(Clearwisdom.net) After I read "Eliminating Sickness Demons with Righteous Thoughts and Actions," a series of cultivation stories published on the Minghui website, I have gained a lot of respect for those practitioners in the stories. These stories inspired me to share my own experience of prevailing over "sickness karma" and hopefully my sharing will be of some help to fellow practitioners currently struggling with it.

In 2000, fluid with a foul stench leaked from my navel while I was imprisoned in a detention center. I was shocked at first, but I immediately remembered that a Falun Gong practitioner does not have any illness. The had happened after I gave birth many years ago, but why was it happening again? I was worried that it would jeopardize Falun Gong's good name if anyone should see or smell the discharge, so I quietly wiped it away and cleaned my navel.

At the time I remembered two passages of the Fa in particular. Teacher said,

"Cultivation practice in Beyond-Triple-World-Law is that of the purest Arhat body--a body that does not have any sickness-karma." ("Sickness Karma" in Essentials for Further Advancement)

"As a genuine practitioner, however, you cannot practice cultivation with an ill body. I will purify your body." ("Genuinely Guiding People Toward High Levels" in Lecture One of Zhuan Falun)

Shortly after I started practicing Falun Gong, all of my illnesses disappeared, so I decided that I must have entered cultivation practice in Beyond-Triple-World-Law and that I didn't have any sickness karma. Teacher also said,

"Besides, this is also to test whether you are determined in following Dafa" ("Sickness Karma" in Essentials for Further Advancement)

Teacher said:
"Our bodies may suddenly feel uncomfortable. This is because repaying the karma will be manifested in different ways. At a certain point in time, you will be made unable to discern clearly whether something is true, whether your gong exists, whether you can practice cultivation and make it, or whether there are Buddhas and if they are real." ("Your Mind Must Be Right" in Lecture Six of Zhuan Falun)

I was certain that the foul-smelling discharge was just an illusion, so I was determined to pay no attention to it. About two weeks later, it stopped and I became all the more firm in my belief in Teacher and the Fa.

Later, while I was incarcerated in a forced labor camp, I developed symptoms of tuberculosis. I kept having high fever, coughing, producing a lot of phlegm, and dizziness, but I knew that I didn't have TB. A few days later, some of the symptoms disappeared, but I continued to feel nauseous. I began to wonder why these illusions of sickness were causing me so much pain. I tried hard to recall the passages of the Fa that Teacher imparted about sickness karma. Later I realized that these symptoms must feel very "real" to me in order to trick me into believing it was TB. That's why I was in a lot of pain. I had faith that I didn't have TB. No matter what people might believe or tell me, I was convinced that I didn't have it. Then all the remaining symptoms disappeared right away. I no longer felt any discomfort or pain. I had faith that Teacher was right beside me and watching over me. A few months later, I was sent for a follow-up exam. I had faith that I had never contracted TB, so the doctor would not find any trace of it. It turned out that my lungs were perfectly healthy.

Because of my incarceration, I hadn't been able to study the articles that Teacher wrote to guide our cultivation during the Fa-rectification period, let alone what the old forces are about. Of course, I didn't know to negate the old forces, either. The reason I was able to prevail over the sickness karma was two-fold. First was a steadfast faith in Teacher and the Fa. I might have had many secular thoughts, attachments, or degenerated notions that I was not aware of, but I had a steadfast faith in Teacher and the Fa. Second, I didn't passively acknowledge the symptoms of "sickness." This was also because of my steadfast faith in Teacher and the Fa. Teacher purifies our bodies as soon as we start to genuinely practice Falun Gong. Teacher said,

"You do not need to practice such low-level things, and we will push you beyond it, making your body reach a state free of any illness." ("Genuinely Guiding People Toward High Levels" in Lecture One of Zhuan Falun)

Perhaps some practitioners are under the influence of their previous cultivation practice, or perhaps they don't have a clear understanding of the Fa in this regard and believe that their bodies have not been replaced by high energy matter. They might think that they still have a lot of secular thoughts and karma and that they have not completely assimilated to the Fa, so they are assuming sickness karma when they feel ill. In my humble opinion, these practitioners may not have a good understanding of the Fa in this regard.

It would be great if those fellow practitioners experiencing sickness karma would search inward to identify and eliminate their attachments during the process of cultivating in the Fa-rectification period. If they don't have a clear understanding on completely negating the old forces or if they are unable to identify their attachments, then they should at least have steadfast faith in Teacher and the Fa. Let us have faith that we don't have any illness, and let us not accept the symptoms of "sickness karma." Instead, we should concentrate on doing the three things that Falun Gong practitioners should do, which means that we should be negating the old forces completely. In other words, we would then be establishing our mighty virtue while triumphing over the old forces' persecution. When we act righteously, Teacher will be able to do everything for us. Teacher said,

"Cultivation depends on one's own efforts, while the transformation of gong is done by one's master." ("Why Doesn't Your Gong Increase with Your Practice?" in Lecture One of Zhuan Falun)

This concludes my experience sharing. Please kindly point out anything erroneous or inappropriate.