(Clearwisdom.net) Very often when I see fellow practitioners who are either not diligent or have attachments, I get impatient, and sometimes I even get angry with them. I feel that they are not cultivating well. I get impatient and start complaining or placing blame on them. Sometimes I start arguing with them and feel resentful. When I pointed out a fellow practitioner's shortcomings to him, he replied sarcastically and said nasty things to me. A gap developed between us, and as a result, I was not willing to even see this fellow practitioner. Sometimes when I read a paragraph of the Fa, I felt that it was related to him and that he should have looked inside. Whatever I see in the fellow practitioner are always shortcomings. During group experience sharing, I often tell him how I am persistent in studying the Fa and doing the exercises. I did so with the thinking that we are one body and no one should be left behind, so we should help and guide each other.
I often tried to look inside regarding this issue, but I simply believed that this was due to my not being compassionate enough. Several days ago, when I had a small argument with my husband, he said, "You did not cultivate. You have cultivated in vain." I was really shocked. It is very clear that Master was using my husband to allow me to see something, so I decided to let go of the attachments and look at myself from a new angle. When I did not look inside, I was not aware of my problems. When I did look inside, I was shocked. I have all the attachments that I saw in fellow practitioners.
I found the attachment of showing off and believing that I am better than others. I tried to help them to do well. Consciously or subconsciously, I was showing off and trying to validate myself. I wanted to surpass others in everything that I did, which is a reflection of a competitive mentality. When I saw that fellow practitioners were in a better financial state, with no concerns for their daily needs, I felt admiration for them. It is actually these attachments that were causing problems, especially the attachments of jealousy and showing off. Master has taught the Fa on this specifically. I have been cultivating for 11 years, but I did not follow Master's teachings. I did not cultivate away all these attachments, but instead, I got attached to fellow practitioners' attachments. With all these attachments, I did things that created gaps between myself and fellow practitioners, yet I still believed that I was diligent and had cultivated well. Without Master's hints to help me see this, I would have been cultivating in vain.
I came to understand that the three things we are doing are not for the purpose of individual consummation. Instead, we should look inside from the perspective of the Fa. We are fellow practitioners, and we are all Master's disciples. It is only that our paths of cultivation are different. Why should we always look at others' shortcomings, blaming, complaining and looking down on them? Master said in "Fa Teaching at the 2007 New York Fa Conference,"
"The attitude each cultivator has toward others is a reflection of his own cultivation, and you should all be clear on these things."
Actually our seeing others' shortcomings is no accident. Master uses human attachments that we still have to provide us with opportunities to improve ourselves. On the path of cultivation, at any time, we have tests and tribulations. Master said,
"And even though we say there's not much left, it's still pretty big, and you still wouldn't be able to get through it. So what do we do? We divide it into countless portions and place them at different levels of your cultivation, and we use them to improve your character, to transform your karma, and to increase your gong." (Zhuan Falun)
Which attachment of ours needs to be let go? Where do we need to improve? All this is arranged systematically. If we are meant to improve, there will be tests, and they will come from both fellow practitioners and ordinary people. It is up to us to see it and do what is required of us.
If we are really responsible to the Fa and for fellow practitioners, responsible for ourselves and for sentient beings, we will point out shortcomings in others with compassion. Meanwhile, we should also find out our own shortcomings and get rid of them.
Dafa disciples are supposed to support and care about each other, understand and remind each other, and be tolerant and broad-minded. We should follow the requirements of the Fa to do the three things well. In this way, when we have a pure heart, we will do the three things safely and smoothly, and save more sentient beings. We will be calm in studying the Fa and doing the exercises. At the same time, we are removing the gaps arranged by the old forces, and forming a harmonious and unbreakable body.
Master uses all his heart to give each of his disciples opportunities for improvement. He uses the cultivation environment to help disciples enlighten and cultivate away human attachments and notions, and to break our human shells to assimilate to the universal characteristics. After he purifies our bodies, elevates our realms to reach the state of being pure, he will take us home through consummation.
Thank you Master for giving me this opportunity to understand the Fa on a deeper level. For the next step, I will cultivate myself and improve.
Fellow practitioners, please point out with compassion anything improper.
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