(Minghui.org) My husband is 76 years old. He is kind-hearted and has always been conscientious in his work and daily affairs. He has a quick temper which was often explosive, and caused me much suffering. After the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) began persecuting Falun Dafa, he was deceived by its propaganda and tried to stop me from practicing. He scolded me almost every day, threw things around the house, hit me, and threatened to divorce me.
He developed kidney disease. After nearly a year of treatment he fully recovered, and subsequent examinations showed no abnormalities. Aside from slightly elevated blood lipids and a minimally invasive procedure to remove a gastric nodule (which may have been related to the COVID vaccine), he had no major health problems. Even though he’s in his seventies, he’s still capable of doing almost any kind of physical work.
Late last year, during a routine physical examination, his urine test showed occult blood at the 3+ level along with proteinuria. Several follow-up tests showed no improvement. I encouraged him to study the Fa and practice the exercises with me, but I could not convince him. He chose to undergo medical treatment.
Suspecting IgA nephropathy, his doctors prescribed immunosuppressants and steroids. The side effects were severe. His hair began falling out. The steroids caused insomnia, trembling hands, and his face to swell. As his illness and the medication took their toll, his temper returned as well. He was irritable almost every day, finding fault with me and creating conflicts over trivial matters.
After I read the Fa, I calmed my mind and reflected: Why had my husband’s urine tests remained normal for nearly 30 years, only to become abnormal now? I’ve cultivated for almost three decades and my family environment was harmonious. My husband stopped losing his temper more than ten years ago. He realized Falun Dafa is good and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good, and subsequently, our family lived in harmony. So why had his illness returned and family conflicts resurfaced?
Master said, “...this field can rectify all abnormal conditions. A human body should not become ill; being ill is an abnormal state. It can rectify this abnormal state.” (Lecture Three, Zhuan Falun)
Aside from my husband’s own karmic factors, hadn’t I, after cultivating for so many years, developed the energy field Master described? Shouldn’t it have had a rectifying effect? I realized my husband’s illness exposed one of my attachments.
When I calmed down and looked within, I was shocked. A cold sweat broke out all over my body. I suddenly realized. The problem lay entirely with me. It was truly my own human attachments that “invited the demons to my door.”
What attachments? Complacency, the pursuit of comfort, and demonic interference from my own mind. What was I complacent about? My husband, now in his seventies, remained in good health for years and was capable of doing almost any kind of work. Especially during the past three years, after we bought a new home and went through renovations and the move, he did almost all of the heavy lifting. He carried boxes up and down five flights of stairs in a building that did not have an elevator, sometimes making four or five trips in a row, since our children lived far away and could not help. I mainly organized our belongings while he handled the moving.
I felt pleased that someone his age could still do so much. During the past decade or more, he also treated me well—he no longer lost his temper, he took good care of the family, and willingly did household chores. Life had become comfortable and peaceful.
Without realizing it, I began to feel somewhat self-satisfied. I thought I had cultivated well, that my family environment was rectified, and that my husband changed for the better. When other practitioners often came to my home to study the Fa, he welcomed them. If they didn’t come he asked why they hadn’t come that day. Some practitioners admired him.
I even told other practitioners, “Look at him now. He made my life unbearable in the past.” I would add that my forbearance was beyond what most people could achieve, implying that I cultivated well. Wasn’t this exactly what Master meant by demonic interference from my own mind? How frightening! Master explained these cultivation principles so clearly, yet I still harbored these attachments. It was truly alarming.
As soon as these attachments emerged, the old forces and evil entities seized upon them. It was as if they were saying: “Aren’t you pleased that your husband is healthy? Then we’ll let him become ill. Don’t you think you’ve cultivated well? Let’s see whether you can still endure when he constantly loses his temper and picks fights with you. Don’t you want a comfortable life? Then we’ll make him treat you poorly and see how you respond.” Evil truly exploits every loophole.
After identifying the problem, I first admitted my mistake to Master. I felt deeply ashamed that, after cultivating for so many years, I still harbored these attachments and I let Master down despite his compassionate salvation.
In my heart, I also spoke to my husband: “If this illness is the result of your own karma, then endure the hardship and repay it. But if your suffering has been brought about by my attachments, then I sincerely apologize. It is my fault, because I failed to cultivate well and my human attachments created loopholes, you have had to endure this suffering and even incurred additional karma through the things I’ve said. I’m sorry, I admit my mistakes to you. I also hope your main consciousness will remain clear and take charge of yourself.”
At the same time, I sent strong righteous thoughts to eliminate all evil beings and factors interfering with him. I would not allow any evil beings or elements to persecute the family members of a Dafa practitioner. Whoever persecutes them is committing a sin and must be immediately eliminated.
As a Dafa practitioner, I believe I have the responsibility to protect the lives around me, including my family members. They are the people Master wants to save. They know that Falun Dafa is good and Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good. They have withdrawn from the CCP organizations and are kindhearted. No being should be allowed to persecute them. I also sent forth one firm thought that my husband’s kidneys should return to normal.
Although I cannot see anything in other dimensions or know the extent of my abilities, I firmly believe that I have the ability to resolve these problems through cultivation. My understanding is that Master protects every genuine Dafa practitioner, and practitioners, in turn, should safeguard the sentient beings around them who have been saved through Dafa, and not allow any evil beings or factors to manipulate or persecute them.
A few days later, my husband took another urine test. The occult blood level decreased, the protein was gone, and the test results showed significant improvement. Over the following ten days or so, his mood stabilized, he began sleeping well again, and he no longer lost his temper. Although he was still taking the steroid medication (which must be tapered gradually rather than stopped abruptly), I believe his illness will soon be completely resolved.
I’m sharing this experience with other practitioners because it reminds me how serious cultivation truly is. If we are not vigilant even for a moment, evil beings can seize upon our attachments. Sometimes it persecutes us directly; other times it persecutes our family members in order to interfere with our cultivation indirectly.Therefore, as cultivators, we must ensure that every thought conforms to the Fa. We should not harbor any human attachments, because once they arise, they can lead to troubles and tribulations. In my understanding, every hardship and every tribulation we encounter is related to our own karma and human attachments. I am determined to cultivate diligently and truly improve.
