(Minghui.org) It is easier to cultivate Dafa diligently when everything is going well. Only when there are tribulations and our personal interests are threatened can we see if we can persist on the path of cultivation, overcome obstacles, transcend the human world, and walk on a divine path. There may be a choice between life and death in one’s cultivation, which is a choice between human and divine.
Below is how I transcended human notions and overcame tribulations with righteous thoughts during my mother’s illness karma.
I have been cultivating Dafa since 2014. My mother, who is also a practitioner, suddenly experienced symptoms of severe illness at the end of 2023. It was so critical and sudden that I did not know what to do at first. My mother’s condition deteriorated daily. She had difficulty breathing and eventually vomited blood. I was overwhelmed with panic, anxiety, fear, worry, and helplessness. An unrighteous thought came into my mind: “I should take my mother to the hospital. If nothing else works, she should go to the hospital.” When that idea came to mind, I was taken aback by such an unrighteous thought. I knew I should not take this unrighteous path, and I should not acknowledge the idea, which was not mine.
I remembered Master said:
“No matter what, have righteous thoughts and act righteously, and there will be no test that you cannot pass. Even if things do get very grave and you don’t know where your own problem lies, you can’t be without righteous thoughts. No matter what the circumstances, your fundamental faith in Dafa cannot waver, because when [your faith remains strong], even if you can’t fully understand something or you haven’t done something well and didn’t pass a major test, or even if you lost your human body and left this world, you will nevertheless achieve Consummation. (Applause) That’s because Master does not acknowledge this persecution, and that thing was done to you by the persecution. So you must make sure to heed this. At that moment, if you suddenly switch sides and turn bad in that instant, then everything of yours might be finished.” (Teachings at the 2005 Conference in San Francisco)
Master’s Fa illuminated my path forward like a beacon in the dark of night. I calmed down a lot and started having righteous thoughts. I knew I should not let my sentimentality for my mother interfere with her cultivation path. I decided to overcome the tribulation with righteous thoughts and to rectify myself by looking within. I also knew I needed to send forth righteous thoughts and deny the persecution imposed by the old forces. I was no longer attached to the result. I left everything to Master. The moment I made this decision, everything instantly seemed to become clear, and I felt I had emerged from the darkness.
After this, my mother and I started to study Fa a lot. By doing that, we realized where we did not cultivate well and that we had unintentionally nurtured the evil and allowed the old forces to exploit our omissions. As we studied the Fa more deeply, we re-examined our cultivation path and found many regrets and shortcomings. We had not truly cultivated ourselves for a long time on many issues and indulged our attachments. Looking within had become a superficial and meaningless formality for us. We had really been fooling ourselves.
Cultivation Is a Serious Process
Cultivation is a serious process, and only true transformation from the heart can lead to real improvement. Our hearts must thoroughly transform through a tribulation—the goal cannot be just to solve the current crisis, but to meet the requirements of a true Dafa practitioner.
During my mother’s illness karma, the cause of her symptoms did not come from just one source. How the illness karma manifested also kept changing. For example, she coughed if she ate salty food one day and the next day it became more serious if she caught a cold. Our righteous thoughts were constantly impacted by human notions and the reasoning of regular people. If I always considered things from the perspective of regular people, I would always be a regular person. I had to learn to see through such phenomena on the surface, see its true nature, and truly transcend human notions.
Testing My Xinxing
During this time, my father, who was not a practitioner, also tested my xinxing from time to time. Since I had to study the Fa, cook for the family, do housework, and take care of my parents every day, I was very busy. My dad, however, just sat on the couch and watched videos on his phone. He also anxiously asked me to teach him how to shop online during my precious time for Fa-study. He criticized me for making noise and disturbing his puppy’s rest while I prepared the family’s breakfast late at night.
At first, he really annoyed me, and I sadly thought to myself, “I can tolerate it that you do not help at all when Mom is so ill, but how can you be so selfish and indifferent?” Then one day I suddenly realized these were all good things. These were great opportunities for us to improve ourselves, do things well, and truly transcend human notions, which I should make good use of.
At other times, unrighteous thoughts often flashed through my mind, and it was sometimes difficult to realize that they were not mine. For example, all our relatives knew we practiced Falun Dafa. I thought it would affect Dafa negatively if something really went wrong with my mother. It seemed that I cared about Dafa’s reputation, but in reality I had not let go of a lot of attachments and human notions, including concerns about life and death. As those interferences kept appearing in my mind, I kept resisting and eliminating them. Through regular Fa study and strengthening my righteous thoughts, I felt my human notions fading and my righteous thoughts increasing.
A fellow practitioner asked me for help with a computer issue, and we made an appointment. I told him I would try my best to show up. My first impulse was that I would not go, as I was too busy taking care of my family. Then I realized that enlightened beings are truly selfless, and the universe of the future is also selfless. I should not ignore others who seek my help, even when I am in a difficult situation myself. I knew I needed to rectify myself according to the standards of a Dafa practitioner.
My mother also thought I should go, so I went to the practitioner’s on time to help him out. Everything went well. When I returned home, I surprisingly found that my mother’s physical and mental condition had improved drastically. As I was still pondering why she had changed so dramatically, my father suddenly came in and said, “Congratulations. You are fine now.” At that moment, I realized we’d finally overcome this difficult karma tribulation.
Master was always strengthening me throughout the tribulation. Many times while doing the exercises, I felt I was very tall and the tribulation was tiny. Many sleepless nights, I could hear a voice in my ear, saying, “It’s okay. You will be okay.”
When we finally broke through the tribulation, I was surprisingly calm. I had thought I would be excited when it was over. I only felt very grateful for Master’s protection and strengthening, as well as grateful to fellow practitioners for inspiring me when they broke through their tribulations with righteous thoughts and actions.
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Category: Cultivation Insights
