(Minghui.org) I have seldom contacted fellow practitioners in the past 16 years. Thanks to Fa study, cultivation of my heart, and Minghui articles, I have been steadily walking the path of clarifying the truth and validating the Fa.
Recently, I realized that I must keep looking within if I want to walk a steady path of cultivation in this final Fa-rectification period. Whether I'm living my daily life, at work, or in contact with other practitioners, I need to look within whenever I have conflicts.
This is the only way I can let go of human notions quickly and save people with a compassionate heart.
I. Looking Within at Work
I had frequent contact with non-practitioners and, from time to time, this made me forget to look within. I eventually realized that the magic tool of looking within to purify myself was closely related to saving people.
Cultivation Experience with My Manager
Dafa endowed me with wisdom and made me an expert in my field. Last summer, my manager asked me to work out a problem. When I finished it, he asked some questions which I had fully considered early on. I explained to him the pros and cons of his ideas.
After we discussed this, he came to me the following day and again raised the same concerns. I was a little irritated and thought: “Why are you asking this again? I clearly explained everything to you yesterday. It's so obvious. You are wasting my time.”
I explained everything to him again in several different ways. I spoke impatiently and thought he was stupid.
I later learned that my manager received a call after he left my office. He sounded anxious and restless, which got my attention. This made me aware that I had aroused his anxiety. It was actually me who had affected his emotion. I was restless, and he was my mirror.
I also thought of what Teacher says in a poem “He's right, And I'm wrong” ("Who's Right, Who's Wrong," from Hong Yin III)
Complaining that others are stupid is the same as believing that others are wrong and I'm right. Why did my manager seem so stupid in front of me? It was to have my human thoughts exposed.
It was time for me to expand my capacity. I was the one who was stupid. I placed too much emphasis on human principles and on the superficial aspects of who was right or who was wrong, instead of viewing things from the perspective of cultivation and improving.
I thought my own solution was perfect and did not want to be questioned. When my manager brought up his suggestion, I explained it and took for granted that he would then accept it. I realized that this was a reflection of my attachments of not being able to take criticism and looking down upon others.
My manager came to my office two days later and asked me the same questions that we had discussed before. I smiled this time and explained to him patiently from another perspective.
Finally he expressed his admiration for my explanations. With delight he said, “Oh, so that's how it is! I didn't read the design instructions carefully enough. Now I get it.”
Since then I have let go of my attachment of looking down on my manager and looked within whenever my heart was moved. I also helped him solve problems at work which I had regarded as “none of my business” before.
I had explained the facts about Falun Gong to my manager many times, but he never expressed his position when I asked him to quit the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the Youth League, and Young Pioneers. Last autumn I told him again about the persecution of Falun Gong and the importance of making the right choice between good and evil. He finally agreed to quit the Youth League and Young Pioneers.
Cultivation Experience with a New College Graduate
A new college graduate recently arrived at work. He had a strong desire to learn new things and often asked me technical questions. Some were not related to work. Sometimes he asked me to work out problems with him. He seemed to regard me as his personal tutor. I thought he was taking up too much of my time, so I was not patient with him.
He once followed me to the entrance of the women's restroom. I asked him to go back to wait for me in the office. After I came out of the restroom, I looked within and adjusted my feelings.
I told myself to be compassionate and have a peaceful mind. I walked up to him and asked how I could help. His reply surprised me. “It's okay. I figured it out myself just now.” After that, he no longer asked me questions as often.
I often told him about the persecution of Falun Gong. He agreed with what I told him and said, “Who still believes in the communist party? When I was in college, they persuaded me again and again to join the CCP, but I refused.”
I looked within and cultivated myself whenever I was not calm. My colleagues are people who have a predestined relationship with me. My responsibility is to tell them about Falun Gong so that they could have a bright future.
II. Looking Within While in Conflict with Other Practitioners
I filed a complaint against Jiang Zemin last May. While writing it, I recalled my experiences of the past 16 years and reflected on myself.
After reading a Minghui article one day, I became aware that my interactions with other practitioners were unduly affected by my own emotions. I admired and regarded them as heroes when not around them but, when in close contact, I disliked their behavior at times.
I expected others to comply with my rules. My human notions created barriers among practitioners and injected our small body with evil elements.
Looking down upon other practitioners while seeing their shortcomings is something that the old forces do. The old forces see clearly our shortcomings, but it doesn't mean that they are correct or in line with the principles of the universe. They couldn't align themselves with the Fa, and thus became obstacles of the Fa rectification.
I cared too much about the shortcomings of other practitioners instead of cultivating myself. Wasn't I creating barriers among practitioners, when I should have helped to form one body?
Precious is the predestined relationship among practitioners. It's critical to practice genuine cultivation together, to think more of each other's merits, understand each other with compassion, look within while seeing the shortcomings of others, and rectify ourselves in Dafa.
Thanks to our predestined relationship, we can stand together, cooperate with each other, and validate the Fa. It's our responsibility to harmonize with each other, purify ourselves, and accomplish the mission of saving people.
I realized that I should do whatever I could to cooperate with other practitioners.
One practitioner wanted to learn a sophisticated software for clarifying the truth, but he was too busy to figure out how to use it. He talked to me about this and looked very anxious.
I was now able to see it in a positive light. I was very calm and set aside his anxiety. Instead I took into consideration only how urgent it was to help him solve the problem.
I thought about what I could do for him. I decided to help him break through the technical issues.
I purchased the software and related materials the following day. I studied it myself on my computer. It was really a very sophisticated software. My head felt heavy when I studied it at first, but I kept on working at it, eliminated interference, and was determined to figure out how to use it.
It took me almost a week to grasp its basic operation. I installed the software on that practitioner's computer and taught him how to use it. He was very surprised that I could work it out in such a short period of time. He was delighted and filled with confidence.
Later I found an online course for easy learning and gave it to him. Several days later, he told me that he spent only two evenings to study the course.
The second night he fell asleep while learning. He heard Teacher's compassionate voice echo in his ears saying, “You can use it now.”
When he woke up, he could use it easily and applied it to truth-clarification projects. It became a very good tool for telling people the facts about Falun Gong.
Thank you, Teacher! This experience taught me that Teacher cares only about our heart of cooperating with each other unconditionally. Actually everything is done by Teacher.
III. Unselfishness and Compassion
Over the past 16 years, I've been doing the three things regularly every day. I would take every opportunity to tell people about Falun Gong face to face. During lunch break, I would make phone calls or distribute materials outside. During weekends and holidays, I would put up stickers about Falun Gong and distribute copies of Minghui Weekly.
I looked within and practiced genuine cultivation. Gradually, I came to understand and experience the meaning of being unselfish and compassionate in saving people.
One day at noon while I was distributing materials, I saw an old lady, walking with great difficulty into a building. I felt especially compassionate towards her. It was a feeling quite different from what I usually felt. Before, I didn't think too much and just distributed the materials to whomever I met.
I thought it did not matter how I saved people. This time, I stood in the shoes of that old lady: Everyone is waiting for Dafa through many painstaking reincarnations. She encountered me, a Dafa practitioner, today. It might be her only chance to be saved. It was an opportunity that could not be missed.
I caught up with her and said hello. At the entrance of the first floor, it was very noisy as one apartment was open and many people inside were playing mahjong.
She had difficulty hearing, so I spoke loudly and talked to her about Falun Gong. She told me that she had experienced trouble with her legs for 20 years. I showed her a card with nine characters on it: Falun Dafa is good. Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance is good.
She nodded. I could see the appreciation in her eyes. She took the card and said repeatedly, “Thank you.”
People are waiting for Dafa to save them. As Dafa practitioners, we must continually purify ourselves. The closer it is to the end, the more should we look within and cultivate genuinely, so as not to let down the expectations of sentient beings.
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