(Minghui.org) I recently had an extensive discussion with a Falun Dafa practitioner named Weifang about how we should respond when a fellow cultivator is facing trials and tribulations—whether to support and help them, or try to change them?
Avoiding Fellow Practitioners While Struggling
Weifang had previously worked with me on Dafa projects. A few years ago, we lost contact after she suffered a stroke and subsequently avoided other practitioners.
Back then, local practitioners came to my home to discuss her situation, suggesting that attachments were causing her problems. I generally prefer not to discuss others’ matters behind their backs. I simply said, “If you have any thoughts, you can share them with Weifang.” I later learned that she didn’t want to discuss her situation with any of us.
I also advocate quietly studying the Fa and looking inward—that’s what truly helps one improve in cultivation. Passing cultivation tests depends entirely on oneself. If one’s heart remains unmoved, others can’t make much of a difference.
Seeking Support But Not Wanting to Be Lectured To
Recently, Weifang, who is still working through sickness karma, unexpectedly came to my home. We caught up, and I shared that I experienced the symptoms of a stroke while I was incarcerated. I realized at the time that it was a form of persecution aimed at wearing down my willpower. I rejected the persecution and asked Master to strengthen my resolve. I began sending forth righteous thoughts whenever I had the opportunity, memorized the Fa, and looked within to find my attachments. My symptoms disappeared within a few days.
Master told us,
“We have said that good or bad comes from a person’s initial thought, and the thought at that moment can bring about different consequences.” (Lecture four, Zhuan Falun)
If we don’t acknowledge the symptoms or take them to be an actual illness, they stop being a matter of concern.
Later, Weifang told me she had struggled with the idea of visiting me. She had even come to my building one day, but didn’t have the courage to go to my apartment, fearing that if she saw me, I would focus on her attachments and earnestly try to change her. However, after talking with me, she realized I wasn’t like that at all. She felt relieved and deeply inspired. We resumed our previous collaboration on projects.
Another practitioner described how she and others had previously tried to help Weifang with her sickness karma. One of her family members, who is also a practitioner, was not pleased with them, especially when someone asked Weifang, “Why are you still in bed? You should get up and study the Fa and do the exercises.” Ultimately, Weifang’s family member asked them to leave.
Master said:
“Helping fellow practitioners is something that should be done, and there is nothing wrong with not wanting to leave anyone behind.” (“Teachings at the 2004 International Conference in New York”)
Supporting and helping fellow practitioners is not wrong, but it is not about changing them. Only Dafa can transform a practitioner, and those going through a tribulation must genuinely want to change. If their hearts remain unmoved, even Dafa cannot change them. What ability do we have? Some practitioners overcome their attachments and difficulties through studying the Fa. However, other practitioners mistakenly believe they were the ones who helped make it happen, overlooking the role of Dafa.
Encourage, But Avoid Imposing Our Views on Practitioners
When practitioners face tribulations, especially when dealing with sickness karma, it is perfectly normal for fellow practitioners to study the Fa with them, send forth righteous thoughts for the individual, and exchange insights with them. This can help practitioners swiftly overcome their tribulations.
However, a common phenomenon arises: whether spoken aloud or not, fellow practitioners generally hope that those facing sickness karma will maintain their composure, realize it might not be what it appears to be—it might be body purification—or that their attachment was seized upon by the old forces, making it a form of persecution or a karma elimination process. When they realize what it really is and deal with it properly, they might recover immediately. Other practitioners hope that the person does not rush to seek hospital treatment.
From the Fa standpoint, there is nothing wrong with hoping they won’t immediately seek medical treatment. However, each individual’s cultivation state and level differ, their understanding and interpretation of the Fa differ, and their approaches and outcomes will vary.
Some have genuinely let go of the attachment to life and death, trusting in Master’s guidance and thus emerging from tribulations. Others, fearing complications, continue taking medication while practicing cultivation, or end up hospitalized. Still others insist on avoiding hospital treatment; however, their xinxing might not have been up to par, they held on to their attachment and were not able to cultivate diligently, only to pass away.
Master told us:
“So in these circumstances I think that when newer practitioners, or those who haven’t managed to improve in their cultivation for a long time, are dealing with a sickness-karma test, sometimes it’s fine for them to see a doctor. It’s fine for them to go to the hospital. It will just be regarded as an episode along the way in their journey of cultivation.” (“2018 Fa Teaching Given in Washington, D.C.,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XV)
When helping fellow practitioners overcome sickness karma, we must avoid imposing our own views on them.
Several years ago, a new practitioner joined our Fa-study group. She experienced abnormal bleeding and went to the hospital for examination, where she was diagnosed with uterine cancer. The hospital recommended surgery. Some practitioners told her to “guard her xinxing,” meaning she should not have the surgery.
One day, she saw me and told me about this, saying, “Fellow practitioners urged me to maintain my composure and not undergo surgery. Even so, I still wanted to have the surgery.”
I said, “Then do whatever you feel is right; cultivation is your own affair. But whatever choice you make, never forget you are a cultivator. Undergoing surgery is also a part of cultivation.”
Ultimately, she went ahead with the surgery. During the operation, doctors discovered that the cancer had metastasized extensively, necessitating chemotherapy afterward. Seeing the bald heads of other patients receiving chemotherapy, and witnessing their pain and helplessness caused by the treatment’s side effects, she remembered Master’s Fa. With a resolute determination, she decided to walk the path of cultivation. Shortly afterward, she requested to be discharged from the hospital.
She quickly regained her health by intensifying her Fa study, practicing the exercises, and sending forth righteous thoughts. When I saw her again, she looked radiant and appeared much younger than before. During our conversation, it was clear her understanding of the Fa had deepened significantly.
Articles in which cultivators share their understandings typically reflect an individual's perception at a point in time based on their cultivation state, and they are offered in the spirit of enabling mutual elevation.
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Category: Cultivation Insights
