(Minghui.org) When tribulations arise during cultivation, I notice that many practitioners have a difficult time telling whether it was the old forces' interference or Master's arrangement. Unable to handle the situation very well, some practitioners struggle with long-term sickness symptoms or financial difficulties.
Some practitioners can’t recognize how the old forces interfere with them and thus feel helpless. Some think they are denying the interference but in fact acknowledge it unknowingly.
An Inspiring Story
In a Minghui article, “Divine Beings Produce Video Recordings of Practitioners Validating the Fa,” a practitioner said that, while walking, her legs suddenly appeared to be of different lengths, and she limped. She realized that she had acquiesced to the old forces’ interference and immediately denied this arrangement.
“I am a Falun Dafa practitioner,” she thought, “and no one is allowed to persecute me. I do not acknowledge the old forces. My path is arranged by Master and no one is allowed to interfere.”
She overcame the discomfort and continued to walk as if nothing had happened. After about 55 yards, she heard a cracking noise in her leg, as if her bones had snapped back into place, and her legs were of the same length again. That one righteous thought changed the incident.
Assuming Instead of Negating
In contrast with with the practitioner mentioned above who negated the old forces with a very simple and pure thought, others usually first try to decide whether it's interference or Master's arrangement rather than immediately negating the interference.
One practitioner said, “If I would face such a situation, my first thought would be to look within. I would ask myself whether it's interference or if I simply twisted my ankle. I might do some warm-ups, and if the situation did not improve, I would then scrutinize my xinxing and ask myself why this happened to me.”
Another practitioner said that she would go to the hospital and have an x-ray to make sure that her leg was fine. After that, she would look within.
In fact, these two practitioners had already acknowledged the interference before they did anything to resist it.
Master said:
“This practitioner slowly got up from the ground and said: "There’s nothing wrong. You can leave." She brushed off the dirt on her clothes and left with her husband.” (Zhuan Falun)
Master's words told me that when we experience sickness karma, our first thought should be that we are fine and that the old forces are unworthy of persecuting us. That thought completely negates the old forces' interference and conforms to the Fa's requirement.
Some practitioners think that if the sickness problem was arranged by Master, I would bear it, but if it's from the old forces, then I will negate it. The key problem here is that one is unable to distinguish the root cause.
Master said:
“With any interference, do not get stuck in the particular situation and allow yourselves to be disturbed; only then can you make it through and your mighty virtue will be even greater.” (“On the Waves Stirred Up by the Article About Assistant Souls”)
I understand that Master did not mean to have us figure out where the tests originated; rather, when we try to figure it out, it's easy to get stuck.
After a car accident, a practitioner thought, “Why did this happen to me, and why did I experience such life-threatening test?” While trying to look within and figuring out the reason for the interference, that practitioner might very well end up with serious injuries, because the first thought wasn't to negate the old forces’ arrangements.
Master said:
“Except for newer students, from July 20 of 1999 on, Master hasn't created any personal cultivation tests for you, and that's because overall your personal cultivation has changed in every respect so that it's in the direction of saving sentient beings and validating Dafa.” (Fa-Lecture During the 2003 Lantern Festival at the U.S. West Fa Conference)
Based on Master's words, we can see that the discomfort in the practitioner's leg was due to the old forces' interference. But Master was beating them at their own game and gave that practitioner an opportunity to establish her mighty virtue by walking a righteous path.
That practitioner passed this test by simply negating the old forces. They shouldn't exist in the first place, so why even bother trying to analyze the situation and their arrangement?
Spontaneous Thought Matters
Master said:
“We have said that good or evil comes from a person’s spontaneous thought, and the thought at that moment can bring about different consequences.” (Zhuan Falun)
Master's words point to a situation when practitioners fail to pass sickness tests because they do not have a good understanding of this Fa teaching.
When sickness symptoms strike, I see practitioners reacting differently. Some practitioners immediately think that they are fine and send forth righteous thoughts; their symptom soon passed. Faced with similar situations, other practitioners stop what they were doing, and some continue to work on truth-clarification projects but still acknowledge the interference to some extent, and some really think they are sick–they lay in bed, do not do the exercises or read the books, and mumble to themselves from time to time, “I feel so uncomfortable.”
Although these symptoms might go away in a few days for most of the practitioners, some have repeatedly come down with them. They did not realize that they had acknowledged the old forces' interference.
Negate the Old Forces' Persecution
The old forces are attached to the laws of the old universe. However, practitioners cultivate in the Fa from the new universe. Let us remember that even when we do not do well in our cultivation, Master is taking care of us, and the old forces are unworthy of meddling with our cultivation.
Some practitioners believe that when we have loopholes in our cultivation, the old forces would cause trouble. They passively acknowledge it. But, in fact, this is not right based on Master's Fa. It is the old forces who do not listen to Master and insist on interfering with Master's arrangements. Thus, we should not accept the old forces' arrangements under any circumstances.
On the other hand, while we don't acknowledge any of the old forces' arrangements, we should still maintain a cultivator's state of mind and constantly look within, especially when the old forces are interfering, although we are negating even their existence.
Sometimes, the old forces hide in the fields of our attachments and are thus protected from our gong while sending righteous thoughts. In that case, it's up to us to eliminate our attachments in order to completely get rid of the old forces.
(To be continued)
Category: Improving Oneself
