(Minghui.org) I would like to share my understanding of helping an elderly practitioner to pass through the test of illness karma.

She is seventy-three years old. She is very diligent and firmly believes in Master and Dafa. She has recited Zhuan Falun more than 200 times. Whenever she has time, she reads the Fa, does the exercises, and sends righteous thoughts. She is also the local coordinator for her fellow practitioners.

Last year, she started coughing up phlegm. The symptoms kept developing and were accompanied by stomachaches. In September, her stomachaches became so severe that she could not eat and would throw up even if she drank water. When the stomachache came on, it was so painful that she rolled in bed, threw up, and felt chilly all over; sometimes it was so painful that she could not even recite “Falun Dafa is good”, nor recall the Fa she had memorized. The pain would last for six to seven hours each time. We sent righteous thought to help her and asked Master Li (Dafa’s founder) to help her; her pain would sometimes ease for a while.

I started cultivating Dafa in 2010 and had been cultivating alone. My cultivation was not solid and I did not have much confidence in helping a fellow practitioner with illness karma. I often spend time with two fellow practitioners. They have a firm belief in Master and the Fa and we sent righteous thoughts together to help the elderly practitioner. When her pain was relieved a little, we discussed our understanding of the Fa together, trying to help her to look inside for gaps in herxinxing. We accompanied her at night and sent righteous thoughts to help her.

The elderly practitioner’s symptoms lasted for nearly forty days and she was in pain every day, without any improvement. Our thoughts started to waver after not seeing any improvement in her. The two practitioners told the elderly practitioner that she probably should talk to her son and daughter and see what they want to do. However, the elderly practitioner said with determination, “Are you talking about giving up? I am not giving up.”

Her firm belief in Master and Dafa deeply moved me. What a good practitioner! I believed that she would surely be well.

One day, a practitioner came back from visiting the elderly practitioner. She told me, “The elderly practitioner seemed to be in severe pain today. She looked at me helplessly and said that she could not bear it anymore. For such a good practitioner with a firm belief in Master and Dafa, Master will definitely help her.”

I said, “You can visit her tomorrow. I will go tonight.” The practitioner told me, “I am afraid she may not make it through tonight. We should all go tonight.” I said, “Okay, no matter what other people think, we should not have any negative thoughts; let's support her 100 percent with our righteous thoughts.”

We went to the elderly practitioner’s home together that evening. When we entered her room, the elderly practitioner was rolling around on her bed and throwing up in bursts; she was in constant pain. We told her, “You must keep your thoughts righteous. We will help you with our righteous thoughts to get better.”

The practitioner and I sat down to send righteous thoughts. In the past, when we sent righteous thoughts to help, the elderly practitioner’s pain would ease sometimes. However, her symptoms did not ease even after we sent righteous thought for 40 minutes. The three of us shared our thoughts, trying to help her look inside for a reason.

We helped her to look deeper and deeper into her mind. Finally, she realized that an acquired notion had made her acknowledge the illnesses she had for many years, including heart problems, tuberculosis, cavities in her lung, stomach problems, intestinal ulcers, etc.

The fellow practitioner immediately said to her, “You have suppressed your divine side. You have cultivated for so many years and your body is transforming into a divine body. Why are you still considering your organs as ordinary organs? Why can’t you motivate your supernormal powers? Quickly use whatever supernormal powers you have.”

The elderly practitioner suddenly came to understand. She said, “All of these symptoms are fake and I don’t acknowledge them.” And she communicated with her organs, saying, “You have also come to this world with missions. Hurry up and help me assist Master in the Fa-rectification, assimilate to the Fa and assimilate to Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance.”

As soon as she had the thought, a miracle happened. I witnessed the miracle with my own eyes—the elderly practitioner told us, “I am getting better. I am having bowel movements and it is moving downward.” She then asked us to feel her hands and feet which were warming up. When we entered her room, she was so cold that she had to cover herself with a thick blanket, and with a padded jacket on top. After she had the thought, she immediately took off all her covers. It was really like Master said,

“...And human notions change,The degenerate things purged,Brightness now shines forth.”(“Born Anew,” Hong Yin)

With this article, I want to share my understanding with fellow practitioners. When helping fellow practitioners, we must hold strong righteous thoughts, without any negative thoughts. We must believe in Master and Dafa, and wholeheartedly consider others first.

The practitioner being helped must also have strong righteous thoughts; they must have thoughts based on the Fa, because the old forces are always looking for flaws to persecute, and practitioners must deny the old forces’ arrangement. Master told us,

“Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun),

Master will then help them get through the difficult times.

The above is my own understanding. Please correct me if I have made any mistakes.