Helping a Practitioner Going Through Sickness Karma

(Minghui.org) Three years ago, the thought of visiting Ms. Liu, a local practitioner, kept coming to mind. She was over 80 years old, so I paid her a visit.

Ms. Liu’s oldest daughter opened the door and yelled at me: “How come people like you (Falun Dafa practitioners) still get cancer!”

Staying calm, I reflected: Did I do or say anything inappropriate? I could not find anything wrong, so I replied: “Oh, is that so? Sister, where is your mother?” 

She calmed down and told me about her mother’s recent bladder cancer diagnosis. The doctor had contacted them several times about surgery, but the family could not decide what to do.

“What’s your family’s opinion about the surgery?” I asked. 

“Everyone seems pleased with Mom living healthy into her mid-eighties. However, surgery does not guarantee recovery. She also faces death in the operating room. Surgery costs a lot, and she may suffer more,” she replied. 

“How does your mom see the surgery? 

“She refused surgery, so (we) decided not to go through with it. The doctor wanted a signature from her and our family members for refusing the operation,” she added. 

I knew Ms. Liu quite well: “Sister, what you just said about someone having surgery at your mother's age makes a lot of sense. Has she suffered from any other illnesses during her 20 years of practicing Falun Dafa?” “No.” Ms. Liu's daughter replied.

“Did she need to take any medication?” I asked. “Not one pill.”

“Has her temper improved?” “Much better than before!” she proclaimed. 

I told the daughter that her mother's “illness” was an illusion and that she did not cultivate in vain. However, she was stuck at her current level, from a cultivation standpoint, and is encountering a tribulation.

“For example, (I used my hands to help her understand), say your mother is at this level, and she could not overcome a cultivation test. It is not because she is not a good practitioner. 

“Practicing Falun Dafa only does good to our body. The central government did a study in 1998, and the conclusion was that citizens only received benefits from practicing Dafa. 

“There is no harm in the practice. Do you believe in Buddhism?” I asked. “Yes!”

“Then you've probably heard about Milarepa Buddha?” She nodded.

“Milarepa Buddha was a person like us before he reached enlightenment and went to heaven. His could not just suddenly fly to heaven in front of everyone, as his human body had to follow the rules of this human realm. 

“For example, he might die from illness or persecution. But if he flew around in the sky, then even those with evil hearts would come to cultivate. 

“Having faith and being enlightened would be meaningless. Isn't that right?” She nodded again. 

“Falun Dafa practice does have an end date. The miraculous wonder and truth about Dafa will then appear for everyone to see. 

“Therefore, if we want to cultivate, we must follow Master Li Hongzhi's teachings in this world. We are studying the book Zhuan Falun, and we follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance. 

“Why don’t you take a look at the book too? Where is your mother staying? What’s her room number? I want to visit her.” 

Ms. Liu’s daughter called her sister at the hospital and, yes, her mother wanted to see me. I went that afternoon. 

Her face was pale, but her voice was still loud and clear. I inquired about her condition. Ms. Liu said she was unsure.

“Are you scared?” I asked. She nodded yes. 

I shared my own understanding: In this kind of situation, we should keep a calm heart and then self-reflect. 

When we are in danger, we must still be aware that we are Dafa practitioners and maintain our righteous thoughts. Master is looking after us!

I then read her the following passage from Master Li's Teachings at the 2005 Conference in San Francisco:

“When students exhibit severe sickness karma, it undoubtedly has two goals. One is to have that person display such a state and then see how people around him or her look at it. It’s to see how and whether your minds are moved by it. Isn’t that the case? If everyone is moved, thinking, “Whoa, he’s cultivated so well, how could he be like this?” then attachments rear their heads and human thoughts surface. Some people think, “If even he has become this way, will I be able to make it?” All kinds of human attachments thus resurface. Then the old forces say, “I was right to have done this, wasn’t I? The reason I had that person’s sickness karma get so severe was to test whether they have righteous thoughts or human thinking. We did the right thing, didn’t we? See, didn’t those human thoughts of your disciples return? So many human thoughts have returned, so we need to target those human thoughts. We’re therefore going to increase that student’s sickness karma and see if all of you still cultivate.”” (Teachings at the 2005 Conference in San Francisco)

“The other goal applies to that person himself: How well has the person who exhibits the sickness karma cultivated? Is he able to make it through with strong righteous thoughts while in such a state? Does he truly treat himself as a god and pay no attention to any of it whatsoever? Today I read a report on the Minghui website. A student was beaten so badly that her legs were smashed and broken into pieces, and they didn’t set her bones before applying a cast. It never even occurred to the student that she would become handicapped because of this. She didn’t pay any attention to it at all. She just studied the Fa every day, and her righteous thoughts were very strong. When she was able to sit up a little bit, she started to do the exercises. The doctors told her that her bones had been smashed and fractured in several places, and that the cast had been applied before the bones were set. It was all done by those people in the prison hospital. She didn’t pay any attention to it and just told herself, “I want to cross my legs and do the exercises.” She pushed herself and did it even though it was extremely painful to do. As time went by, she no longer felt any pain when she crossed her legs. The end result is that she has recovered. She can now jump up and down without any problem, and she’s just like a completely normal person. (Applause) If any of you can conduct yourself like that, the old forces will absolutely not dare to touch you. Whoever can be like that will be able to make it through when encountering tests. What are “righteous thoughts” about? That is what righteous thoughts are about.” (Teachings at the 2005 Conference in San Francisco)

Ms. Liu cheered up: “That’s it! I thought I was hopeless!”

She never attended school, nevertheless, she firmly believed Master’s words. This is essential!

For the next few days, I visited Ms. Liu and read Master’s teachings to her. We also shared our thoughts and pondered any questions she had. 

She was strong enough to be discharged two weeks later. Afterwards, a number of practitioners went to Ms. Liu’s home to study the Fa with her. 

Ms. Liu will be turning 90 soon, but she remains steadfast in attending a Fa study group. Master is watching over her!