(Minghui.org) A few days ago my knee suddenly became swollen and painful and remained so for several days. Sending righteous thoughts didn’t change the situation. Then, I had a bad thought: “Is this arthritis or is it caused by the cold air from the air-conditioning?” I even thought about using my husband’s medicinal patch, but refrained.
Master Li said,
“Think about it, everyone: With cerebral thrombosis, how could one walk around and move both arms and legs again so quickly?” (Lecture Six, Zhuan Falun)
I realized that the person Master was talking about was predestined to have a stroke. Even if one cultivates, one still needs to pay back one's karmic debts. However, the practitioner’s symptoms were different from an ordinary person’s stroke. I felt it was a pity that he didn’t truly believe in Master.
Maybe I was paying back karma with my knee pain. The old forces were dumping karma on me following my old life path, but I insisted on walking the path Master arranged for me. I didn’t want to be like the practitioner with the stroke symptoms. I believed that Master had cleaned up my body and I would be fine.
With this strong thought, my knee was fine the next day. I realized how powerful Dafa is and how important it is to have righteous thinking. I became more confident about cultivating.
After my child was born, my back often hurt, but it hadn't bothered me much for years. However, when my knee healed, the back pain flared up. It hurt when I got up in the morning, my legs felt weak, and I felt tired when I hadn't done much.
When the pain became unbearable, I started to reflect. The old forces were trying to destroy my faith in Master and Dafa using this pain. I vowed that their plan was not going to work. After affirming my belief in Master and Dafa, my back was fine by the next morning. I felt relaxed, comfortable, and full of energy. Once again, I had experienced the wonder of Dafa.
My thoughts seemed simple, but they came from my heart. When I sent righteous thoughts before, it didn’t diminish the pain. Ordinary people take medicine to relieve pain. I had attempted to use sending righteous thoughts as a way to relieve pain. My goal was to feel comfortable again. Then, what was the difference between me and ordinary people? My thinking was not righteous, so it didn’t work.
What are righteous thoughts, then? Based on my experiences during years of cultivation, I think that righteous thoughts should be in line with Dafa's principles whether you are experiencing conflict or physical discomfort. What should I do when my human thoughts conflict with Dafa's principles or when I feel sick? How can I have righteous thinking? At those moments, I need to calm down, reflect on every single thought in my mind, and understand the purpose behind those thoughts. Then, once I find my shortcomings and attachments, I can correct myself and then righteous thoughts will follow. Therefore, looking within is the key to changing human thoughts into righteous thoughts.
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.” (Lecture Four, Zhuan Falun)
It appears to be such a simple thought, but it is the difference between humans and gods.
Master also said,
“If thoughts are righteous,evil will collapse.” (“What’s to Fear?,” Hong Yin Vol. II)
As cultivators, when we experience physical discomfort that prevents us from doing the three things, it’s not because we are getting rid of karma, it’s interference from the old forces. Why do the old forces dare to interfere with us? I think it’s because our thinking and faith aren't up to the requirements. Some people only believe in Dafa after their illnesses disappear.
However, Dafa requires us to have firm faith and to improve our xinxing before we can improve physically. Ask yourself “Do I believe that I won't have illnesses anymore?” When you feel sick, what do you think? Only by asking questions can we see how firm our faith is. In fact, we shouldn’t have human illnesses anymore. Symptoms appear because we haven’t improved ourselves enough. When we think with human notions, we are incapable of eliminating evil. After all, improving xinxing and looking inward are key.
Master said:
“You cannot only pursue transformation of gong in the physical body without emphasizing improvement of your xinxing. It is waiting for you to upgrade your xinxing—only then will you make a holistic change.” (Lecture Six, Zhuan Falun)
When our faith is strong enough, evil will be scared away and won't dare to interfere. We need to eventually have firm and righteous faith, as that determines our cultivation level.
How can we have strong faith? Looking inward is the only way. We need to find our weaknesses, recognize them, and get rid of them. When I truly have faith in Master, I feel calm and unmoved and don't struggle over losses and gains.
We should also deny the old forces’ arrangements, which means we should raise our xinxing level by following Dafa’s principles of Truthfulness, Compassion, and Forbearance and get rid of human notions and attachments. Doing everything with righteous thoughts is, in fact, denying the old forces.