(Clearwisdom.net) Several practitioners shared our experiences on the topic of "looking inward during a tribulation." In accordance with taking the Fa as Master and inspiring each other, we tried to dig deep to find those human attachments that caused our tribulations. Here are two examples after sharing with fellow practitioners.
1. "Staying in a fellow practitioner's home"
Fellow practitioner A shared her story about why she was arrested. Practitioner B was being followed but she was unaware of it. She went to A's home to spend the night. On the next morning, a group of thugs broke into A's home. They searched her home, took everything of value, even shoving the spare change into their pockets, and illegally arrested both practitioners. A's husband (a non-practitioner) witnessed everything.
A fellow practitioner suggested looking inward further, to dig out the human notion at the roots behind such a tribulation. Master said,
"So, when you meet with ordeals, it is the perfect opportunity for you to improve. If you are able to look inside, that trying situation will become instead an opportunity, something to overcome and a chance to enter a new state." ("Fa Teaching at the 2008 New York Conference")
Practitioner A provided more background details.
For years, in order to avoid being persecuted, whenever it was a CCP sensitive date, Practitioner B would stay at other practitioners' homes. However, Practitioner A always thought that providing such a convenience was to help out fellow practitioners and never thought about it more deeply.
This exposes a hidden loophole. Indulging human thoughts (friendship, tender feelings) kept B from eliminating her attachment of fear sooner. "Should you have fear, it will seize upon you.. ("What's to Fear?" Hong Yin II) Eventually, it brought about the bigger problem.
Instead of staying at the human level of friendship, if A had studied the Fa with B and pointed out her attachment of fear, to help her eliminate it and to strengthen her righteous thoughts, the evil would have no loophole to exploit.
"If thoughts are righteous,
evil will collapse"
("What's to Fear?" Hong Yin II)"When disciples have ample righteous thoughts
Master has the power to turn back the tide"
("The Master-Disciple Bond," Hong Yin II)
2. "Aiding"
Enlightened by Practitioner A's story above, Practitioner C shared his story.
Practitioner C had known Practitioner D for many years. He often financially supported this practitioner and her family. (All her family members practice Dafa, but their income is very limited.) C has a steady job but lives frugally to maintain some savings. Later, D was sentenced to forced labor.
Practitioner C realized that he didn't spend much time studying the Fa or sharing deeply with Practitioner D. Although he found out that practitioner D had a strong attachment to doing things and was unable to settle down to study the Fa calmly, he didn't point it out, due to human-level "face-saving." Once he even gave some money to D for living expenses and asked her not to take a temporary job, but to stay at home for a month to study the Fa calmly. Later, after he didn't see any improvements in her xinxing, he didn't say anything further about it and kept silent. Due to having some small supernormal abilities, D sometimes also liked to show off a little. Practitioner C also didn't point this out directly, in order to "save face."
Practitioner C helped D financially but didn't stress Fa study and sharing, that would truly help her improve her xinxing. It was part of the reason that D suffered a bigger tribulation later. Then Practitioner C deeply searched within himself and realized that cultivation is serious and that deviating from the Fa and not eliminating human notions is the root cause of tribulations.
Please point out anything improper.
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