Some Thoughts about “Sickness Karma”

(Minghui.org) I became a Falun Dafa practitioner in China in April 1999; it wasn’t out of a desire to heal illness but because I felt that Dafa was good.

Not long after obtaining the Fa, I suddenly came down with a high fever. I hadn’t finished reading Zhuan Falun and did not know my symptoms indicated that Master Li, the founder of the practice, was cleansing my body. But there remained a vague impression that what I was going through was not an illness. As such, I didn’t bother to take any medication. Strangely, despite the fever, I had plenty of energy and could still open my small shop as usual. A former classmate who dropped by to visit accidentally touched my hand and exclaimed, “Your skin is burning. Do you have a fever? You need to take some medicine!” I reassured her that I was fine, and the fever soon went away.

An Important Test

Before becoming a Dafa practitioner, I got a severe sore throat every year. A private clinic served our small community and I would go there to get treated with intravenous fluids. Usually it took two bottles to relieve my sore throat.

In 2005, I started coming down with the familiar symptoms of fever and sore throat. Two bottles of the pale yellow IV fluid immediately surfaced in my mind. On autopilot, I started walking to the clinic when a thought abruptly surfaced, “I'm a Dafa practitioner and this is a trial to eliminate my karma. Master is cleaning up my body, so I should not take any injections or medications.” Though this was correct, my thoughts remained unstable, “If I don’t get the fluids, won’t I get worse? I live alone, and if I died, nobody would know.” My heart was in turmoil.

At that time, my home also doubled as a truth-clarification material production site. Because the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) destroyed many of our local production sites, each site now operated under the highest security. I was the sole point of contact for each practitioner, and, except for going to work, I kept largely to myself. Thus, when faced with this sickness karma trial, I had to decide the course of action on my own. In the end, I decided to trust in the Fa. Regardless of the outcome, I would leave my fate in Master’s hands. After much thought, I finally calmed down and let go of my worries.

At this point, a miracle occurred. The pain and discomfort in my throat immediately vanished. Surprised and delighted, I immediately thanked Master! This was a test, and Master removed my karma in response to my righteous thoughts.

Master said,

“And as long as you practice cultivation, I can be responsible for you all the way to the end; what’s more, I’m looking after you every single moment.” (“Teaching the Fa in New York City,” Lectures in the United States)

After this experience, my belief in cultivation practice grew by leaps and bounds. I study the Fa daily, diligently engraving the words in my mind. This enables me to face tribulations and act according to the requirements of a practitioner.

Seeing Sickness Karma as a Good Thing

The Minghui website recently published an experience sharing article titled “Some Understandings on Master’s New Article.” I find myself in wholehearted agreement with this statement: “For example, when we experience physical tribulations, is our first thought to see them as a good thing or a bad thing?”

Sometime last year, severe pain suddenly flared up my back as I was mopping the floor. The pain left me petrified, holding the mop handle and unable to move even a single step. Five minutes after the initial attack, I managed to maneuver myself to my bed and lie down with great effort. Despite knowing that this was a good karma eliminating event, I was worried that my symptoms would worsen. At this juncture, I realized that I had forgotten to do the exercises that day.

I tried to get up but was hampered by the severe pain in my lower back. In desperation I grabbed my hair, used it as leverage to sit up, then proceeded to work my way to a standing position. My actions were so comical that I couldn’t help but burst out in laughter. I then started doing the exercises, determined to adhere to the requirements of a practitioner regardless of this setback. While the pain made it difficult to accomplish my daily activities, I found myself entirely cured within a week.

Other Practitioners and Sickness Karma

Fellow practitioners who are suffering from sickness tribulations: I too have faced similar feelings of unease and worry about the outcome. I think this attachment surfaces when a practitioner has not studied the Fa thoroughly. I became close friends with a practitioner in another country. To my regret, she passed away from a sickness tribulation in 2019.

This practitioner had cultivated in Dafa for over nine years and diligently participated in truth-clarification projects. When false manifestations of cancer started surfacing, I reminded her that this was not an actual disease and to diligently study the Fa. She would politely agree with me but still went to the hospital for regular chemotherapy. Towards the end, her whole body was in pain, with many black spots on the palms and soles of her feet. Though this practitioner had studied the Fa, it did not seem like she had a deep understanding of Dafa’s principles.

A few months ago, I was rudely awakened from sleep by intense pain in my lower back and stomach. Still half asleep, I went to the toilet but saw no improvement. At this point, I returned to bed and went back to sleep with the thought, “I don't care. Even if it hurts, I still have to sleep.” This symptom recurred two or three more times. For an ordinary person, concerns about rectal cancer might have started surfacing. But I later learned that compassionate Master gave me this experience in order to help my older sister, who had just taken up cultivation.

She had a similar experience at the same time as I did. When she started to describe what it was like for her, I asked her, “Was it a severe pain in the middle of the night that woke you up?” “Yes!” she exclaimed. “Why are you experiencing the same thing?” I smiled and advised her, “Ignore the pain and just carry on with life. Continue to eat and sleep normally. Sister, don't worry about it. Practitioners of Dafa possess gong and as such don’t have illnesses. These symptoms are a sign that Master is adjusting your body. Don't be afraid.”

In conclusion, I think sickness tribulations are essentially a test to determine the extent of a Dafa practitioner’s belief in Master and the Fa.