(Clearwisdom.net) Teacher has explained the issue of sickness karma in many Fa lectures. Because some Falun Gong practitioners were unable to understand this issue from the Fa, they have been consumed by sickness karma from time to time. After a long time of fighting with sickness karma and listening to criticism from non-practitioners, they felt more and more pressure in their hearts. In the end, they acted like non-practitioners. This is a grave lesson. As for myself, I have been tested a lot with sickness karma. I practically crawled my way through these tests. It is because of our magnificent Teacher's compassion, repeated hints, and protection that I was able to overcome one test after another. I would like to share my experiences with fellow practitioners.
1. With Belief in Teacher and the Fa, We Can Prevail over Sickness Karma
In hindsight, I might have asked for sickness karma. Regardless of the cause, we will be able to overcome all tests and all kinds of sickness karma as long as we have steadfast belief in Teacher and the Fa, have a clear understanding of the Fa, remain clear-headed, and exhibit righteous thoughts and actions.
After I started practicing Falun Dafa in 1996, I saw some fellow practitioners becoming excited about eliminating sickness karma instead of feeling tormented by it. They told me, "Teacher is cleansing my body. Teacher is protecting me." At the time I really envied them. I thought, "When will I be able to elevate to their realms?" I had just started practicing Falun Gong at the time, so I had a very shallow understanding of the attachment of pursuit. In the spring of 1998, I still had not experienced the symptoms of eliminating karma, so I started to feel anxious. I had bronchitis and arthritis in my 30's. I had tried all the available medicine on the market and off the market. I had also tried many different kinds of home therapy and a few schools of qigong. They helped reduce my pain, but I was never cured. One day on my way home after a group Falun Gong exercise practice, I asked myself, "Why haven't I eliminated my sickness karma? I have been very diligent in my cultivation practice. Isn't it time to eliminate my sickness karma?" Shortly after I arrived home, all kinds of symptoms of bronchitis and arthritis erupted all together. When I coughed, my neighbors could hear me. Since then, I experienced sickness karma every once in a while. Sometimes it would last for over two months and kept me up all night. I could only sit in bed with a pillow between my chin and my knees and with my eyes closed but wide awake. Yet I never missed group exercise practice no matter how much pain I was in.
One night I went to a group Fa study. As soon as I started climbing the stairs, I was short of breath. Before that I had never felt short of breath. I struggled to climb up to the fourth floor where the group study was held. I had such difficulty in breathing that I could not even lift my arm to knock on the door. It took a while until I was able to breathe again. I entered the apartment and coughed up a lot of phlegm. This lasted for a few days. At the time I didn't realize it was a form of interference with my attendance at the group Fa study. I overcame the test because of my steadfast belief in Teacher. Teacher said:
"The body purification will be done only for those who come to truly learn the practice and the Fa. We emphasize one point: If you cannot relinquish the attachment or concern for illness, we cannot do anything and will be unable to help you." ("Genuinely Guiding People Toward High Levels" in Lecture One of Zhuan Falun)
At the time I truly and completely relinquished the attachment and concern for illness. I thought of nothing but my cultivation practice. I ignored it although I was terribly short of breath. I never missed a day of group Fa study.
In the summer of 2000 while others were sweating in their tank tops and shorts with the windows wide open, I felt cold in my long-sleeved shirts and long pants, lying in bed underneath a blanket. This lasted three days. On a Saturday morning in 2001, I was looking after my sick husband when I suddenly felt an excruciating pain on the right side of my lower back. I struggled to sit down on the sofa. My children were shocked, not knowing what to do. I told them calmly, "Don't worry. I will be fine by the morning of the day after tomorrow." The day after tomorrow would be Monday. I decided that I must not keep them from work. I had a steadfast belief that Teacher will take care of me and He will not allow the evil to prevail. Thus I sat resting on the sofa. On Monday morning, I had fully recovered, so my children went to work as usual.
Teacher said:
"Going through hardship and suffering is an outstanding opportunity to remove karma, be cleansed of sin, purify the body, elevate your plane of thought, and rise in level-it's an extraordinarily good thing. This is a correct and upright Fa-truth." ("The Closer to the End, the More Diligent You Should Be")
I have overcome much sickness karma, persecution from the old forces, other kinds of demonic tribulations, and "xinxing" tests since I started to practice Falun Gong. In hindsight, my steadfast belief in Teacher and the Fa is the reason why I was able to overcome them. No tribulation of any scale can intimidate me. No excruciating pain can beat me. I can rationally respond and eliminate all the interference from other people. I don't think sickness karma is a stand-alone issue. Instead, we should understand it on the basis of doing the three things well.
2. Once My Righteous Thoughts Come Forward, I Can Climb Up and Down the Stairs
On the path of validating the Fa while cultivating, the old forces have created a lot of tribulations for me, including deadly tests. The old forces will exploit even the slightest loophole and attempt to take our lives. For example, when an elderly practitioner fell into a coma, many degenerated divine beings surrounded her, glowered at her and shouted, "Kill her! Kill her!"
One autumn day, a non-practitioner asked me, "Why do you have a lot of phlegm these days?" I think it was actually Teacher's hint through a non-practitioner's lips that the evil [from other dimensions] was about to damage my health and that I ought to search from within in time, study the Fa more, eliminate my attachments and eradicate the evil with greater effort. However, I didn't pay attention to it at the time because I had coughed up phlegm plenty of times in the past. Each time it would come and go in about ten days. I thought I must have eliminated most of my karma in this category over the previous few years and the old forces would have no power over me. Only later did I realize that it was an illusion that the evil had created to throw me off guard. In a few days, I started to cough intensely for nearly two months. I was also so short of breath that I could not even go out. This time the evil persecution was far more intense than before. No matter what type of tribulation I encountered, I could enlighten to the Fa eventually and keep myself clearheaded. No matter how terrible I felt, I studied the Fa and practiced the Falun Gong exercises daily. I completely denied the old force arrangements and sent forth righteous thoughts more frequently. Because of Teacher's protection and fellow practitioners' help, I finally overcame this test.
Before the Chinese New Year of 2006, I started coughing again.
One day after I finished studying the Fa and practicing the exercises, I suddenly remembered that Teacher had told us to do the three things well. However, I had been doing only two things--studying the Fa and sending forth righteous thoughts. I realized the evil was trying to prevent me from going out and clarifying the truth. I was determined to distribute truth-clarification materials every afternoon from then on! Once this righteous thought came forward, I could climb up and down the stairs again.
I checked the weather report before I left home in the afternoon. I chose to ride downwind. However, when I rode to the suburban area on soil, the wind changed to a different direction. A gusty wind swept towards me. I started coughing and felt short of breath. I could no longer ride the bicycle. I thought, "No scheme of the old forces will stop me from distributing truth-clarification materials." I walked the bicycle slowly. When I was fit enough to ride it, I rode it. When I couldn't, I walked the bicycle. I finished distributing all the truth-clarification materials I had. After I completed my task, I felt good as new. The same event happened again for many days until the evil finally gave up.
3. Walk Righteously and Well Until the End
After a series of deadly tests, I obtained a deeper understanding of the following passage of the Fa. Teacher said:
"If you can let go of life and death, you're a God; if you can't let go of life and death, you're a human--this is the difference." ("Falun Buddha Fa Lectures in the United States")
Teacher taught us to let go of the thought of life and death. He does not mean we should give up our lives. Instead, I think Teacher wants us to learn that life is precious and we should make the best of our lives. We have come to assist Teacher with His Fa-rectification. How can we give in to the old forces and be persecuted to death when the Fa-rectification is not complete? Therefore, we must never allow the old forces to interfere with or persecute us.
Falun Gong disciples are lives forged by the Fa. How can we allow the evil to take the reins of our lives? Teacher has bestowed upon us all the capabilities to fight and triumph over all evil. Besides, Teacher is beside us at all times, watching over us. At the pivotal moment, can we enlighten to the Fa and correctly use the capabilities that Teacher has given us? Many Falun Gong practitioners have done a great job in eradicating the evil that persecuted them and, thus, intimated the police that participated in the persecution of Falun Gong. On the other hand, some fellow practitioners still feel powerless before the evil persecution and, by acting defeated, have encouraged the police to escalate the level of the persecution. Lately the police have illegally arrested Falun Gong practitioners in an undisclosed city in China. All the practitioners were afraid of facing the police and panicked at the time of the arrests. That was the reason why they were unable to send forth righteous thoughts and why the police were able to arrest them.
Fellow practitioners, the Fa-rectification has approached the final stage. We ought to ask ourselves seriously, "Do I believe in Teacher and the Fa? Do I really believe in Teacher and the Fa? How much do I believe in Teacher and the Fa? Have I enlightened to the Fa on everything I encounter? Have I followed Teacher's Fa seriously and strictly?" This is something that a cultivator must never hesitate over!
Let's follow Teacher closely on the road of Fa-rectification and walk righteously on the path of Fa-rectification until the end! This concludes my sharing. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.