(Minghui.org) Master said,
“That is why it's said that always cultivating as if you were just starting will surely result in achieving your ultimate rank.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2009 Greater New York International Fa Conference”)
I began to practice Falun Dafa in 1996, but as the environment around me improved and things went well at work, I became lax in my cultivation and regarded myself as an ordinary person. I didn't believe practitioners' sharings about sickness karma and thought what they said was inconceivable. Some practitioners in my area had the same feeling.
Recognizing My Attachments
My teeth recently became loose. A non-practitioner friend said that if I didn't see a dentist, my teeth would fall out in two years. Therefore, I went to the hospital to have my teeth examined. My mother and coworker said that I had attachments to vanity and showing off. However, I disagreed with them quietly and didn't behave like a cultivator.
During the Fa-rectification period, the old forces and their minions are constantly watching us and taking advantage of our loopholes. If we are not steadfast in our cultivation, they can even take our lives.
One day, I suddenly felt ill at work. I rushed to the bathroom, feeling pain in my abdomen and bleeding heavily. I became clearheaded and thought that the old forces had come to get me. I adjusted my train of thought and moved calmly to a chair. I recited the verses for sending forth righteous thoughts, asked Master for help, and listened to one of Master's lectures.
I then called my mother. She said: “Negate the old forces and do not acknowledge their arrangements. Stay calm and don't be afraid. Master and Dafa are with you, and everything will be fine.” I told my manager that I had an emergency and had to take a day off from work. I didn't tell my husband what had happened and asked my mother to pick me up.
Once I arrived at my mother's place, I finished dinner so that my husband would not suspect anything unusual. Otherwise, he would take me to the hospital and I would not be able to pass the test. I also didn't want to scare him. I told him to go home because I wanted to stay and practice the exercises at my mother's.
By then, I had been forbearing the physical tribulation for two hours. If it were not for Master's help, I couldn't have persisted. I broke down in tears.
Maintaining Strong Righteous Thoughts
My mother called five other practitioners. Some of them didn't even have dinner before rushing over to her house. They sent forth righteous thoughts for me for an hour. They encouraged me and reminded me that my thoughts played an important role in this situation.
I also recalled Master's words:
“When disciples have ample righteous thoughts
Master has the power to turn back the tide”
(“The Master-Disciple Bond” from Hong Yin Volume II)
Strong righteous thoughts can change everything. Everyone focused on disintegrating the bad elements in my field. I was still bleeding afterward, but my state of mind improved. My mother encouraged me to do the exercises, and I persevered and finished them.
I couldn't fall asleep after sending forth righteous thoughts at midnight. My mother suggested that I listen to the Fa lectures. I listened to the lectures until dawn and then fell asleep for an hour. At five in the morning, my mother suggested that I do the exercises. I finished the sitting meditation.
We shared our understandings in the morning, before everyone continued to send forth righteous thoughts for me. A practitioner said: “Master had talked about this situation. The old forces are interfering with you, and what you are experiencing is an illusion. We should all look inward, follow Master's instructions, and negate the old forces' arrangements. Even if we have loopholes in our cultivation, we should not allow the old forces to take advantage of the situation. We should disintegrate and eliminate them. Master is guiding us, and we will rectify ourselves with the Fa. We will send forth righteous thoughts and thoroughly eliminate all bad elements behind you by focusing on the word 'mie' (eliminate).”
Another practitioner said afterward: “The energy field was quite strong when we sent forth righteous thoughts for an hour. At first, my legs were sore and I smelled the stench of blood. Later I felt more comfortable while sitting in the double-lotus position, and the smell disappeared. At the end, I saw [through Celestial Eye] a little girl jumping up and down, and she said that everything was fine.” By this time, my pain was gone and the bleeding was minimal.
Interference Eliminated
I stopped bleeding at three in the afternoon, and we finally got rid of the old forces' interference. I said tearfully, “Thanks, everyone, for your help.” A practitioner replied, “Please do not thank us. It was Master who saved you, and you should thank Master.”
This was a lesson for me and a miraculous manifestation of Dafa's power. As a result, everyone's state of mind was elevated, and I was awakened. I realized that cultivation is the most serious thing in life, and one cannot fake it. Either we keep forging ahead, or we will fall behind.
When the evil factors attack us, our state of mind determines the outcome. Only when we have strong righteous thoughts and firmly believe in Master and the Fa can we change everything and truly understand the profound inner meaning of the Fa.
This is my current understanding. Please kindly point out anything inappropriate.
