(Clearwisdom.net) A few days ago, I joined a group Fa-study in a family of three Falun Dafa practitioners. I thought their experience-sharing environment must be very good, but to my surprise, they studied the Fa individually, not together. The mother and father each told me that they could not stand each other's manners, and the child and mother were both mad at the father, while the father was mad at the mother and child. So they began to read individually.
I said, "You have no idea how I envy your family cultivation environment. You have the best Fa-study environment, but you are reading individually? Let us all look inside to see if we have any attachments, or gaps. First of all, Father, I think you should change your manner of speaking; sometimes you speak with emotion, do not show compassion, and do not listen to others." The father of the family said, "I like to point out matters in a frank manner to fellow practitioners. It is unnecessary to watch our manners between fellow practitioners. Okay, let us study the Fa together."
We then read Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference. Master said,
"You're a cultivator, so why is it that sometimes you have lengthy arguments where you refuse to give ground? Why do you always say it's because of other people's attitudes? Why is it that whenever someone else says something you're affected? Aren't you supposed to remain unaffected even when someone verbally assaults you? Many of the factors that contribute to a conflict are caused by that thing at work. Whenever someone hits on that thing you become rash and worked up, your heart even starts to pound, and at that moment you don't think of being responsible to the Fa but just get angry and can't get over it. Some people always insist, "My, how come that person always has such an attitude? Why is he like that with everyone?" And there are some people who say, "Well nobody thinks too highly of him." But if you ask me, your master, you're all wrong. When none of you are attached anymore to wanting to hear pleasing things, when none of you are affected when you're insulted, see if he'll still be like that. Exactly because you people have those attachments, there exist factors that hit on your attachments; and exactly because those attachments of yours are stirred up, you get irritated; when all of you have those attachments, the situation where everyone is irritated by the person who hit on their attachments comes about. If you can all keep a calm and steady state of mind while being assaulted by strong words, and you're not at all affected, then see if those factors still exist.
"Yes, you are clarifying the facts, are busy doing a lot of things, and there are many things to do; that has demonstrated the extraordinary side of Dafa disciples. But don't forget to cultivate away the most basic things! It's not like "at the critical moment I'll be good enough"--that's not necessarily true. A conflict always arrives when you don't expect it, so at a critical moment you might not be good enough, because it's not like what you think, nor is it something you can just say. Just like when you cultivate Buddhahood, you might say, "When I really get up there I guarantee you I'll be good enough, and I won't be attached to anything." But how are you going to be good enough when those factors of yours are still there? You won't be, and it's because this is how a being is made. A stone is a stone no matter where you place it, and a piece of gold is a piece of gold no matter where you place it.
"You all know that during your cultivation, even when you don't specifically think about something, bad thoughts come up on their own. And why is that? Isn't it because that thing is there? When any conflict arises or anything happens, I've told you that not only should the two parties in the conflict look for reasons on their part, even any third party should think about himself--why are you the one who observed it? When you are a direct party in the conflict, that's even more the case, but why won't you cultivate yourself?"
I suddenly enlightened to what happened before our group Fa-study. I saw my fellow practitioners' shortcomings, and also my own gaps. We all have the same problem! What I pointed out to my fellow practitioners applies to me as well.
We shared after the reading. We all sincerely found our own attachments, no longer being affected by others' attitudes. We felt the energy field was very harmonious, melting each person's attachments. We upgraded our understandings, and got rid of many notions. We also sent forth righteous thoughts together, which was very powerful.
Through joining the group Fa-study, I saw many attachments in myself, and many hidden notions. For example, when it was my turn to read, I tried very hard not to make one single mistake. When others took their turn, I would lean over to look at the book (we had to share one book), for fear that they would make mistakes. Soon I found myself concentrating on finding others' mistakes, but not on the contents of the Fa. I quickly put down this notion, and concentrated on Master's words. My fellow practitioners then read much more smoothly, and they corrected their mistakes on their own. The group Fa-study helped me uncover such a bad notion. I want to thank Master for arranging this opportunity to let me see my own shortcomings. I want to join group Fa-study more often.
My fellow practitioners, join group Fa-study if you have the opportunity! Let us all look inside during Fa-study, improve as a whole, and play our roles better.
The above is my personal understanding. Please correct me.
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