(Clearwisdom.net) Fa-rectification has reached its final stage, yet many fellow practitioners still experience sickness karma. I think there are three circumstances: First, we still have attachments which we didn't let go of or something we didn't do well, so the evil was able to take advantage of it. Second, new practitioners are still in the personal cultivation stage and their bodies are not purified entirely (Actually, a veteran practitioner may still be in this condition if they didn't cultivate well). Third, since we are living in ordinary human society, we continue to create karma and we need a means for eliminating the karma. The last two circumstances are arranged by Teacher and thus will not affect Fa-rectification or create a serious problem. If an evil element causes more serious sickness karma in order to influence practitioners against validating the Fa, then it needs to be negated and destroyed. Many practitioners have already discussed this topic. What I want to discuss here is about the not so serious sickness karma, which may be considered as contagious from the ordinary person's viewpoint during karma elimination.
I was afflicted with beriberi for more than ten years before I began Dafa cultivation. After starting cultivation, many other serious illnesses disappeared, except this not-so-serious illness. I always thought it was just there for eliminating karma and didn't pay much attention to it. Recently, it became more serious, causing severe itching and leaking pus. My family was afraid of getting infected and so avoided touching items I have used. Every time I touched something, they asked me whether I washed my hands. I was really embarrassed about the situation. Out of consideration for others, I washed my hands many times every day. This wasted a lot of my time. Of course, there were attachments that needed to be eliminated, but what concerned me the most was the possibility of transmitting beriberi to others. Because I didn't clearly understand the principles of the Fa on this issue, I was under tremendous mental pressure. My family bought me the medicine to cure the illness. I decided to use it, thinking I was doing it for others and not because I wanted to use the medicine. As a result, my condition got worse. Therefore, I thought I needed to clearly understand the principles of the Fa and to look at the problem from a cultivator's viewpoint to find the root cause.
Teacher told us clearly from the very beginning,
"I do not talk about healing illness here, and neither will we heal illness. As a genuine practitioner, however, you cannot practice cultivation with an ill body." (Zhuan Falun)
That is to say, we are free from illness the moment we begin our cultivation, it is because a sick body cannot develop gong. Then how can one infect others if he or she is not ill? Even though elimination of sickness karma may be looked upon by ordinary people as contagious; we know it is not contagious. Our cultivation creates a very strong energy field, which can correct people's abnormal conditions.
Sometimes I lack self-confidence and think I haven't cultivate well enough. Then I think my body carries bacteria that can infect others. I know it is unlikely from the principles of the Fa. Teacher told us in Zhuan Falun,
"The Buddha School teaches self-salvation and salvation of all sentient beings. One does not only cultivate oneself, but also offers salvation to all sentient beings. Others can benefit as well, and you can unintentionally rectify other people's bodies, heal their illnesses, and so on."
As long as we truly cultivate ourselves, even if we haven't cultivated well enough, we will still benefit others. Looking from the level of ordinary people, infection is a superficial phenomenon.
"The fundamental cause of one's being ill and all of one's misfortune is karma and the black substance's karmic field" (Zhuan Falun).
Infection is an illusion in the human dimension.
"Yet the sickness usually appears to have been triggered by an external condition in the physical world. This way it superficially conforms to the objective laws of our physical world. That is, it complies with this human world's principles. As a result, everyday people have no way of knowing the actual truth about the cause of the sickness, and they are thus lost in delusion without being enlightened" (from "Sickness Karma," Essentials For Further Advancement).
Only after we clearly understand the principles of the Fa, will we naturally know how to behave. First of all, we'll need to cultivate, study the Fa and do the exercises diligently. We need to look within ourselves to find the attachments that are yet to be cultivated away or we are unaware of. We need to cultivate it away as soon as possible to allow our bodies to develop the healthy condition of a cultivator. This is also a part of validating the Fa. Next, we should understand from the principles of the Fa that we only bring blessings to others and not be confused by appearances when we are clarifying the truth and saving sentient beings. We do not waste our precious time curing illnesses or living in paranoia. Lastly, we shouldn't go to extremes in what we do. We should care about the feelings of others and do well with even the small things.
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