(Minghui.org) It is critical what kind of thoughts we choose to have in the face of illness karma.
My cervical spine was deformed before Teacher Li Hongzhi corrected it for me after I began to cultivate in Falun Dafa. Recently, I started experiencing pain again in that region one night. My shoulders and neck were sore, and my head was swollen.
Teacher Li said,
“Yet the black qi is not the fundamental cause of an illness. It is because there is a being in a deeper dimension who generates this field.”
“Whether it is protrusion of the lumbar intervertebral discs or osteophytosis, after you remove that thing and clear out that field, you will find it instantly healed. You can take another x-ray and find that the osteophytosis has disappeared. The fundamental reason is that this being was producing an effect.” (Lecture Seven, Zhuan Falun)
The first thought I had when I felt uncomfortable was really important. I knew Teacher was watching me and wanted me to use righteous thoughts to deny all the old forces' arrangements. But the old forces were also watching me – they wanted me to acknowledge their arrangement so that I would feel helpless, and then the symptoms would linger.
How should I understand the recurrence of that pain? I knew that Teacher had already cleared the illness karma away. No matter what was behind it – whether it was the Communist Party's evil spector or the old forces – I must completely dispel them! My thought was simple and resolute that I would not allow the existence of evil and demonic spirits in my field! With that thought, my discomfort soon disappeared and never occurred again.
I shared my experience with other practitioners. Our discussion helped me to have a deeper understanding of the issue.
Symptoms of illnesses can easily shake some cultivators' faith in Dafa. When battling illness karma, some cultivators believe that Teacher cleanses their bodies by removing all their discomfort and symptoms. This could be the reason why these cultivators were incapable of banishing interference from the illness karma, and some eventually passed away.
In order to understand Teacher's teachings about illness karma and why Dafa cultivators do not get sick, we must cultivate diligently. If someone only knows to deny the old forces' arrangements but does not truly negate them, he or she will not gain sufficient strength to completely eliminate the illness karma.
I used to have problems with the cervical vertebrae in my neck. Although I knew that it was an illusion, I laid down and rested every time the pain bothered me. I even asked my husband or child to massage my back for me.
Having someone massage my back to lessen the pain is the same as taking a pill or rubbing on an ointment because both are human methods. I had no confidence in righteous thoughts and did not treat the illness karma seriously. I thought that I could resist it, and I knew that I would be okay, thus I had given the old forces the opportunity to survive in other dimensions.
Any minor medical symptom, such as a cough, fever, or other minor ailment, is a warning for us. Do not think that you can get over it by simply resisting it. We should firmly negate the old forces' arrangements at the root. When we can use righteous thoughts successfully when it comes to the seemingly small discomforts, we will enhance our confidence in Dafa and our cultivation. By failing to use righteous thoughts to negate any illness karma, however, we will miss the opportunity to improve and elevate.
All diseases are the result of karmic retribution. I knew that Teacher had cleared away my illness karma at its root, so the neck pain was simply interference. But what had caused the interference to recur? Why was it able to interfere with me?
I searched inside and discovered that I tended to worry about lots of things and used to be pessimistic growing up. Due to my firm resolve not to give up Dafa, I was under tremendous pressure after the onset of the persecution in 1999: I was expelled from college and lost my freedom. I became afraid of everything and was constantly concerned that something bad would happen. I even lost hope. That meant that I had given in to the pressure, allowing the evil forces to take advantage of my loopholes to create the delusion of neck pain.
I am a Dafa cultivator, and I have Teacher to watch over me. What am I afraid of? I do not have anything to fear with Teacher's protection and guidance. Everything that happens to me is a good thing. I must eliminate all negative thoughts, including those of hopelessness, inferiority, anxiety, fear, and insecurity. With that enlightenment, I was able to change my human notions into righteous thoughts and banish the old forces' arrangements!
There is a Chinese fable that reminds me of my cultivation status. A wolf ate a farmer's sheep, so he killed the wolf and then fixed the holes in his fence. If the farmer only killed the wolf but didn't fixed the holes, other wolves would come and eat his other sheep. On the other hand, if he just fixed the holes but didn't kill the wolf, the wolf would kill other people's sheep.
This story reminded me that we need to look for loopholes in our cultivation and, at the same time, also be responsible for Dafa. That is to say, we must repair the loopholes and eliminate the evil. If we fail to do either one well, problems will find us.
I remembered that, when I looked inside myself many years ago, I was able to find many of my attachments. Dafa taught me that I could cleanse away bad thoughts. When I did not admit the bad thoughts as being mine, I was able to gain a better understanding of my problems from a third person's point of view.
Teacher told us,
“The space of the universe is benevolent to begin with and embodies the characteristic of Zhen-Shan-Ren. At birth, one is assimilated to the characteristic of the universe.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun)
None of the attachments, concepts, and feelings in the three realms are mine. Maintaining righteous thoughts can fundamentally remove all deficiencies so that I can return to the clean and perfect main consciousness that best conforms to Dafa's teachings to guide my mind and body. Only with firm belief and faith in Teacher can I return to my original true self!
If I am sending righteous thoughts to relieve my pain, the effect will not be good, because that thought is not righteous and it has no mighty power from the Fa. I am safeguarding the Fa and justice when I send forth righteous thoughts. I want to eliminate all the evil that interferes with Fa-rectification and Dafa cultivators. Then my thoughts will have power.
No matter where evil lurks—in my space, the space of fellow cultivators, the space of ordinary people, or the space of the police—I must eliminate it all! It is my responsibility to eliminate the evil forces and to safeguard the Fa. Only by cultivating in Dafa in the Fa-rectification era can one achieve the goal of safeguarding the Fa.
Cultivation without the pursuit for consummation will enable one to reach fruition status. Cultivators who look within when problems occur and refine themselves in accordance with Dafa's teachings can rectify themselves.
I hope that my sharing is helpful for fellow cultivators, because I am always inspired by fellow practitioners' sharing articles. I am grateful for their help.
Thanks to Teacher, who always helps me to understand the Fa and become more enlightened, especially when I have doubts and problems. I can feel that Teacher is always with me. Whatever I see or hear, I know that they are things that Teacher wants me to see or hear so that I can search inside. Thank you, Teacher!