Some Thoughts About Sickness Tribulations

(Minghui.org) Many Falun Dafa practitioners have experienced tribulations which manifested as illness symptoms. Some passed the tests well but others did not—especially some elderly practitioners. Although Master repeatedly gave them hints, they failed to pass the test and some even lost their lives. 

This is a serious lesson, and many articles regarding this issue have been published on Minghui.org. Based on my own experience and in helping fellow practitioners dealing with illness symptoms, I’ve realized that there are various issues involved. If we treat the perceived illness as a “sickness tribulation” and just focus on resolving the problem, it may not be resolved because this is actually a type of pursuit. 

I agree with some practitioners that, “sickness karma” could be a result of accumulated xinxing tests. To pass them, we need to fundamentally improve and elevate our levels. Instead of just listing our attachments, we need to also eliminate the attachment of pursuit. 

Master said, 

“You are clinging to the attachment of pursuit. Did you come here just for this? My fashen in another dimension knows everything on your mind. Because the concepts of the two time-spaces differ, the formation of your thoughts is an extremely slow process when seen in another dimension. It will know everything even before you think of it. Therefore, you should abandon all of your incorrect thoughts.” (Lecture Two, Zhuan Falun)

Our attachments can be seen by Master’s Fashen (Law Bodies), divine beings, and the old forces, and the old forces may use our attachment to pursuit as an excuse to persecute us. I’d like to share my thoughts regarding this issue. Please point out anything inconsistent with Falun Dafa’s teachings. 

Avoiding Suffering

Master wrote, “Let joy be found in hardship.” (“Tempering the Will”, Hong Yin) Enduring hardship is a cultivation opportunity, but some practitioners forget this when they encounter difficulties. They view tribulations as a burden and aren’t willing to endure them. 

Some elderly practitioners complain about this or that pain. They also have various excuses: This tribulation affects my studying Dafa’s teachings and doing the exercises, this stops me from clarifying the truth to people, my family insisted on taking me to the hospital, or we need to conform to everyday society. After being hospitalized and taking pills and getting injections, they even deceive themselves by saying that it’s fine to take Chinese medicine herbs since they aren’t real medicine or that massage is not medical treatment. 

When the discomfort is gone, they may think the tribulation is over. But the karma and failed xinxing tests keep accumulating, and may return later. This could be one reason why some elderly practitioners’ sickness tribulations lasts so long. 

I once had a toothache. My gums were swollen and I had difficulty even drinking water. I couldn’t concentrate when I read the Fa or when I sent forth righteous thoughts. To ease the pain, I held some cold water in my mouth. But after some time, this no longer worked. 

One night when I had difficulty sleeping, I suddenly realized, Falun Dafa disciples can let go of life and death, so why am I afraid of pain? I ignored the pain and recited “Falun Dafa is good” and, “Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.” I fell asleep. When I woke up, the toothache was gone and my swollen gums were also back to normal. 

One practitioner in her 90s fell when she was going to the bathroom. Her leg bones protruded in three places. Despite the pain, she did not call her children. Instead she went back to bed. When they heard what happened, other practitioners came to her home and studied the Fa with her and sent forth righteous thoughts. She did not care if her bones were fractured or if she was in pain. She just did the exercises as usual. A week later, she recovered and could walk again.

My understanding is that, when we do not acknowledge the tribulation, the situation improves. Master said, “Cultivation depends on one’s own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one’s master.” (Lecture One, Zhuan Falun) When Master sees we’ve improved our xinxing, he helps us and removes the extra karma. 

Fear of “Illness”

When some elderly practitioners have certain symptoms, they may wonder if the illnesses they had in the past have returned, and some may go to a hospital for tests. The results might show that they have high blood pressure, high blood sugar, or some other condition.

I once visited a practitioner who had sickness symptoms. His mother said he may have “brain atrophy.” I told her Master removed our illnesses when we began practicing. The practitioner’s wife said she also heard about the possible brain atrophy from another practitioner who was a doctor. I was speechless: do we believe Master or a doctor? If we’re afraid of getting “ill,” we may indeed have illness symptoms. 

I had a similar experience. When I went to the bathroom while I was illegally detained, I suddenly felt dizzy, but I did not fall. Because of high blood pressure when I was admitted (220/120 mmHg), I thought this might be a symptom of a stroke that would allow me to be released on medical bail. 

When I was examined by the prison doctor, he said my blood pressure was very high. I was sent to the prison hospital, and I was unable to speak and had difficulty walking. A CT scan showed I’d had a stroke and I was admitted to the prison hospital. Knowing these were illusions, I ignored them and I was able to walk the next day. 

Due to resistance from the local Domestic Security Bureau, I was not released because of my condition. But I gained some freedom in being able to freely talk to people about Falun Dafa and the importance of quitting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and its affiliated youth organizations. Later, nearly every inmate and even some prison officials learned the truth about the persecution of Dafa and many renounced their memberships in the CCP organizations. 

Human Notions

Some practitioners constantly ask Master to help them. It’s not wrong to do this when one faces danger or encounters major difficulties. But if we ask Master for help with everything, are we cultivating? A practitioner asked me why she still had edema in her legs. She studied the Fa, sent righteous thoughts, and told others about Dafa, so why didn’t the problem go away? I said that Master takes care of genuine practitioners; we need to look within and see if we have any attachments or omissions. 

When we have sickness tribulations, we can send forth righteous thoughts and discuss the situation with other practitioners. But some practitioners don’t look inward and just rely on others. 

When one practitioner was persecuted while she was detained, she developed ascites. She set up a truth-clarification materials production site at home and invited other practitioners to come for group study, hoping to overcome her tribulations this way. The police harassed her several times and detained her once during group study. But she didn’t examine herself for her loopholes. Some practitioners brought her herbs that helped with urination, as well as other nutritional supplements. I suggested she look inward and maintain strong righteous thoughts. She agreed, but held onto her human notions. Master gave her opportunities again and again, but she passed away. 

Resentment Is Harmful

After developing sickness symptoms, some practitioners spent a long time studying the teachings, sending forth righteous thoughts, and doing the exercises. They also went out to tell others about Dafa even though they had to use crutches. Practitioners need to do the three things well, but if we do them in order to get rid of illness, it may not be appropriate. After their illness symptoms lingered for a long time, they developed resentment and complained about Master. The old forces were able to take advantage of their loopholes.

There is one local practitioner in her 80s. We all felt that she cultivated solidly and did the three things well. After she was released on bail and waiting to be sentenced, she fell twice, twisted her her ankles, and had to use a wheelchair. Some practitioners came to her place for group study. She also spent hours studying the Fa on her own. She did the exercises, and went out on crutches to tell people about Dafa. But her legs did not improve after a long time. She started complaining: why am I like this after I’ve done so much? This went on for two years and she was later put in jail in a wheelchair. 

Master said, 

“Some of our practitioners are struggling with passing the tests of sickness karma. Don’t think that it’s necessarily something major [that causes that]. You might think that you haven’t done anything majorly wrong, and that you are very firm in your faith in the Fa. However, you shouldn’t treat the little issues you have like they are nothing. The evil will seize upon any gaps. Many practitioners have even passed away on account of little things; it really was due to something very minor. That’s because cultivation is something serious, and requires having no gaps. If for a long time you haven’t dealt with those things through cultivation, small as they may be, if you haven’t taken them seriously for a prolonged period of time, then it is a big issue. Many people have passed away on account of such things.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference”, Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XIII)

Cultivation is serious and we have to pay attention to our every thought. As Falun Dafa practitioners, we need to let go of these attachments, and “sickness tribulations” are part of it. As long as we consider ourselves genuine practitioners, Master will help us and we will pass the tests.