A Lesson Learned from the Story of Bigan

(Minghui.org) Recently, I heard that a practitioner who played a key role in a project had passed away. This is really such a shame, since as practitioners, we know that no matter how serious the sickness karma may seem to be, it is ultimately just an illusion. But why can some practitioners pass this test while other practitioners get tripped up?

This practitioner's passing made me remember what happened to a character named Bigan in the Investiture of the Gods.

Bigan, a chancellor in the Shang Dynasty (1600-1046 BC), was also an uncle of King Zhou. Unfortunately, the king was very corrupt and lived an obscene and licentious life.

Daji, one of King Zhou's favourite concubines, was the reincarnation of a vixen. In an attempt to convince the emperor to stop overindulging in women, Bigan had burned down Daji's fox cave. Since then, Daji has held a murderous grudge for Bigan.

One day, Daji pretended to be ill and told King Zhou that she would not be cured unless she was able to acquire Bigan's heart as medicine. In order to save Daji's life, the king agreed to take out Bigan's heart.

The renowned sage Jiang Ziya already knew in advance that Bigan would be put in this plight. So he gave Bigan an amulet, and told him how to use it – when Bigan would find himself in a life-threatening situation, he was to burn the amulet and drink its ashes with water.

However, Jiang Ziya also warned Bigan not to speak to any women while the amulet was in effect.

Bigan followed the sage's instruction. As he carved out his own heart and placed it on the floor of the palace, he was still alive and well. In fact, he was so well that he was able to leave the palace and ride away on a horse.

But on the side of the road, Bigan saw an elderly woman selling water spinach – or, in Chinese, a “heartless vegetable.” Her incessant hawking eventually piqued Bigan's curiosity.

“How can a vegetable live without a heart?” he asked.

“It lives very well,” replied the elderly woman.

“Can a human live without a heart?”

The elderly woman gave a loud laugh.

“Of course not – a human would die with no heart!”

With these words, Bigan began vomiting blood. He fell off his horse and died immediately.

The amulet Jiang Ziya gave to Bigan was in fact life-saving, but Jiang had also warned him not to talk to any women. But Bigan did not fully believe him. Due to his human notions, Bigan asked the woman about the possibility of living with no heart. And it's because of these same human notions that Bigan's life would have to follow human principles – a mistake that ultimately cost him his life.

Bigan was well respected in Chinese history due to his candor and loyalty. Had this episode not happened, however, he could have made many more contributions in his life.

As Dafa practitioners, we all know that we are illness-free. But sometimes, when we have serious sickness karma, some of us still want to go to doctors. That means they are placing their trust in doctors to stay alive.

Master said:

“If you go to a fortune teller, aren’t you listening to and believing him? Then, doesn’t it create a psychological burden for you? Isn’t it an attachment if you burden yourself with it and keep thinking about it? So how can this attachment be removed? Haven’t you imposed an additional tribulation on yourself?”(Zhuan Falun)

If a practitioner believes in the illusion of sickness karma, the consequences can be very serious. If the doctor says the illness has gotten worse or has metastasized elsewhere, it could serve as a critical test to the practitioner. Once he or she believes that the illness is real, the tribulation would become even harder to overcome.

When a tribulation comes, as long as we are not moved by it, nothing can interfere us, as we have Master to protect us.

Master said:

“I am rooted in the universe. If anyone could harm you, he or she would be able to harm me. Put simply, that person would be able to harm this universe.”(Zhuan Falun)

Now is the crucial time for saving people, so we should stay here until the very end. Jiang Ziya's amulet could have saved Bigan's life. Let's firmly believe in Master and Dafa, let go of all our human notions and eliminate all the interference so that we can reach consummation and save more sentient beings.