Persevering in Cultivation Despite Ongoing Interference

(Minghui.org) Ever since I first stepped onto my cultivation path in 2001, I’ve been trying to overcome an inordinate amount of evil interference. Migraines have been the evil’s primary way of interfering with me for many years, and they were usually timed to have an impact on my work on various Dafa projects or my trips, particularly to Fa conferences.

While my response used to be that I virtually quit going anywhere—even to Fa conferences, I had a major breakthrough recently, and now have a better understanding. Hence, I would like to share my experience with fellow practitioners who may be dealing with similar challenges.

I had been striving to eliminate an attachment that Master had given me hints about, but that I wasn’t seeing clearly—I couldn’t determine where my problem lay. But I kept looking inside.

One day three months ago, I suddenly saw the root of that attachment, and instantly a certain kind of severe interference that had been plaguing me for the previous six months disappeared. Just like that, it was gone, and that particular kind of interference never returned.

After that I was in an excellent cultivation state and had a really good period. My mind was clear, when I studied the Fa I absorbed it really well, and I constantly enlightened to new things.

It was an immense relief to be free from the burden of that bout of interference, which consisted of extreme tiredness, making it hard to carry on, and a very bad feeling in my head, as if my head was numb or enshrouded in some kind of heavy, dense matter.

However, after about a month, the interference returned in another form, and this time it was around an unexpected and shocking occurrence—the sudden death of a fellow practitioner.

Practitioner M, the local practitioner from whom I obtained the Fa, suddenly died. She hadn’t been sick or anything—she just suddenly dropped dead while sitting at her computer.

She and I worked very closely together for the first several years of my cultivation. Many of our attachments were the same, so being around her was a good mirror for me.

But about five years ago she began isolating herself from the group, and after that I didn’t see her very often. Although she still did the three things, she didn’t come to group study or group practice, or join in any of our local Dafa events.

Another practitioner and I talked to her periodically about coming to group study, etc., but there was no change on her part. I found it difficult to talk to her about her attachments because she would put up a wall of self-protection, but now that she’s gone I really wish I had tried harder.

I’ve seen the same sort of thing several times in my own situation. Once, when it was production day on the Epoch Times and I was very busy, I began having a strong pain in my left ankle.

I knew it was interference, and sent forth righteous thoughts as I worked. I didn’t even look at my ankle because I didn’t want to acknowledge the interference. But it kept getting worse, to the point that I couldn’t put any weight on that foot, and when I eventually looked at it, the entire area around my ankle was swollen. The symptoms were exactly the same as a sprained ankle, yet I hadn’t done anything strenuous to cause it—I was just working at the computer all day.

These kinds of scenarios seem to indicate that now, at this stage of the Fa rectification, the evil forces are acting very desperately and recklessly.

Soon after I learned of practitioner M’s death, the evil interference with me began again, and continued for the entire time it took to deal with issues such as clearing out her apartment, getting rid of her belongings, etc. I could see that they were trying to intimidate me in an effort to make me think that I would be the next target. They even conjured up an image of a corpse for me to see. I sent forth righteous thoughts and told them to back off.

I also had a palpable feeling of fear during the time around practitioner M’s death. A pall descended on me, and I couldn’t seem to shake it. Upon looking inside I discovered that it was fear of death, which surprised me, as I’d never thought I had that before.

As I firmed up my belief through this experience, I realized that the reason behind the interference didn’t really matter. It doesn’t matter that I’ve floundered many times, and it doesn’t matter that I’m usually operating way under par because of the interference.

What matters is that I make it through, and I’m doing that thanks to Master’s compassionate help and guidance. Master’s hints have been invaluable, not only to help me see my attachments, but also to avoid some of the interference.

Once, when it seemed that the evil had the upper hand all the time and things were looking grim, I enlightened that Master's arrangement trumps everything—even this arrangement that the old forces have in place to interfere with me. That realization gave me great strength and confidence.

I learned early on that if upon the immediate onset of interference I say in my mind, “I don’t accept this. I negate the old forces and all their arrangements,” and send forth righteous thoughts, I can stop the interference right away. But that doesn’t work if my righteousness is not up to par, or if I’ve left the evil a gap—and sometimes even when I haven’t—and they’re determined to interfere.

Still, I regularly assert that I don’t accept the interference, that they have no right to interfere, and that I only follow Master’s arrangements.

I’ve come to realize that I mustn’t skip studying the Fa or doing the exercises no matter how bad I feel, and I’ve been doing better with that lately. But something I still have to improve on is not acknowledging the evil when the going gets tough.

I also need to eliminate fear—not fear of the evil forces themselves, but fear of how they can make me suffer, because that puts me in a compromised position.

I have to be careful that I cultivate for the right reasons and not just to avoid the interference, something I can easily fall into doing when the interference is severe. And most of all, I need to constantly work on strengthening my righteous thoughts, as that is paramount in deterring the interference.

Master said in "Teaching the Fa at the 2002 Fa Conference in Philadelphia,"

“But even so, if our righteous thoughts are strong, then we are in line with the law of the cosmos, and this law holds true in both the old cosmos and the new one: a being’s choice is up to him, even if he made some kind of vow in history.”

In "Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the 2003 Metropolitan New York Fa Conference," Master also said,

“It’s cultivation, so don’t be intimidated by difficulties. No matter what, no matter how hard it is, you are definitely able to come through on the path given to you by Master. As long as you raise your xinxing you can make it through.”

I know I’m going to make it through because I have infinite trust in Dafa and in Master, who has been benevolently guiding me along this cultivation path that is fraught with difficulty and pitfalls.

I thank Master from the bottom of my heart, and I hereby affirm that despite all obstacles, I will strive forward ever more diligently on the last leg of the journey back to my rightful home.