(Minghui.org) In May 2024, I sprained my ankle mountain climbing. At first, I didn’t pay much attention to it. After putting up with it for six months, not only did my ankle fail to heal, it got worse.
I looked inward and realized I hadn’t been prioritizing my Dafa exercises. When work got so busy that I couldn’t find time to practice, I just did the sitting meditation. Over time, my practice fell by the wayside. At the time, I couldn’t find any other reason.
But I never imagined the consequences would be so severe. I eventually reached a point where I could barely move, and each step caused excruciating pain. On a business trip, I was walking down the street when the pain became so intense I couldn’t continue. Seeing the long road ahead, I felt indescribable pain and helplessness; each step came with a sharp stab of agony.
Finally, I had to seek medical help, which eased the pain in my foot considerably. But after just a couple of days, the pain returned. From the soles of my feet, through my ankles, knees, and up to the outer sides of my thighs and hips, there wasn’t a single spot that didn’t hurt. The pain was so intense that I couldn’t stand to do the exercises; I could only support myself on the other foot.
Handling an Old Injury with Righteous Thoughts
In the throes of such severe pain, I reflected deeply and realized that only Master could save me. From studying the Fa, I understood that this was a manifestation of sickness karma, a problem arising from cultivation. I resolved to rectify myself through genuine practice: doing the exercises, sending righteous thoughts, and studying the Fa diligently.
Reflecting on the recovery process of this injury, I realized that Master had been helping me adjust my ankle that I’d injured over 30 years before. In fact, my left ankle was first injured in my 20s when I sprained it while running in high heels to catch a train. Since then, that foot and ankle often ached with changes in the weather.
In my 30s, I tried a folk remedy my uncle recommended. The result was swelling from my knee down to my foot. Even after the treatment was over, the swelling never fully subsided. Before I started practicing Dafa, my left foot was so swollen I could only wear sneakers. After, the swelling in my foot went down, but the swelling from my calf to my ankle never went away.
It wasn’t until I was slowly recovering from this ankle injury that I suddenly realized that the swelling in my calf, which I’d had for over 30 years, was finally beginning to subside. I am deeply grateful to revered Master for bearing so much on behalf of this disciple. I have come to understand that cultivation is a serious endeavor, that there are no trivial matters in the practice. Yet, as long as one approaches it with righteous thoughts, both major and minor challenges can be overcome.
Fixing My Exercise Movements
One day, my husband, who is a fellow practitioner, pointed out that I was pushing my head forward in an unattractive way. He imitated my posture to show me what I looked like. I remarked, “You look like a turtle.” He agreed, so I looked in the mirror and saw it was indeed unattractive. I immediately retracted my neck and tucked in my chin, grateful to my husband for noticing.
I looked inward and realized that, during the day, I was busy with work, hunched over handling documents. At night, when I was making phone calls to China to share Dafa with them, I was sitting at my computer desk, head down, reading from my notes.
My posture was consistently poor. After identifying the problem, I constantly reminded myself: Pay attention to my posture in daily life—keep my head up and chin tucked in. During the meditation, I made sure that my back and neck were straight; when I was Embracing the Wheel in the second exercises, I made sure my fingers lined up.
When I did the second exercise in the past, my fingers weren’t usually aligned due to pain in my right shoulder. Now, I’m forcing myself to endure the pain and try my best to do the exercise movements correctly. I’ve found that when I use mindfulness to ensure I do the movements accurately, it has a positive effect on the recovery of my foot injury.
Cultivating Earnestly Heals an Old Injury
To be a dedicated and solid practitioner, I look inward regularly. I study the Fa with a focused and calm mind, refusing to let it become mere formality. I sit in the full lotus position when I study and strive to keep my back and neck straight and not fear hardship. Since I began to practice in earnest, my foot injury has improved by the day, and the speed of recovery has been nothing short of astonishing.
Seeing how much I was suffering, my husband bought me knee braces because my knees would sometimes give way when I was walking. But before I even got to wear them, my foot healed. When I could finally walk two kilometers without difficulty, I was so moved, I wanted to cry. All the while, I kept thanking Master in my heart.
Whether at home or at work, walking is an everyday necessity. Yet every step used to be an agonizing ordeal. Now that I can walk without pain, I am truly grateful to Master for bearing so much for me.
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Category: Improving Oneself
