(Clearwisdom.net) Recently, I have often run across articles about Dafa practitioners suffering from serious sickness karma or who even had their lives taken away by the dark hands of sickness. These types of incidents also occurred in our surrounding area. They have created a negative impact among practitioners and the public alike and caused us great losses. The impact is even greater when the issue arises with coordinators or practitioners whose behavior usually was considered to be "very diligent." I want to share my understanding about how to maximally reduce these losses. Please, kindly point out anything inappropriate.
Since the Fa-rectification has reached the level of ordinary society and ordinary people can recover from serious illnesses by sincerely saying, "Falun Dafa is good," how come a Dafa practitioner could become sick? Certain practitioners suffered from long-term sickness karma, some were hospitalized, and some had major surgery. Those situations that caused the greatest negative influence involved practitioners who worked as coordinators or who actively took part in Dafa activities. The more well known the practitioner, the greater the loss. Some practitioners asked, "How can this happen to him if he is doing so well?" Because of that, some practitioners who didn't study the Fa well and some new practitioners even had doubts about Dafa, and the family and friends of those well-known practitioners also had negative thoughts toward Dafa.
Amid the frenzied persecution over these past six years, every Dafa practitioner has been working very hard to let the world's people know that Dafa teaches people to be good and can help people become healthy. We validated the wonders of Dafa with our own healthy bodies, through which many people believed in and were saved by Dafa. How can we validate Dafa with our sick bodies? The evil persecutes us to interfere with our cultivation and salvation of the world's people, and wants to eventually destroy practitioners in the midst of tribulations, and further damage Dafa.
A certain practitioner who was in charge of delivering Dafa materials had a motorcycle accident when running an errand and was killed instantly. His death sent shockwaves through the local community, and brought a big negative impact on the practitioners and the public in that area. Even his brother who had acknowledged Dafa before, changed his mind instantly. He asked, "Aren't you guys protected by your Teacher?" Later, the deceased practitioner's wife, also a Dafa practitioner, revealed that her husband practiced another school of qigong before Dafa, and he didn't completely give up the other practice even after he took up Dafa. He even used the other qigong to treat illnesses, something most practitioners clearly understand that the Falun Gong teachings advise against. Teacher gave him hints before the accident, but he didn't reflect on his behavior and continued with his old ways. Only after his wife revealed the real situation did it help to dispel misunderstandings among other Dafa practitioners. Cultivation is serious! We must be completely honest with ourselves, or we could hurt ourselves, cause interference among practitioners and create misunderstandings among the world's people. We would be unconsciously doing the work of demons.
Some people tried to present themselves as "unwaveringly determined in Dafa" when they were at the brink of death from "sickness." They tried hard to cover up their attachments and absolutely did not talk about their omissions. They had not the courage to face or confront their attachments. A true and diligent Dafa practitioner would do exactly as Teacher tells us. He would do as stated in Zhuan Falun,
"One must begin by being a good person. One should always improve xinxing, always suffer hardships, ascend constantly in cultivation, and always seek to upgrade xinxing, even though one cannot see one's own gong."
("Enlightenment," Lecture Nine of Zhuan Falun, Third Translation Edition in March 2000)
How can we live up to the higher standards Dafa requires of us if we only talk about firm belief but don't actually cultivate ourselves?
We should show understanding toward fellow practitioners who are in the midst of tribulations, but more importantly, we should think about Dafa under such circumstances. Those practitioners in particular who are confronting evil tribulation should maintain a clear mind. They should watch their words and actions to see whether they bring positive or negative influences on Dafa. The more we "appear" to be determined and don't talk about our own attachments, or even fear discussion of them, the more difficult it is for others to understand us. In fact, the evil that is persecuting us fears our discussing our attachments, because it will disintegrate when brought to light. If we uphold Dafa from the depth of our hearts instead of defending our personal reputation, we would then be able to truly break through any evil tribulations. If you cling to the preservation of the "self" to assert yourself, you could cause many bad things to happen. Practitioners who don't have a deep understanding of Dafa may waver when witnessing your condition, and ordinary people who don't understand Dafa may lose their opportunity for salvation because of your state. On the other hand, what is the implication for the practitioner himself who is being so irresponsible?
Amidst the tribulation, one should put Dafa in the first place. Do not be attached to self and do not make excuses to cover up your shortcomings. Let fellow practitioners see that you encounter interference because of your omissions. Doing this is being responsible to Dafa and to other people.
Of course, we don't acknowledge anything arranged by the old forces, but it doesn't mean we should conceal our attachments, since the evil is able to persecute us precisely because they take advantage of our omissions. Exposing our attachments actually bankrupts the evil's conspiracy of persecuting and interfering with Dafa practitioners, of trying to damage Dafa and preventing people from being saved because of the evil's persecution against us.
As Dafa practitioners, we should recognize the evil's vicious scheme when this type of incident occurs around us. We should know that their purpose is exactly to damage Dafa and interfere with Dafa practitioners. They want to stir up doubts in the minds of practitioners who haven't studied the Fa well, to lead them to give up Dafa, and to prevent some ordinary people from being saved. We should first be responsible to Dafa and to fellow practitioners, and we should maximally reduce any negative impact of sickness karma. We could point out the practitioner's attachments and omissions which the evil has taken advantage of. Of course, we should not criticize or complain about our fellow practitioner. We should help him to truly improve his xinxing. At the same time, we should inform other practitioners of the facts, in order to wipe out their misunderstandings and doubts. This way, people wouldn't say, "How could this happen to someone who was so diligent?" and practitioners who don't have a firm grasp of Dafa then wouldn't drop in levels.
We should think things over and think about what's truly good for fellow practitioners, and in this way we should rationally reduce any negative impact. Let us together review Teacher's "Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference,"
"Why don't you stop and think about it: Why is someone interfering with you? Why is it able to interfere with you? Is it because you have an attachment, or because you have something you can't let go of? Why don't you look at yourself? The true reason lies with you yourself, and that's the only reason it can exploit your gap! Don't you have Master watching over you? Even when an ordinary person shouts out "Falun Dafa is good" today, Master will protect him, since he's shouted those words I can't not protect him amidst the evil. And how much more so am I protecting you cultivators! In some isolated cases some students really did come down with an incurable disease. But think about it, so many people who had severe health problems or incurable diseases before they learned the Fa became well after learning Dafa, so why is it that some students on the other hand can't make things work? Is it that Dafa makes distinctions among sentient beings? Is it that I, your Master, treat students differently? I really have to ask you: Are you truly cultivating? Have you truly followed Dafa's requirements? Are you clarifying the facts with the human mindset of disagreeing with the persecution of Falun Gong, or are you validating the Fa and saving sentient beings truly from the standpoint of a Dafa disciple? Yes, the old forces have arranged for some people to get in, but why is it that most people can handle things now but you can't? Haven't I taught the Fa to you?!
"When problems arise, when something doesn't feel right, you have to look at yourself! Look at where you were wrong and allowed the evil to exploit your gaps. If you were wrong you should recognize it and do better. Don't forget, you are all Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples! You came to validate the Fa! Cultivation is hard, and the evil is more evil while you are validating Dafa. Those who can make it through are bound to be Kings of sentient beings." ("Teaching and Explaining the Fa at the Metropolitan New York Fa Conference")