(Clearwisdom.net)
Greetings, Beloved and Honorable Master! Greetings, Fellow Practitioners!
I have been following Master on the Fa-rectification path for eight years. After going through hardships and difficulties, I have become more and more mature as a practitioner, and have begun to see the importance of Dafa practitioners harmonizing with each other. The closer we get to the end, the more crucial it is.
As practitioners, we all have attachments and loopholes that are unknown to us. Living in this human society we have moments when we are unclear and muddleheaded under the silent encroachment of the pursuit for fame, benefits, and sentiment. To prevent this from occurring, I believe that all practitioners have an obligation to harmonize with each other. This is a demand that the new cosmos lays on all Dafa particles. When practitioners help each other, it is also a process of cultivation. Similarly, it is a process of practitioners from the old cosmos letting go of selfishness and ego so that we can cultivate in compassion and assimilate to the Fa. Ultimately, we can assimilate to the new cosmos. At present, practitioners are putting this process into practice. Master hopes so and so do all human beings. Practitioners' mighty virtue is established in this process. It is the foundation for a harmonious and eternal new cosmos.
Today, I would like to use this opportunity to share my personal understandings. Please point out anything inappropriate.
Harmonizing Together is Dafa Practitioners' Duty
When the persecution first started, one practitioner told me about a dream that he had. In the dream, he and many others were sitting inside an enclosed vehicle heading towards a faraway destination. On their way there, he and the others could easily doze off at any moment, but a voice told him that if he really fell asleep, he would never wake up.
Everyone in the vehicle was sleepy and it was impossible for all of them to keep awake the whole time. However, not everyone would doze off at the same time, and they all started to help each other. If one dozed off, the one next to him would wake him up.
Looking back over eight years of Fa-rectification cultivation with fellow practitioners, I found that the experience was much like my dream. As one body we did things similarly: we were not all lost in human attachments at the same time, and neither were we all clear-minded at the same time (attachments are exposed in conflicts so that we can relinquish them), so we could help each other.
I realized that Master arranged for us to cultivate together so that we can help each other, harmonize together, and strengthen each other. In the path of assisting Master in Fa-rectification, we cast aside our attachments, let go of ourselves, and become new selves who are totally for other people. In doing so, we can establish a harmonious and unbreakable whole body. This kind of one body can do things well, walk on the right path, and entirely deny the old forces' arrangement. At the same time, this one body can follow Master's requirements and establish a bright future for sentient beings. After these lives are rectified, they will be Dafa particles and, together, Dafa particles will make up the cosmos. Their pure selflessness is the foundation of a new harmonious and unbreakable cosmos.
Studying the Fa Well is the Foundation for Harmony
Master told us:
"In order for Dafa disciples to walk their paths well and do the three things well, they must study the Fa well and take Fa-study seriously. The regions that have done well saving sentient beings and validating Dafa, and where great changes have transpired, are always places where people have studied the Fa well." ("To the Australia Fa Conference")
In the many years of cultivation, Master has repeatedly told us the importance of studying the Fa well. However, have we really emphasized Fa-study in our hearts? Do we really "take Fa-study seriously" and study the Fa well every day?
In human society, fame, financial benefits, and sentiments interfere with us. We long for comfort and are troubled by the need to fulfill certain tasks. We become irritated and annoyed. In addition, the evil forces interfere with us, and situations in the outside world disturb us. Many times we cannot study the Fa with a tranquil mind, so our hearts are not on the Fa. When that happens, we demonstrate many kinds of attachments and we are unable to let go of them. If we are like this, we are no better than a regular person, and the evil interference will grow and find loopholes within us. This situation will continue and more attachments will occur. As a result, practitioners will have more conflicts. When this happens, it is impossible to have harmony among us.
Practitioners should study the Fa with a tranquil mind. Telling ourselves to reach a certain condition and harmonize well is impossible. It is all because we are searching from the outside. We are using ordinary methods that will make it even more complicated. The only method we should use is to study the Fa well and assimilate to the Fa well. By doing so, we will have clear minds and will be able to tell what is true from what is false. We should constantly look inward so that we can harmonize well with our fellow practitioners.
We know practitioners in certain areas maintain their group study very well and nothing can stop them. Fellow practitioners spend large amounts of time on Fa-study. They read Master lectures and send forth righteous thoughts every hour. After group study, they always leave some time to share and discuss how to improve in the tasks of truth-clarification.
When we take Fa-study as priority, no matter what happens, at least the majority of us can handle the issues from the perspective of the Fa. [This way], fellow practitioners can relate to each other in harmony so that we can keep a righteous field. There will be no mess and the whole body will walk on the right path.
Looking Inward is the Prerequisite for a Harmonious One Body
In practice, we have discovered that, because we are still human, we still possess a human mentality. Many times we do not treat fellow practitioners with compassion. When we see other practitioners having problems, we feel upset. It is easy for us to see others' problems. At that moment, we are attached to others' attachments. We even set conditions when other fellow practitioners are being persecuted or going through other kinds of tribulations and they need our help: "Why don't you look for your own problems? I have helped you so much, why can't you pass this tribulation?" At that moment, we have forgotten to look inside ourselves and cultivate ourselves.
I used to be like this. When a tribulation came, I knew that I should search inside myself, but when fellow practitioners had problems, I did not know how to search inside myself. I was always able to point out others' shortcomings thinking that I was being truthful and straightforward. I believed that when I pointed out their weaknesses, it was all right for me to be stern because I was doing it for that other person, not for me.
I did not understand why they did not "modestly and honestly" accept my advice. Why did they misunderstand me?
Hasn't Master reminded us several times that we should look inward? I have realized that looking inward should not be done with any conditions. Of course, when we see others' shortcomings and weaknesses we should also search inside ourselves. It is indeed difficult to do. When seeing fellow practitioners' weaknesses we must look at ourselves. Fellow practitioners are our mirrors. They are reminding us that we have similar problems Whether we find the problems or not, we should treat fellow practitioners with compassion and forgiveness. Whatever problems they show us are definitely human attachments that we should get rid of. We should not be swayed by their misinterpretations. Now that I have seen their problems, it must mean that I should be responsible for them. But when I do point out their problems, I should be compassionate, use a very calm tone, and keep their level of acceptance in mind.
As a matter of fact, in different situations, we are either helping others or being helped. In both situations we should search inside ourselves. When we are helping others, we should be compassionate and understanding. We are helping fellow practitioners unconditionally. On the other hand, in any circumstance, we should be willing to accept fellow practitioners' suggestions because on our path of cultivation, we indeed come across many attachments and loopholes that are unknown to us. Yet, Master does his best to help us see them so that we can eliminate them for our advancement. Therefore, nothing we come across is a coincidence, whether troubles or conflicts. When we hear that someone says something or does something, it was probably arranged by Master for us to understand so as to improve. If at that moment we blame it on the others', or if we believe that the practitioner who pointed out some issues to us is at a lower level than us and then don't search inside but push the matter away, then we will have obstacles and will be unable to move forward. The more obstacles we collect, the bigger the tribulation will become. In addition, being unable to accept others' suggestions is very dangerous. Master has already pointed that out to us.
One practitioner who was in charge of technical things was arrested. Because this practitioner had contacted many people in the area, the other practitioners who were working on Dafa materials all felt the pressure. Our fellow practitioner was being persecuted: What did it tell the other practitioners? When sharing, they all searched inside and realized their dependence on that practitioner. They had always relied on him whenever there were problems related to technical things. He was so busy helping fellow practitioners fix problems that he did not have time to study the Fa calmly. Therefore, the evil forces found the loophole. After searching inside, practitioners let go of their complaints, finger pointing, and worries. In the meantime, they denied the evil's excuse of persecuting their fellow practitioner. Soon after, he was released. This showed the mighty power of Dafa disciples' harmonious one body after searching inside ourselves.
Dafa Disciples' One Body
Master told us in "Master's Comment on Disciple's Article:" "Dafa practitioners are one body," and "the Fa-power is a reflection of the one body."
I understand that "one body" means all practitioners' hearts are connected; we harmonize together and help each other strengthen our powers. We also communicate frequently and there should be no gaps among us. We can consider others from the Fa's perspective, and in doing Dafa tasks, we do not emphasize ourselves. We can collaborate and unite as one at any moment. In this one body, if one particle develops some loopholes, the others will help correct the mistakes to make it up. Fellow practitioners' differences will be kept to a minimum so the whole body demonstrates the strengths of each particle. As a result, the power that our one body demonstrates will grow stronger and stronger. This strong body will be terrifying to the evil forces. Hence, each of their vicious attempts will be immediately resolved. If any evildoer dares to persecute one practitioner, it will be faced with being dissolved by the one body's powerful righteous thoughts. Faced with this solid one body, the evil forces cannot manifest. When that happens, more and more innocent people will be saved.
Practitioners in one area are part of the entire one body. Joining the practitioners from different areas in China and overseas, we get two big parts of the one body. The combination of these two makes a powerful one body. This is something similar to what Master has mentioned before. In doing so, our energy channels are eventually connected as one body with each individual channel becoming wider, brighter, and stronger. Then there will be no individual channels anymore.
Master said, "I can tell you, with five minutes of sending forth righteous thoughts together, the evil in the Three Realms will never exist again." ("Fa-Lecture at the Conference in Florida, U.S.A.")
I understand that Master not only pointed out to us how important it is to send forth righteous thoughts, he also let us understand the power of Dafa disciples' one body.
Our one body will become more and more mature in the process of Fa-rectification. The advancement of every single practitioner is the advancement of the one body. Besides, every single practitioner is needed to harmonize the one body. When one of us understands something before others do, we should break through difficulties to write it down. Or we should take advantage of our situation to share with fellow practitioners so that we can help more practitioners to advance quickly. In doing so, our one body will make fewer mistakes, shorten the time it takes to understand, and eliminate side effects, thereby enhancing the righteous field. We will help more practitioners to realize that they are also responsible so that they will join us. After that, we will form a powerful one body.
Master told us in "Teaching the Fa at the 2004 Chicago Conference:"
"When you Dafa disciples develop even stronger righteous thoughts among you, that will be what's most magnificent. Starting from each person, let's truly make our environment a very righteous one, and then all the unrighteous factors will dissolve, and all the students who haven't conducted themselves well will see where they fall short, and it will make them do better."
We have been walking on this Fa-rectification path for eight years. At present, we can see that in saving sentient beings, in resisting the persecution, and in establishing our future achievements, Dafa and the Fa-rectification has laid down increasingly strict requirements. The requirements for our one body advancement are higher and higher.
We practitioners should study the Fa well and search inside ourselves. Harmonizing together can make us form one body so that we can catch up with Master's Fa-rectification. Future glory is established through the seemingly ordinary path that we are walking. Let us treasure this opportunity that is not met in thousands of years. In assisting Master's Fa-rectification in this society, we can establish our virtue and magnificence.
Heshi
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