(Clearwisdom.net) I read Master's "Teaching the Fa in the City of Los Angeles" again today. One of the questions asked in the lecture was about sickness karma. Some practitioners in my area have used ordinary methods to deal with sickness karma. I would like to share my cultivation experiences regarding sickness karma.
I started to practice Falun Dafa in 1997. I used to suffer tracheitis, decalcified bone proliferation, varicosity, nasosinusitis, migraines, lupus, a gastric ulcer, and hemorrhoids. I was physically and psychologically worn out. Each year I had just a few months of comfort. Since I was often plagued and tormented by several illnesses at the same time, I thought that I'd rather die than to keep living this way. Moreover, my family suffered financially due to the large expense of treating my illnesses.
I practiced from my heart, truly and steadily after I learned Dafa. I let go of attachments without any hesitation. I never evaded conflicts; I looked within at all times and in everything I encountered, and I emphasized fundamental changes in my nature. Soon my body and mind underwent miraculous changes. Some of the sickness karma was gone in a few days; some lasted for some time and then disappeared. When I did the exercises my ailing parts often hurt. The pain was relieved gradually, and its characteristics varied with time. For instance, I had decalcified bone proliferations in several parts of my lumbar vertebrae when I began to practice Dafa. Every time I meditated my bones hurt as if they were being pierced with an awl. At times I was streaming with sweat, which ran down my face like rain. Sometimes my whole body was cold and numb. However, after doing the exercises I felt like a different person, with a light and agile body. Some time later I would have other feelings in other parts of my body. I would then realize that I needed to understand the Fa from a new perspective.
I was doing quite well in validating the Fa during a period of time in 2002. One day, when I was cooking after work I had a clutching feeling in my head, as if very heavy innards were being yanked out. My body even moved a little with the clutching. Within two minutes I felt clear-headed (like never before). Since then I have never had the sharp, cutting pain from migraines.
I studied the Fa a lot in the past several years. So, whatever thoughts came to mind, I measured them with the Fa. Gradually, I understood increasingly more clearly how to cultivate. By studying the Fa, I assimilated to the Fa, and Dafa showed its miraculous power.
Once, I was worn out from vomiting and diarrhea. Every inch of my skin hurt, and my bones were weak and aching. I ceaselessly looked within. In a few days I found quite a few attachments in my cultivation, and I was determined to let go of them. Meanwhile, I studied the Fa, did the exercises, and struggled hard to work as usual because I know that sickness karma is not illness. A cultivator should be able to get through it by using supernormal principles. I couldn't eat for a whole week, but I wasn't afraid of it. On the seventh night I was lying in bed half-awake when my body suddenly emitted numerous rays of light, which seemed to be accompanied by many rounds of silent thunder. Finally, I fell asleep in the middle of the night. When I awoke in the early morning, I was full of energy, and everything was back to normal again.
I was usually optimistic when I experienced sickness karma. I have faith that I will be able to enlighten along a righteous path, treat myself as a practitioner, and pass tribulations with righteous thoughts as long as I study the Fa well. Consequently, many of the illnesses that I previously had have gone away since I practiced Dafa.
The more I believe in Master, the more capable I have been to break the old forces' arrangements. I have had two or three cleansing experiences each year over the past nine years. Sometimes, the cleansing arose in a frightening way with serious manifestations. I enlightened that many of the catastrophes and bouts of sickness karma (experienced by practitioners) are persecution factors imposed by the old forces. I will never acknowledge any of them. Fa-rectification cultivation has different laws than personal cultivation. So we should never think that we can cultivate well by going through sickness karma or tolerating tribulations. I broke through the old forces persecuting factors solely by my righteous belief in the Fa.
Once, I was coughing severely. I knew clearly it was the old forces persecuting me, so I sent forth righteous thoughts and negated the old forces. Master taught in "Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference," "Dafa disciples and I don’t even acknowledge the manifestations of their last-ditch efforts." I repeated Teacher's words, and due to my strong righteous thoughts, an image of demons being burned and melted by flames appeared in my mind. The sickness karma was gone the next day.
In autumn of 2004 I suddenly developed a distended chest and abdomen. My entire body was swollen and hurting, and I had no bowel movements for eight consecutive days. Thoughts of death constantly came into my mind. I knew that these were from the old forces' persecution, which should be completely negated. So I endured, and I continued to work and live as usual. Meanwhile, I repelled interfering factors, including unrighteous thoughts.
On the eighth day of enduring the pain, I meditated. Suddenly, I heard a voice say: "Do you dare let go of life?" I answered in my mind, "If letting go of my life could stop the persecution against Dafa, I will do so. Otherwise, I must assist Master with the Fa-rectification until the very end." The answer came completely from my true self, and it seemed to penetrate many dimensions. The thought was so pure that it was without any human elements. This strong righteous thought must have come from studying the Fa well. Gurgling sounds arose from inside my abdomen after midnight. Immediately afterwards, I had seven or eight bouts of diarrhea. In the morning I felt as if I had shed a layer of human notions. It felt really fantastic.
Nothing happens by chance for cultivators. Master has fundamentally changed my entire life for the better. The superficial good or bad in a non-practitioner's mind is nothing but false manifestations. The bad things that I experienced were actually very good by supernormal standards. For example, I coughed seriously for a time. My internal organs hurt from the coughing, and I felt that I breathed out hot air. As I often coughed continually overnight, I spent the nights sending
forth righteous thoughts, studying the Fa, and doing the exercises. I took naps and only stopped for short rests. I went to work as usual the next day, and I distributed truth-clarification materials on the way. I rarely coughed at work; however, if I did cough it was just a couple of soft coughing sounds. I told myself not to discredit Dafa, so I didn't cough at all in the presence of others. I coughed severely only when I was in the restroom or by myself. I also coughed continually at home. A few days later the cough was gone.
Things like this happened several times, but I didn't care at all. Having never asked for sickness leave or taken any medications since I practiced Dafa, I passed all the tests of sickness karma. As a matter of fact, I think that sickness karma is a relatively easy kind of test in the Great Law cultivation. All my colleagues know that I practice Falun Dafa, and they comment on how healthy I am, meaning that I have established a good image for Dafa disciples by practicing Dafa well.
