(Minghui.org) My stomach suddenly began to ache recently while other practitioners and I were talking to people about Falun Gong. The pain was so intense that within minutes I began to perspire. I had to find a place to sit down.
I sent forth righteous thoughts: “I am helping Teacher rectify the Fa, which is the most righteous thing. I will not allow anything negative to interfere with me or to persecute me.” My pain lessened somewhat afterward.
The pain continued on and off. I lost 20 pounds in two weeks. I could not eat anything. My stomach ached if I did. But I felt energetic and was able to do the three things.
At night, when everyone was asleep, I began to feel the pain after sending forth righteous thoughts at midnight. My stomach ached so much that I could not sit or stand. I would tremble and could not keep my back straight. One moment I felt cold but I was hot the next. I was sweating. I continued sending forth righteous thoughts. I recited Master's teaching about “benevolent resolution” and gradually I was able to fall asleep.
The next evening the pain started again. While I was suffering I suddenly had a thought, “Let me step out and watch it ache.” I saw my body in bed. I had truly left my body and watched myself lying there. My stomach no longer ached. I was happy. I had no more fear.
Identifying My Attachment
But my stomach ached even more on the third evening. I wondered where I needed to improve in my cultivation. Looking inward, I realized that at first it did not ache during the day because I believed that my sending righteous thoughts was the most righteous thing. The evil could not interfere with me. My stomach only ached at night when I was resting.
When I examined myself I realized that I had an attachment to zealotry. I knew that a practitioner should not be moved no matter what.
As soon as I had this realization, I sensed a large hand grab a black substance from my stomach area. The pain immediately went away and my stomach stopped aching. I knew that Teacher helped me by removing the negative substance.
I'm sixty-seven years old. I have never dyed my hair because I don't have any gray hair. My complexion is very healthy and young looking. I feel that my body is improving every day. My friends all say that I now look younger than I did when I was in my forties before I began practicing Falun Dafa.
Because Falun Dafa cultivates both one's body and mind, we practitioners should looker younger and younger as we practice.
After I began practicing I no longer took any medication. Whenever I talk to people about Falun Dafa I always tell them that I no longer need to take any medicine since I'm now so healthy. I know that I enjoy good health so that I can cultivate and continue to validate Dafa. Since I'm an older person, my perfect health validates how amazing Falun Dafa is. I would be defaming Dafa if I did not do well.
I learned that no matter what we are faced with, whether it is the persecution, tribulations of illness karma, or conflicts in our daily lives, we need to look inward unconditionally and use the Fa to correct ourselves. Teacher said:
“When it is difficult to endure, try to endure it. When it looks impossible and is said to be impossible, give it a try and see if it is possible.” (Lecture Nine, Zhuan Falun)
“Those ordeals and the suffering, no matter how great or harsh you find them to be, are good things, because they take place solely on account of your cultivation. A person can eliminate karma and shed human attachments when he goes through ordeals, and through ordeals he can improve.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference”, Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. VIII)
I learned though this experience that the process of cultivation is also a process of ridding ourselves of human attachments and elevating one's xinxing. Having tribulations is a good thing for a steadfast practitioner. They are good opportunities to improve. How can we cultivate ourselves without them?
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Category: Improving Oneself
