(Minghui.org) I recently read Master’s “Fa Teaching Given at the 2014 San Francisco Fa Conference” and I’d like to share some of my insights with you.
Falun Dafa practitioners in China don’t run Dafa media companies, but some projects still involve handling money, such as using paper bills imprinted with truth clarification messages on them or producing truth-clarification materials. Even though everyone is very careful, errors sometimes occur. If we are complacent these errors may expand and eventually lead to big loopholes. One practitioner who was involved in printing truth-clarification messages on paper bills realized that he accumulated more than 1,100 yuan over the years. He couldn’t return the excess money since he wasn’t sure where it came from. This caused a dilemma and no one wanted to take the money. Fortunately, it was not mixed in with his personal money. In the end, we all agreed to use this money to purchase flash drives and put truth-clarification material on them, which we distributed to non-practitioners.
Another issue was when practitioners started working on projects to save people. They enthusiastically bought large quantities of envelopes, printer ink, paper and other supplies. However, some supplies weren’t used, resulting in wasted resources. The old forces are always looking for excuses to persecute us, so we must be clear-headed and avoid doing things based purely on our emotions. We should be vigilant so the old forces can’t take advantage of us.
Some practitioners recently experienced illness symptoms. Some overcame the tribulations with righteous thoughts, while others ended up in hospital. My mother and I went through an illness in 1997, less than a year after we began practicing Falun Dafa. Our legs were covered in very itchy mosquito bites. After we scratched them, they became infected and pus oozed from them. Despite the discomfort, we studied the Fa and did the exercises together, and did not seek medical treatment.
Over time, each bite turned into a boil. The pus and blood kept flowing out, which was very painful and smelly. We used toilet paper to absorb the pus and towels soaked in water to wipe the skin around the wounds. At night, we wrapped them in gauze to avoid contaminating the bed. We knew we were eliminating karma so we didn’t need to take medicine. Two months passed but the wounds hadn’t healed.
I visited a relative in another city. I hadn’t showered for a while because I was afraid of infection, so my body smelled. Because I stayed in their home I endured the discomfort and went to a public bathroom to take a shower. Later a wound on my thigh suddenly began bleeding, soaking my pants in blood. When it began to heal the next day I realized that it was my fear of infection that prevented me from passing this test sooner. I called my mother and told her about my experience and understanding, and soon afterward her infected bites healed.
Another Cultivation Opportunity
Because I was busy at work in early 2019, I did not study the Fa or do the exercises for a long time. I also spent hours reading novels on my phone. The old forces seized upon this opportunity to persecute me. First, I experienced symptoms of a heart attack. My chest was in intense pain and I had difficulty breathing. I felt weak and I was unable to eat. I realized my mistake and deleted the novels. I also listened to the Fa every day and did the exercises. I could only eat a little porridge, and sleep for two hours every day since my chest hurt when I lay down. I had to stand or sit all night.
I had all kinds of human notions. I wasn’t even 50 years old, would I die? My weight dropped from more than 60 kilograms to 45 kilograms within two weeks. My feet were also swollen. I told myself I shouldn’t let fear control me, for Master is with me and I should entrust everything to him. I eliminated one unrighteous thought after another, but new ones kept surfacing.
Although I had confusion, fear, and regret, I constantly rectified my thoughts and eliminated my notions through diligent Fa study and by doing the exercises. My wife and I needed to pay for our children’s college studies and she could not take time off work to care for me. She prepared a pot of porridge for me every morning and then went to work. I was lonely and frightened. I fainted in the bathroom one day, and had to get up on my own after I regained consciousness.
Over a month later, I began to cough constantly. At first, the phlegm was black. Then it turned green, then yellow. Our home smelled. Over time, the color of the phlegm lightened, and I believed this was a sign I was recovering. I felt reassured. When I started coughing up blood I felt my condition was worsening. I wondered if I’d survive. Eventually, I let go of my fear and decided to leave everything to Master. After I got rid of all my human notions during my three-month-long tribulation, I fully recovered. I knew Master saved me again.
My Insights
I’m sharing my experience to offer some insights to practitioners who are also facing the test of illness karma. Master told us during the Fa lecture, that as long as we truly consider ourselves as cultivators, truly believe in Master and the Fa, and find our attachments, we can overcome any tribulation.
We cultivate among everyday people and are exposed to this environment in which the food, air, and water are contaminated. If we don’t let go of our attachments to fame and personal interests, we will be encased in negative substances. These toxins will accumulate in our bodies. If we fail to keep up with Fa study, doing the exercises, sending forth righteous thoughts, and clarifying the truth, those negative substances may manifest in our bodies as illnesses.
Master explained the reason behind the hole in the ozone layer,
“When they saw that man’s environment had become like this, they opened up a window, opened a door, to expel the waste gases from Earth. This was done by gods. They opened it on purpose and then closed it. If gods didn’t protect human beings, humans would not survive.” (Teachings at the Conference in the Western U.S.)
Our body is a small universe and needs to expel the waste when there’s an excess. Therefore, it’s a good thing when the body is oozing pus and we cough up phlegm because we are expelling these bad substances. The various pains we experience is a process of eliminating karma and purifying the body, meanwhile, it is a test of whether we treat ourselves as cultivators or humans, and whether we truly believe in Master and the Fa.
Some practitioners weren’t careful when they revised the words in Zhuan Falun as Master asked, and used different fonts or sloppily pasted in the words. Some haven’t been diligent in following Master’s requirements while doing the exercises, resulting in serious deviation of the movements, such as not following the exercise music for the third and fourth sets of exercises and adding or subtracting movements at will. These deviations may bring trouble to practitioners, which may manifest as tribulations in their everyday lives.
When we cultivate at different levels to improve our xinxing, we must also eliminate the karma placed at that level in order to improve as a whole. We cannot rely on Master to bear everything for us. Master puts in tremendous effort and faces countless challenges to save us. We must be worthy of Master’s compassionate salvation. I sincerely hope all our practitioners can walk steadily on our cultivation paths, break through all the tests and tribulations, fulfill our prehistoric vows, and reach consummation returning to our true home with Master.
Above is my personal understanding based on my recent Fa study. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
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Category: Cultivation Insights
