(Clearwisdom.net) I am renting a third-floor apartment. My neighbor who lives on the second floor suffers from insomnia and demands a quiet environment. Due to water leaks and a noise problem, she had not been on friendly terms with the fellow who used to live where I do. When I moved in, she told me about her difficulty, implying that I should should be careful and not make any noise.
A few days ago, this neighbor came to my apartment and asked me if I had purchased an appliance that was making noise day and night. She thought the disturbing noise was coming from my residence, and she was upset. I told her that I had not bought anything, but she was not convinced. She then searched my apartment and found that I had a refrigerator on, so I turned it off. After much checking, she accepted the fact that the noise didn't come from my residence, and I hence felt very relieved.
She came by again in the evening, and after she left, I heard the disturbing noise that she had described. It lasted all night and didn't stop until after breakfast the next day. It occurred to me that the noise was emanating from the heating system in the building. It had stopped because the weather had become warmer.
The noise ending should have been good news, but I kept wondering why it ended right after my neighbor complained to me. I was worried that it looked as if I had done some repair work after I received the complaint. I was concerned that my neighbor might misunderstand me, and I had an urge to visit her and explain the situation. I thought it might have been better if the noise had stopped a few days later, so that there would have been strong evidence that the noise didn't come from my residence.
When I looked inward, I realized that the worry about being misunderstood came from the selfish purpose of wanting to protect myself. It was an issue of saving face. This situation also related to my wish to be better than others and the avoidance of being criticized by others. Once I found the causes behind my urge, my mind began to calm down. This minor incident had exposed a strong attachment of mine.
As Teacher has told us, there are no accidental events in our cultivation. When we encounter a problem, making excuses is unnecessary, because the excuse is based in self-protection. The correct way to deal with problems is to let go of human judgments and look inward for the human notions that cause them. Removing human notions is the way to make progress in cultivation.
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