(Minghui.org) While serving as a project coordinator on a Dafa project during the past year, I discovered so many of my attachments, including being opinionated, being distrustful, showing off, enjoying listening to pleasing words, being intolerant, not accepting criticism, and a having a fighting mentality.
These attachments created gaps among practitioners and obstructed our project.
When I looked inward, admitted my faults, and communicated with other practitioners sincerely, the substance dividing us vanished. We started coordinating better and better, and witnessed the power of Dafa.
I would like to share a memorable recent experience.
A month ago, the broadcasting software we were using for our truth-clarification platform had no sound. When I was coordinating with practitioners who had the technical skills to find a solution, a group leader on the platform suddenly informed me that she wanted to quit the project.
I would have been upset and frustrated if I hadn't just studied Master's Fa.
Master said:
“Let me tell you, if you do not cooperate well with someone, as a person in charge or project coordinator, you have leaks in your cultivation, which you need to patch. If you cannot patch them up, you’ll have leakage and it will be a problem on your way toward Consummation. Don’t you believe this? I have been stressing all along that you should cooperate with each other. As a person in charge, how can you be so incapable? You always reject others. Is it so hard to patiently persuade them? Isn’t that cultivation in itself? If you just pick what’s easy, is that cultivation? You should reason calmly with others—is it so hard to get along with other students? Your capacity is limited and you did not do well in many things, and yet you want to show off and display yourself. Is that really necessary? What Gods look at is not your surface, but if you have put your heart into it! They do not look at your ability, but if you have put in your whole heart, and whether your heart is on the Fa. If you are aligned with the Fa, Gods will help you to cooperate.” (“Fa Teaching at the 2016 New York Fa Conference”)
I knew that I should be more patient, more tolerant, and more considerate of others. It must have been my fault that this practitioner wanted to quit.
I said to her, “If I did something wrong, please forgive me. I will try to correct myself. Would you mind letting me know what mistakes I've made?”
She first said that I had done nothing wrong, and that she wanted to quit the project for other reasons.
I tried to put myself in her shoes, and said, “You've worked on this platform for three years. This work can be boring and lonely since we do not see the results of our efforts in saving people, but it is a part of our cultivation. I really admire your persistence. Not everyone can do that. I might be thoughtless sometimes; I might not have carefully considered how you feel, and given you too much pressure. So how about I help you, or find another practitioner to assist you? Would you then consider staying?”
She paused for a moment and asked, “What did you do for a living before?”
I was surprised to hear her ask that, and thought that she was hinting that I had a glib tongue. I realized that I must have done something wrong, and spoke to her calmly. “I was a teacher before. But not a good one, and I didn't always communicate with others very well. If I said something that hurt you, I sincerely apologize. Our platform needs you. Please forgive me and point out anything I did wrong.”
She replied, “I don't want to work on the platform anymore, because I don't want to see a certain person!”
I was curious to know who. Then shocked to find out that it was me.
She said that I didn't help her when she needed me most, but I thought that I had always tried to help her on the platform!
The event she was referring to was when she once asked me to call her very ill mother to try and get her to practice Dafa. I didn't agree to do it, and her mother eventually passed away. Now when she thinks of her mother, she remembers that I didn't help her.
I thought that she had been interfered with by her attachment to sentimentality, and that was the reason why she wanted to quit the platform.
I apologized and explained my reasons for not ringing her mother. I also told her, “I think you are too much attached to sentimentality towards your mother. Master told us the reason why not everyone can practice Dafa. When you complete your cultivation, your mother can be a being in your world. That would be the best repayment to her. If you can't eliminate the attachment to sentimentality, it will have negative effects on our task of saving more sentient beings. We are currently experiencing a major disturbance to our platform, and we need to find a solution soon. So can you please take charge of the platform? Let's all work together and make the platform work well. What do you think?”
“I will do it!” she replied.
During the next few days, I put all my focus on the computer software issue. With the help of practitioners who provided technical support for the platform, we repeatedly tested different versions of the software. Occasionally we saw hope and were able to get the sound when calling using a stationary phone. But it would not work with a mobile phone. Sometimes the sound worked for a short time, but then stopped working again.
A week passed by and we couldn't find a solution. Some practitioners suggested switching to different software, but that would have presented other problems.
I shared my thoughts with the team and urged them to look for the wisdom bestowed to us by Master.
The next day, a practitioner informed me that the problem had been resolved. He said that our previous conversation had inspired him to try a new method. It was complicated, and he wasn't sure it would work. So he asked Master for help. Then, when he tried it again, it was a success!
We were all so grateful to Master!
A week of hard work also taught me a deeper understanding of Master's words:
“Working hard is part of your cultivation.” (“20th Anniversary Fa Teaching”)
During this time, our team worked as one body and did not allow ourselves to be discouraged. We believed in Master and improved our cultivation states. A bad thing was therefore changed into a good thing.
Recalling my cultivation during the past year, there are many things that I did not do well, which leaves me with many regrets. I sincerely thank Master for giving us more time, so that I still have a chance to redeem myself. I also sincerely thank my fellow practitioners’ constant reminders and help.
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Category: Improving Oneself
