(Minghui.org) I recently came across an article on the Minghui website that addressed practitioners passing away from sickness karma. It made me sad to read it.

As for myself, I recently passed a very critical tribulation that lasted 21 days.

Teacher talked about sickness karma in the early stages of our cultivation in detail. He also discussed sickness karma in his lectures and publications, including in Zhuan Falun, Essentials for Further Advancement, and the Lecture in Sydney.

All practitioners should ask themselves as to how much they believe in the Fa. Does one fully believe in the Fa and Teacher? If not, how much do we believe in Teacher and the Fa? Or to what degree do our actions comply with the Fa?

Old Forces Take Advantage of the One Thought

Whenever one experiences sickness karma, an external factor is present. The manifestation is the same for practitioners and ordinary people in terms of symptoms. In essence, however, it is completely different. If one's thoughts are in line with that of an ordinary person, one accepts the illness, so one may "catch" it.

This is also a reflection of the old forces taking advantage of practitioners' loopholes, because they have found an excuse.

It took me a while to realize the seriousness of this issue. If I had negated the issue and refused to recognize it, the illness tribulation would have been much less severe and not lasted as long. But I did not enlighten to it because my thoughts were not righteous concerning this issue.

To call it an “illusion of sickness karma” is more appropriate, as one does not acknowledge it as an illness, but rather as a fake phenomenon. Although one says that it is an illusion, one has to suffer the same degree of pain, which can be very real. At this point, it brings up the question of believing in Teacher and Dafa.

When they began cultivation, Teacher purified practitioners' bodies in other dimensions, so that they could develop energy and cultivate to higher levels. At that time, practitioners all shared the same feeling, which included feeling light and being illness-free. Teacher eliminated karma to the point that practitioners would then be able to endure the remaining portion.

Teacher said:

“It will be divided into numerous portions for different phases of your cultivation practice. They will be used to upgrade your xinxing, transform your karma, and increase your gong.” (Lecture Three in Zhuan Falun)

I came to understand that one needs to be extremely steadfast in one's cultivation practice, be able to endure hardships, and have righteous thoughts.

Thinking Like an Ordinary Person

Though both practitioners and ordinary people live in regular society, a practitioner should have a different understanding of sickness. A practitioner needs to eliminate karma, whereas an ordinary person will have illnesses. Although both suffer, in essence, it is very different.

When an ordinary person is ill, he or she needs to seek treatment, which complies with the principles of human society. A practitioner must let go of the thought of illness and go beyond humanness.

Teacher protects practitioners after they develop energy. Such illnesses will dissipate as soon as they develop. In addition, we have Teacher's Fashen, as well as Falun, to protect us.

One can then no longer can be considered an ordinary person. If you still want to go to a hospital, you are admitting that you have an illness, which means you have lowered yourself to the level of an ordinary person.

A cultivator also understands that when an ordinary person takes medication, it kills the germs on the surface, but they will come to the surface again in the future. Everything is alive in another dimension.

When a practitioner suffers a hardship, one can eliminate karma, while at the same time improving one's xinxing. Teacher will also convert our virtue, a white substance in another dimension, into energy.

Practitioners who do not look at tribulations as part of their cultivation only want to gain but not lose. Thus, it seems that they may not gain anything.

Enduring Hardship

A cultivator needs to endure hardship. An attachment to comfort can keep us from enduring hardship and prevent us from improving.

Especially when it comes to practitioners with spouses who also practice, they should follow the Fa and not treat the other person as if he or she is ill. By doing so, the practitioner may be harmed.

One should not study the Fa and practice the exercises perfunctorily. Additionally, if one takes medication, the situation could deteriorate. In the end, one could lose one's life.

Teacher said:

“Even if you have a little hardship, if you steel your will and withstand it, you’ll find afterwards that everything you do will proceed differently. I’d say it’s nothing more than just hardships that humans have to endure when they practice cultivation. If you’re able to let go of [the fear of hardship] you’re sure to reach Consummation. Speaking from a higher perspective, if you’re able to let go of the thought of life and death, you are truly a God!” (“Teaching the Fa in New York City” in Lectures in the United States)

If one has let go of life and death, how could that person be afraid of hardship? Hardship would be a piece of cake.

For a practitioner, enduring hardship is a good thing. When I was going through sickness karma, I could not eat for three days. My husband, an ordinary person, was not feeling well. He was in pain and had diarrhea, but was fine once he took some medicine. I was a bit jealous.

Immediately, I reminded myself, “This is a test.” I used the Fa-principles to rectify myself. I thought to myself: “Comfort for an ordinary person is temporary, whereas the problems that I resolve are permanent.”

Importance of Cultivation

Among veteran practitioners who have cultivated for between 10 and 20 years, most are in their 60s or 70s, and some are in their 90s. Most of them have had their lives extended. One practitioner told me that her life was extended by 13 years.

Among practitioners who passed away due to sickness karma, most of them were seniors. Some were treated in hospitals a few times. Most of them passed away in the hospitals. Why is that? Because the universe has the principles of “formation-stasis-deformation-destruction,” whereas, for a human being, one has to go through birth, old age, illness, and death.

If one lowers oneself to an ordinary person's level, one will be governed by ordinary people's principles.

Teacher said:

“Meanwhile, it is also a cultivation practice of mind and body. When you continually practice cultivation, you will constantly prolong your life. With consistent practice, your life will be constantly prolonged. Those elderly people with good inborn quality will have sufficient time for practice. There is a criterion, however, that the life prolonged beyond your predestined time to live is completely reserved for your practice. If your mind goes wrong a little bit, your life will be in danger because your lifetime should have long been over. You will have such a restriction until you reach Beyond-Triple-World-Fa cultivation. After that, one will be in another state.” (Zhuan Falun)

Therefore, practitioners whose lives are extended have to recognize the importance of cultivation. If one's life was extended, one must practice cultivation and not live as an ordinary person.

If one claims that one's spouse and children made them go to the hospital, one is putting blame on someone else and shirking one's responsibility. It boils down to the fact that one was moved by fear.

One should just say, “I won't interfere with you, so please don't interfere with me. Whether I go to the hospital or not is my call. Please respect my choice.”

When I was suffering from sickness karma the most, my husband was very worried. “How can you not eat anything at all?” he said. “There must be something wrong with your stomach. Why don't we go to the hospital? Let's just get you looked at, then we won't worry about taking any medicine.” Of course, I refused.

We must be firm and leave no room for negotiation.

Some practitioners get a sense of satisfaction when their spouses care about them or when their children are concerned.

They may not realize that the old forces use sentimentality, something that a practitioner must let go of, to try to push us off our cultivation path. We should instead consider that, if our cultivation is ruined because they took us to the hospital, they, too, committed a sin. If we pass the test, keep our hearts unmoved, and truly believe in Teacher and Dafa, then we save ourselves and them, too.

If the person does not pass away, it is because the person has not yet reached the end of his or her life. The person is given another chance to continue with cultivation.

No one dares to persecute someone who is completely on the Fa. Teacher will not allow for this person to be persecuted.

When it comes to opposing the persecution from the old forces, one can send forth righteous thoughts to eliminate the persecution and truly look inward to cultivate oneself. Every attachment has to be found and eliminated. Once that is done, we can improve our xinxing, the persecution will end instantly, and we can pass the test of life and death.