(Clearwisdom.net) In "Explaining the Fa During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference," Master said, "Except for newer students, from July 20 of 1999 on, Master hasn't created any personal cultivation tests for you, and that's because overall your personal cultivation has changed in every respect so that it's in the direction of saving sentient beings and validating Dafa."

If Master did not arrange these tests for us in our personal cultivation, then, who created the tribulations that veteran practitioners encounter while validating the Fa? Isn't it the old forces? The old forces manipulate the dark minions and rotten demons to interfere with us. If the tribulations are arranged by the old forces, as Dafa practitioners, are we supposed to endure them? I do not believe so. Even if we pass these tribulations really well, we still did not do well, because they were arranged by the old forces, and by enduring them, we walk paths arranged by the old forces.

Master told us to completely negate the arrangements by the old forces. I think that when veteran practitioners encounter states of severe sickness karma, they should not be thinking "How can I pass this tribulation", but "I will not go through this tribulation!" They should also send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the tests and tribulations arranged by the old forces and look for their own shortcomings. They need to figure out the weaknesses that the old forces took advantage of, and correct these weaknesses. During this process, they must have firm belief in Master and Dafa.

Since the persecution began in July 1999, I understand that all the tribulations encountered by Dafa practitioners (not including new practitioners) were arranged by the old forces, manipulating the dark minions and rotten demons. Their goal is not to help practitioners' cultivation, but to eliminate practitioners who have not cultivated well or have made mistakes. The tribulations they arranged are extremely difficult to pass, much harder than what the practitioners' xinxing and ability could endure. When these practitioners could not pass the tribulations, the old forces would drop their levels and some of the practitioners even gave up cultivation or joined the opposite side. The old forces basically want to use very difficult tribulations and tests to destroy fellow practitioners.

These tribulations arranged by old forces not only include the above two aspects, there are also others. For example, as an entire body, the persecution situation has made many practitioners afraid of coming out to save sentient beings, and some could not even break through the old forces' arrangements at all. Some could not let go of the human side in front of pressure and gave up cultivation; some are too busy doing other things; some are controlled by lust and desires, and did dirty things that should not have been done, even by non-practitioners; some are under surveillance or house arrest and not allowed to come out to pass out truth-clarification materials or to clarify the truth.

The old forces arranged these extremely difficult tribulations and tests according to fellow practitioners' human notions, and their aim is to destroy these practitioners, who they feel are not qualified to be practitioners. Master told us to completely negate the arrangements made by the old forces. Thus, please do not go through these tests and tribulations arranged by the old forces. Treat cultivation seriously. Human notions and attachments are where the evil dark minions destroy fellow practitioners! Do not hold onto them. Let them go!

As practitioners we must be clear that when we experience a state of severe sickness karma, it is not a type of sickness, but persecution by the evil, as they have taken advantage of our weaknesses. These will not be completely resolved by simply doing the exercises.