Thoughts on the Passing of a Fellow Practitioner

(Minghui.org) A Falun Dafa practitioner in our area, Li, (alias) passed away suddenly. This caused a big reaction amongst local practitioners, as it happened so unexpectedly.

We all know that this practitioner did very well in resisting the persecution in the early years. When our local Falun Dafa information production site was destroyed by government authorities, Li went to fetch badly needed materials for us from out of town. Later, she set up a new truth material production site in our area with help from other practitioners. However, not long after it was set up, the police destroyed it again and arrested her. 

The police interrogated and tortured Li in an attempt to apprehend more practitioners, but she never gave in. Later, she was taken to the notorious Masanjia Forced Labor Camp, where she suffered more cruel torture. At one point, she was deprived of sleep for over 20 days in a row, during which time she passed out a number of times. Still, she refused to renounce her faith in Falun Dafa. Li always took the lead in resisting the persecution, and in the end she walked out of that forced labor camp in an upright and dignified manner. 

Soon after returning home, she joined the other practitioners in her area in Dafa cultivation practice. She cooperated and helped local coordinators in various activities. At home, she was a filial daughter-in-law and treated the elderly with caring kindness. She was also very kind towards her grumpy husband. After her son got married, Li lived with him and his wife for more than ten years. She never argued with her daughter-in-law and helped in the raising of her grandson, who soon became a young Dafa practitioner.

Three years ago, Li experienced serious sickness karma and was almost taken away by the old forces. In great despair, she looked within deeply and realized that in recent years she had become very focused on the endless farm work and household chores. Thus, Li had little time to go and pick up her copies of Minghui Weekly and other Dafa informational materials for distribution. Fellow practitioners then began bringing the needed materials to her. She clarified the truth to people only when she went out shopping for the family or picking up her grandson from school or extracurricular activities. She admitted her shortcomings and asked Master to give her another chance to rectify herself and to do better in the future. She recovered a month later and was back to normal.

Li let go of attachments to many things but was still attached to the ordinary things at home and wanted her family to live a good life. She worked hard from morning till night. She managed to do the three things required of Dafa practitioners, but only marginally, as she was always busy taking care of her family. After she injured her leg in a fall, she went to seek treatment from a sham qigong master, hoping that she could heal as soon as possible so that she could do the household chores. 

The day before she passed away, she held my hand in tears and said that she had not done well in cultivation and failed to meet Master’s expectations. She also told me that when she felt better, she would like me to help her write an experience-sharing article about her cultivation issues for publication on Minghui.org. She hoped other practitioners could draw a lesson from her experiences and not make the same mistakes as she had. Her family members told me that she passed away with her eyes open, and left this world with regret. I felt very sad because so many sentient beings in her paradise in heaven were still waiting anxiously for her to save them! 

Since Master led us into the Fa-rectification period, the old forces have been watching Dafa disciples very closely, trying to find any weakness in our cultivation in order to persecute us. They don’t want us to succeed in cultivation and always seek to drag us down. They have mainly used two tactics to persecute practitioners - imprisonment or sickness karma.

Once the old forces find our cultivation issues, they persecute us with no mercy. In the early years, when Li was detained in a forced labor camp and brutally tortured, she didn’t give in and pulled through the ordeal with righteous thoughts. This time the old forces took her away by sickness karma under the excuse that she still had human attachments to her family, had gone astray by failing to observe the Dafa principle of “no second discipline,” and seeking treatment for sickness from a sham qigong master. 

What happened to this practitioner is a serious lesson for us. We must let go of all human attachments, walk well on our remaining cultivation path arranged by Master, and completely deny the old forces in our conduct. When we are righteous, the old forces are left with no opportunity to take advantage of us. 

Master told us, 

“To walk this path well and progress to its end—nothing is more extraordinary. I say that because during the journey you will have hardships, tests of every sort, unforeseen ordeals, and you will have unexpected interference from all kinds of attachments and emotions. The interference will come from family, society, good friends, and even fellow cultivators. Along with this, there is interference from changes in the state of human society and from human notions that were formed in society. All of those things can drag you back to being like an ordinary person. But if you can break through all of it, you can advance towards godhood. So as a cultivator, what is truly remarkable is when you can be steadfast and have righteous thoughts so firm that nothing can sway you. Be solid and firm like diamond, or granite, and then nothing can affect you—evil will be afraid at the mere sight of you.” (“Teaching the Fa at the Western U.S. International Fa Conference,” Collected Teachings Given Around the World, Volume VII)

Let us review and remember Master’s teaching, and walk well the final remaining path of Fa-rectification cultivation. Let us leave no regrets and be worthy of Master’s compassionate salvation. Our mission is still incomplete, and we must successfully rescue all the sentient beings we are responsible for and finally return home with Master. Only then can we fulfill our great prehistoric wish.

Please kindly point out anything improper in the sharing.