(Minghui.org) In my family, my mother, my son, and I are Falun Dafa practitioners. My mother and I have been cultivating for many years. Six or seven years ago, my son and I experienced serious sickness karma, while my mother has endured illness tribulations for years. I recently read the sharing article Some Thoughts About Sickness Tribulations and gained new insights, which I would like to share.
Modern Mindsets Hinder Understanding the Fa
Practitioners influenced by warped modern mindsets often struggle to identify their loopholes and attachments. The symptoms of my sickness karma manifested as severe anemia caused by bleeding hemorrhoids. I diligently looked inward, cultivated myself, eliminated attachments, sent righteous thoughts, studied the Fa more, read fellow practitioners’ experiences on sickness karma, and even let go of life and death—yet nothing improved.
I asked myself at the time: Am I afraid to let go of life? My answer was no. However, I understood that my passing away would lead people to misunderstand Dafa and jeopardize their salvation. After deep reflection, I decided to go to the hospital for surgery. Even if I couldn’t overcome this tribulation, I didn’t want to harm Dafa’s reputation. I explained to my family and friends who held positive views on Dafa that my situation stemmed from shortcomings in my cultivation.
A fellow practitioner suggested that I examine whether I still harbored attachments to lust, considering the location of my ailment. I didn’t recognize any issues at the time. However, after the surgery, further Fa study and exposure to traditional culture on relationships between men and women revealed a serious loophole in my understanding of lust. My sickness karma had tormented me for over three years, and my modern mindset had blocked my enlightenment to the Fa. I lacked clarity about the boundaries and standards for interactions with the opposite sex and believed that I was doing well above average in this regard.
I realized that I had been measuring myself against the declining morality of modern society instead of using the Fa as my standard. I later gained clarity after watching videos about the lives of Shen Yun performers and learning about their high standards. I began holding myself to stricter standards in all relationships—whether with my husband, fellow practitioners, or ordinary men. I even passed multiple tests related to lust in my dreams, confirming my improvement in this regard.
Breaking Through a Tribulation After Letting Go of Life and Death
My son has been cultivating since childhood. However, as he grew older, heavy schoolwork and an obsession with electronic devices distracted him from cultivation. At age 16, he experienced severe illness karma, including vomiting blood and bloody stools every few months. Each relapse required a hospital visit for a blood transfusion.
Once, he refused to go to the hospital and chose to stay home to study the Fa, fully letting go of life and death. Several practitioners came to support him by sending righteous thoughts. Despite his frailty and fear, especially when going to the restroom and having painful stools, his determination paid off—his condition stabilized, and the bleeding stopped. The practitioners present were moved to tears by Master’s compassion.
Although my son struggled with daily Fa study, doing the exercises, and sending righteous thoughts, his steadfast faith in Master and the Fa, combined with his resolution to let go of life and death, helped him overcome this test. His fewer human notions may have also contributed to his success.
Party Culture: A Barrier to Looking Inward
As a veteran practitioner, my mother has battled sickness karma for years. Once an elegant and vibrant woman, she became frail and sometimes confused. Her condition affected not only her cultivation but also people’s perception of Dafa. She was aware of this and worked diligently to improve, but her efforts yielded little progress.
When fellow practitioners and I pointed out her attachments, her Party culture mindset prevented her from recognizing them. Although she listened to the audiobooks, including Disintegration of Party Culture and Nine Commentaries on the Communist Party, and increased her Fa study, sending righteous thoughts, and doing the exercises, she couldn’t break through the barrier. Her influential position among practitioners and ordinary people only aggravated the confusion surrounding her state. Some even questioned why a diligent practitioner would be facing such a tribulation.
I’ve noticed similar experiences among other practitioners who were influenced by modern mindsets and Party culture and then suffered sickness karma or passed away. Many in China are indoctrinated with Party culture from birth, making it difficult to distinguish and eliminate its influence. In addition to solid Fa study, exposure to traditional Chinese culture can help. Unfortunately, the communist regime has eradicated much of this culture, leaving many practitioners without access to traditional teachings on relationships, etiquette, and proper conduct.
I hope practitioners knowledgeable in these areas can share more articles and resources to provide cultural guidance needed by practitioners in China.
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Category: Cultivation Insights
