(Minghui.org) A few practitioners in my area have had issues since the persecution started in 1999. At least seven have been imprisoned or sent to forced labor camps. Some were arrested, some fell ill and passed away, some had family tribulations, some were unwilling to tell others about Falun Gong or stopped practicing, and more recently, several practitioners were harassed by police after filing criminal complaints against Jiang Zemin for persecuting Falun Gong.
These problems could be related to arrangements by the old forces. As we continue to study the Fa, save people, and do the three things, we may need to calm down and look inside to see if we have loopholes. I would like to share some of my thoughts.
Faith in Master and the Fa
Most practitioners have done a great deal of work telling others about Falun Gong and the persecution, but some have not improved their xinxing.
For example, one practitioner in her seventies has distributed Falun Gong materials to people over the past few years. She is financially stable and her husband supports her. Several years ago, however, she suspected that her husband was having an affair. She became very worried and could not let it go. Later, a growth was found in her stomach and her health declined. In the end, she was hospitalized. Although other practitioners sent forth righteous thoughts for her, it didn't help much. In the end, she passed away, leaving a huge medical bill for her husband to pay off.
Under normal circumstances, it may not be obvious whether one has strong faith in Master and the Fa. But when tribulations occur, it’s risky if we continue to consider things using human notions. If we calm down and think things over, we may find that cases of persecution or illness karma are related to our faith.
Righteous Thoughts
As practitioners, we know that our righteous thoughts come from the Fa. But when facing tests, we may not be so clear on this. That is, we may use human notions to consider how to do or handle something. This is especially the case for practitioners who are knowledgeable or capable.
On the other hand, if we are clear that we are Dafa disciples, and fully place ourselves in the Fa, the situation will be different. This is the case regardless if it's something personal or if we are rescuing other practitioners.
Another scenario is that some practitioners focus too much on doing things, and neglect their cultivation. That can also create serious loopholes.
Looking Within
We may sometimes notice other practitioners not meeting the standard, such as having bad attitudes, being unable to stay focused on the Fa, or failing to look within. As time continues, we may focus on others' problems instead of cultivating ourselves.
Here's an example of something that happened to me. I know one practitioner who always seemed to pick on others. She also tended to force her opinions on others. As a result, I didn’t like to talk with her, or even study the Fa with her. I knew my thoughts were not correct, but I didn't want to correct them.
I later began to look at this issue from a different angle. Whenever her words made me feel uncomfortable, I looked inside to see if I had the same issues. After repeatedly studying “To the European Fa Conference” in The Essentials of Diligent Progress VOL. III, I finally understood where my problem was, and was able to improve on it. I’ve since realized that this practitioner had strong righteous thoughts.
Party Culture
I know many well-educated practitioners, but some have not fully utilized their skills to save people, or have been arrested. As I thought it over, I saw that some of them were heavily influenced by Party culture. Some were well-spoken, but were reluctant to point out others' shortcomings. They also tended to avoid problems, and often paid compliments.
On the other hand, some practitioners like to hear good things, and often ignore or look down on others. These kinds of barriers often lead to a lack of communication and other problems.
Master had told us about Party culture and we need to work hard to eliminate it; otherwise, it may affect our Fa-study and collaboration with other practitioners. We should take this seriously.
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Category: Improving Oneself
