(Minghui.org) One October morning two years ago, an old friend carrying a large cloth bag knocked on my door. He put the bag on the ground, smiled at me and said, "I've brought you something good."
I opened the bag and was surprised to see it was ginseng.
People say there are three treasures in Northeast China; ginseng is the first treasure, and people consider it rare and precious.
How did my friend get so many ginseng roots? He explained that he obtained some ginseng seeds and the equipment to cultivate it. After several years' of cultivation, he succeeded. He told me how to store and preserve it.
I brewed ginseng tea every day. I felt very good after I drank it, and thought the ginseng energized me. I knew ginseng was precious and difficult to plant, so I didn't want to bother my friend for more. I thought that if he could grow it, I could too. So I asked him for some ginseng seeds.
I put a lot of energy and effort into it. After 3 or 4 months I managed to cultivate a piece of land. When the time was right I planted the seeds the way my friend suggested. However, it wasn't so simple. There are many factors involved, like the amount of sun, rain, etc. It took a lot of effort and I had to replant several times. By the end of the season, I hadn't seen a single seedling.
I gave my relative who lives in the country the remaining seeds, and he was able to successfully grow it. When he harvested the ginseng, he gave me half a bag.
Now I felt that the ginseng was even more precious. I carefully sliced the ginseng roots, dried and stored them. Each time I brewed tea I only used a few slices. After a few days the trouble started.
I began to have the urge to urinate frequently in the middle of the night. My lower abdomen hurt in addition to the pain I had when urinating. The pain became unbearable.
I'm over eighty years old. Faced with this sudden tribulation, I did not panic. I stayed calm, continued to study the Fa, sent forth righteous thoughts and practiced the exercises. After three days my pain vanished, and things were back to normal.
I have several insights I'd like to share with fellow practitioners. Please correct me if my understanding is not on the Fa.
1. This tribulation came from my attachment. Ginseng can help people, but its role is medicinal, and at an everyday person's level. If a cultivator becomes attached to it, then it would play a very different role, and the cultivator will slip to the level of everyday people. I'm not a farmer, nor do I need to plant this to make a living. Why did I spend so much time and effort trying to grow it?
I'd been focused so hard on growing ginseng, wasn't this a serious attachment? The tribulation happened because I developed the attachment to ginseng. After I realized that I was attached to ginseng and eliminated the attachment, the tribulation was over.
2. The cultivation process is one of constantly giving up human attachments and eliminating karma. Therefore, everyone will encounter tribulations which will manifest in different ways. At first I was anxious with regard to my symptoms. However, the more anxious I became the more serious the situation became.
When it seemed that I had reached the limit of my endurance, I suddenly remembered that Master said, “If you cannot relinquish the attachment or concern for illness, we cannot do anything and will be unable to help you.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
My understanding of what Master taught is that whenever practitioners encounter problems, they must look at the issue from the standpoint of cultivation. A cultivator has no illnesses. But, if you treat a tribulation as a disease, the bigger it becomes, the smaller you will be, and your life might end!
3. Fa-rectification cultivation is not child's play; it is very serious. It is more difficult than anything in human society. Every cultivator is full of karma. Master said:
“When one begins to cultivate in a righteous way, one must eliminate one's karma. Eliminating karma means having karma wiped out and transformed. Of course, karma will resist, and so one will have tribulations and obstacles." (Lecture Six, Zhuan Falun)
Every cultivator will encounter tribulations and obstacles in the process of cultivation. Each tribulation is a test to see whether one ascends or slides down. My understanding is that when we encounter these situations, as long as we can remember to view them from the standpoint of the Fa, the situation can be resolved.