(Clearwisdom.net) Today I read an article on the Minghui website about sickness karma. I would also like to share my understandings on this issue. I started practicing cultivation in 1997, and recently I encountered this issue.
I believe that a practitioner has karma as long as he or she has not achieved consummation. We cultivate, live and work in this everyday society immersed in karma. If we can do the three things well, that karma is not much to practitioners. I think that a Dafa practitioner can eliminate most of the karma daily. As to myself, I have done poorly in doing the three things, and sometimes neglect to do exercises for a long time. As a result, during the past several years I found myself encountering sickness karma two or three times every year. I didn't think that the sickness karma was a big issue. So no matter how rampant it appeared, it didn't last long, and normally subsided within two days. Plus, as soon as I was able to move around, after a short break, I always continued to do what Dafa practitioners are supposed to do.
Some of the sickness karma comes from ourselves and was accumulated in the past. My understanding is that to allow me to cultivate in everyday society, Master didn't eliminate all of it, but left some. Some karma comes from our daily life when interacting with other people. If we are able to be strict with ourselves and do the three things well, karma will be eliminated during Fa-study, improving xinxing, doing exercises and appropriately handling all conflicts and difficulties. That is, it won't rise to the surface as sickness karma. Of course, when sickness karma surfaces, we should be alert and be more strict with ourselves in doing the three things, Fa-study and exercises, sending forth righteous thoughts, and putting our hearts into saving people. We should do better as Fa-rectification period Dafa disciples. If we just talk about sickness karma and forget about the big picture, we won't be able to discern Fa-rectification cultivation from personal cultivation. The old forces can easily take advantage of this.
When encountering some illnesses, even minor ones, some practitioners are reluctant to bear any part, and attribute them all to the old forces. I think this is inappropriate. With impure thoughts, and only looking for a cure for one's "sickness," it isn't possible to have good results from sending forth righteous thoughts to eliminate sickness karma. Finding excuses to cover up attachments, instead of looking within immediately and truly doing the three things well, will generate loopholes for the old forces to take advantage of and even lead to life-threatening danger. Some practitioners understand Master's Fa in the wrong way, saying we should oppose old forces' arrangements by not acknowledging old forces' existence. If they really don't acknowledge the old forces, why do these practitioners attribute all the problems in their bodies to the old forces? Haven't they paid too much attention to the old forces?
There are some practitioners who, whenever there is a minor pain or sickness karma, ask fellow practitioners to send forth righteous thoughts for them. Before we discuss whether this method works or not, by doing so, haven't we placed the sickness karma at a high level? Master said,
"Some people find their tribulations very big in cultivation practice, but actually they are not. The bigger you find them, the bigger they will become and the smaller you will become. If you do not care and do not put them on your mind, with the master and the Fa here what is there to fear? As long as the green mountains remain, there is no fear of having no firewood to burn. Ignore them! Once you give them up, you will find that the tribulations have become smaller and you have become bigger. You will overcome them in one step, and the tribulations will become nothing. It is guaranteed to be this way." ("Lecture in Sydney")
One day at work, I suddenly had symptoms like food poisoning. However, none of my coworkers had these symptoms, even though we all ate the same food. The symptoms were very intense and I felt terrible. Nonetheless, I persisted to finish my work. While riding the bus home, I could have taken a seat, but I gave the seat to an elderly person. On the way home, I kept reciting the poem "Dafa is Great" and didn't think about anything else.
After arriving home, I felt very bad and could barely stand it. However, after sleeping for several hours, everything returned to normal, except I still felt a bit weak. I ate some soup and continued doing what a Fa-rectification period Dafa disciple should do.
March 18, 2009
