(Minghui.org) We cultivators need to pay attention to cultivation of speech. If we don’t do it well, we might create divisions among practitioners and thus impact our group collaboration in assisting Teacher to save people.

At the personal cultivation level, not cultivating speech not only reflects a person’s poor personal traits but also makes the person lose his precious de (virtue).

A fellow cultivator once told a story: Two practitioners on bicycles passed a young woman with heavy makeup going in the opposite direction. After she passed them, the practitioner at the back asked the one in front, “What did you do?”

“Nothing. Why?”

“I saw something like cotton fly out of your body and land on that woman.” (According to Falun Gong’s teachings, when a person does or says bad things about another person, he gives his virtue, or de, to the other party. The practitioner at the back might have had his celestial eye opened and was able to see other dimensions).

“Oops,” the practitioner in front sighed in awe. “When I saw that woman, I thought to myself, ‘(She) looks like a giant panda!’” With that thought, he gave his de to her.

From this story, we can tell that the cultivation of speech is not only a cultivation issue but also an issue of accumulating de or losing de. We know our gong is transformed from de; one will not have gong if he does not have de. How precious de is!

At the group level, if we do not pay attention to our speech, our improper words may create divisions among practitioners and impact our projects to save people. The old forces might take advantage of it to interfere with our cultivation.

I see a few aspects of practitioners not cultivating their speech:

First, some fellow practitioners say dirty words in their regular conversations. This is more common among fellow practitioners who live in rural areas.

Second, some practitioners get very angry and start to curse when they encounter something not to their liking.

Third, some practitioners stereotype people and have preconceptions about them. They criticize other practitioners, but what they say is not true and doesn’t reflect the real situation. This causes negative things to spread in a small circle. For example, one practitioner says to other practitioners that practitioner X has a strong attachment of fear. This would cause others to have certain thoughts about X and change that person’s cultivation environment.

Fourth, our attachments, such as the showoff mentality, jealousy, and resentment, might lead us to say something that we shouldn’t and hurt others, resulting in the loss of our precious de.

The above is my personal understanding. Please point out my gaps.

Editor’s note: This article only represents the author’s understanding in their current cultivation state meant for sharing among practitioners so that we can “Compare with one another in study, in cultivation.” (“Solid Cultivation,” Hong Yin)