(Minghui.org) I am a Vietnamese Falun Dafa practitioner who resides in Australia. I started practicing Falun Dafa in 2013. Over these nearly 10 years, I’ve experienced many trials which helped improve my xinxing. I’d like to share my experience of using righteous thoughts to break through a tribulation of sickness karma.

The sides of my arms became red, swollen and uncomfortable in 2017. I knew that it was caused by my failure to cultivate well, which allowed external factors, especially the old forces, to exploit my loopholes. When I returned to Vietnam at the end of 2017, my parents, who are not cultivators, noticed my condition and forced me to take medicine.

I was determined to resume cultivation after returning to Australia. The symptoms in my arm recurred, and my skin became itchy, rough and scaly in April 2018. From there, the symptoms quickly spread to my face, neck and entire body. Within days, my skin started exuding thick pus. My entire body became sticky and swollen, and I felt a constant burning sensation. I became afraid to look at my horribly disfigured body.

I knew this was the manifestation of karma I had built up over the years. This was a precious opportunity to eliminate my karma and improve my character. I diligently increased the duration of my Fa study, did the five sets of exercises, sent righteous thoughts, and went to Chinatown to clarify the truth on weekends.

At the same time, I looked inwards to find my cultivation shortcomings. I found that I had remained for too long at the same level, unable to improve as I had stubbornly held onto my human notions. I used to react immediately to criticism and would try to prove that I was in the right. I could not accept it when others pointed out my opinions as being wrong. The fellow practitioner who lived with me told me many times, “Externally you look very petite, yet you are very stubborn and rebellious. Your outer appearance is very different from your internal character.”

I realized that my strong ego was holding me back and impeding my cultivation progress.

I began applying the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in correcting my thoughts, words and deeds. I tried to ignore the pain from my condition and focused my efforts on cultivation. To maintain my living expenses, I had to finish my contracted housecleaning jobs two to three times a week. Worried, I asked Master Li, the founder of Falun Dafa, to strengthen my righteous thoughts. Oddly enough, I remained able to finish my cleaning tasks on time despite my sore arms. This experience moved me deeply, and I came to realize Master’s constant encouraging presence on my cultivation path.

Two weeks later, the pain in my body continued to increase and I was snoring loudly. I studied the Fa, did the exercises, and sent righteous thoughts, but cried frequently due to the pain. Seeing my suffering, the practitioner who lived with me kindly encouraged me, “Keep working hard and don’t give up. You will recover soon.” She also ground up fresh aloe vera and applied it to my skin. The sticky gel provided some relief. However, the pain came back with a vengeance after the aloe vera dried up.

This was my first experience with illness karma. Despite my best efforts, negative thoughts would sometimes arise. “When will I recover? This suffering seems never ending. Will scars remain on my face after my recovery? Will my face become distorted? I still have to work to pay for my living expenses.” More and more study of the Fa helped me reject these negative thoughts.

One dark night, while restlessly shifting in bed, my exhausted mind became tempted with the thought of looking for medicine. With tears in my eyes, I thought to myself, “In contrast to the hardships Master has gone through for practitioners, my suffering is nothing in comparison. If I can’t even pass this test, how can I overcome bigger tribulations in the future? Master, I will try harder. Please strengthen my righteous thoughts.”

In order to motivate myself, I searched the Minghui website for experience sharing articles covering elimination of illness karma. To my surprise, I discovered an article written by another practitioner, covering her experience of overcoming a condition similar to mine. The practitioner had also included photos of her skin before and after overcoming the illness karma (“I Can Follow these Principles for the Rest of My Life!”). This sharing gave me the motivation to continue.

I repeatedly read Master’s lectures covering the topics of taking medicine and cultivation. Master’s teachings gave me strength as I tried to break through this tribulation. Three weeks after my symptoms first started, I found my body no longer oozing pus or itching. Soon, I recovered, and just a few small residual bumps remained on my chin.

The practitioners living at my place told me it was a miracle. I knew Master’s great mercy and the power of Dafa had helped in my quick recovery. It felt as though a layer of bad things had been removed from my body. Even my head felt lighter. The other practitioners also commented that my skin looked better than it used to.

Nhung Le’s appearance, initially, and three weeks after.

Through this experience, I have developed a deeper understanding of the sacredness and seriousness of cultivation.

No words can express my deep gratitude to Master. I thank Master for eliminating my karma, exposing my attachments and helping me elevate in levels. On this festive occasion, I would like to wish Master a Happy Chinese New Year. Within this limited time left, I will try my best to persevere in cultivation, do the three things well, help Master rectify the Fa and save more sentient beings.