Overcoming Illness Tribulations

(Minghui.org) Practitioners sometimes undergo tribulations in the form of illness symptoms. I would like to share stories of how practitioners have overcome these tribulations.

Letting Go of Resentment

One female practitioner developed a swollen belly, which caused discomfort and difficulties when moving around.

Her father-in-law had begun playing mahjong, a game of Chinese origin generally played by four people, at a neighbor’s home. When he needed to use the toilet he went to this female practitioner’s home to use her clean toilet.

This practitioner did not like this, as it caused more work for her. She thus developed a grudge against him. While visiting her brother, who was also a Dafa practitioner, she told him in an angry tone about her father-in-law. Her brother responded, “Isn’t this a good thing? It must have been arranged by Master. You should try to overcome this test.”

This practitioner took her brother’s advice to heart and let go of her anger. After her father-in-law used her toilet she calmly cleaned up after him. Within a few days, her swollen belly disappeared, and her father-in-law stopped coming over to use her toilet.

Looking Within

A 70 year old practitioner needed crutches due to having a lame leg. She lived with her son and his family. Her son rented a piece of farmland to his elder sister. The sister had a bountiful harvest and he decided to take back that piece of land.

His harvest was poor and he decided to rent the land to others. This elderly practitioner was disturbed by this and said, “If you are not going to farm the land why not let your sister use it again? After all she is your sister.” Her comment angered her son.

Her son and daughter-in-law had steamed dumplings for dinner one night. When this practitioner approached the table they made her feel unwelcome. She went to her room in tears, and hungry.

This elderly practitioner began to search within when she was unable to sleep that night. She realized that she had placed too much importance on the affairs of ordinary people. She decided she should let go of her anger against her son and daughter-in-law.

She often had difficulty turning over in bed because of her bad leg, but that night she was able to move about easily. In the morning she realized that her leg was healed and she no longer needed the crutches.

That same morning, her daughter-in-law apologized and gave her a bowl of freshly steamed dumplings.

Recovering from a Swollen Leg

A female practitioner sold her harvest for a large sum of money. Her sick, bedridden husband demanded that she turn over her earnings to him. She had to ask him for money whenever she needed to purchase something.

This practitioner’s siblings felt bad about their sister's situation and they gave her 4,000 yuan. Her greedy husband found out about it and made her give him that money too. The practitioner was angry with her husband and began to feel hatred toward him. Soon afterward her leg became so swollen that she was unable to wear some of her clothes.

At a large group experience sharing session, this practitioner spoke out about her situation. Another practitioner advised her to let go of her hatred. This practitioner took the advice to heart and began treating her husband with kindness. The swelling in her leg soon disappeared.

Learning Selflessness

I left home and wandered about for close to a year because of the persecution. I was unable to return home for fear of being arrested. During that time, my siblings and husband turned a blind eye to my difficulties, and my financial situation was in dire straits.

To add to my suffering, a painful boil developed on my right leg, causing me to walk with a limp. Another practitioner asked if I was willing to help rescue an imprisoned Dafa practitioner. I replied in frustration, “My life is tough enough. I can barely provide for myself, how can you ask me to help someone else?”

After the call, I thought about my behavior and felt ashamed. I knew selflessness was a requirement for all practitioners. I decided to participate in the rescue work, and I contacted the organizing practitioner. By the next morning the boil on my leg had disappeared.

From these encounters, I realized that the key to eliminating illness karma is looking within, following Master’s teachings, and cultivating one's heart.