Helping Fellow Practitioners During Tribulations

(Minghui.org) When practitioners have tribulations their lack of understanding or ability to endure makes other practitioners’ help crucial. Sometimes I was able to help, while other times I couldn’t. The lessons learned from these experiences were profound.

Supporting Fellow Practitioners When They Struggle

Shang was around 50 years old and was illegally arrested and persecuted by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) many times, but she never wavered and actively did the three things. She took good care of her family. However, she also had some shortcomings. The most significant was that she was overly eager to do things and her strong attachment to her family. She moved away a few years ago so we were unable to meet for a long time.

I suddenly had an urge to see her, so I went to her home. She told me she experienced heavy uterine bleeding for several days. She continued to do her housework, read the Fa, and went to work as usual. Her family didn’t feel her condition was serious. I was very worried and insisted that she come to my house because her family was large so she was always busy with housework. My home environment was much calmer.

She came to my home and we studied the Fa. Afterwards we spent a long time sending forth righteous thoughts. She said she felt much better. I suggested she stay with me for a while, but she refused and said she had to go home and cook for her family. She left that day. I reminded her to look within for any shortcomings and not just focus on doing things. She said she understood and thanked me for reminding her.

That night, I dreamed two ghosts entered a beautiful castle and were chased away, only to return later. I realized that when we sent forth righteous thoughts, we drove away the evil forces that persecuted her, but they hadn’t been completely eliminated. Once we stopped sending righteous thoughts the old forces attacked her again.

I went to her house a few days later but she was not there. I was later told she had suddenly lost consciousness while studying the Fa with the other practitioners. She was rushed to the hospital, but the doctors were unable to revive her, and she passed away.

I realized that I didn’t try hard enough. If I persuaded her to stop what she was doing, focus on studying the Fa, and sending righteous thoughts, and if I talked to her promptly, I may have been able to help her identify the root cause of the problem. Things might turned out differently. I never thought the old forces would strike so fast!

Resolving Conflicts with Compassion

Song was over 80 years old and practiced Falun Dafa for more than 20 years. She studied the Fa well and did the three things. She had always been in good health, with smooth skin and no noticeable wrinkles on her face. However, in the last year of her life, I noticed that she looked unusually aged and tired; her reactions were slow, and her eyes looked vacant. Although she had no physical problems, she was not as energetic as she once was.

I had a disagreement with her. On the surface it seemed like it was her fault, but I realized I responded too harshly. Master hinted at me to apologize to her, and the other practitioners also urged me to apologize. I approached her twice to apologize to her. The first time, she was pretty emotional and touched. The second time, she was happy, and the conflict between us was resolved. Despite the situation, she was strong and didn’t let it defeat her.

Shortly after that, another incident took place. She had a serious conflict with several practitioners in the group. Although the issue was eventually resolved, Song stopped attending the group to study the Fa and instead went to another group, even though it was farther away.

At the time, I felt Song harbored resentment, felt hurt, or perhaps was embarrassed. I wanted to talk to her about it, but since I wasn’t directly involved I wasn’t sure how to help. One night, I dreamed that a woman firmly told me not to meddle in her affairs. So, I decided not to get involved.

Song was introverted and seldom spoke—she preferred to keep things bottled up inside. I felt she may have lost confidence in herself, and her mind may not have been as sharp as it once was. Additionally, she didn’t realize how stubborn she was and was unable to let go of resentment. If practitioners did not help her, her loophole could easily be taken advantage of by the old forces. Shortly after this she fell while walking outside. A few days later she suddenly lost consciousness and became bedridden. Although practitioners went to her home to assist her, she was unable to overcome the ordeal and passed away a month later.

Reflecting on what happened with Ms. Song, I wish practitioners would communicate with each other more, focus on cultivating themselves, and not harbor grudges. If we encounter problems with other practitioners, we should communicate with them with a kind heart and be patient and considerate.

Do Not Be Indifferent, Offer Help

One practitioner was involved in giving speeches that disrupted the Fa several years ago. Some practitioners were not aware that this type of behavior was not in line with the Fa; they simply followed along and promoted this approach.

I met one of them and brought up the topic, stating the correct understanding of this issue in relation to the Minghui editorial. She listened attentively and asked for additional related material; this practitioner later recognized and corrected her problem.

One practitioner had a high fever for a month that wouldn’t subside, and she sometimes became delirious. I visited her home to discuss the mistakes she made while giving speeches years ago. She gained some understanding and her fever subsided.

After I returned home, in another dimension an evil being told me, “Mind your own business.” This troubled me and gave me a headache. After I sent forth righteous thoughts for a while, the headache went away. The other day I saw a beautiful, large rosy-pink lotus flower in another dimension, which I took as encouragement from Master.

In my understanding, when practitioners cultivate well, beings in other dimensions are saved. Assisting fellow practitioners is also an opportunity to save sentient beings while cultivating ourselves.

I feel it’s not a coincidence when practitioners see fellow practitioners who are in an incorrect cultivation state. I hope we aren’t indifferent. Those who are capable and have the conditions should promptly offer assistance and send forth righteous thoughts to help those practitioners facing tribulations. We must not allow the old forces to prevail, or leave regrets for ourselves.