(Clearwisdom.net) There is an elderly practitioner in her 70s who had been determined in her cultivation and diligent in doing the three things. This “Auntie” began to slow down, however, when her husband died in a car accident four years ago. The sudden passing of her loved one took a toll on her health, and her hearing deteriorated as a result. Starting in June of last year she even began to have trouble keeping food down and soon became emaciated.
After learning of Auntie’s situation in mid-July, I went to visit her one evening with a fellow practitioner. I was surprised to see her condition and asked, “Auntie, how come you’ve been reduced to this state?” She couldn’t hear me well, so I wrote down my question on a piece of paper. She read it and then wrote down her response. We “talked” back and forth like this until 9 p.m. After sending forth righteous thoughts together, Auntie said, “Now I get it, and I’ll no longer allow my emotional attachments to interfere with me. I’ll cheer up and walk on the path arranged by Master. I am not going to acknowledge the old forces’ persecution of me.”
One week later, a fellow practitioner brought me some corn, and I ate three cobs right away. The next morning when I got up to do the exercises, I suddenly felt very uncomfortable in my stomach. The whole day I ended up eating nothing, and I experienced heavy fatigue. It even took me a great amount of effort to just erect my right palm to send forth righteous thoughts. When I looked within, I realized that I still had strong attachments of jealousy, competitive mentality and lust. Moreover, I had been having conflicts with some local practitioners for quite a while. The reason was that I always tried to gauge other people with my own understanding and tended to hold grudges against others when they didn’t conform to my opinions.
Even though I identified some of my problems, I failed to truly rectify myself, and as a result, my “sickness symptoms” were still not improving.
Then one day I suddenly recalled a thought I had while visiting Auntie. Somehow I was very content with myself because even though I had strong sentimentality just like Auntie, I didn’t get interfered with like her. As soon as I realized this, I felt a jolt in my heart, and I knew Master was strengthening me.
I began to send forth righteous thoughts to get rid of my complacency, but I still had trouble eating thereafter. Several days later my older brother invited me to attend a party for his 100-day-old grandson. I figured that I would set a poor example if people saw me avoid food, since all of the guests knew that I practiced Falun Gong. I made up my mind not to listen to my stomach. If I stopped eating on account of my upset stomach, wouldn’t I be acknowledging the old forces’ arrangements? I began to eat normally at the party and visited my old sister that night, eating a dozen dumplings at her home. On the afternoon of the third day, I suddenly felt hungry, a sensation I hadn’t had for a while. Just like that, my eating returned to normal.
The only thought I had during the whole process was that I was not going to acknowledge the old forces’ arrangements. To achieve this goal, it was not enough to just pay lip service; we must be firm both in our mind and in our behavior.
A fellow practitioner and I went to visit Auntie again the next day. We helped clean out and dispose of all of the books in her home related to the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). We removed all pictures from the room where she had hung Master’s portrait and also asked her to give all the photos she took with her deceased husband to her children. After tidying up her house, we sent forth righteous thoughts together, and she told us she felt strong strengthening from Master.
I bought a set of hearing aids for Auntie the following day and also told her what had happened to me a few days back. She said: “Ah, I usually stop eating when I feel uncomfortable, and I lie down to take a break when I am tired from doing the exercises. Based on what you said, I am also cooperating with the evil when I do that. Now I know I must not allow this to happen again.”
When I visited Auntie several days later, she looked so much better and seemed like a different person.
I had thought I was helping Auntie all along, only to find out that it was also an opportunity for me to improve myself. After all, nothing happens accidentally, and there is a reason for everything.
The last thing I’d like to share with fellow practitioners is that we must pay close attention to every thought of ours and cannot afford to have negative notions interfere with us.
As Master told us in “Be Vigilant”:
“Do you really not understand that it was a demon who came knocking at your door, thanks to your human attachments?”
