(Clearwisdom.net) On August 3-5, 2007 a summer camp for young practitioners was held at the Shulin District in Taiwan. Young practitioners studied the Fa together and offered encouragement to one another. During the three-day camp, as an adult camp leader, I studied the Fa with the young practitioners. For the first two days, some of the young practitioners recited the Fa very fluently, and they also understood the meaning of the words, which pleased their parents, who are their fellow practitioners. There were also some young practitioners however who did not read the Fa with their hearts, or they did not understand the meaning of the Fa after reciting it. They had not learned to be diligent. This was also reflected in their unruly behavior.
 Watching Master's exercise instruction video and learning the exercise movements |
 Making lotus flower bookmarks together |
 Doing the exercises and promoting the Fa outdoors at Tonghua Park on Chengtian Road in Tucheng |
Facing the naughtiness of some of the young fellow practitioners, my strong attachment of combativeness flared up and I forgot about compassion. I could not help wondering how our fellow practitioners teach and guide their children at home. Once there was a practitioner who asked Master, "I constantly spend a lot of time spanking and yelling at hyperactive, unruly children. Am I overreacting?" Master answered:
"We do need to improve the way we educate children. If you find that yelling and spanking don't work, then you should indeed improve your approach. Let me tell you that they are also individuals. Even though they are your sons and daughters, after a lifetime no one recognizes each other. What you owe them has to be paid back! You may not believe what I say, but some people are so lost in the maze of ordinary people--they're very attached to these things. They put so much pressure on their children, hoping they will pass admission tests and go to college. Let me tell you, though, you will owe them a lot. In the future it will be turned around--they will be your parents, and they will do the same to you. It's a question of approach. If you raise children but don't teach them, that is doing a bad thing, and you will owe them for this as well." ("Teaching the Fa and Answering Questions in Zhengzhou" from Zhuan Falun Fajie The Law of Zhuan Falun Explained)
I realized that much of the problem regarding these young practitioners lay within myself. Since I am not solid enough in studying the Fa and doing the exercises, I can hardly keep up my xinxing, and am physically weak. Isn't this also showing that I am not strict enough with myself in my cultivation? When dealing with some children who are hyperactive and naughty, I was not kind in talking to them. One female fellow practitioner saw that the state of my cultivation was not right, so she kindly and carefully reminded me. I knew that I was in the wrong, but I still tried to protect my attachment to reputation, and I said to her, "I know I do not cultivate well enough. If you have any good ideas, please come and have a try to take care of them." The fellow practitioner answered, "I am only making a suggestion about improving. It does not mean that I am going to take over." This only strengthened my attachment of being self-righteous, so I went into the kitchen to complain to a fellow practitioner.
I saw two fellow practitioners who were working hard. One was busy preparing the materials and facilities. The other was carefully cleaning the cooking utensils and the food. My mind gradually calmed down. They worked harder than me, and did much more than me, but I never heard them complain. What they really exhibited was the demeanor of Dafa practitioners. Haven't I come to cultivate? When I looked within, I felt very ashamed for having been so arrogant. I should eliminate the attachment of self-conceit. It is this attachment that made me so narrow-minded and unable to see the situation clearly.
I apologized to all the fellow practitioners after I came back to the camp. I also thanked the fellow practitioner who was courageous enough to point out my problem. I felt that I was like the moon, which from a distance, seems to be a circle that is full and bright, but when seen up close, on the surface it is full of bumps and hollow parts that need patching. I realized that it wasn't me that gave off light, I only reflected the radiance of Dafa. Without Falun Dafa, I am nothing. I looked deeper inside, just like peeling away another layer of an onion. One layer after another, we have to follow Dafa as the standard. I have to set strict requirements for myself to find any loopholes and be willing to patch them up.
On the third day, in the early morning, we went to Tonghua Park at Chengtian Road, Tucheng to promote Falun Dafa. On that day, more tourists than usual expressed their amazement when seeing the dignified demeanor of the young practitioners doing the exercises. "How great!" "How lovely!" "There is a group of young children at the mountain who are very good at doing the Falun Gong exercises." Tourists who came to climb the mountain spread their words of praise for the young practitioners all the way down to the bottom of the mountain. The young practitioners handed out the lotus flower bookmarks that they had made themselves to these predestined people. Every time a young practitioner gave out a flower and said, "Falun Dafa is good!" the tourists echoed back, saying, "Good!" "Thank you!" "We are so grateful!"
Our young practitioners are the little angels of Dafa. Let's cultivate diligently and help the brilliance of Dafa radiate in the universe.
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Category: Improving Oneself
