Treat Other Practitioners’ Issues as My Own

(Minghui.org) A practitioner mentioned Li and her son Ming from another Fa study group one day in late April 2024 when our Fa study group met. She said that after the Chinese New Year in February, Ming fell and broke his hip. In April, Li also fell—and after that, she fell almost every day. She was bedridden and unable to take care of herself.

When Ming was in college he developed femoral head necrosis and could no longer walk, so he dropped out. He later started practicing Falun Dafa with his mother, gradually recovered and no longer needed his crutches. He helped practitioners install NTDTV satellite dishes, set up computer systems, repaired printers, and produced Dafa books, truth clarification materials, and calendars. But after this recent fall, he began using crutches again and struggled to take care of his bedridden mother. For years, the two of them relied solely on Li’s low monthly retirement pension, which was about 2,000 yuan.

When I heard about their situation, I immediately thought of what Master said, “The next person’s things are your things, and your things are his things.” (“Fa Teaching Given at the 2002 Conference in Washington, D.C.”)

I knew Li and Ming, and I had been to their home for Fa study before 2009. I later moved so I didn’t have a chance to visit them again. Fifteen years passed. I knew it wasn’t coincidental that heard about their situation. Although it was difficult I decided to visit them. We live far apart, I can’t ride a bike, and I have a spouse at home who is entirely dependent on me for care.

On May 2, I had my grandson drive me to Li’s home. I knocked on the door and waited for more than 20 minutes—I didn’t hear anyone moving around inside the house. I wondered if I was at the wrong door, since I hadn’t been there for more than a decade. Looking around, I saw piles of junk, used tissues, and adult diapers at the doorway—it had to be the right place. I knocked again and finally heard some movement inside. The door slowly opened, and Ming appeared, leaning on crutches. When he saw me, he began weeping and exclaimed, “Thank you Master for still watching over us!” He understood that Master arranged for me to visit.

I was shocked after I entered the house. It was filthy and the stench was suffocating There were bottles and jars, foam boxes, cardboard boxes, broken doors, and old tables. I never saw such a messy home. I realized this was to help me eliminate my attachment to filth.

As Ming cried, he explained the reason for his fall—he admitted that his resentment was too strong, and one incident after another allowed the old forces to exploit his gaps. He acknowledged his mistake and said that he would write a solemn statement to admit his fault to Master. He also told me that his mother was taken to the hospital by relatives the day before. After comforting him, I returned home.

I shared the situation with other practitioners in our Fa-study group. They said, “We must help—they are part of our one body. His things are our things.” Everyone immediately sprang into action.

We first visited Li at the hospital to help strengthen her righteous thoughts. From the day we learned of their situation, after I took care of my spouse, I took a taxi every day to clean their home. Later, four or five practitioners joined me to do a full cleanup. We brought whatever they needed—towels, detergent, brooms, aprons, bed sheets, eggs, fruit, bread, etc.

Li was discharged from the hospital on May 12 under Master’s protection and with practitioners’ help. By that time things were mostly in order at her home, and she hired a caretaker. I sincerely hoped Li and Ming could improve in the Fa and overcome this tribulation. I kept visiting them every day for Fa-study and sharing. The rain came into their front and rear balconies, and the glass in some their windows and doors were broken. Ming was busy contacting contractors and couldn’t settle his mind to study the Fa. The repairs took another two weeks.

After the renovations were done, they were finally able to calm down and study the Fa. Through diligent Fa study, sharing, and looking within, both mother and son began to improve.

In June, Li was able to get out of bed and stand for a little while on her own. After Ming’s fell, he couldn’t sit, stand, or even lie down to sleep; his foot was so swollen that blood and fluid leaked out. After studying the Fa, the bleeding stopped, the swelling went down, and it was much easier for him to walk with crutches.

At that point, I thought maybe I should take it easy and visit every two or three days instead. But once I relaxed, their situation became unstable again. At one point, they even said, “Maybe we just won’t practice anymore. Let’s just be good people.” That shook my righteous thoughts, and I started to lose confidence, thinking, “Why is this so hard? I’ve visited them for over two months. Forget it, I won’t come anymore.”

But once I calmed down, studied the Fa seriously, and strengthened my righteous thoughts, I reminded myself: I must follow Master’s teachings. I needed to face difficulties head-on and not retreat, and I must follow Master and not give up on them.

My mindset changed, and I got my righteous thoughts back. I went to their home like before, and as soon as I entered, I saw that everything had changed. Li could walk slowly. They formed a Fa study group at their home, and Li was able to sit up and study the Fa with everyone all afternoon.

Li and Ming now study the Fa, do the exercises, and send righteous thoughts every day. They no longer need a caretaker. Ming now cooks, cleans, and can even go downstairs (they live on the sixth floor), and says he feels very light and energetic.

Through this experience, I truly felt that Master is always by my side, constantly guiding me. I also realized that the practitioners in tribulations truly need the selfless support of other practitioners. Only through more communication, sharing, and looking within can we improve and elevate as one body.