(Clearwisdom.net)
Recently, conflicting opinions resulting in tension among many of our local practitioners have affected our work. There were arguments between coordinators, disagreements between coordinators and practitioners, and disputes among workers responsible for printing and distribution. We were somewhat puzzled by what was happening: Why did we have so much tension all of a sudden?
Looking at the issue from the point of view of Fa rectification, all of our conflicts are a reflection of the final stage of Fa rectification. It is not because they were any less present at the time when the persecution was at its peak, but rather the "fear" among practitioners overshadowed all the others issues and was more obvious at the time. Today, as the Fa rectification advances steadily toward the end, the environment is more relaxed and this "fear" is slowly disappearing. Hence, other attachments begin to pop up. Of course, we must not overlook that the interference could also be the result of the evil's last-ditch attempts, which must be gotten rid of with our righteous thoughts.
However, from the viewpoint of cultivation, it is not a bad thing either.
Teacher said:
"When his gong rises to where his character is, if he wants to raise his gong further, the tensions will become obvious, and he'll need to keep improving his character. This is even more true for somebody who's born with a good base. He feels that his gong is coming along nicely and his practice is going well. How come so much trouble suddenly comes up? How come everything goes sour? Everybody treats him badly, his boss looks down on him, and things at home get tense. How come so many problems suddenly come up? He still hasn't understood it yet. His base is good, and so he was able to reach a certain level, and now this kind of cultivation state appears. But how could that be the ultimate Perfection standard for a cultivator? His cultivation has still got a long way to go! You have to keep improving yourself. It was the result of that little base you brought with you - that's why you were able to reach that cultivation state. If you want to improve further the standard has to be raised. " (Zhuan Falun)
In the past, disagreements between practitioners and non-practitioners were more noticeable. It was necessary to have such an environment for upgrading practitioners' character. Now, coming toward the end stage of Fa rectification, practitioners as a whole have reached a very high state of being. Demonic elements that used to control non-practitioners are becoming less and less, as more and more people understand the truth. Under such circumstances, Dafa practitioners will have greater influence over non-practitioners. In other words, ordinary people will interfere less with Dafa practitioners' work.
If that is the case, to help upgrade practitioners' character and to increase their capacity for tolerance, practitioners' internal conflicts will stand out. Looking at it from this perspective, conflicts among practitioners are not such a bad thing.
The key, therefore, is in how to handle the conflicts and turn them around to our advantage as a means to help upgrade our characters. When a conflict arises and interferes with our work, the parties involved must not get emotional and must not entangle themselves in who is right and who is wrong. They must review the Fa and look into themselves. It is possible that the problem is not with you; it is also possible the other party is at fault. But we also need to look into ourselves and see if we may also be at fault, or if something that is buried deep inside us has not yet been removed. Conflicts do not come about without a reason. When a third person sees the conflict, he must look into himself as well: Why is it that I happened to see this? Do I have similar attachments as well? The other thing to note is that we must not be attached to other people's attachments.
Becoming attached to another person's attachment is also an attachment. It is an attachment of one's ego. If the other person is wrong, we can point it out to him with sincerity. Whether or not the person accepts it, we don't have to worry. We need to cultivate ourselves and ensure that our personal attachments are removed. Then, within the environment in which the conflict exists, a positive and mutually interactive energy will result, which will help to overcome the problems of others, as well.
One must understand that the principle of mutual generation and mutual inhibition exists within a defined boundary in the universe. If you are involved in the conflict, as long as you let go of your attachment, the conflict will disappear, and the problem of the other party will automatically be resolved. Whatever the situation is, Dafa practitioners must ensure that the three things stipulated by Teacher are carried out properly and that they are in line with the whole body of Dafa, saving all savable sentient beings.
The above are some of my personal understandings to share with you. Please feel free to comment.