(Minghui.org) Recently, a few practitioners in my city got seriously ill. I personally know seven of them whose situation was critical, and some were already hospitalized.

These practitioners all seemed to be actively doing the three things. One of them helped about 20,000 people quit the Chinese Communist Party. When the persecution started in July 1999, these practitioners remained steadfast and didn’t give in to the authorities, which was commendable.

After surviving such harsh tests, it seems they were tripped up by small things.

These practitioners have similar traits: after cultivating for years, they still don’t look within; they act like non-practitioners when faced with minor problems; they are very domineering, self-centered, and headstrong; they blame others for conflicts and can’t stay calm and think about how to handle things as practitioners should.

One of them often gets angry and yells at other practitioners; another frequently criticizes others based on her own notions instead of the Fa; one believes that a practitioner stole her book and has been holding a grudge ever since; one starts to criticize her husband or other practitioners when she’s asked to look within.

Another practitioner relies on others to help him. He doesn’t pay attention so he can learn to do things himself, but expects whoever helped him to continue to do so.

One practitioner spends a lot of time reading novels on her cell phone. Even when her vision became blurry, she still stayed up late at night to read.

The notions and attachments we refuse to let go of can become a huge mountain that is impossible to remove. If we continually don’t pass tests that may seem trivial, they may well accumulate and become lethal.

Master said,

“Some of our practitioners are struggling with passing the tests of sickness karma. Don’t think that it’s necessarily something major [that causes that]. You might think that you haven’t done anything majorly wrong, and that you are very firm in your faith in the Fa. However, you shouldn’t treat the little issues you have like they are nothing. The evil will seize upon any gaps. Many practitioners have even passed away on account of little things; it really was due to something very minor. That’s because cultivation is something serious, and requires having no gaps. If for a long time you haven’t dealt with those things through cultivation, small as they may be, if you haven’t taken them seriously for a prolonged period of time, then it is a big issue. Many people have passed away on account of such things.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2015 West Coast Fa Conference,” Collected Fa Teachings, Vol. XIII)

Some practitioners read Dafa books but don’t follow the teachings to cultivate solidly.

When someone upsets us, it is an opportunity to find our attachments and improve. We should take hints from any conflict and figure out what attachment upset us, and then eliminate it. This way, we stay calm and compassionate instead of getting upset.

We should feel grateful to those who upset us. How else can we discover our notions? Cultivation is about finding our notions and attachments, so that we can improve and return to our true selves. If we become upset like a non-practitioner and blame others, it’s an indication that we haven’t yet grasped the essence of cultivation. If we don’t know how to cultivate, our gong won’t grow. So let’s progress diligently while there is still time to cultivate.