By a Falun Dafa practitioner from Sichuan Province

(Clearwisdom.net) Recently, several Falun Dafa practitioners died one after another in our local area. Some even encountered serious illnesses, which brought a negative impact to the spreading of Falun Gong and saving sentient beings in the entire area. In regards to these problems, I would like to share my thoughts with the local practitioners, so that we can improve as a whole and together accomplish the historical mission of assisting Teacher in the Fa-rectification.

The following is some general information about the circumstances and the cultivation state of the practitioners who encountered problems.

1. Ms. Qiao, 65, a retired teacher, began to practice Falun Gong in 1996. Her health used to be very poor, and she had had a hysterectomy. Later, there were lumps in her breast. After Ms. Qiao started practicing Falun Gong, the lumps disappeared without treatment, and she became healthy. When the persecution of Falun Dafa began in 1999, Ms. Qiao went to Beijing to appeal for justice for Falun Gong in June 2000. She was arrested and detained in the local detention center for more than 15 days. After returning home, under severe pressure from family members, she was very frightened. She feared that her husband (who once held a post of county cadre) and daughter (cadre of the court) would be implicated, and she dared not read Falun Gong books or practice the exercises at home in a open and honorable manner. Instead, she would do it secretly. It is said that her husband would tear the book when he found Ms. Qiao reading. She was afraid to take Teacher's articles and Falun Gong materials home, and went to a fellow practitioner's home using shopping as an excuse. She then read the articles quickly and left in a hurry. When she accompanied her husband going out for recreation or watching TV at home, Ms. Qiao dared not greet or talk to fellow practitioners in his presence. Her attachment was relatively huge and she did not walk her cultivation path well. Therefore the evil took advantage of her loopholes. Sometimes, she circulated the fake articles said to be Teacher's.

In the winter of 2004, Ms. Qiao had the symptoms of sickness karma. She studied the book and practiced the exercises a lot less. She did not treat her symptoms with righteous thoughts, and her condition became worse. When she gave up studying the book and practicing the exercises, wavering under pressure and human notions, she again went to the hospital and was diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. Ms. Qiao was hospitalized for some time, but did not improve. She returned home, became bedridden and could not take care of herself. Later, her relatives persuaded her to go to a hospital for treatment. She suffered various mental torments, and was afraid of going to sleep. Often, demons came into her dreams and frightened her until she screamed. Physically, she also suffered a great deal. Ms. Qiao died on June 9, 2005.

2. Ms. Chen, a manager of a brewery, 45, began to practice Falun Gong in 1996. She used to have asthma and was in poor health, but after she became a practitioner, all her ailments went away. Because she was busy at work, she could not study the Fa diligently. Her husband had opposed her practicing Falun Gong. Due to the poor cultivation environment at home, for a long time, she could only study the Fa and practice the exercises away from home. In 2002, Ms. Chen became worried due to an increase in taxes on alcohol. This concern compounded the already-existing financial pressures of the brewery and her worry about the persecution of Falun Gong by the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). Many local practitioners were abducted and detained in September 2002, and two practitioners were persecuted to death. The evil took advantage of the loopholes left from many strong attachments. As a result, Ms. Chen suffered from long-term insomnia. At the end of 2002, she quit her job at the brewery and went home to recuperate, but her condition did not improve. Her husband asked her to stop practicing Falun Gong and to take medical treatment, threatening that otherwise he would divorce her. Although Ms. Chen was not willing to give up Dafa, she feared the divorce. Her strong attachments sent her into painful conflict and ordeals. Teacher gave her chances again and again, and many fellow practitioners exchanged views with her and tried to help her. Ms. Chen, however, was not able to get rid of her ordinary people's notions. Because she did not study the Fa and practice the exercises for a long time, her condition became worse. She could not go to sleep at night, did not have energy, and was absent-minded during the day. She often lost her balance. Later, medical treatment was no longer effective for her. Finally, Ms. Chen gave up Dafa completely, and with her husband she visited many places to seek treatment and a chance to recuperate. On November 2, 2003, about two months after she gave up Dafa, she and her husband both died in a car accident while on her trip to convalesce in Guiyang

3. A retired cadre began to practice Falun Gong in 1996, and was once a local practice site coordinator. He was abducted for the second time by police in September 2002, and detained for more than two months. After he was set free, his workplace cadre had a talk with him: "You say Dafa is good, and you are healthy from practicing. Please write a guarantee statement that you will not claim medical expenses." He agreed and did it as asked. At the same time, in order to illegally monitor him, party officials requested that he participate in a bike riding tour of one of the city's older universities. He agreed and actively joined the activity. During the tour, he fell off the bike and injured himself. After he returned home, he went into a coma. He stayed in the hospital for more than 6 months, and now is still partially paralyzed and in a wheelchair.

The above-mentioned problems made me better understand the following: If we do not study the Fa well, we cannot understand things from the Fa principles. In addition, without faith in Dafa, we cannot walk our cultivation path well. If when we are unable to let go of strong attachments and are unable to pass the tests and give up the practice, we become an everyday person again.

Teacher said:

"Cultivation practice is extremely arduous and very serious. If you are being careless for a moment, you may stumble and become ruined at once. Therefore, one's mind must be right." (Zhuan Falun)

"It's because you practice cultivation in the upright Fa that you have escaped the karma you owed in your previous lives. Once you are reduced to the level of an everyday person, no one will protect you and demons will also take your life." "It's difficult to practice cultivation, yet very easy to fall. When a person fails a test or can't let go of a strong human attachment, he might reverse himself or go to the opposite side. There are too many lessons in history. Only after having fallen down will a person begin to regret, yet then it's too late."("Dafa Can Never be Plagiarized" from Essentials for Further Advancement)

At the same time, I also realize that the evil not only persecutes Dafa practitioners in the form of illegal detention, imprisonment, forced labor, and torture, but it also makes use of every form to destroy us, if we do not walk righeously, if we deviate from the Fa and cooperate with the evil.

Teacher told us:

"No matter what the situation, do not cooperate with the evil's demands, orders, or what it instigates. If everyone does this the environment won't be this way." ("Dafa Disciples' Righteous Thoughts are Powerful")

Aren't those people who encountered problems destroyed by the evil because they acknowleged and cooperated with the evil? There are also people who think other practitionesrs were persecuted because of their shortcomings. They think, "I just stay at home to study the Fa and practice the exercises. I feel very good and very safe, and I will not be persecuted." As a matter of fact, this is cooperating with the evil, walking on the path arranged by the old forces. This situation is very dangerous.

Teacher said:

"Some people who started studying the Fa in the earlier period say that they read the book at home and that they won't go out and do the things that Dafa disciples must do. I'm thinking that those people are not too far away from having a wicked understanding, and they are lucky if they haven't begun to stray. Over the past few years, Dafa disciples have been validating the Fa amidst the persecution and saving beings through clarifying the truth. Those people won't improve at all, no matter how much they may read the book at home. If you don't do the things that Dafa disciples should do, not only won't you improve, but you will only slide downwards. 'Dafa disciple'... 'Dafa disciple,' what does being a 'Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciple' mean? It is the foremost title and the most magnificent being in the cosmos. If you only care about your own salvation, will that do? How could that be called being a 'Dafa disciple'? What is a 'Fa-Rectification Period Dafa Disciple'? Have you validated the Fa? You came when Dafa benefited you, yet you hid out and didn't dare to speak up for Dafa when it faced danger. You have shown yourself to be less worthy than an ordinary person, so what's the point of 'studying the Fa at home'? All beings are being poisoned in the persecution, so how could you feel at ease being in hiding? Why are Dafa disciples clarifying the truth and saving beings? Because that is Dafa disciples' duty. That is the kind of being that I, Li Hongzhi, want, and a Dafa disciple is that kind of cultivator." ("Teaching the Fa at the 2004 International Fa Conference in New York")

Then why do such practitioners still have a "calm and secure" life? Have you thought about it? It is not because the evil does not want to persecute you, but because of Teacher's immense compassion: giving you chances and waiting for your awakening. In the end, if you are still unable to step out, clarify the truth, and save the sentient beings, but just want to benefit from Dafa and refuse to give back or complete your historical mission, then when Teacher gives up on you, wouldn't the evil also destroy you?

Fellow practitioners, let us cherish this golden opportunity of practicing Falun Dafa, which is the one and only occurrence of its kind in the history of mankind. Let us steadfastly follow Teacher, assist Teacher in the Fa-rectification, and together strive forward.

This is only my personal understanding; if there is anything inappropriate, please kindly correct me.

Posting date: 9/18/2005
Original article date: 9/18/2005
Category: Practitioners' Insights
Translated on 9/13/2005
Chinese version available at http://www.minghui.org/mh/articles/2005/9/7/109910.html

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