(Clearwisdom.net) The phrase "sickness karma" is often brought up among fellow practitioners. For example, I hear that someone passed through a tribulation of "sickness karma"; someone else is experiencing "sickness karma" now; and someone else has been going through "sickness karma" for a long time, etc. "Sickness karma" certainly does happen. Some practitioners in our area who did not pass the tribulation of "sickness karma" were sent to hospital by their families for treatment. Even worse, some other practitioners passed away due to the so-called "sickness karma."
Studying the Fa principles, I have recently come to the understanding that it is inappropriate if we still mention "sickness karma." It was probably not wrong to say "sickness karma" when we were in the period of individual cultivation, before July 20, 1999. "One must repay one's own karma, and no one dares to violate this principle." (Lecture Two in Zhuan Falun) Some practitioners might experience "sickness karma" tribulations. Some may even experience large tribulations. But since the persecution began in July 1999, our path of cultivation has changed. We now resist the persecution, clarify the truth and save sentient beings. With the accelerating pace of Fa-rectification, now is the critical stage of rescuing people from the grasp of the old forces. We are not in the period of individual cultivation anymore. For a cultivator to still go through tribulations is absolutely not the path arranged by Master. So why do some practitioners experience so-called "sickness karma" tribulations? I think it is for the following two reasons:
First is that those in "sickness karma" tribulations may not have been doing the three things solidly, i.e. not cultivating diligently. Thus the old forces take advantage of the loophole to interfere and persecute them. With Master's Fa-rectification progress and the continuous truth clarification by Dafa disciples, many people have recognized the evilness of the persecution. The evil in other dimensions does not have the capability anymore to utilize villains to persecute Dafa disciples on a large scale. Under this circumstance, the evil is very likely to use the form of "sickness karma" to interfere or eliminate those Dafa disciples they do not consider to be genuine or diligent cultivators.
A second possible reason is that the practitioners are attached to "sickness karma." Some might have suffered from a serious disease prior to cultivation. After starting cultivation, Master has cleansed practitioners, yet some people still cannot let go of the thought of illness, wondering whether he or she will suffer from the disease again, etc.
Master said,
"In practicing cultivation of our school, you will not have any problems as long as you can conduct your xinxing well, since one righteous mind can subdue one hundred evils. If you cannot maintain your xinxing well and go after this or that, you are bound to get yourself into trouble." (Lecture Three in Zhuan Falun)
A practitioner I know does the three things every day. Several months ago when he came to my home, I noticed that he was not well. He told me he had been hospitalized. He said the disease he had suffered before had recurred and was very severe; he tried to send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the interference but was not very effective, and his family members forced him to be hospitalized. After we exchanged insights, he realized he had not fully believed in Master and the Fa, and decided to leave the hospital and cultivate solidly. After some days, he asked me why he still did not recover. A few days later he went to the hospital for an x-ray and asked the doctor to tell him more about the disease. I was quite worried when I heard this. Although he had cultivated many years and says he believes in Master and the Fa, he could not let go of his attachments at critical moments. I believe that the x-ray shows a false appearance arranged by the old forces. I can understand his conflicting feelings amidst the tribulation, however not letting go means pursuing it. How could the tribulation not come? I told him to burn the x-ray right away and not to acknowledge the false appearance. We should only take the path arranged by Master, do the three things well, and give ourselves to Master without reservations.
The above two reasons (plus other possible reasons), are related to our xinxing and our understanding of Fa principles. We often say that we should keep every single thought on the Fa, so as I see it, for cultivators to have "sickness karma" at this stage of the Fa-rectification is not normal. Illness is something that has nothing to do with cultivators. Neither can karma interfere with Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples' efforts to save sentient beings. Master has told us that the gong we achieve through cultivation, the beings we save, and the living beings developed through our cultivation, all diminish our previous karma. Moreover, at this time Master and the righteous gods would not allow karma to reflect in this dimension to interfere with our saving people. Therefore, as long as we actively follow Master's arrangements to do the three things, "sickness karma" should not exist. Master taught the principle, "The appearance stems from the mind." When a practitioner shows an abnormal physical condition, if other practitioners all call it "sickness karma," it may really transform accordingly. As cultivators we must change our mindset and never acknowledge the old forces' interference. I think we can call it a symptom or abnormal state, as it is not "sickness karma." One single thought or one word is important, and we should not let the old forces take advantage of our loophole.
This is my personal understanding, please correct me if anything is inappropriate.
