(Minghui.org) People with good inborn qualities are naturally humble and tolerant of others. Falun Dafa practitioners follow the principles of Truthfulness-Compassion-Forbearance in their daily lives, look inward when facing conflicts, and rid themselves of human attachments. Only in this way can they fulfill their mission to assist Master Li during Fa-rectification.
Master told us,
“Forbearance (ren) is not cowardice, much less is it resigning oneself to adversity.” (“Beyond the Limits of Forbearance” in Essentials for Further Advancement II)
When a virtuous person is humiliated or attacked, his first thought is to examine himself for the cause, be humble, and take things lightly. By conducting himself this way, he naturally avoids disasters.
People who are attached to vanity and saving face are usually afraid of being slandered. However, instead of addressing these character flaws head on, they simply avoid doing bad things in public, so as to not damage their reputation.
If we can rid ourselves of human pride—while we're being humiliated—and evaluate our behavior from the other party's point of view, we'll surely elevate our realm.
Xu Gan, a noted intellectual from the Ming Dynasty, once said, “One's virtue is like a container. An empty container can be filled. Once it is full, it cannot accept any more. Thus, a man should be open-mind and respectful. He should refrain from being arrogant and not think that he is superior to others. He should focus on others' strengths and his own personal shortcomings. In this way, others will respect him and be willing to teach him.”
Only by being modest and selfless can one become tolerant of others and develop mighty virtue. Otherwise, one will remain narrow-minded, jealous, and arrogant.
Master said:
“In order to improve your realm of mind, you have to be tested by tribulations in this world. If your character has really improved and become solid, karma will be eliminated during the process, the tribulation will pass, and your gong will develop. Don’t be discouraged if during tests of character you fail to guard your character and you did something wrong. Take the initiative to find what you learned from that lesson, to discover where you fell short, and to put effort into cultivating Zhen, Shan, Ren. The next problem that will test your character might come shortly thereafter. As your gong potency develops, the tribulations that test your character might come on even stronger. Your gong potency will grow a bit higher with every test you pass. The development of your gong will come to a standstill if you aren’t able to pass a test. Small tests lead to small improvements; big tests lead to big improvements. I hope that every practitioner is ready to endure great hardship, and will have the determination and willpower to embrace the hardship. You won’t acquire real gong without expending effort. No principle exists that will let you gain gong comfortably without any hardship or effort. You will never cultivate to become an enlightened being if your character doesn’t become fundamentally better and you still harbor personal attachments!” (“Cultivation of Character” in Chapter III in Falun Gong)
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Category: Improving Oneself
