: “Master, help me. Let her recover, because the negative impact in our area would be tremendous if something happened to her. I am going to her house again soon. Please grant me wisdom!”
As I was getting ready to leave, Master's words flashed into my mind: “The next person's things are your things.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Washington, D.C. Fa Conference” from Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. II)
I asked myself if I was dealing with this practitioner's problem as my own? I remembered how I took care of my mother when she was sick. I made a bowl of porridge and sat next to my fellow practitioner. I asked if she was a practitioner or a patient and if Master had told her to lay in bed all day and not eat.
Then I brought a spoonful of porridge to her lips and recited what Master said: “The thoughts of those who do spiritual practice can summon powers to do things,” (The Ninth Talk, Zhuan Falun). Next, I asked her to use her power to eat.
She swallowed the first spoonful with difficulty. The next few mouthfuls were easier, after which she asked to eat by herself. It took her 20 minutes to eat a half bowl of porridge. After a short rest, her daughter and I helped her sit crosslegged in the lotus position to do the meditation exercise.
She started shaking and was soaked in sweat after half-an-hour. I encouraged her to continue and started sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate interference.
After one hour, we rested, sent forth righteous thoughts, and she had another small meal. She ate three small meals that night, and we studied the Fa and did exercises between them.
Experiencing Dafa's Powers
Her children were stunned to see how their mother had improved the next morning, so her son agreed to stop the intravenous drip.
From that day on, I bought fruit and useful things when I went to her house. When I was feeding her applesauce, she said that I treated her better than her sister did. I reminded her that we were Dafa practitioners.
Her family members' attitude toward Dafa practitioners changed after her health improved. Local practitioners were now invited to her house for group study.
The night after she was able to eat, I helped her to start walking. I began with stretching her lower body, helping her turn, and having her practice standing while holding onto a chair.
By dawn, she was able to walk holding onto the wall. The day after that, she started doing the standing exercises leaning against the bed.
By the time she finished the Buddha Stretching a Thousand Arms exercise, she was exhausted and covered in sweat. I reminded her of Master's Fa: “Nothing is truly unbearable or impossible.” (The Ninth Talk, Zhuan Falun)
Two weeks later, she was walking on her own. A month later, she resumed her routine Fa study, exercises, and sending forth righteous thoughts. When asked about producing Dafa informational materials, she volunteered.
I learned three things from helping this fellow practitioner overcome a sickness tribulation. One, Master is constantly watching over us. Two, if I treat other practitioners as if they are my family, the power of Dafa will be displayed. Three, helping other practitioners is also cultivation, as we can improve our endurance and become more patient during the process.
Category: Improving Oneself
